West Hartford, CT

Jason Gentile is the Chief Wealth Officer for Apella Wealth and a Certified Financial Planner. Over the last 20 years he has spent most of his time helping people reimagine their financial futures. In his time in this industry, he has watched too many individuals struggle with the complexity of planning and investing. His time is spent trying to simplify complex financial challenges, unclutter people’s financial lives and provide a clear path to achieving goals that may seem out of reach. He wants to answer the only question that matters – “am I going to be ok.” When Jason is not at work he mostly chauffeurs his children to various sporting events and complains about the Red Sox.

Peter Leppones, CFP® has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, specializing in financial planning and financial protection solutions. Mr. Leppones joined Apella in 2016 and holds the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification. Previously, he was employed by Life Plans of New England/GBS as an Area Vice President where he served as a key resource for their marketing initiatives and client on-boarding. He also has experience with product selection and case design, as well as substandard underwriting. Mr. Leppones has volunteered his time with a variety of local organizations, including Cub Scouts, Southington Youth Lacrosse, and Bread for Life, a local soup kitchen. He holds a B.S. degree in Finance from Central Connecticut State University and currently resides in Southington, CT with his two kids.

For more than 8 years, Shawn O’Sullivan, CFP^® has been helping clients reach their long-term goals. As a Financial Planner and Wealth Advisor at Apella, Shawn believes financial planning is the foundation upon which a successful long-term investment strategy is built. Shawn strives to provide Apella’s clients the structure, guidance, and confidence they need to navigate the complexities of investing and achieve their long-term financial goals.

In addition to being an Advisor at Apella, Shawn leads Apella’s trading team and is a member of Apella’s Investment Committee.

Previously, Shawn held several roles in operations and portfolio management before becoming a full-time financial advisor.

Shawn is a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP^®) professional and graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in economics. Additionally, he completed his financial planning education and capstone through Bryant University.

As Manager of Financial Planning, Matt leads Apella’s team of paraplanners to assist financial advisors in creating thorough, comprehensive financial plans. Matt is also responsible for maintaining efficient planning processes, integrating new planning technologies into existing technology stack, and serves as a resource for advanced case consultation. Matt initially joined Apella Wealth in 2019 as a Portfolio Analyst and Paraplanner. Prior to Apella, he worked at Northwestern Mutual as a financial advisor specializing in life and disability insurance from 2017-2019.

Alexandra Coady is the lead Client Service Specialist for the West Hartford Advisory team.  Since joining the team in 2023, she has been dedicated to providing exceptional client service and fostering strong client relationships.  In addition to her client service role, Alexandra also leads a monthly operations meeting focused on enhancing the client experience.  A graduate of Central Connecticut State University in 2020, Alexandra is dedicated to providing exceptional client service and ensuring a seamless experience for every client.  In addition to working with clients, outside of work Alexandra enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with her dog Ellie. 

As an Account Services Specialist Veky Lawrence provides support to Apella Wealth's Financial Advisors and Client Relationship Specialists. Veky has more than 20 years experience in the financial services industry from financial start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. In addition to providing product and operational support Veky fosters a passion for client success and prioritizes customers financial goals. Veky was born in Ecuador and currently resides in Wallingford, Connecticut.

Alicia Karsky provides client relationship support to the Apella Wealth financial advisors. She has more than 20 years of experience in financial services. Prior to joining Apella in 2022, Alicia was employed by RBC Wealth Management. Alicia holds a B.A. in Psychology from Central CT State University. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, reading and biking. Alicia resides in Connecticut.

Joseph Ferreira joined Apella Wealth in January of 2023 as a Paraplanner. Joseph works with financial advisors, along with their clients, to create and implement comprehensive financial plans to help ensure their long-term financial goals. Prior to Apella, Joseph was an intern within the Private Wealth Management division at Morgan Stanley and a student at Union College. Joseph graduated from Union with Cum Laude Honors as well as Departmental Honors in his major of Economics. While at Union, Joseph was a member of their football team, in which he became one of six student-athletes throughout Union’s history to earn three College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Honors for outstanding work in the classroom and on the field.

Raylynn Branes joined Apella Wealth in 2022 as a Paraplanner after graduating from The Douglas Honors College at Central Washington University in 2019. She was one of the first students in the nation to graduate from a university offering a degree in Financial Planning. Now living in Bellevue, Raylynn works alongside Apella Wealth Advisors with a focus on building comprehensive financial plans for clients with attention to tax, retirement, estate, and college planning to help them achieve their goals.

Kramer Croisant began his career working for a few CPA firms preparing tax returns for individuals and small businesses. Kramer calls on his tax background and knowledge to help clients with potential value adding tax decisions and planning. Kramer graduated with honors from Western Oregon University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business with a focus in accounting. He is currently working towards his Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation. Kramer lives in central Oregon with his wife and son. Kramer’s wife, Cameron is a 1st grade teacher at a local elementary school. Outside of the office Kramer serves as the head baseball coach for a local high school. When time permits you can find Kramer fly fishing or golfing around central Oregon.