Evelyn M. Zohlen has served on both the personal and the institutional sides of financial services for 25 years. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas, her Master of Science from the Joint Military Intelligence College, and her Master of Business Administration (with a concentration in Finance/Portfolio Management) from Villanova University. Evelyn was a Relationship Manager at The Vanguard Group in Malvern, PA where she was the trusted advisor for clients with retirement plan assets ranging from $175 million to $500 million.

Evelyn is a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) professional and in 2020, served as Chair for the Financial Planning Association (the membership association for CFP® professionals with 23,000 members!). She was an adjunct professor in the Personal Financial Planning Program at the University of California at Irvine and serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Investment and Wealth Management at UCI. She has served on the Board of Directors for WomanSage, the Board of Directors for the American Poetry Review, and the President’s Council at Immaculata University. Evelyn is a frequent contributor to periodicals such as The Wall Street Journal, The Journal of Financial Planning, USA Today, Investment News, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Real Simple and Consumer Reports. Prior to entering the financial services profession, Evelyn served as an intelligence officer in the United States Air Force.

Evelyn is married to the fabulous Mark Prendergast who shares her passion for food, wine, running (it counters the food and wine), reading and travel. Her perfect vacation combines great food/wine before and/or after a race while visiting their three terrific kids and their spouses. Good times!

Fun Facts:

• During my service as a US Air Force intelligence officer, I had the thrill of “taking the stick” of an F-16 fighter jet during a nighttime mission.
• I ran a marathon (in costume!) with Mark in Bordeaux, France that included 23 Grand Cru wine tastings along the course.
• My favorite volunteer activity is providing pro bono financial planning for low-income women and their families. I rarely pass up an opportunity to help these ladies.
• I love public speaking—the bigger the crowd, the better! My largest “gig” so far was to an audience of nearly 3,000.

Maria Castillo Dominguez is a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) professional. She is originally from Spain and moved to the United States in 2010 after obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Master’s degree in Finance from the University of Sevilla.

Maria became interested in personal finance after she moved to the United States and realized the potential for helping others improve their lives. She has over a decade of experience in personal financial planning and has a passion for serving women entrepreneurs and executives. She is fluent in both English and Spanish.

Maria enjoys her free time exploring nature with her dog, Lola, travelling to new places, trying new experiences, and spending time at the beach.

Maria is an active member of the community, providing pro bono financial planning and financial education to underserved communities, members of non-profit organizations and educational institutions. She currently serves as Chair for the Board of Directors of the Financial Planning Association in Miami.

In 2023, Maria was recognized by Investment News as one of the top 40 Financial Planners in the nation under the age of 40.

Fun Facts:

• As a typical southern Spanish girl, I can dance flamenco and play castanets.
• My favorite hobby is travelling and going on new adventures. I have ridden a camel in the Sahara Desert and snorkeled with sea turtles in Hawaii, to name a few.
• I am a dog lover! Every dog I have had has been rescued from a shelter.
• I enjoy multicultural environments, and I am proud to say I have made friends from all over the world.

As a Senior Financial Planner, Claire works and lives as a staunch advocate and partner to our clients and the greater community. Claire is originally from Highlands Ranch, CO and spent most of her life in Philadelphia, PA prior to moving to Southern California. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Muhlenberg College with a double major in Finance and English Literature and is now pursuing her Masters in Taxation from Golden Gate University.

Throughout her career, Claire has worked in both operational and financial planning roles in the financial services profession, allowing her to bring a holistic perspective to those we serve. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Enrolled Agent tax advisor, Claire has discovered a passion for navigating the financial complexities unique to women and their families.

As an avid volunteer, Claire is a board member and programs director for the Orange County chapter of Financial Planning Association. She is also an active member of Orange County Financial Planning Association’s pro bono community.

Fun Facts:

• In 2023 Claire was awarded the honor of being named to InvestmentNews 40 Under 40 list, a program focused on recognizing industry up-and-comers.
• Claire followed in her brother’s footsteps by running Track & Cross Country at Muhlenberg College, where we both still hold records in the men’s & women’s 4×800 meter relays.
• Claire enjoys exploring the world, with her most recent venture taking her to Nairobi, Kenya for a wedding and Safari!

Carol Bobke is a Client Relationship Specialist. As part of the team, she ensures all our clients’ operational needs and requests are handled efficiently, securely, and accurately. She brings decades of customer service and volunteer leadership to her role and particularly enjoys helping clients resolve tough challenges.

She was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, with a short stint in San Antonio, Texas. She received her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Colorado at Boulder. After all those years in the snow and cold, she moved to California for the sun and ocean. She has been an Orange County resident now for almost 30 years.

Carol comes to Apella after 9 years as the Chapter Executive for the Financial Planning Association of Orange County (among the largest and most successful chapters in the nation) and the Financial Planning Association of California. She has a real passion for women’s leadership development and has been active in organizations such as Girl Scouts and Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) with a particular focus on elevating women and girls.

She and her husband, Dan, are big Dodger fans and enjoy spending time with their three terrific adult kids (and a pretty amazing daughter-in-law!).

Fun Facts:

• One year in college, I ran the annual CU Trivia Bowl, the largest non-athletic event on campus. It was a week full of pop culture, smart contestants, and fun times.
• I am our family’s amateur genealogist and family history enthusiast. I can get lost in our family tree for hours on end, and I enjoy meeting distant cousins from across the world.
• If I have a couple of hours to myself, you can usually find me walking the trails near our house listening to a favorite audio book.

Jennifer “Jenny” Hendrickson is a Client Relationship Specialist on our Client Services Team. With over 20 years of customer service and administrative experience, she brings a wealth of empathy, knowledge, and passion to the team. She ensures the day-to-day relations are handled with the upmost care and provides the best experience for our clients.

Born in Madison, WI, her family moved to sunny California when she was 3 years old. She grew up enjoying all aspects of living by the beach and truly feels at home with her toes in the sand. She found that a unique path was right for her by taking a management job at 18 with a major department store. By doing this she realized that she loved the challenges of managing a team and learning new skills, which made her want to continue to grow as a leader.

After 14 years managing a medical front office, Jenny now comes to Apella to further develop her abilities and learn new skills. In her last position she truly found a desire to help clients. By helping with insurance or billing questions or going the extra mile to make sure that there is always a place for them on the schedule, she found that she could help people on a personal level. By understanding their story, she could offer them service that exceeded their expectations. At the end of the day, she feels fulfilled with being able to deliver that experience to everyone.

Jenny has been married to her husband Jimmy for over 16 years, they have 2 children that keep them very busy. When she is not helping at her kids’ school or driving them to Jujitsu, she finds herself enjoying a good book or at the beach hunting for seashells.

Fun Facts:

• Despite hating to run as a kid, I found running as an adult to be great therapy. I have completed thirteen half-marathons, two 10k and three 5k races in past years.
• I overcame my fear of the open ocean by learning how to dive. My deepest I have gone is 110 feet off the shore of Palau to see a WWII shipwreck.
• I love to craft; my favorites are jewelry making and sewing. Currently I am teaching my daughter how to sew.

Mark Prendergast has over 40 years of experience in tax, estate and financial planning. He started his career in 1979 at Ernst & Whinney and then joined Price Waterhouse in 1982 and acquired his Certified Financial Planner™ designation in 1988. He regularly teaches on income tax, estate and divorce topics at professional conferences (FPA, NAPFA, CalCPA, WealthCounsel, Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts).

Mark served on the national Board of Directors for the Financial Planning Association from 2011-2013, and currently serves on the Advisory Board for The Center for Investment and Wealth Management at UCI. His service for the Financial Planning Association includes board positions and committee work for two local chapters, and at the regional, state and national levels. He serves on the Editorial Review Board for the Journal of Financial Planning (2002-current).

Over his career, Mark has served many roles in non-profit organizations, including the Board of Directors for New Life for Girls (women’s recovery home), The Birthing Center (birthing advocacy group), Valley Christian Center (church), and Fresno New Connections (a substance abuse clinic). He currently provides pro bono financial planning thru Savvy Ladies which provides free financial literacy. In 2022, Mark received the prestigious Heart of Financial Planning award which recognizes individuals who have made contributions to the financial planning community and/or the public.

Mark is married to Evelyn Zohlen, and they truly enjoy life’s adventures together from work-to-travel-to-Disney and beyond! They miss their three adult children and three grandchildren who live too far away for their pleasure.

Fun Facts:

• I’ve run 20+ marathons, including Boston in 2005 and Bhutan in 2017.
• Evelyn and I have climbed Mt. Whitney, Mt. Fuji, and Mt. Kilimanjaro as well as numerous peaks in the Southern California mountains. Mt. Everest Base Camp is on our 2024 calendar.
• I competed in international Frisbee disc competitions when I was in college.
• In 1976, I rode my bicycle from Boulder to Minneapolis with my best friend Luke. Later that summer, we hopped a freight train in Texarkana and ended up in Kansas City.
• In 2021, I hiked the 211-mile John Muir Trail with my lifelong friend, Jim. As Jimmy would regularly say, “You can’t drive your car and see sights like this!”

As a third-year Resident Financial Planner, Easton works directly with clients to develop and maintain the many facets of a financial plan. Easton completed his undergraduate degree in his home state of Utah in Personal Financial Planning at Utah Valley University. He has since met the education, exam, experience, and ethics requirements to call himself a Certified Financial Planner™ professional.

Easton adds to the depth of the Apella team and enjoys finding the best solution for the client. Easton has a positive “can do” attitude and approaches every day as a new learning opportunity.

Along with serving his clients, Easton enjoys serving community members through the pro bono program sponsored by the Financial Planning Association of Orange County.

When Easton’s not in the office, you can find him at the beach, the movies or trying out a new restaurant with his wife!

Fun Facts:

• I enjoy being active. If it’s sports related, I’ll give it a shot! I am very competitive, and I enjoy playing as well as watching.
• I am a foodie. My wife and I love to explore and get to know new areas through the food!
• After taking a film class in college, I secretly think I am movie critic. I enjoy going out to the movies and being in that atmosphere.

Meet Samantha Heflin, one of our Resident Financial Planners. Samantha joined us after completing her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Georgia. Her undergraduate degree is in Financial Planning which satisfied the education requirement for the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) certification. She then continued her financial planning education to earn a master’s degree in the Spring of 2021, specializing in behavioral financial planning and financial therapy. This education allows her to bring a unique perspective to her role as a financial planner.

During her residency, Samantha has had the opportunity to pursue and earn the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) designation, which includes four parts: Education, Exam, Experience, and Ethics. She joins the 5.7% of CFP® professionals under the age of 30 and the 23.7% of CFP® professionals who are women.

What she enjoys most about her work is getting to collaborate with families in a comprehensive, ongoing relationship with the mission of achieving their goals. Being on a team full of experienced planners also provides professional growth and learning experiences to better equip her on how to serve our clients best.

Originally from Lawrenceville, Georgia, Samantha enjoys exploring the beauty of California on weekends and serving at her church.

Fun Facts:

• My part-time job in college was driving hundreds of students around campus in a 40ft diesel or fully electric bus and even teaching new drivers how to operate a bus.
• I had never been to California when I accepted this great opportunity!
• My road trip here from Georgia took five days, and I got to stop at the Grand Canyon!
• I am from a family of seven with four brothers, so there is never a dull moment.

Audrey graduated from Biola University’s Torrey Honors program with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a Minor in Financial Planning. Audrey grew up in Southern California and was raised in Ventura County. While at Biola, Audrey was involved with the Financial Planning Association’s student leadership and advocated for financial literacy on campus. She also spent time connecting with students at Dorsey High School in Los Angeles teaching important financial practices. These opportunities to serve on her college campus and at the high school sparked her desire to equip others to make wise financial decisions. While earning her undergraduate degree, Audrey spent nearly 2.5 years working with two Certified Financial Planner™ practitioners who mentored her in the dynamics of client relationships and advice. She loves the relational aspect of financial planning, as well as the analytical problem-solving required. Audrey is an intentional individual, committed to learning and building strong relationships. She is excited to work with our team, serve clients, and  become a CFP^® professional.

Quote : What a joy and an honor it is to work closely with others to help navigate the complexities of their finances! These choices impact our daily lives, as well as the lives of those close to us. My hope is to partner with our clients on this journey as a trusted resource and aid. 

Fun facts: 
•    I took a gap year before attending Biola and lived in Kauai, before traveling to the Philippines and Cambodia for a mission trip. This time was followed by a semester in Italy. I love experiencing new cultures and, so far, I’ve been to 11 countries. 
•    I have 3 younger sisters! I consider them my built-in best friends and I treasure our time together. 
•    I am newly passionate about cooking and baking. My most recent endeavor was 18+ hour croissants.
•    I love to read–one of my first Huntington Beach bucket list items is to visit the local library.