THE AFN TEAM

Brett S. Ellen, CFP®
Financial Advisor,
Securities America Advisors
bellen@afn-net.com

As the founder and president of the company, Mr. Ellen defines and designs investment strategy at American Financial Network. He manages and oversees the content of all portfolios. He is a General Securities Representative and Principal with Securities America, Inc and holds the following licenses: 6, 7, 22, 24, 63 & 65. He is also licensed to sell Life, Health & Disability Insurance. Throughout his career, Mr. Ellen has been honored frequently by colleagues for his outstanding performance in investment management and client service.  CA Insurance #0655679.

Keith Ellen, Financial Advisor,
Securities America Advisors
kellen@afn-net.com

Keith Ellen has over 20 years experience in the investment and insurance industries. He assists in the investment planning process and with client reviews. He also serves as a liaison with corporate and business clients setting up 401(k) plans. He is a Registered Representative of Securities America, Inc. and holds the following licenses 6, 7, 22, 63 & 66. He is also licensed to sell Life, Health & Disability Insurance.  CA Insurance #0738342.

Sandi Stepp, Administrative Director
sstepp@afn-net.com

Overseeing general office operations, Sandi has been Brett’s personal assistant for over 15 years. Among her many duties, she coordinates all department activities and is responsible for setting Brett’s busy appointment schedule. She also serves as Notary for American Financial Network.

Denise Villanueva, Managing Director
dvillanueva@afn-net.com

Denise has over 20 years of experience in business marketing & development and has worked for The Walt Disney Company, Magic Johnson Enterprises, IBM and the Los Angeles Raiders. She oversees growth & development of AFN and serves as a company liaison. Denise has a degree in Economics from UCLA.

Elizabeth Pourrahimi, Accounting Manager
bpourrahimi@afn-net.com

Beth has a BS degree in Business Administration from Columbia Southern University and has worked in the accounting and finance industries for over 10 years. She is responsible for performing general business & office accounting duties for AFN along with client billing.

Julie Saul, Director of Marketing & Communications
jsaul@afn-net.com

Responsible for coordinating client seminars & special events, Julie has been a member of the AFN team for over 15 years; designing all of the marketing, advertising and public relations material. She has a BS degree in Communications from Northwestern University where she majored in Radio, TV & Film. Julie has worked in both the broadcasting and advertising industries since 1977 including such companies as ABC, Warner Communications and KNJO "92.7" Radio.

Joanna Hampton, Director of Operations
jhampton@afn-net.com

Joanna is responsible for executing and overseeing financial transactions in the operations department. She has a BS degree in Political Science from University of Southern California (USC). She is a Registered Representative of Securities America, Inc. and holds the following Securities licenses: 7, 24, 51, & 66. She is also licensed to sell Life, Health & Disability Insurance and has completed the first two sections of her CFP training.  CA Insurance #0C45805.

Ryan Badger, Client Services Manager
rbadger@afn-net.com

Before joining the American Financial Network team, Ryan had several years of client services experience in both the financial and mortgage industries and did his studies at California State University at Northridge (CSUN). As Client Services Manager for AFN, he is responsible for assisting the Operations Department with individual and corporate clients.  This includes research and preparation for client meetings, communications and processing data for client accounts. 

Kayla Forcier, Client Services Coordinator
cforcier@afn-net.com

As Client Services Coordinator, Kayla assists the Operations Department in many areas of client services. Her duties include research and preparation for client meetings, reporting & account verification, and processing data & information for client accounts. She also helps manage ongoing relationships with clients and AFN’s network of financial services providers.  Kayla joined the AFN team with many years of real estate and administrative experience.

Thomas Dodd, Account Services Manager
tdodd@afn-net.com

A graduate from the University of Washington, Thomas Dodd assists the operations department in the daily administrative management of client accounts, In his last position, Tom served as an Account Executive for Diversified Financial Concepts. In order to further his industry knowledge, Thomas has obtained the following securities licenses: 6,7,26,63,66. CA Insurance #0D46546.

Shawn Warren, Senior Portfolio Strategist
swarren@afn-net.com

Shawn has a BS degree in Business Administration from California State University Northridge (CSUN) with an emphasis in finance and real estate. As the chief analyst in our Advisory Services Division, he is responsible for providing research data supporting client portfolios. Shawn has worked for American Financial Network for over 10 years and is a Registered Representative of Securities America, Inc. He holds the following Securities licenses: 6, 7, 63 & 66.

Chelsy Thompson, Portfolio Analyst
ctompson@afn-net.com

Chelsy has a Bachelor of Arts from UCLA and studied at the Center for American Politics and Public Policy in Washington, DC.  She also did work in foreign policy under the guidance of Ambassador Barbara Bodine. Before joining American Financial Network, she worked at UBS Institutional Equities serving as an investment associate on the middle markets desk in New York City.  As an AFN Portfolio Analyst, Chelsy focuses on equity research and economic analysis, playing a key role in client portfolio design.  She also handles all trading for the office and provides mutual fund line-ups and model portfolios for corporate clients. She is a General Securities Representative had holds the following licenses: 7 and 66.

Blair Van Buren, Corporate Services Director
blairvb@afn-net.com

Blair Van Buren heads up our Corporate Services Division. Working directly high-end business and corporate clients, he oversees the specialized Benefit Planning Process providing essential research, analysis, strategy recommendations. He is a graduate of University of California, Irvine (UCI) where he obtained his BA degree in Economics while keeping a double minor in Spanish and Business Administration. Prior to joining AFN, Blair held numerous positions working with the U. S. Olympic Committee. Blair is a Registered Representative of Securities America, Inc. and holds the following Securities licenses: 7 & 66. California Insurance License #OE00706.

Hoby Pearce, CFP®, Corporate Services Account Manager
hpearce@afn-net.com

Hoby joined AFN in February of 2007 and is working with our Corporate Services Division. Hoby’s experience has focused in qualified plan design for employers and communicating the benefits of the plan to employees. Prior to becoming a Financial Planner in 2001, Hoby obtained his business degree from Cal State Northridge with an emphasis in marketing. Hoby is a Registered Representative of Securities America, Inc. and holds the following Securities licenses: 6, 7, 63 and 65. California Insurance License #0D30304.

Renee Provencher, Client Relations Manager
rprovencher@afn-net.com

In the new position of Client Relations Manager, Renee Provencher travels with Brett Ellen and is responsible for providing detailed support and service for individual and corporate client accounts. Renee is a 2005 graduate of the University of San Diego with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Sociology.  She has also been involved with a number of charities and has had extensive traveling experience to assist in fundraising, recruiting and organizing educational and advocacy events.  She has held various leadership positions both at the college level and in the community and was a winner of the University of San Diego Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Award (SURE).  She holds the following licenses: 7 & 66.  CA Insurance #0F79838.

Jeremy White, Corporate Services Client Manager
jwhite@afn-net.com

As Corporate Services Client Manager, Jeremy has the primary responsibility of managing corporate client accounts including scheduling and assisting with benefit enrollment meetings, doing research, preparing presentations and is responsible for maintaining client relationships. Prior to joining the AFN team, Jeremy worked at Santa Barbara Bank and Trust where he was a relationship manager in their Wealth Management Division.  A graduate of Cal Lutheran University, Jeremy began his career as Golf Professional and worked in Golf Facility Management.

Lorretta Davidson
ldavidson@afn-net.com

Elusive to our AFN cameras, Loretta was finally captured on film. It’s not that she is really shy, but rather, being an all-around utility office worker, she is never in one place for very long. With many years of office experience under her belt, Loretta helps AFN with filing, phones and other clerical duties.

Natalie Herrera, Front Office Coordinator
nherrera@afn-net.com

As Front Office Coordinator, Natalie manages the office reception area. This includes a variety of tasks such as greeting clients, directing incoming calls and mail, and coordinating special in-office meeting events. She also assists with the Operations Department, the Accounting Department and lends a helpful hand in all areas of general office operation.