Michelle Schwab serves as the Chief Compliance Officer of Ellsworth Advisors. Her primary responsibilities include overseeing and managing regulatory compliance issues, designing and implementing internal controls and creating policies and procedures for the firm. Michelle has spent her entire 23-year career as a securities compliance professional. She has received designations as a Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI); Associate, Insurance Regulatory Compliance (AIRC); and Associate, Customer Service (ACS).
Michelle is a graduate of the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama where she received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Prior to joining Ellsworth Advisors, she served as an Associate, Compliance Director for Western International Securities, a full-service independent dually registered firm headquartered in Pasadena, California.
Michelle is an active volunteer with the Hudson Library and Historical Society through the Friends of the Hudson Library Bookstore. Outside of the office, she enjoys spending time with friends and family. Michelle lives in Hudson, Ohio with her son and rescued shepherd mix.
Brett Baskin serves as a Senior Vice President of Ellsworth Advisors. He possesses more than 10 years of wealth management experience. In 2020, he received the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Brett specializes in retirement savings and income planning for individuals and families, providing comprehensive financial plans to help clients meet their financial goals. He also takes a lead role in the firm’s retirement plan consulting practice where he consults with business owners and trustees to oversee their corporate retirement plan offerings. Over the past 10-plus years, Brett has developed expertise in helping clients manage their corporate retirement plans such as 401(k)s, 403(b)s, profit sharing plans, cash balance plans, simple IRAs, and ESOPs.
Brett graduated from the Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Finance. Before joining Ellsworth Advisors in 2016, Brett began his career in the financial services industry at Citi and Merill Lynch. He is a member of the advisory board for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – Northern Ohio Chapter, the local chapter of a national organization funding research to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis and providing support for families affected by the disease. Brett also chairs the Bruce Baskin Cystic Fibrosis Golf Classic, which has raised over $3,000,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in honor of his father.
Brett lives in Hudson, Ohio with his wife, Sophia. In his spare time, Brett enjoys staying active by golfing, competing in marathons and triathlons, and CrossFit.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.
Chris Ameen serves as a Vice President of Ellsworth Advisors. He primarily works with business owners, trustees and other fiduciaries servicing corporate retirement plans. He takes a lead role in onboarding new retirement plan participants and providing employee education. In addition to his consulting on corporate retirement plans, Chris provides wealth management and financial planning to individuals and families. Chris is also active in business development.
Prior to joining Ellsworth Advisors, Chris was a financial advisor at AXA Advisors, now Equitable, the world’s second-largest financial services firm by revenue. While at AXA, Chris worked with teachers, police and firefighters analyzing their pensions and retirement benefits, while also taking a holistic approach to their individual retirement needs.
Chris is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. During his time at Baldwin Wallace, Chris was a four-year letterman on the men’s basketball team and twice earned all-conference academic honors. He also earned a master’s degree in Special Education from North Dakota State University. Prior to joining the financial services industry, Chris served as a teaching assistant where he specialized in helping children and young adults with moderate to intensive Autism Spectrum Disorder acclimate to their surroundings.
Chris is on the board of the Cooper Foundation, serving as the Director of Foundation Relations. The Cooper Foundation assists children and young adults with disabilities receive the proper funding for therapy and adaptive devices/equipment to help them reach their full potential. Chris lives in Medina, Ohio with his wife Emily and two children, CJ and Charlotte. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf and basketball, watching Cleveland Browns Football as well as spending time with family and friends.
John Dugan joined Ellsworth Advisors in 2019 and serves as a Senior Vice President. With more than a decade of experience across fixed income markets in various roles, his primary focus is on portfolio management, with an emphasis on Ellsworth’s fixed income portfolios. In this capacity, John operates on the firm’s trading desk, where he manages both fixed income and equity portfolios, including research, trading and portfolio construction. His experience within fixed income markets is not limited to but includes Treasuries, municipals, corporates, agencies and mortgages. John joined Ellsworth to bring the firm’s fixed income trading in house while streamlining and institutionalizing the fixed income desk as well as assisting on equity execution and portfolio management across client accounts. He also assists clients with financial planning and wealth management.
John is a graduate of the University of Alabama, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance, with a concentration in Accountancy. He began his career with SAMCO Capital on the sales and trading desk in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1987, SAMCO Capital is a privately held, employee-owned broker/dealer specializing in public finance, fixed income sales & trading and investment banking. John spent five years at SAMCO as a Fixed Income Institutional Salesman developing business and providing fixed income services to banks, wealth managers, insurance companies and individuals.
John was an active volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America as well as CHOICE Mentors Program in Dallas, Texas. More recently, he joined Akron Children’s Hospital Hope Ambassador program, the Breakfast Optimist Club of Kalamazoo and is an active participant with Santa PICsU. Together with friends from his home state of Alabama, they recently launched a non-profit organization, the Dreaming Tree, for the benefit of those in need of mental health, addiction, and recovery solutions. He enjoys watching sports and any outdoor activities involving water, mountains or a golf course.
Kelly Orris is an Associate Advisor with Ellsworth Advisors. She is primarily responsible for providing wealth management and comprehensive financial planning services to both existing and prospective clients. Kelly also takes an active role in business development and provides support to the firm’s retirement plan consulting practice.
Prior to joining Ellsworth Advisors, Kelly served as a Research Analyst for a small private wealth company in Cleveland, Ohio. In that capacity, she conducted extensive research on US and emerging market companies and served as a liaison between the Vietnam and home office. She also owned a Gymboree Play and Music franchise for several years where she wore many hats as the owner.
Kelly is a graduate of Kent State University. She grew up in Rocky River, Ohio and currently lives in Westlake, Ohio. In her spare time, Kelly enjoys spending time with her family and friends, yoga and traveling. She is a passionate supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Colleen Shafer serves as Senior Executive Assistant of Ellsworth Advisors. In this capacity, she is a prominent face of the firm and primary client interface. Her responsibilities include managing communications between clients and the investment team, onboarding new clients, processing account changes and overseeing asset transfers and wires.
Colleen is a passionate advocate for many local animal rescue centers, where she has rescued and found forever homes for over 40 animals over the past 10 years. She is a graduate of Kent State University. When Colleen is not spending time with her family, you can find her at the movies or with a good book. Colleen currently resides in Green, Ohio with her two rescue animals.