Real Estate Private Wealth West Retreat

Devon Kennard is a nine-year NFL veteran and six-time team captain who has made a name for himself as a leader both on and off the field. A 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year finalist, Devon has channeled his drive and discipline into helping others achieve financial freedom and long-term success. An award-winning author of It All Adds Up and Real Estate Side Hustle, Devon’s mission is to empower athletes and high-net-worth professionals to build investment portfolios that work for them. Over the past 11 years, he has grown his own portfolio to include 29 properties and more than 40 syndication and fund investments—all while staying focused on his primary career in the NFL As the founder of 42 Solutions, a family-owned private lending company, Devon is dedicated to helping busy professionals build wealth through real estate with the right team and processes—so they can keep the main thing the main thing. Through his writing, speaking, and platform, he provides practical strategies for creating passive income and leveraging financial resources to design a life of freedom and opportunity.

Casey is a Principal and Senior Investment Consultant in the Phoenix office of Mercer’s Wealth Business. Casey has over 25 years of experience working with a broad range of financial institutions and institutional investors focusing on financial intermediary and multi-family office clients. His work with these clients includes; asset allocation, portfolio construction, investment manager evaluation, selection and monitoring, and creating multi-manager portfolios. He is a member of Mercer’s Internal Wealth Management Strategic Research Team and a voting member of the Wealth Management Investment Committee. Casey is a frequent speaker at national industry conferences and events, addressing a wide variety of topics. Prior to Mercer, Casey was Senior Vice President at Infinity Capital Partners specializing in alternative investments with advisor firms, family offices and institutions. He has also held leadership roles at notable investment firms focused on asset allocation, manager research, and portfolio construction. Casey graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX with a BBA in finance from the Cox School of Business. 

Danielle Louton is a Partner at Summit Trail Advisors, where she collaborates with successful entrepreneurs, business owners, and their families to develop and implement sophisticated wealth management strategies. Her expertise spans tax planning, wealth transfer planning, impactful philanthropic planning, and family governance, making her an invaluable resource for enterprising families aiming to achieve their life and legacy goals. Before transitioning to the financial services industry, Danielle practiced law at Baker & Daniels (now known as Drinker Faegre), specializing in multi-generational estate planning. She later served as the Head of Wealth Planning Services for BNP Paribas’ Bank of the West’s Key
Client Group, where she led efforts to provide wealth planning to ultra-high net worth clients and their families.

John Bullman is the Chief Investment Officer at LGT Financial Advisors, LLC. With over 20 years of experience in the investment management industry, he is a key member of the team. As a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder and a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designee, John brings significant expertise in managing investment risk and constructing effective portfolios. He is responsible for assisting the Financial Advisory team with investment recommendations aligned with clients' goals and risk expectations.

Kristin Dacey is Chief Investment Officer – Real Estate, Alternatives at Bulltick, which has a RIA and Broker Dealer. At Bulltick, she also acts as the fund manager of two real estate fund of funds primarily focused on the US market. Concurrently, she is the Chief Investment Officer for Emprenta, an impact investing group, and on the board for Convision 20/20, a social enterprise in Mexico. Previously, she spent 8 years in the private sector of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) contributing to over US$2.2 billion in alternatives investments. Kristin also worked for GE Capital for 7 years where she held progressing roles in credit, portfolio management, and account management participating in the structuring of over 70 real estate, equipment, cash flow and construction deals comprising over US$2 billion in volume. Kristin has a Masters from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, an MBA from Arizona State and BS and BA degrees from Virginia Tech. 

Mike Amine's goal is to develop and maintain a professional business atmosphere in the agency, with a focus on high ethical standards. As the managing partner, he is responsible for recruiting professional sales personnel for the agency and developing marketing plans to help these representatives reach their career goals. The agency strives to provide excellent service, specially focused on quality customer contact. We aim to become a lifetime resource for each and every client. 

Neil advises the Legacy team on investment strategy, asset allocation, and manager selection across public and private asset classes. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is an active member of the CFA Institute's Phoenix chapter. He also has an MBA in Finance from Indiana University and bachelor's and master’s degrees in engineering. Neil’s prior experience includes several years as Chief Investment Officer at private wealth advisory firms as well as a multi-sector analyst at a large regional investment bank/broker dealer.

Neil focuses on developing holistic, goal-based investment strategies across public and private markets to address asset preservation, growth and lifestyle needs of private clients. He is also a certified professional leadership/business/life coach through the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

Neil has over 25 years of experience investing in public and private capital markets across equities, fixed income, alternatives, private equity, venture capital, and private real estate. 

Mr. Braffman is a member of the Private Markets Investment Committee and serves on the Global Investment Council. He leads the real estate investment practice and is responsible for real estate sourcing and underwriting activities. Prior to joining GCM Grosvenor, Mr. Braffman was a Partner in the Customized Fund Investment Group of Credit Suisse Group AG. Previously, he was a Senior Vice President at Zurich Alternative Asset Management, where he was responsible for sourcing, underwriting and executing U.S.-based real estate investments. Prior to joining Zurich Alternative, Mr. Braffman was a Vice President in the Merger and Strategic Advisory Group at Goldman Sachs, where he advised corporate clients on structured real estate valuations, monetizations and dispositions of their directly owned and used assets. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, he was an Associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and focused on merger, securities and asset-backed law. Mr. Braffman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and History from the University of Rochester, a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, and a Juris Doctor from Northwestern University School of Law.

Tim works closely with high net worth individuals, family offices, and foundations advising on strategic and tactical asset allocation. He also serves on Steel Grove’s Investment Committee specializing in institutional equity and fixed income manager selection and strategy. He has over 25 years of experience in the investment management business. Mr. Ballard began his career analyzing equity investments for institutional clients including mutual funds, hedge funds and insurance companies at Morgan Keegan. He joined Goldman Sachs & Co. in Chicago working in the institutional equities division with large managers consulting on equity investment portfolios. Mr. Ballard then continued to work in the institutional capital markets with Stifel Nicholas and Cantor Fitzgerald focusing on fixed income portfolios. Mr. Ballard graduated summa cum laude from Rhodes College.