Our Team
Leadership Team:
David Callanan
Chief Executive Officer
David Callanan
David Callanan is a co-founder of AE Wealth Management and Advisors Excel. In 2005, David joined college friends, Derek Thompson and Cody Foster, to form Advisors Excel — the nation’s leading independent marketing organization assisting independent financial advisors around the country. Then in 2016, with the goal of providing the best services and experiences for their clients, they launched AE Wealth Management — one of the nation’s fastest-growing Registered Investment Advisory firms.
Today, through their various companies, David and Cody lead the charge to provide comprehensive business support to roughly 550 offices of the nation’s top advisors through a combination of wealth management, broker-dealer divisions, annuity, life insurance, Medicare insurance, operations support, and creative services. Ultimately, their mission is simple: to help good financial advisors become great business owners so they can help people enjoy amazing retirements.
Close to David’s heart, and a central component to AE and AE Wealth Management’s success, is a deep-rooted commitment to giving back. Last year alone, AE offered more than 10,500 hours of employee volunteer time to dozens of organizations to help reduce hunger, fight poverty, enhance education and improve financial literacy throughout their community. On a larger scale, AE and AE Wealth teams up annually with their advisors and various groups like Make-A-Wish Foundation, Folds of Honor and St. Jude Children’s Hospital to make a significant impact nationwide.
A proud native of Benton, Kansas, David earned his Bachelor of Arts in management and marketing from Washburn University in Topeka. Outside the office, you’ll find him spending quality time with his wife, Karlun, and their two daughters, Chloe and Jolie. And of course, as a die-hard University of Kansas fan, David never misses an opportunity to cheer on his beloved Jayhawks courtside. Rock Chalk!
Ben Sullivan, CFA®, CFP®
Chief Investment Officer
Ben Sullivan, CFA®, CFP®
Ben joined AE Wealth Management in early 2017 after working for a local accounting firm. He served advisors on the trade desk and as a director of wealth before become vice president of wealth management in 2022. In April 2024, he was named Chief Investment Officer. Ben has passed the series 7,24,66 and is CFA® charter holder and a CFP® professional.
He spends his free time with his wife, Maggie, and their son, Declan.
Tom Siomades, CFA®
Chief Market Economist
Tom Siomades, CFA®
As the chief market economist at AE Wealth Management, Tom Siomades brings a rare mix of portfolio management, financial markets knowledge and marketing savvy to help translate the complicated world of investing into everyday terms. Too often in an increasingly specialized world, people retreat to their areas of comfort and knowledge, but Tom strives to bridge that divide in a memorable and relatable manner through his writings and public speaking engagements.
With more than 35 years of industry experience, Tom joined AE Wealth Management in 2019 as their chief investment officer, where he worked with his team to provide independent financial advisors with solutions to help their clients meet their financial goals.
Upon graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point, Tom served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army. His military service helped inform his world view and developed the discipline and leadership skills he’d later bring to his career in finance. After his military service, Tom earned a master’s degree from Webster University and his CFA charter.
Tom’s specialties include asset allocation modeling, manager selection, due diligence, portfolio management, trading, product development, media spokesman and client relationship management.
Tom and his wife, LoriAnne, have a daughter, Sunday, and a son, Alexander. They reside in Leawood, Kansas.
Shawn Scholz
Chief Compliance Officer
Shawn Scholz
Shawn Scholz joined Advisors Excel in early fall 2021. As a member of the AE Executive team, Shawn serves as our Head of Compliance for Advisors Excel and holds the position as Chief Compliance Officer for AE Wealth Management, LLC. and Impact Partnership Wealth, LLC. In addition to leading the Compliance Department, Shawn and his team support their business partners by helping to interpret and apply the regulatory statutes and rules from the federal and state authorities and help assess the impact those rules have on our different business lines.
Shawn has a B.S. in Business Management and Project Management. He has been active in various industry groups, including SIFMA, FSI, Regulatory Roundtable, etc. He has spoken at various industry events as well on topics including senior investor protection, social media, DOL regulations, etc. Shawn is passionate about working with advisors to understand how compliance policies and regulatory rules impact advisors’ business and being an advocate to implement those policies and rules as efficiently and simply as possible.
Chris Radford
President
Chris Radford
Chris Radford has an extensive financial services background, with over 30 years of industry experience.
Since taking the helm in 2018, Chris has led the charge for AE Wealth Management to become the go-to resource for advisors and RIAs looking to reach new levels of growth and efficiency. Under his leadership, the firm has seen record growth and has been named one of the fastest-growing RIAs in the U.S.
During his career, Chris has worked in many well-respected and globally owned companies, including PNC, WaMu and AIG, as well as in and with midsized broker-dealers and registered investment advisory (RIAs) firms. Starting his career as a financial advisor with GNA Securities and HomeFed Bank in San Diego, Chris quickly realized that his strengths lie in leadership and supporting financial advisors serving the investing public. He served in leadership roles with Union Bank and PNC Investments before entering the independent financial advisor world at AIG SunAmerica Securities as their National Sales Manager. Chris also served as President and CEO of VSR Financial, Palomar Financial Services and SVP, Sales and Marketing at Calton & Associates.
Chris is a graduate of National University with a BBA and an MBA. Today, he currently holds Series 4, 7, 63, 66, 79, 99 and 24 licenses. Chris and Julie, his wife of more than 30 years, are proud parents of Parker and Natalie. They enjoyed many years of watching them from the sidelines of many soccer and softball fields. Today, their adult children live and work in San Diego.
Kevin Thornton, CFP®
Head of Sales
Kevin Thornton, CFP®
Before joining AEWM, Kevin worked as a financial advisor and then as an internal wholesaler and a hybrid wholesaler on the 401(k) team at Ivy Investments. As a team leader, he applies the knowledge he gained in those roles to consult with advisors about their overall practice; provide insights regarding appropriate business structures; and give suggestions about sales, marketing and branding strategies.
Kevin is a graduate of the University of Kansas, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in accounting and finance. He holds a life and health insurance license and has passed the Series 6, 7, 63 and 65 exams. He has earned his CFP, the CFP® certification process, administered by CFP Board, identifies to the public that those individuals who have been authorized to use the CFP® certification marks in the U.S. have met rigorous professional standards and have agreed to adhere to the principles of integrity, objectivity, competence, fairness, confidentiality, professionalism and diligence when dealing with clients.
Kevin and his wife, Ashley, have two sons, Parker and Carson. Kevin is an avid KU Jayhawks fan and enjoys trap/skeet shooting, going on wine-tasting tours and volunteering in his church.
Brie Parks
Director of Marketing
Brie Parks
Brie Parks is the director of marketing for AE Wealth Management, where she works to build tools and programs to support independent financial advisors across the country to grow and scale their wealth management business and better serve their clients. Joining the firm in 2018, Brie previously worked with Advisors Excel’s Creative team, and prior to that, worked in account service at a regional advertising agency serving clients in the advisor space, insurance, banking, and tourism industries.
Brie is actively engaged in the Topeka community, serving as the President of the Junior League of Topeka and previously holding board positions with the Race Against Breast Cancer and the American Advertising Federation of Topeka. She has lent her time volunteering with the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center, Let’s Help, Project Topeka and Harvesters. Brie has been honored as one of Greater Topeka’s Top 20 Under 40, the 2020 YWCA Woman of the Excellence for the Large Business Category, has received the Carolyn Terhune Volunteer of the Year Award and Junior League of Topeka’s Active Member of the Year award. She’s a proud alumna of Kansas State University, and more recently, Leadership Greater Topeka’s greatest class ever – the Class of 2012.
Brie lives in Topeka with her husband, Matthew, and their two daughters, Audra and Ryann. When she’s not working or volunteering, she enjoys reading, keeping up with the latest binge-worthy shows, attending musicals or live theater, and spending time with family.
Dan Colclasure
Vice President Operations
Dan Colclasure
With more than a decade of experience in the financial services industry, Dan Colclasure has helped shape the operational organization of AE Wealth Management (AEWM) with the goal of helping independent financial advisors and RIAs drive their businesses to new heights of growth and efficiency.
Before joining AEWM, Dan was with Waddell & Reed, Inc., holding multiple titles within their brokerage operations umbrella, ranging from phone support to managing day-to-day operations. This experience allowed him to touch many aspects of advisor interactions with home and back office. Dan quickly realized that his strengths lie in leadership and supporting advisors and their clients through a commonsense approach to operational efficiency and analysis.
Dan joined AEWM in late summer 2016 as the transition manager. His primary focus at that time was to help build a world-class transition experience for advisors joining AEWM. Experiencing record growth, AEWM was named one of the fastest-growing and top RIAs in the country in 2017. In 2018, Dan was promoted to the role of Vice President of Operations, making him responsible for the leadership of AE Wealth Management’s operational organization and functions. Dan is passionate about working with advisors to help them understand how to structure a scalable and efficient practice for years to come.
Dan has lived in the Kansas City area for most of his life. He currently resides north of the city in Atchison, Kansas, with his wife, Alexis, and four children: Gage, Riley, Kaeden and Barrett. When he’s not helping advisors grow their businesses, he’s managing a busy kids’ schedule of soccer, wrestling, football, etc. In the unlikely event he has spare time, Dan enjoys reading, golf and any opportunity to experience the outdoors.
Rachel Sachs
Vice President of Advisor Services
Rachel Sachs
A wealth of experience: That’s what Rachel Sachs brings to her role as VP of Advisor Services. She started her career in the financial industry at Security Benefit in 2006. She then joined the life insurance team at Advisors Excel in 2010 and worked her way up to VP of Life Operations over the next 12 years. After taking a role as the VP of Insurance Operations for LPL Financial, she returned to AE Wealth Management as VP of Advisor Services in 2024.
Rachel received a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Public Relations, Advertising and Applied Communication from Washburn University and an MBA from Baker University. She has also earned the Associate, Life Management InstituteTM (ALMI®) and NAILBA Certified Case Manager (NCCM) designations. Rachel completed the John Maxwell Leadership Certification and is JMT-DISC certified.
Rachel is a recognized leader, having earned an Insurance Industry Leadership Award and been named to Topeka's Top 20 Under 40. She was also selected for the Leadership Greater Topeka program and nominated for the Women of Influence Rising Star Award. Rachel has volunteered over 400 hours at the Topeka Civic Theatre and Academy within the past year, and previously served on the March of Dimes and FOP Auxiliary boards.
Rachel is an avid reader of a variety of genres, especially historical fiction. She also enjoys hiking and loves music, taking weekly voice lessons from her Grammy-nominated voice coach. Rachel performed in her first musical in 2024 at Topeka Civic Theater, alongside her daughter, Delaney. The family – which also includes husband Robby and son Everett – enjoys traveling and water sports at Rachel’s parents’ home on Lake of the Ozarks in the summer.
Marketing Teams:
Team Ball
Team Vande
Team Ignite
Team Brinker
Team Imming
Team Thornton
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