Sandy Morgan is the Director of Branding & Communications. Sandy is responsible for enhancing the national branding strategy of the company as well as developing external communications and key marketing initiatives. She works to ensure the company’s messaging, content, and materials accurately express Ronald Blue Trust’s value proposition. She looks for and evaluates new opportunities to increase brand awareness and manages the company’s public relations strategy. Sandy joined Ronald Blue & Co. (the predecessor company to Ronald Blue Trust) in 2012 with more than 20 years of experience in financial services communications, branding, and marketing. Prior to joining the company, she served as the Managing Director of Field and Acquisition Marketing for Charles Schwab Institutional Services. Sandy earned her B.S./B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her MBA in Finance from Georgia State University.
Jesse Ostrom is the Chief Fiduciary Officer for Thrivent Trust Company, including its Ronald Blue Trust division, and also serves as President for Thrivent Trust Company. Jesse has worked in the trust services industry for nearly 20 years. As Chief Fiduciary Officer, Jesse leads Advisor Services including Estate Planning, Personal Trust, Estate Settlement, Fiduciary Tax, and the team that supports SIMPLIFY, the company’s unique personal financial management service. He also heads the Institutional and Private Client groups for Thrivent Trust. Jesse joined Thrivent Financial Bank in 2010 and helped transition the trust team from a department of the bank to an independent trust company in 2012. Since then he has served in several leadership positions for Thrivent Trust, including CEO and Board Chair. Jesse is a member of the Wisconsin Bar and holds a JD from University of Wisconsin Law School and a BS in Industrial Engineering from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Kevin Payne is the Director of Enterprise Business Solutions. He is responsible for leading the company’s Enterprise Operations and Financial Planning departments. In this role, he proactively seeks ways to leverage and integrate business systems in a manner that enhances efficiencies and minimizes duplication of efforts. Kevin and his team strive to implement key business solutions that enhance the client experience, maximize team member efficiencies, and ensure business information and operational needs are met. Prior to his current role, Kevin was CEO of Metago, a mobile apps and software company with 130 million global users, for nine years and President for seven years. During his time at Metego, he oversaw the growth of the company from start up to acquisition. Kevin earned his bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. He earned his MBA from Georgia State University where he completed their Executive Global Management program.
Brian Shepler is the President and Executive Vice President of Client Services. As President, Brian oversees the day-to-day management and strategic development of the company. As EVP of Client Services, he supports the entire field organization and its divisions by reinforcing best practices related to corporate culture, growth strategies, advisor compensation/incentives, and compliance. In addition, Brian leads the talent acquisition and development function for the company. Leveraging his background in the investment banking and private equity fields, Brian primarily serves Ronald Blue Trust clients who own family businesses, providing advice regarding business succession, strategic growth planning, and corporate capital planning. Brian began his career with Goldman, Sachs & Co. in New York and came to Ronald Blue & Co. (the predecessor company to Ronald Blue Trust) in 2000 from SunTrust Banks, Inc., where he served in various roles in the investment banking and equity research divisions. He received a BA in Mathematics from DePauw University and earned an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago.