Dee joined WestPark Financial in 2024 as Director of Operations. With a background in executive management and group benefits, Dee utilizes her organizational skills to improve daily operations and help increase our team’s productivity. Dee studied International Development and Global Economics at American University and Business Management at University of Maryland. Dee enjoys cooking Syrian cuisine, doing yoga, and gardening at her home in Richmond, VA, where she lives with her husband, Tyler, their dogs, and their many fish.

Sara Laughton joined our practice in June 2020 as Director of Insurance Operations. Over the past several years, Sara has streamlined the insurance underwriting process for our clients with Northwestern Mutual. Sara’s relationship with my team and indirect support of our clients began over a decade ago, where she led new business case management including contracting and licensing operations for a local insurance brokerage and financial planning firm. Sara’s knowledge of underwriting and experience navigating the nuance of product, processes and medical risk evaluation with leading carriers provides our clients with deep insight and a consultative expertise. Sara holds her Life, Health License and is driven by excellence in offering our clients guided support throughout the application administration as well as in servicing policy changes and billing inquires. Sara grew up in Northern Virginia and is a proud Hoosier, receiving her B.A. in Psychology and B.A in Classical Civilization from Indiana University, Bloomington. In her free time, you can find Sara and her husband Carl caring for their beautiful growing twins, Kora and Ronan who arrived with a bang in 2022! Sara loves yoga, hiking, movies and exploring local breweries with her family, friends and beloved dogs Lily and Chuck!

Tyler Hurd joined the team in 2022 as our Director of Investments. He has his Series 7, 63 FINRA registrations and Life and Health licenses. After Graduating from Virginia Military Institute in 2017, Tyler spent 4 years as a trade show coordinator, before joining Northwestern Mutual in 2021. Tyler brings a passion for investments to the team as he helps our clients manage their assets, maximize their tax efficiencies, and plan for their futures. When he's not relentlessly scrolling MarketWatch, Tyler enjoys travelling with his wife, taking care of his many tropical fish, or getting lost in a good book.

Kelly has held several positions in the customer service realm before coming to work at Northwestern Mutual. She was a Point of Sale installation specialist at NCR, responsible for making sure that the postal service locations had the proper equipment and their employees were trained and ready to open their doors for business. Kelly is no stranger to Northwestern Mutual. Before she came to work for John in April of 2016, she supported several other financial representative in various capacities. Her responsibilities include scheduling and managing John's calendar, meeting preparations, customer service and marketing.

Kelly attended Illinois Central College, where she earned an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration. During her time off, Kelly volunteers at her local Kiwanis Club, loves to travel and enjoys spending time with her husband and family.

Debbie has worked in a variety of fields, including insurance, commercial real estate lending and music. She worked for John from 1988 until 1994, and returned in 2019 to a new century of expertise and improvements in financial planning. Her responsibilities include illustration support, meeting preparation and follow-up, client service, and administrative support.

Debbie holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from the University of Maryland in College Park. She also teaches piano privately and is on staff as pianist at UMBC and Howard Community College, where she coaches students and performs on a regular basis.

Andrea Mendoza joined the WestPark team in August 2018 and has her Life and Health license. Prior to joining my team, Andrea worked for our Managing Director and handled Operations in our Tysons office. Andrea previously managed the insurance side of the practice but is now the Director of Client Relations. She looks forward to working directly with you and is thrilled to be part of the team!

Andrea grew up in Ashburn, VA and loves the diversity the DMV area has to offer. Andrea is a polyglot, speaking English, Spanish, and Portuguese. She’s also an active volunteer in the Portuguese community, hoping to make a difference in people’s lives. In her spare time, Andrea enjoys heading up to Massachusetts to see family, taking her dog on adventures, and trying different types of cuisines.

Ryan Dunn joined our team in 2024 as an Investment Operations Associate. He currently holds the Series 7, Series 24, and Series 63 FINRA registrations. Ryan graduated from The George Washington University and and joins us with over 4 years of experience in political and capital fundraising in the startup world. Outside the office, you can usually find Ryan playing and coaching hockey or enjoying the weather on a run.