Team

As Director, Trading & Operations at Leelyn Smith, Perry plays a number of roles in driving forward key initiatives of the firm on a daily basis. Drawing on his background in business analysis and digital content creation, as well as his entrepreneurial experience, Perry’s responsibilities include trading, portfolio management, operations, and marketing communications.

Lora has more than 20 years of experience in payroll and accounting. She joined Grebe & Associates in 2015, and Leelyn Smith in 2022.

As Portfolio & Trading Analyst, Jacob supports Leelyn Smith’s clients, advisors, and internal operations on an everyday basis. He plays a key role in servicing the firm’s clients, including scheduling meetings, facilitating client visits, gathering and reviewing documents, and responding to client questions.

Kelly Boyea is a Senior Tax Associate at Leelyn Smith whose work centers on trust taxation and the planning conversations that make it meaningful. She grew up around the family business, which gave her an early appreciation for the behind-the-scenes work of understanding how organizations run and what clients actually need. Before joining Leelyn Smith, Kelly worked in public accounting. She is based in Chicago, and outside the office you can find Kelly knitting, crafting or travelling, especially around her home state of Wisconsin or across Scotland.

As a client service specialist, Laura is focused on making sure that our clients have a great experience, whether she’s answering questions about our services, processing transactions, or helping to set up and administer their accounts. Before joining Leelyn Smith, Laura worked for a large Chicago-area firm in the LPL Financial network.

Dan Coman brings more than 35 years of experience advising business owners, executives, and high net worth families on the tax, legal, and strategic dimensions of estate planning, business succession, asset protection, wealth transfer, philanthropy, and complex tax mitigation.

As a senior business advisor, Emma provides accounting and CFO consulting services for business owners and other clients with complex accounting needs. Prior to joining Leelyn Smith, Emma was the CFO of a business based in Chicago, and she began her career in public accounting. She holds an undergraduate degree and masters in accounting from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. When she isn’t working, Emma loves to coach soccer and spend time with her husband and their three kids.

As wealth advisor at Leelyn Smith, Chris is passionate about helping clients pursue their financial goals and objectives, and he takes a holistic approach to wealth management and financial planning. He joined Leelyn Smith from Charles Schwab, where he was a member of Schwab’s in-house investment advisory firm. Chris, who has over 17 years of wealth management experience, is originally from Peoria, IL.

As Senior Tax Manager, Gina focuses on tax planning, preparation, and client service for Leelyn Smith’s clients. Gina has nearly a decade of experience in public accounting, including five years specializing in comprehensive tax strategies for high-net-worth clients at a boutique firm. She is a licensed CPA with a business degree from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and a post-baccalaureate certification in accounting. Gina lives in Choudrant, Louisiana, with her husband and two children. She enjoys spending time with her family and taking trips to favorite destinations like the beach, Dallas, and Mississippi.

As the chief investment officer of Leelyn Smith, Brian focuses on guiding the firm’s investment committee as they establish investment guidelines and strategies for our clients’ portfolios. Drawing on his extensive background in institutional asset management, Brian’s deep analytical expertise helps guide our recommendations for asset allocation, investment selection, and risk management.

Connor joined the firm as an intern and transitioned into his role as a Client Services Specialist, working out of our Geneva office. He graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Science in Finance, where he also played hockey for the university team.

Molly is in charge of welcoming our clients, managing the office’s operations, and coordinating client communications. With a background as a personal chef, business owner, and consultant, Molly is a gracious host who enjoys meeting new people and ensuring their needs are being met.

As the president of Leelyn Smith, Drew oversees the firm's investment advisors, client services, and operations. He also serves as lead advisor for a select group of clients. Drew joined Leelyn Smith in 2007 and was named president in 2011.  Drew holds the esteemed Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

As a client service specialist, Madeline provides dedicated support to the firm’s private wealth clients and advisors. She manages key aspects of client engagement, including coordinating meetings, assembling detailed review materials, and facilitating meaningful client interactions. Madeline’s background in partnership tax and experience working with family offices, law firms, and investment managers equip her to deliver exceptional service and attention to detail.

As a senior member of Leelyn Smith, Chuck is a passionate advisor with more than 20 years of experience helping the firm’s clients make the most of their retirement benefits. Chuck is a retirement specialist and a member of the firm’s investment committee. He has worked extensively with AT&T employees to help them maximize the value of their retirement plans.

Pete brings over 20 years of accounting expertise to Leelyn Smith, with the majority of his career spent at PwC. After graduating from Northern Illinois University with a degree in accountancy, he started in PwC's tax department working with mutual funds and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and then expanded his expertise to include change management and project management. He eventually left PwC for a smaller accounting firm in Hoffman Estates to work directly with clients providing tax services for individuals and privately held pass-through entities.

Ryan enjoys working as a wealth advisor because it allows him to serve clients and help them solve complex issues. Before joining Leelyn Smith, Ryan ran his own independent wealth advisory firm, Kahlenberg Wealth Partners, where he specialized in working with young clients in their prime earning years. Ryan also spent time at Goldman Sachs Asset Management as a consultant to the top Bank and Trust Companies in the Midwest. His background in investment management and his client service orientation and problem-solving abilities help Ryan support his clients at Leelyn Smith.

After honeymooning in Savannah, Georgia, Katie and her husband fell in love with the city and relocated within the year, where she is based now. Outside of work, she enjoys tending to her growing rose garden, exploring Savannah’s rich architecture and history, and training her energetic English Mastiff puppy.

Kim has experience in corporate accounting, tax preparation, and QuickBooks. She earned her CPA license in 2022.

As the front office manager, Kathy is the face and voice that greet Leelyn Smith’s clients when they visit the Geneva office or call us. In addition to coordinating client communications, Kathy also oversees the operations of the office, which covers everything from technology to bookkeeping to making sure every client and guest are comfortable during their visits.

As chief operating officer at Leelyn Smith, Chris is responsible for building and managing the processes, systems, and resources that allow us to deliver exceptional service to our clients every day. Prior to joining Leelyn Smith, Chris was director of investor relations at Brookfield Asset Management. He began his career with Deloitte Consulting and spent 11 years at GCM Grosvenor. Chris is originally from Nashville, TN, and has lived in the Chicago area since graduating college.

Crimson serves Leelyn Smith’s tax clients through tax preparation, review, approval, and client onboarding. She brings more than a decade of experience in tax compliance, nonprofit and governmental audits, and strategic planning for family office clients. She began her career preparing and reviewing returns for nonprofit and governmental organizations before expanding into partnership, S-Corp, and estate planning work at both regional and boutique firms.

Crimson lives in Sand Rock, Alabama, with her husband and two children. Outside of work, she enjoys family time, involvement in her church, reading, exercising, and cheering on Alabama football.

As wealth advisor at Leelyn Smith, Sean is committed to helping clients pursue their financial goals and objectives. He holds an undergraduate degree and an MBA from Aurora University. Before joining Leelyn Smith, Sean worked in commercial lending and credit management for the State Bank of Geneva, where his responsibilities included business development, portfolio management, and credit analysis. When he isn’t working, Sean loves to travel, bike, and cheer for the Chicago Bears.

Kevin works alongside Leelyn Smith's advisors and clients to help them invest with conviction and capitalize on tax-advantaged savings opportunities. He has 15 years of experience predominantly working with business owners and their families. Kevin holds the esteemed Chartered Financial Analyst^® (CFA^®) and Certified Financial Planner^® (CFP^®) designations.

Dan brings nearly four decades of tax expertise to Leelyn Smith, including 35 years at Northern Trust, where he worked with high-net-worth individuals and executives on tax compliance and strategic planning. Before joining Northern Trust, Dan spent two years as an IRS Revenue Agent in Chicago before deciding he preferred supporting clients directly. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from Roosevelt University and a Master of Science in Taxation from DePaul University, and is a CPA and member of the AICPA. What Dan loves most about his work is the responsibility that comes with managing complex returns and helping clients navigate ever-changing tax laws with confidence and integrity. Outside the office, Dan enjoys hiking and biking with his wife Lynn and singing at his church and with a barbershop chorus.

Kathy joined Leelyn Smith in 2022. Her primary job responsibilities include corporate accounting as well as business and individual taxes.

John brings a rare combination of technical depth and entrepreneurial experience to his role as Chief AI Officer. He spent years in product and engineering leadership at Google and Motorola before co-founding Jiobit, a wearable technology startup he built from the ground up and eventually sold to Life360. He holds ten patents and continues to teach at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management and McCormick School of Engineering, as well as the University of Illinois's Grainger School of Engineering.

At his core, John is a builder. He is drawn to taking something complicated, figuring out how it works underneath, and then building the version that should have existed all along. This instinct has carried him from engineering teams to his own startup and now to the work he leads at Leelyn Smith. What excites him most in this role is designing and building the systems that let Leelyn Smith's tax, planning, and investment teams talk to each other, holding every piece to the same rigor and hands-on craft he has always brought to building something new.

John lives in Park Ridge with his wife and two kids. When he's not building AI infrastructure, you can find him building custom rockets with his son or cheering for his daughter on the School of Rock stage. He also enjoys fishing and hiking in the Midwest and around the world, and he stays connected to the founder community by mentoring and investing in over 20 companies alongside his wife.

Karmen brings over a decade of financial services expertise to Leelyn Smith, having spent most of her career at J.P. Morgan Chase. She started in retail banking after graduating from Illinois State University in 2014 with a degree in mathematics, then moved into investments and eventually to J.P. Morgan's private bank, where she worked on an advisory team supporting high-net-worth clients.<br>

As a relationship manager, MaKinzie is a very important member of our team. She fills many different roles to ensure that our clients have an outstanding experience in all aspects of their relationship with Leelyn Smith. In addition to having constant contact with our clients, MaKinzie is an integral part of the planning and portfolio process for each of her clients.

As the client contact coordinator, Michele focuses on strengthening the relationships between Leelyn Smith and our clients by fostering on-going communication. Michele reaches out to clients throughout the year to identify opportunities to answer their questions or assist in any way needed. She manages the firms’ customer relationship management database and oversees scheduling for our advisors.

Nancy works alongside Leelyn Smith’s Director of Tax, Zach Gordon, to ensure clients’ tax needs are being met as seamlessly as possible. Before joining Leelyn Smith, Nancy worked in a variety of roles in the loan servicing space. She leverages her attention to detail and problem-solving skills to support Leelyn Smith’s tax clients on a daily basis.

As Senior Tax Associate, Michael supports the firm’s tax team through tax preparation and review, team training, and helping to lead day-to-day tax operations. Michael brings over six years of public accounting experience, with a strong foundation in small business tax compliance. He also spent time with the IRS working on employee benefit plans. Michael earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in International Business from Truman State University. He lives in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood and enjoys hiking, traveling, and playing sand volleyball.