Barry J. Morgan, JD, MBA
Principal and Senior Wealth Advisor
Chanel Gullage
Senior Wealth Advisor
Derek Thisse
Wealth Advisor
Kerry Ciapciak
Client Service Associate
Patricia Morse
Client Service Associate
Derek Franco
Operations Associate
Peter Garrigan
Operations Associate
Debra K. Brede
Principal and Senior Wealth Advisor | brede@bredeinvestment.com
After working for several years for firms that operated under a typical Wall Street business model, Debra K. Brede realized that the needs of her clients weren't always best served by a firm that sells its products to meet its sales goals. Debra had a different idea in mind when she founded her investment management firm over 30 years ago. At the firm that bears her name, the individual needs of each client have always been the primary focus.
Today, D.K. Brede Investment Management Company, a Focus Partners Wealth Company, delivers investment management services to high-net-worth individuals (including clients who have recently sold their businesses and retired from their careers), corporations, retirement plans, charitable trusts, and municipalities.
Debra has been featured as a media commentator on various networks such as CNBC and Fox Business news. She's also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Businessweek, Financial Times, Reuters, Bloomberg, Forbes, Kiplinger's Personal Finance and Barron's.
Listen to Debra’s interview with Kathleen Hays and Pimm Fox of Bloomberg Radio as she discusses going independent, helping her clients prepare for their future, and the charitable work she’s done with Agape International.
A commitment to serve the community
Debra is involved in a number of charities and social causes in the Boston area and globally. She was one of three finalists for the Invest in Others Global Community Impact Award from Investment News. She also had the honor of giving the commencement speech at her alma mater, Pennsylvania State University, and received the Distinguished Alumni Award. Her most recent community service commitments have included:
Executive Board of Directors
Board of Trustees and Committee 2013-2022
Institutional Review Board/Human Research Committee
Board of Trustees
Agape Aids Orphan Care
Debra has always balanced her professional career with an active commitment to community service, on both a local and global scale. She has frequently traveled to Hyderabad, India, with her husband, who is a practicing dentist. While he delivers free dental care to 250 children at the Agape Aids Orphan Care, she and her children support the organization in various ways, from acquiring new books for the library to purchasing clothing for the children.
Debra is a trustee of Agape Agape Aids Orphan Care, which was founded by long-time former D.K. Brede Investment Management staff member Lynne Guhman-Voggu. Agape's mission is to provide homes, food, and love to children of the third world who've been orphaned by the AIDS crisis.
During a recent dinner, Debra was honored by Agape with a video highlighting all the work she has done and the impact she has had on the children and their schools.
As a result of her work with Agape, Debra was a finalist for the 2015 Invest in Others and InvestmentNews Global Community Impact Award. She was one of three finalists out of hundreds of nominations, a reflection of the dedication and passionate commitment she has for those less fortunate.
Barry J. Morgan, JD, MBA
Senior Wealth Advisor| barry.morgan@focuspartners.com
Barry Morgan is a Principal and Senior Wealth Advisor at the firm. Prior to joining the firm, he worked at a boutique financial and estate planning law firm. He works with many types of clients including corporate executives, technology entrepreneurs, retirees, and young families.
Barry’s experience covers a broad range of topics including investment management, tax planning, estate planning, executive benefit strategies, retirement planning, and individual planning issues arising from mergers and acquisitions.
Barry also serves clients at Focus Partners Wealth.
- Admitted to practice law in Massachusetts
- Investment Adviser Representative
- JD, Suffolk University Law School
- MBA with a concentration in Finance from Clark University Graduate School of Management
- BA in Psychology from University of Hartford
Chanel Gullage
Senior Wealth Advisor | chanel@bredeinvestment.com
Chanel has been with D.K. Brede Investment Management Company since 2006 working with a wide variety of high-net-worth clients and their families from the accumulation stage through retirement years. Chanel has over 25 years of experience and extensive industry knowledge which enable her to work with clients to customize portfolios, provide financial guidance and develop individualized plans tailored to help clients achieve their financial goals. Prior to joining D.K. Brede Investment Management Company, Chanel worked at Adams, Harkness & Hill for 10 years, where she also worked as a Nasdaq trader. Chanel is also a member of the firm’s Investment Committee.
Chanel is a Registered Investment Advisor Representative.
- BS in Business Administration, Northeastern University
Derek Thisse
Wealth Advisor | derek@bredeinvestment.com
Derek has been with D.K. Brede Investment Management Company since 2016 working with a wide variety of high-net-worth clients and their families from the accumulation stage through retirement years. Derek has over 8 years of experience and extensive industry knowledge which enable him to work with clients to customize portfolios, provide financial guidance and develop individualized plans tailored to help clients achieve their financial goals. Prior to joining Focus Partners Wealth, Derek held a financial services role for Merrill Lynch.
Derek is a Registered Investment Advisor Representative.- University of New Hampshire – bachelor’s degree in business administration with an option in finance
Kerry Ciapciak
Client Service Associate | kerry@bredeinvestment.com
Kerry joined D.K. Brede Investment Management in January 2014. Prior to joining the team, Kerry was a public relations specialist at Sun Life Financial in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Her career in public relations includes positions as media relations director at Graham Communications and public relations director at Massachusetts Respiratory Hospital. A graduate of Stonehill College, she earned a BS in business administration with a minor in communications. Kerry is also a licensed real estate agent in Massachusetts.
As a member of the team, Kerry handles various customer-based services, including:
- Handling client review and meeting preparation: generating reports, managing preliminary groundwork for meetings
- Conducting research for funds, stocks, and other financial products
- Maintaining relationships with clients by answering questions and solving problems
- Scheduling consultations and meetings
Patricia Morse
Account Specialist | pmorse@bredeinvestment.com
Patty joined D.K. Brede investment Management in June 2021. She studied Administration studies at Sanford Brown College. Prior to joining our team, Patty worked as an Equity Trader for 18 years for Bank of Boston and Boston Advisors where she worked with the Portfolio Management Team and at Putnam Investments as the liaison between Putnam and the custodian banks for wires and settlements.
As a member of the team, Patty handles various operations and customer-based services, including:
- Handling client review and meeting preparation: generating reports, managing preliminary groundwork for meetings
- Maintaining financial software, data entry and generating reports
- Providing proactive client account maintenance to ensure that clients' accounts are in order
Derek Franco
Operations Associate | dfranco@bredeinvestment.com
Derek joined D.K. Brede Investment Management in March 2022. Derek has over 10 years of financial services experience and ran a successful photography business for 14 years. Prior to joining our team, Derek worked on the trade desk at Commonwealth Financial for six years. He also held positions as a Customer Relationship Manager at Fidelity Investments and Operations Specialist at MRM Horizion.
As a member of the team, Derek handles various operations and customer-based services, including:
- Handling trading for advisors on the team
- Conducting client reviews and meeting preparation, including generating reports and managing preliminary groundwork for meetings
- Maintaining financial software, data entry and generating reports
- Providing proactive client account maintenance to ensure that clients' accounts are in order
Peter Garrigan
Operations Associate | pgarrigan@bredeinvestment.com
Pete Garrigan is an Operations Associate working specifically with the D.K. Brede Investment Management team assisting the firm’s Wealth Advisors and satisfying clients’ requests. Pete joined the firm in March of 2023 after working for Oracle NetSuite as a Project Manager. He graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Business with a B.S. in Finance. Currently, he is studying for the Series 65 exam and seeking to pursue a career as a wealth advisor.
