Our Team

Brian Werdesheim is a founding member of The Summa Group. Brian serves on The Summa Group’s Investment Committee that oversees investment policy and due diligence. In addition, he heads the team’s coordination of fiduciary services, which provides comprehensive wealth management services to the clients of leading accountants, attorneys, business managers and family offices. Day-to-day, he continues to manage the team’s largest, most complex and dynamic client accounts.

Brian has been providing financial advice since 1993 and has learned much about the challenges, anxieties and concerns his clients share. With wealth comes a profound level of complexity that requires a financial advisory team equipped with the experience, resources, humility and know-how in order to deliver strategies and advice that can make qualitative and quantitative differences in the game of life. The Summa Group is staffed with highly-trained, well-credentialed and experienced professionals who are dedicated to providing their clients with a wealth management experience that transcends the industry norm. Clients are initially attracted to the breadth of asset management talent and experience when it comes to investing capital across all areas of the financial markets, including international equity and fixed income opportunities. But it is The Summa Group’s total dedication to the bigger issues clients face in the areas of family succession, philanthropy, education, health and life success that adds another level of expertise and differentiation.

Forbes, Barron’s, Research Magazine, and Los Angeles Magazine have recognized Brian and his team in their annual top advisor rankings for the quality and success of the practice, client retention, and business growth. Brian is a long time Oppenheimer Asset Management Roundtable participant and Chairman’s Council member, which is comprised of the Firm’s top 40 Financial Advisors. Brian has been a frequent speaker at Oppenheimer & Co. events as well as the Forbes | Shook annual Top Advisor conference, sharing his best ideas and views on client advocacy, team building and best practices.

Passionate and committed to improving the lives of at-risk youth, Brian has dedicated much of his time and resources for over 20 years to educational, social and health related causes. Serving on the Board of Governors of The Fulfi llment Fund since 2003, he is proud of the work done to help level the playing fi eld when it comes to college access. Wanting greater control of how his philanthropic capital was being deployed, Brian Cofounded The Summa Children’s Foundation in 2004. Today, that Foundation has allocated millions of dollars to deserving, lesser-known non-profi ts committed to improving the lives of our most at-risk youth. In 2017, Brian founded The Banyan Foundation and currently serves as its Chairman. The Banyan Foundation is led by its Youth Leadership Council comprised of 9th-12th graders who engage in activities designed to enhance their awareness and abilities in the areas of philanthropy, social enterprise and leadership. Having graduated from USC, he continues a close association with the school and served as an Advisory Council Member for the Lloyd Grief School of Entrepreneurial Studies, the leading program of its kind in the U.S. Brian served on the Board of Trustees for The Buckley School; a Private K-12 School located in Los Angeles.

Brian graduated from the University of Southern California in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He also attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and Richmond College in London, England.

Brian and his wife Janelle live in Studio City with their daughter Isabel and son Grant. In his off time, he likes to travel, golf, run and participate in other outdoor activities.

Jeffrey is a founding member of The Summa Group. Jeffrey is keenly sensitive to the complex needs and desires of wealthy families and as such, has designed and implemented investment strategies intended to help clients “win by not losing capital.”

Jeffrey and the team at The Summa Group serve affluent families in the both the public and private company sector. Jeffrey serves as the group’s CEO overseeing the research team, the highly skilled administrative staff and the Summa Group’s service platform, which is critical to the success of the business. Additionally, Jeffrey oversees the asset management services for charitable entities, divorcees, widows and works closely with the top tax and legal professionals who serve the business, athletic and entertainment community.

Jeffrey is someone who gives and cares deeply about serving others. He is a co-founder of The Summa Children’s Foundation. He began his career with Shearson Lehman Brothers and has been a Managing Director within the Private Client Group at Oppenheimer since 1992. Jeffrey has been an Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s Roundtable member for the past 20 years and is a member of the Firm’s Chairman’s Council which recognizes the top 25 advisors nationwide.

In 1998 he completed the Certified Investment Management Program at The Wharton School of Business in Pennsylvania and received the Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) designation from the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA). Jeffrey graduated from San Diego State University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting.

Jeffrey and his wife Kimberly live in Calabasas and are the proud parents of four daughters, Nicole, Sydney, Macy and Lexy. He enjoys spending quality time with his family, traveling, playing golf, mountain biking and attending a variety of sporting events.

Jeff's CA insurance license is OA55118

Robert Dalie is a Managing Director of Investments with The Summa Group. He is in charge of wealth planning capabilities, one of the pillars the group is founded on. Robert has been able to differentiate himself by combining a deep level of analytical planning expertise with a strong sense of client advocacy. This allows him to engage with a family on a deeper level of understanding and uncover the issues and concerns that keep them up at night.

He takes special care to establish a ‘big picture view’ of a client’s overall goals, and develops planning strategies that often include the input of the client’s other trusted advisors, such as their CPAs, estate and business planning attorneys, trustees and banking professionals. One of the core strengths he provides is the ability to simplify his clients’ financial lives by providing advice and guidance based on time-tested investment and planning principles. This internally-developed planning process is specific and client driven. It can range from finding an outsourced lending solution to automated data aggregation across multiple firms.

Robert’s specific expertise and experience lends itself well to entrepreneurs, senior executives, fiduciaries and founders that have recently experienced or are about to experience a life-changing financial event. This proficiency has allowed him to play an integral role within the core advisory teams that deal with these pre and post-liquidity events. Throughout these engagements he has developed a reputation for specialized work with sudden wealth from inheritance, divorce, stock sales, estate planning and closely held business sales. To effectively offer this depth of service and experience, our practice is limited to a select group of individuals and families for whom we can have the maximum impact.

Forbes, Barron’s and Research Magazine have recognized The Summa Group in their annual advisor rankings as a top wealth management team. Robert has been a central part of The Summa Group since its founding in 2003. He previously worked for an institutional wealth management team within Oppenheimer. His role there included business development, quantitative research, and financial modeling.

He is a member of the Los Angeles Financial Planning Association (FPA), and holds the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) designation from the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. He attended Pepperdine University where he also played water polo and graduated with BA in business administration and a BS in sports medicine. He is an Eagle Scout and currently sits on Oppenheimer’s Advisory Technology Committee.

Robert resides in Glendale with his wife (whom he met at Pepperdine) and their four children. Traveling, cooking, sports, scouting, and philanthropic work keeps the family happy and very busy!

Robert's CA insurance license is 0I67395

Adam brings deep wealth management knowledge and experience to The Summa Group. His proficiency is concentrated in the areas of wealth management, asset protection, and insurance planning. Working closely with his client’s most trusted advisers, Adam delivers highly customized strategies for families with complexity and sometimes complicated dynamics. Liquidity planning sits at the center of Adam’s practice and is where he leverages the considerable experience and capabilities of The Summa Group to help business owners address tax efficiency and value. Adam sits on The Summa Group Investment Policy committee making important and collaborative decisions regarding asset allocation, investment policy and manager selection-research.

Adam is an annual participant in Oppenheimer Asset Management’s Roundtable event where the Firm’s top advisors collaborate and share the ideas and business practices that have elevated them to the top of the industry.

Philanthropy is an essential part of Adam’s life and professional career. He is active with St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Maternal Mental Health Now, and donates his time and resources to the Pacific Council on International Policy, which is an independent nonprofit committed to furthering constructive, sophisticated discourse on international affairs.

Adam earned his degree in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and began his career in financial services in 2001, with American Express/Ameriprise. He was previously with UBS before joining Oppenheimer in 2009. He has roots in San Francisco and Boston, and now makes Manhattan Beach his home, with his wife and two daughters.

Outside of work Adam’s passions include traveling with his family, yoga, snowboarding, and other outdoor activities.

Introduced to the financial services industry by a childhood coach who was a financial advisor, David remembers early on wanting to have a career in the financial services industry. In 1996 while still in college, David started as an intern with Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. He found the industry as interesting and challenging as he imagined and he has never looked back.

Today, David holds the title Director-Investments where he is responsible for the team’s performance analytics and keeping historical data organized according to each client’s preference. David has an extensive background in asset allocation and is actively involved in team discussions about investments both on the team’s recommended list as well as on their watch list. David also heads the trading activities for the Summa Group.

David graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelors of Arts in Business Economics.

David is a former semi pro soccer player. He and his wife have a son and daughter with strong roots in Los Angeles.

Gary develops investment strategies for high-net-worth individuals, corporations, pensions and profit-sharing plans. Before his entrance into the financial community in 1967, Gary proudly served in the United States Army. He initially worked at Merrill Lynch, where he was a Vice President and was on the President’s Council. Gary joined Oppenheimer in 1977 and has been a member of the Firm’s prestigious Executive Council.

Gary graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.S in Business Administration and Economics and was the proud recipient of the 2018 UA Professional Achievement Award.

Gary and his wife have been married for over 50 years. They have four sons, all of whom are college graduates, and they have eight grandchildren. Gary and his wife are very active in many community and charitable organizations.

Stan’s career includes 27 years of managing, trading, analysis and research for large financial firms. He brings this quantitative background, knowledge and experience to the Summa Group.

Stan is currently Head of Group Portfolio Analytics at The Summa Group of Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., where he oversees the group’s research efforts, including manager due diligence, asset allocation policy and product development.

Previously, Stan spent 20+ years with Savos Investments of AssetMark. As Director of Trading he oversaw all aspects of trading involving equities, fixed income, mutual funds, and futures. As Director of Research he oversaw the Firm’s manager due diligence process as well as assisted in the Firm’s product development efforts. He also regularly provided propriety rankings for mutual funds for the Financial World magazine.

Stan has earned several designations including the CFA® (Chartered Financial Analyst) from the CFA Institute and the CAIA (Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst) from the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association. He is a member of both CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Los Angeles (CFALA).

He holds an MBA in Finance from California State University at Northridge, graduating with honors. He also graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics.

Stan is originally from South Korea where he played varsity soccer. He moved to the Denver area for college and never left the United States. His wife, Michelle, is from Vietnam and together they enjoy traveling the world. Stan is also interested in history, geopolitics, behavioral finance, and Denver/L.A. pro sports teams.

Stan and his wife live in Santa Clarita.

Valerie was born and raised in China and came to the United States to attend college. She always had an interest in finance and statistics after observing for years as her businesswoman-mother successfully invested in the stock market.

Today at The Summa Group, Valerie focuses on investment due diligence, conducting analytical work on portfolio construction, mutual fund research and monitoring. She has built models to screen mutual funds and conducts risk management modeling. She is proficient in computer programming and has designed sophisticated reporting templates. Valerie also is a great resource and connection for the Chinese speaking clients of The Summa Group.

Valerie graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a minor in Mathematics. She earned a Masters in Financial Engineering at UCLA and began at The Summa Group as an intern.

She enjoys tennis and hiking and is a self-professed foodie who likes cooking and many different cuisines. Valerie also enjoys traveling throughout the United States with her parents when they come from China each summer.

Daniela is well known for her proactive and organized approach and her distinct ability to make the client experience both friendly and efficient. She is a seasoned veteran who is appreciated by many at The Summa Group for her experience and leadership. She has been with The Summa Group since 1998. 

Her responsibilities include the coordination of all administrative activities as well as her primary role in the client service process. Daniela has a strong knowledge base in compliance and operations, is responsible for all team procedures involved in account opening, wire and securities transfers, account reconciliation and many of the other everyday needs that foster strong relationships with clients. 

Daniela resides in Tarzana with her husband and daughters. When she’s not at work she spends a lot of time driving her kids to club soccer and track and field events. She also enjoys being outdoors, snowboarding and paddle boarding at the beach.

Savannah brings acumen for numbers to her work at The Summa Group. She also comes with a familiarity of the purpose and processes of The Summa Group having worked with the group for several years while in college.

Today, Savannah is a part of a team of individuals that conduct research at The Summa Group. She specifically provides exploration, examination and analysis of investment products.
Savannah holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Financial Services from San Diego State University.

She is from Southern California and enjoys spending time with her family and friends in the area. In addition, her favorite pastimes include hiking, lake trips, and all things related to music.

Andrea is well known for her proactive and organized approach and her distinct ability to make the client experience both friendly and efficient. She’s been praised for her patience, ability to listen and attention to detail. She has a strong knowledge base in compliance and operations, is responsible for team procedures involved in account opening, wire and securities transfers, account reconciliation and many of the other everyday needs that foster strong relationships with our clients.

Andrea resides in Woodland Hills with her husband, 4 children and beloved rescue dog. When she’s not at work she enjoys watching her son pitch baseball, taking her daughters to art class, hiking and spending time with her family.

Engrid Mirzaie started in the financial services industry in 1997 with Morgan Stanley-Beverly Hills as a Senior Sales Assistant working with Financial Advisors. In 2002 she started at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., and provided high level administrative support to the Regional Manager. In 2018, she joined The Summa Group as a Senior Client Service Associate.

Flexibility, patience, the ability to take in a lot of details prioritize and process them are attributes that Engrid lists as she describes what it takes to run a financial planning practice with a single minded focus on client services. My job is to operate our practice so seamlessly, so that clients think of me as an extension of their relationship with the Advisors.