meet our team of experts
and advisors

William Chatfield

Regional Managing Director

In 1988, Bill Chatfield partnered with Bennett Meyer to form Meyer-Chatfield Group. Throughout the company’s history, Bill has been involved in the technical aspects services, developing the sales force, creating a national presence for the company, and the development of the cutting-edge, proprietary strategies Meyer-Chatfield Group has pioneered.

After graduating from Loras College in Dubuque Iowa, with majors in Math, Accounting and Business Administration, his business career started when he joined Arthur Andersen & Co’s in the Chicago office in 1972. He was the first of many Loras graduates recruited by Arthur Anderson & Co. His Estate Planning and Compensation work. He also was heavily involved in M&A and Sub S tax related matters.

Bill joined Barclay Associates in late 1977, a firm that specialized in estate and compensation planning for closely held companies. They were pioneers in the 401(k) arena, helping many corporations successfully design, communicate, and administer their 401(k) programs. He helped transition the firm to Ethyl Corp., when they purchased it in 1985. Bill then went on to specialize in the ESOP field, where he assisted closely held ESOP companies in first recognizing, and then planning for, their eventual Repurchase Liability.

Bill has three grown children and two granddaughters. His interests include the outdoors, woodworking, travel and family.

Contact Bill at wchatfield@newcleus.com.

Fabrizio D’Uva

Regional Managing Director

Fabrizio D’Uva is a Regional Managing Director for Newcleus’ Bank Advisors.

He brings more than 20+ years of industry expertise to Newcleus. Prior to his affiliation with Newcleus, Fabrizio served as a Non-Qualified Benefits and BOLI Consultant for Pentegra and was the Director of Client Services and Vice President of Northeast Sales at BFS Group, a firm specializing in the administration of non-qualified benefit plans and BOLI for community banks.

Fabrizio is a graduate of the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Trade degree in 2000.

Contact Fab at fduva@newcleus.com.

Brad Dyksen

Regional Managing Director

Brad Dyksen has been in the financial industry for over 20 years. His career with Financial Services Inc, in 1999 as a website designer, moving on to sales. Eight years ago, he began working for Meyer-Chatfield, and consistently sells over $100m of premium each year. He sits on the planning committee for MD Bankers and has been attending state association conferences for more than fifteen years. Brad won “Top New Experience Advisor” and “Executive Benefits Leader” in 2019 with UFinancial/Mass Mutual.

Brad holds his Life, Health, Series 6, and Series 63 licenses. In his free time Brad enjoys playing ice hockey.

Contact Brad at bdyksen@newcleus.com.

Charlie Hicks

Regional Managing Director

Charlie Hicks has been in the financial industry for over 20 years. He began in 1994 as a Business Development Manager at Private Business, Inc. which is now part of Jack Henry’s ProfitStars division. There he developed and oversaw marketing and sales efforts at client banks to deliver the Business Manager asset-based lending solution to their commercial clients.  He was later promoted to VP, Bank Manager and oversaw the corporate relationships with larger regional banks, including Synovus, Old National Bank, and Union Planters Bank (Now Regions Bank).

He joined Meyer Chatfield and started in the BOLI industry in 2003. In 2011, as a member of the Meyer Chatfield Southeast Team, Charlie successfully launched the proprietary LINQS+ Lifetime Deferred Comp solution. Over the last nine years he has placed over $100 Million of LINQS+ representing over $200 Million in lifetime retirement benefits for key executives and officers in the Southeast alone.

Charlie has a BS in Math and Business Administration and his Masters in Public and Private Management with Private Sector Concentration from Birmingham-Southern College. He has his FINRA Series 7 & 66, Life and Health Licenses.

In his free time, Charlie has been active with several local youth soccer leagues as a board member, while also serving as a coach or team manager for more than ten years for numerous youth girls soccer teams. He is an active member of New Beginnings Community Church, Gadsden, AL.

Contact Charlie at charlie.hicks@newcleus.com.

Kevin Killian

Regional Managing Director

JR Llewellyn

Regional Managing Director

JR Llewellyn provides both strategic direction and tactical planning expertise for all compensation programs designed by Compensation Advisors. Over the past 7 years, Llewellyn has offered the guidance and creativity needed to craft customized non-qualified compensation plans, equity allocation plans, annual incentive plans, and comprehensive executive and director compensation reviews. Through his efforts he has firmly positioned the company as a leader in the compensation consulting industry.

He has been instrumental in the creation and launch of a patent-pending retirement methodology program developed by Compensation Advisors called LINQS+ (Lifetime Income Non-Qualified Solution). In addition, JR brings professional experience as a financial advisor from Morgan Stanley. Prior to his career in the financial industry, he played golf professionally on the NGA Hooters Tour and other mini tours in the southeast. He holds a BBA with a Banking concentration as well as Series 7, 66 and 31 FINRA Securities Licenses and insurance licenses.

Mr. Llewellyn lives in Greensboro, GA with his wife and son. He remains active in church and community activities.

Contact JR at jr.llewellyn@newcleus.com.

Zach Low

Regional Managing Director

Zachary has been in the banking industry for more than 18 years, beginning his career in 2003 at BFS Group. He consults exclusively with community and regional banks to assist in non-qualified benefit placement and associated financing strategies. Zachary also focuses on the Bank’s existing benefit programs to make them more efficient and meaningful for the Bank and participants. Over the years, as a frequent speaker at conventions, association meetings, and many banking events, he has become well known and respected throughout the Eastern Region.

A graduate of Penn State University, Zachary lives in Bucks County, PA with his wife and 3 children.

Contact Zach at zlow@newcleus.com.

Cory McPhee

Regional Managing Director

Cory has more than thirty years of vast and varied experience in public, private and charitable enterprises. He began his career in financial services in 2010, upon joining BFS Group. Prior to that, he had served as a Congressional staff assistant in the Office of the Majority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Established in 2002, he is the co-founder and co-owner of a successful NH seacoast area fine dining foodservice and catering business. For well over a decade, Cory has had continued involvement with his family foundation, The Adam McPhee Memorial Foundation, which supports community enrichment and the advancement of handicapped and underprivileged individuals. He also played an instrumental role in working with the US Department of Agriculture to preserve critical wetlands on his family homestead.

Cory received his bachelor’s degree from Loyola University New Orleans. He served as an elected town official for three terms on the Epping, NH planning board. A fifth generation New Hampshire native, Cory along with his wife Julie and daughter Nola, live on the McPhee family compound in Epping NH.

Contact Cory at cmcphee@newcleus.com.

Thomas Molteni

Regional Managing Director

Tom Molteni began his career in financial services in 1978 just before college graduation.

In the summer of 1975 as a college sophomore, Tom sold books door to door in North Texas for the Southwestern Co., achieving the prestigious Century Club award for sales performance.

Tom attended Middle Tennessee State University, graduating in 1978. Tom finished with a BBA, double major in General Business & Marketing. Tom also has a minor in Archeology. He is a member of The Sigma Chi fraternity, serving as Rush Chairman for 4 years.

Tom was affiliated with several brokerage firms in the 1980’s and 1990’s, including Prudential Bache, Dean Witter as well as Paine Weber. Tom served as Senior Vice President, Commodity Futures Department manager at Pru Bache & Dean Witter.

In April 1994, Tom joined a national Community Bank services firm, Private Business Inc. headquartered in Brentwood, TN. Tom was tasked with bringing new partner banks on board, promoting a commercial lending product for those banks. During his ten-year tenure, Tom licensed about 300 community banks on PBI’s Business Manger lending product in about 15 states, including the four largest banks ever licensed by the company. He achieved The President’s Club award each of his ten years of employment. He was Bank Salesman of The Year 7 times, as well as a Diamond Club award winner 5 times.

Tom then joined Meyer Chatfield Corp. in the fall of 2003. He and his partners have bank clients in about 14 states, as the partnership administers Bank Owned Life Insurance (BOLI), as well as compensation plans for about 75 bank clients.

Tom is Series 6 licensed and is affiliated with Alden Plus Porfolios.

Tom is a native to Nashville, TN and is married to his college sweetheart, Beth Ligon Molteni since 1980. They have three adult children and a new Granddaughter. Tom enjoys gardening and tennis as well as collecting wine, fine dining and traveling.

Contact Tom at tmolteni@newcleus.com.

Daniel Peterson

Regional Managing Director

Daniel E. Peterson, LLIF, LUTCF is President & Managing Partner of E4 Insurance Services, a national independent Brokerage General Agency formed by the merge of e4 Insurance Services and Insurance Services Group in 2019. E4 Insurance Services markets Life Insurance, Annuities, Long Term Care Insurance, and Disability Insurance for over 40 of the top insurance companies in the United States. Dan and the E4IS team provide services to Financial Advisors, Accounting Firms, Trust Departments, and Financial Institutions in the area of life insurance planning and reviews, estate planning, farm and business succession planning.

Peterson is considered an expert in the areas of Life Insurance Policies, Bank Owned Life Insurance (BOLI), Estate Planning and Deferred Compensation, and Farm and Business Succession Planning. Dan has extensive experience in pricing and developing insurance products, including life insurance and fixed and indexed annuities. He has been utilized as an insurance expert consultant by top 25 Accounting Firms and assisted in conducting audits of insurance policies, Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILIT’s) and premium financing programs within Bank Trust Departments. Peterson has worked in the insurance business for over 30 years as an agent, home office employee, and served as Sr. Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Clarica U.S., an A+ rated life insurance company that was purchased by Sun Life of Canada in 2002. Dan was selected to be part of the senior management team that helped sell the U.S. operations of Clarica to Midland National (Sammons Financial Group) in late 2002.

Peterson has extensive background in mergers and acquisitions. For years, Dan has worked closely with family farms and closely held businesses, helping them develop their succession and estate plans. He has developed a network of advisors, accountants, and estate planning attorneys who specialize in this area. In 2014, Dan was recognized for his expertise in farm succession planning when he became the first independent advisor to be certified in Nationwide’s “Land As Your Legacy” program. Dan has consulted and developed plans for hundreds of family farms and closely held businesses. He is an expert on the tax and legal strategies available for farms and businesses, and risk management tools that insure against the risks that can impact a plan. He understands very well the unique challenges today’s family farm has in transferring to the next generation with high land prices, low cost basis, lack of liquidity, and children who are often both on and off the farm. Peterson studied Business Administration at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. He has received the LUTCF designation through the American College and the LLIF designation through LIMRA and Babson College.

Peterson holds his Series 6 and 63 securities licenses and is a registered representative of the Leaders Group, Inc. He is also a Senior Consultant with BFS-MC Group and Meyer-Chatfield, the leading provider or financial solutions and consulting to financial institutions. Peterson was recognized by his peers in the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) as the 2017 Advisor of the Year in Fargo/Moorhead and as the 2017-2018 NAIFA-ND North Dakota Agent of the Year. He currently serving as the 2019-2020 NAIFA-ND Past President after serving as NAIFA-ND President in 2018-2019. He also served from 2010-2013 as a Director of the National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies (NAILBA). Dan is Past President of the FM-AM Rotary service club, is a member of the Red River Estate Planning Council, the ND Ambassador for the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU) and is Past President of the Tulaby Lake Association.

Peterson has been married to his wife Annette for 30 years and they have two sons, Jordan and Jesse. They reside in Horace, ND and enjoy their lake cabin in Minnesota. Dan also is a tournament walleye fisherman and an avid hunter.

Contact Dan at dpeterson@newcleus.com.

Leland Rowley

Regional Managing Director

Leland Rowley is licensed in insurance. He uses his 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur, CEO and small business owner to deliver superior customer service and program administration to Newcleus Bank Advisor customers.

Born and raised in Southern California, Leland studied international business and graphic design at Utah Valley University. He’s volunteered as co-director of a nonprofit community art gallery, helped young art students in South Africa acquire grants and scholarships for community art programs and volunteered as a docent at the International Print Museum. Leland enjoys rock climbing, cycling, gardening and travel.

Contact Leland at leland.rowley@newcleus.com.

Larry Rowley

Regional Managing Director

With decades of experience as an advisor of compensation and benefit planning, Larry has worked for major firms like Clark Consulting, BFS Group and Northwest Mutual Life Insurance Co.  Larry Rowley received his securities license after graduating from Brigham Young University, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He began his career in estate planning but broadened his expertise to become a specialist in business continuation, succession planning, risk management and executive and employee benefits planning with expertise in bank-owned life insurance (BOLI).

As one of the first entrants into the market of insurance products specifically designed for financial institutions, Larry has over 35 years of working exclusively with these institutions to attract, retain and reward key executives.  Larry enjoys and has developed an expertise in educating executives and board members, on product and benefit plan design to empower them to make decisions that are most beneficial for their organizations.

An Arizona native, Larry is devoted to family, farming, agriculture and woodworking and volunteers with a group that relocates Afghans who worked with the US military and whose lives were threatened following the US exit from Afghanistan.

Contact Larry at lrowley@newcleus.com.

Brian Sheldon

Regional Managing Director

Brian brings more than 30 years serving financial institutions to his role of Senior Managing Director at Meyer-Chatfield. Together with Bill Chatfield, he is responsible for managing relationships and sales efforts in the Midwest and Washington. He works with financial institutions to educate and implement BOLI assets and executive benefit plans. Another key focus of Brian’s role is to work with his Meyer-Chatfield team to provide outstanding administrative service for his bank clients.

Prior to joining the Meyer-Chatfield team, Brian served as a strategic partner with the company. He is a licensed life insurance agent and holds his Series 6 & 63 licenses.

Previously, he was Vice President of Sales for IAC Group, specializing in insurance for banks. Prior to that, he spent over 13 years with Deluxe Corporation. As a sales performance manager, he provided checks and related products for financial institutions.

Sheldon is a graduate of Memphis State University, where he majored in insurance. He was captain of the Memphis State racquetball team. Brian led his team to 4 of the University’s 14 consecutive national racquetball championships. He enjoys spending time with his wife Victoria and their four children. He also plays competitive squash and golf.

Contact Brian bsheldon@newcleus.com.

Mark Sollenberger

Regional Managing Director

Mark Sollenberger brings a wealth of banking and financial services experience to his role as Managing Director at Meyer-Chatfield. Mark spent over 25 years accumulating experience in the banking industry rising to the position of CFO and Executive Vice President, followed by 15+ years working in the financial sector with emphasis in the areas of Bank Owned Life Insurance and compensation. Together with Bill Chatfield, he is responsible for managing relationships and sales efforts in parts of the Midwest and Central Atlantic regions.

As an executive, CFO, and a member of the senior management team, Mark’s responsibilities at his bank included strategic-planning, mergers and acquisitions, investor relations, and the analysis and development of new business lines within the organization. He was very active in the administration and management of the company’s executive compensation plans.

A graduate of Shippensburg University, with a degree in Business Administration – Accounting, he received his MBA from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Mark and his wife Yvonne have three children and two grandchildren. He enjoys golf, traveling, and spending time with the family.

Contact Mark at msollenberger@newcleus.com.

David Soto

Regional Managing Director

As Managing Director, David is responsible for initiating and managing client engagements from inception to implementation and beyond. Part educator and part consultant, David and the team @ Newcleus take a pragmatic, process driven approach to construct compensation and executive benefit strategies that align with the client’s go forward strategy and in turn improve franchise value.

With a career in financial services spanning two decades, David began as an intern with Sheshunoff Information Services in 2000 that evolved into a twelve-year stint with the firm as a Financial Data Specialist. In this capacity, David worked with countless financial institutions, investment bankers, consultants, attorneys, and government treasurers.

David attended Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State) for his undergraduate studies in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. He currently holds his Series 6 and 63 securities licenses as well as his state Life and Variable Annuities licenses.

David and his wife, Mikaela, live in Austin with their three children Deklan, Everley and Merrik.

Contact Dave at dsoto@newcleus.com.

Cole Svenson

Regional Managing Director

Cole Svenson has been in the financial industry for 12 years. He started working at Financial Services Inc. in Glen Rock, NJ where he was responsible for bringing their digital board package product to the banking market outside of New Jersey. He started as a sales associate and ended as Vice President of Sales and Director of CoreShare. He had a small team working under him that was spread throughout the United States before moving on to Meyer-Chatfield where he worked as a Regional Managing Director. Cole is now a managing director at Newcleus.

Cole went to Indian River State College in Florida and studied Business with a concentration in finance. He holds his Finra series 6, 63, and S.I.E  Life and Heath licenses.  He also holds his 100-ton master’s captain’s license and spends his free time fishing blue water tournaments up and down the East coast as well as playing golf.

Contact Cole at csvenson@newcleus.com.

Brian Watterson

Regional Managing Director

Known as a strategic thinker, Mr. Watterson has created tailored balance sheet solutions for depositories ranging from small community banks to super-regionals. During his career, he has leveraged a deep knowledge of banking regulations and balance sheet levers to help clients manage portfolios to greatest effect. As Senior Managing Director, Brian is responsible for relationships and sales in the Midwest and platform wide capital markets skills. He works with financial institutions to bring Newcleus’ suite of insurance and executive compensation-based products to enhance the institution’s earnings and/or reduce their risk.

Watterson has held senior positions at several highly regarded financial service firms, most recently Guggenheim Securities and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods where he was a top producer focused on depositories and their strategic balance sheet needs. He  has proven experience working with banks, credit unions, funds and insurance companies to maximize bond portfolio value. Brian has also successfully built and maintained relationships with hedge funds, high net worth Individuals and family offices.

Specifically focused on the depositories, knowledgeable and comfortable in application of various strategies employing all currently available options and resources; M&A, DCM, ECM, Distribution, Leverage, Repo, Reverse Repo, Sale Lease Back, BOLI, Loan Sales and Acquisition, PACE & SBA.

His strong capital markets knowledge, contacts and experience can work for your bank. FINRA Series 7 & 63, Licensed Life Insurance Producer. IBA Small Bank CEO Roundtable Moderator 2020-2021

Brian graduated from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and currently resides in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

Contact Brian at bwatterson@newcleus.com.