Northwestern Mutual announced it is opening four new offices in California and Nevada, each with a new managing partner.
Kate Michaels, Ian Gordon, Juan Baron and James Verzino have been appointed managing partners for the new network offices. Each managing partner brings more than 10 years of experience to the new job.
Gordon, who will lead the Orange County, Calif., office, began his career in 2012 at Northwestern Mutual’s Striano Financial Group in Boca Raton, Fla. He also has served as a district director, recruiting advisors nationwide.
Verzino has been appointed managing partner of the company’s network office in Los Angeles, which includes locations in downtown Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach and Long Beach.
In his new role, Verzino will provide ongoing support to the office’s advisors while overseeing client growth and retention. He started with Northwestern Mutual in 2012 and has since served as the managing director and chief talent officer at the company’s Plocher network office in Los Angeles. He helped lead the Plocher network office to attract a record number of advisors in 2022, as well as supporting the Manhattan Beach office in becoming the number one district office in the country.
Baron is the new managing partner for the network office in West Los Angeles. The office is part of Northwestern Mutual’s expansion in California and Nevada, and includes clients in the Los Angeles, Inland Empire, and the Las Vegas and greater Nevada markets.
Baron started his career with Northwestern Mutual in 2005 as a college intern while attending the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He became the managing director for Northwestern Mutual/West Los Angeles. He also assumed the responsibility for new advisor performance across Northwestern Mutual’s Southern California and Nevada offices.
Michaels is the leader of the network office in San Jose, Calif.
“The area is going through some significant changes, and many people are experiencing financial anxiety. At a time when large employers are pulling back, we’re excited to make this investment in Silicon Valley, to guide clients on their financial journey and to provide career opportunities to top talent in the area,” Michaels said in a statement.
Michaels began her career in 2008 as a campus recruiter in Rochester, N.Y., and has since held the positions of internship development officer, chief recruiting officer and financial advisor. In 2014, Michaels launched the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion council for the company’s network office in Syracuse, N.Y., and was the inaugural graduate of Northwestern Mutual’s Women’s Leadership Development Program.