Putting
people first.
Get to know our leadership team
Leadership at the West Los Angeles office is dedicated to doing good for our clients, employees and community.
Juan Baron
CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®
Managing Partner
Juan Baron started his career with Northwestern Mutual in 2005 while in college at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. In 2012, Juan became the Managing Director for Northwestern Mutual-West Los Angeles. In 2023, Juan was appointed as the Managing Partner for Northwestern Mutual’s West Los Angeles...
Juan Baron started his career with Northwestern Mutual in 2005 while in college at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. In 2012, Juan became the Managing Director for Northwestern Mutual-West Los Angeles. In 2023, Juan was appointed as the Managing Partner for Northwestern Mutual’s West Los Angeles office and is responsible for leading the company’s operations in the Los Angeles, Inland Empire, and Las Vegas and greater Nevada markets. He is proud to serve on the Board of Managers for the Collins and Katz YMCA, is a member of the Beverly Hills chapter of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), a member of the Jonathan Club, and a member of the Los Angeles Country Club. Juan and his family reside in Pacific Palisades and are parishioners at Our Lady of Malibu Catholic Church, where Juan is proud to chair the Finance Committee.
Amber Romo is the Managing Director of Northwestern Mutual’s Ontario, California office. A career changer, Amber left behind a lucrative position in the entertainment industry to make a greater impact on people’s lives. Prior to opening this location, she served in many director roles at Northwestern Mutual...
Amber Romo is the Managing Director of Northwestern Mutual’s Ontario, California office. A career changer, Amber left behind a lucrative position in the entertainment industry to make a greater impact on people’s lives. Prior to opening this location, she served in many director roles at Northwestern Mutual and led the firm in achieving record-breaking performances in new advisor productivity. Amber continues to blaze the path in leadership for women in a traditionally male-dominated industry and has focused heavily on recruiting diverse advisors to better reflect the markets we serve. While Amber is excited to continue to build the Ontario office in one of the largest untapped markets in the country, she also focuses on her own wealth management practice. Outside of work Amber and her husband, Johnny are busy parents raising their two girls, Cailin and Taylor.
Will is driven by the ability to help others reach their full potential. He believes that with stronger, better financial advisors, our positive impact on the community can multiply. Will oversees strategy and development efforts for the Las Vegas office while maintaining a lively wealth management practice. He...
Will is driven by the ability to help others reach their full potential. He believes that with stronger, better financial advisors, our positive impact on the community can multiply. Will oversees strategy and development efforts for the Las Vegas office while maintaining a lively wealth management practice. He is focused on high standards of education and integrity, enabling him to put his clients' needs first and simultaneously build a network of talented, educated, and dedicated financial advisors. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Will practiced commercial litigation as an attorney for eight years. Will earned his B.S. from Rice University in Houston, Texas, and later received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Boyd Law School at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Will was born and raised in Henderson, Nevada. He spent most of his life in the Las Vegas area and currently resides in Henderson with his wife, Ashley, and three sons, Hudson, Greyson, and Connor.
Craig started his career with Northwestern Mutual in 1986 as an Intern, after graduating from Illinois State University. Utilizing the 30+ years of experience gained as a financial advisor and leader, Craig, became the Managing Director of the Walnut Creek and Redwood City offices of the San Francisco Bay Area...
Craig started his career with Northwestern Mutual in 1986 as an Intern, after graduating from Illinois State University. Utilizing the 30+ years of experience gained as a financial advisor and leader, Craig, became the Managing Director of the Walnut Creek and Redwood City offices of the San Francisco Bay Area Group. Craig is also on the Board of Advisors for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.
Lily Hoang
Chief Operations Officer
Lily Hoang joined Northwestern Mutual as an executive assistant to the chief development officer in 2014. Since joining, she has held multiple roles which include training and development coordinator, associate director, and director of new advisor training and development for offices throughout Southern California,...
Lily Hoang joined Northwestern Mutual as an executive assistant to the chief development officer in 2014. Since joining, she has held multiple roles which include training and development coordinator, associate director, and director of new advisor training and development for offices throughout Southern California, as well as the state of Nevada. During her time at Northwestern Mutual, Lily has onboarded over 500 financial advisors to the firm. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, she held positions in various industries including junior designer for a design to build construction firm, senior designer leading product launch and marketing efforts, and operations manager for an e-commerce start-up. Lily’s mission is to empower each team member across the organization to achieve their full potential, as well as to build a world-class operations team that will support Northwestern Mutual’s financial advisors, associates, their clients, as well as our staff members.
Matthew Alfano
Chief Supervision Officer
As Chief Growth & Supervision Officer, Matt aims to empower advisors to grow and succeed while maintaining a defined risk appetite. Matt is energized by working with advisor teams to review business practices and help them better serve clients as well as providing a foundation and training for advisors just starting...
As Chief Growth & Supervision Officer, Matt aims to empower advisors to grow and succeed while maintaining a defined risk appetite. Matt is energized by working with advisor teams to review business practices and help them better serve clients as well as providing a foundation and training for advisors just starting in the business. Before Northwestern Mutual, Matt was on the Investment Risk & Analytics team at J.P. Morgan in New York, where his role was primarily focused on client suitability, developing limits for client concentrations within an investment account. Matt moved to California after being on the east coast for most of his life. He enjoys spending time with his two little girls, Marlowe and August, and his amazing wife, Maggie. Because Matt loves to learn a little bit about everything, he has a collection of hobbies to show for it, including working as a self-taught carpenter, electrician, and plumber on the rebuild of his new home.
Jaqilyn Wolfe has been a financial advisor for the past 5 years in Northwestern Mutual’s West Los Angeles office. She is energized about being a financial partner to her clients as they work together to achieve financial independence and security. Now as the Internship Development Officer, Jaqilyn helps develop...
Jaqilyn Wolfe has been a financial advisor for the past 5 years in Northwestern Mutual’s West Los Angeles office. She is energized about being a financial partner to her clients as they work together to achieve financial independence and security. Now as the Internship Development Officer, Jaqilyn helps develop all college intern programs for the offices in our network to enrich the internship program that has given her so much. She is passionate about helping students to launch their early careers as financial advisors, giving them the opportunity to impact their communities through great planning.
Thomas Forbes
Director of Financial Planning
Thomas started as a Financial Representative in 2014 and transitioned to an Associate Wealth Management Advisor for 4 years. Having experience with both the client-facing side of the business and behind-the-scenes support, he brings a unique combination of skills to the team. Thomas is now the Director of Financial...
Thomas started as a Financial Representative in 2014 and transitioned to an Associate Wealth Management Advisor for 4 years. Having experience with both the client-facing side of the business and behind-the-scenes support, he brings a unique combination of skills to the team. Thomas is now the Director of Financial Planning for the Baron Network Office, overseeing both the FPS and Case Manager teams. Thomas holds his FINRA Series 7, 6, & 63 designations along with CA Life & Health. Thomas is a native to Los Angeles and grew up on the East Side. After graduating from Menlo College in 2011 with a degree in Psychology, he lived abroad in South Korea for 2 years where he taught English, and studied the Korean language. He now resides in West LA with his partner David and his dog Koate.
Patricia Isaak
Director of Marketing
Patricia provides strategic direction that aligns with and delivers on organizational goals. Driving strategic planning and execution, she builds awareness, increases client satisfaction, and helps deepen engagement with NM products and services through her departments marketing efforts. Patricia’s 25 years...
Patricia provides strategic direction that aligns with and delivers on organizational goals. Driving strategic planning and execution, she builds awareness, increases client satisfaction, and helps deepen engagement with NM products and services through her departments marketing efforts. Patricia’s 25 years of human resource experience, coupled with her marketing and operations knowledge, has provided her with the foundation to make an impact in this newly developed role. Patricia received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Franklin University with an emphasis in Human Resources. She also holds a professional designation in Human Resources from University of California, Los Angeles. When Patricia isn’t working solving people/business challenges, you will most likely find her on the soccer field cheering on her three beautiful children.
Chloe Madison
MPA
Director of Human Resources
Chloe’s primary responsibilities include employer coaching, talent sourcing, onboarding, and training for our organization. Chloe has a passion for giving back and would love to become a professor one day and make an impact on future generations.
Payal Mann
Director of Client Relations
Payal Mann has been with Northwestern Mutual since 2007, where she has worked in various roles in Operations before becoming the Client Relations Center (CRC) Director. Payal has the responsibility of ensuring that the financial needs of the unassigned client base are met. She works with a team of financial advisors...
Payal Mann has been with Northwestern Mutual since 2007, where she has worked in various roles in Operations before becoming the Client Relations Center (CRC) Director. Payal has the responsibility of ensuring that the financial needs of the unassigned client base are met. She works with a team of financial advisors to re-engage with these clients to provide financial security through ongoing service and integrated planning, fulfilling the initial promise made to them by Northwestern Mutual. Payal received her degree in Business Administration from USC and holds her CA Life & Health, SIE, Series 6, and 63 licenses. When she is not working, Payal loves exploring different cultures traveling the world. She is always looking for the next destination to visit.
Jinnie Park
Director of Finance
Jinnie administers all aspects of financial management and business analytics to drive the Baron Network Office’s overall financial strategy and planning in the direction of growth. As the head of the accounting and finance team, she oversees daily accounting functions in addition to preparing varied analyses...
Jinnie administers all aspects of financial management and business analytics to drive the Baron Network Office’s overall financial strategy and planning in the direction of growth. As the head of the accounting and finance team, she oversees daily accounting functions in addition to preparing varied analyses to offer insights and solutions to office leadership and advisors. Jinnie graduated from the University of Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and spent some time teaching literary analysis in Korea before joining a Los Angeles CPA firm to launch her finance career. In her personal time, she enjoys playing video games and spending time with her dog.
Ashley Duncan
Executive Assistant
Currently living in Encino Hills, Ashley Duncan is a native of Los Angeles and grew up in Toluca Lake. After attending USC, majoring in studio art, she moved to New York and remained there for 18 years working in both the contemporary art gallery and publishing worlds. In her role as Executive Assistant to Managing...
Currently living in Encino Hills, Ashley Duncan is a native of Los Angeles and grew up in Toluca Lake. After attending USC, majoring in studio art, she moved to New York and remained there for 18 years working in both the contemporary art gallery and publishing worlds. In her role as Executive Assistant to Managing Partner, Juan Baron, Ashley will oversee and support day-to-day operations required to drive results and growth of the firm and will be working closely with the Executive Leadership Team on strategic initiatives.