Our Team
Educated. Experienced. Empowered.
Wealth Management

Operations



Asset Management




Retirement Planning Team



Leif is a Certified Financial Planner®, Chartered Life Underwriter® and Wealth Management advisor, with more than 20 years of experience in finance. He is hyper focused on helping extract and develop clients' vision for their current and future lives and creating customized financial game plans and easy to follow roadmaps to pursue their goals. He specializes in investment management, tax efficiency, risk management and managing retirement income.
Leif and his wife Chelsi currently reside in the western suburbs of the Twin Cities with their three children, Layla, Jacob, and Bella. He enjoys coaching and values quality family time whether on the slopes, the water, or around the dinner table. He has a great appreciation for the outdoors, specifically his cabin retreat in the Boundary Water Canoe Area of Northern Minnesota. Leif is an avid golfer and active conversationalist, enjoying opportunities to engage and have fun with new and lifelong friends.
Trevor has been in the financial industry for 14 years, and holds his *Series 7, 63, 65, 66, life & health licenses. He has extensive experience with case design, financial planning, and insurance, and is a firm believer in the value of a comprehensive, customized financial plan and the value it brings to clients of all kinds.
Trevor was born in Duluth, MN and grew up in West Metro. A passionate golfer, Trevor is still working on his first hole in one, and he also enjoys fishing, fantasy football (a nine time league champion!), BWCA and live music. He and his girlfriend Kelly recently caught the international travel bug with a trip to France. He also enjoys spending time with his two nephews and his recently retired parents.
Series 7 and 63 held with LPL Financial.
With a degree in Radiation Science Technology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Chelsi has dedicated over a decade to the healthcare field, while simultaneously growing and expanding her skill set alongside Leif in the financial industry. She is passionate about marketing and design, constantly seeking creative opportunities.
Beyond her professional life, Chelsi is a dedicated mother of three, enjoying coaching, traveling, and making cherished memories with her family. One of her favorite pastimes is unwinding by the lake and soaking up the summer sun with friends.
My 25+ years of experience in finance and economics brings a unique perspective to my role as Chief Market Strategist. Over that time, I’ve worked as an academic researcher, educator, asset manager and financial advisor serving individual clients. My job is to integrate my finance and economic background to manage multi-asset portfolios, mitigate risk and deliver advice that promotes informed decision-making. Ultimately, our goal as advisors is to apply these concepts in the context of a financial plan to facilitate investors in achieving their short-and long-term investment goals.
I lead the asset management team at Pursuit Wealth Management and Great Valley Advisor Group, overseeing the security selection and asset allocation of the customized portfolios that are used by our clients. I also provide economic, market, and investment related analysis and communications to our clients as well as the broader financial media. As a long-time published columnist for Seeking Alpha, I have written well over 1,000 articles for the platform and have also appeared as a live guest on CNBC, CNN, Money Matters TV, NPR-Marketplace, Seeking Alpha, and CFA Magazine.
Prior to joining the team, I was the Founder and Director of Gerring Capital Partners, a Registered Investment Advisor, serving clients nationwide. I also previously served as the Director of Investment Communications for SEI Investments and as an Economist at Moody’s Analytics. I’m also an active member of the CFA Society of Philadelphia and the Global Interdependence Center.
Beyond my investment work, I am a Visiting Scholar in Business & Economics at Ursinus College. I served as a full-time faculty at Ursinus from 2014 to 2023 teaching courses in finance, investments, economics, and research methods. I also launched the Finance Scholars program at Ursinus to prepare students to take the CFAÒ Level I Exam after graduation. Prior to teaching at Ursinus, I was a full-time visiting professor at West Chester University in the Department of Economics & Finance from 2005 to 2014 and was a five-time recipient of Outstanding Faculty Honors during my time at WCU.
I live with my wife, Sherry, and two sons, Finn and Rowan, in Glenmoore, PA. I am also an active marathon and half marathon distance runner.
Education and Designations
Eric Parnell is solely an investment advisor representative of Great Valley Advisor Group and not affiliated with LPL Financial.
Nick joined GVA in 2024 as Senior Trader on the GVA Asset Management Team. In this role Nick oversees trading functions, such as new account setup, portfolio rebalancing and monitoring, daily report reviews, and managing various trading workflows.
Nick comes to GVA with 10+ years in the investment industry. He graduated from Fordham University in 2014 with a BS in Finance, and a concentration in Alternative Investments. He began his career in the private wealth management space before making a transition into portfolio management. Nick has spent the last 5-years overseeing risk-based model portfolios and acting as a resource for participating advisor networks throughout the United States.
Nick lives in Philadelphia, PA, with his wife and daughter.
In her role as Associate on the GVA Asset Management team, Kaela Frenchman is a driven and persistent professional who brings a diverse skill set and passion through her creative outlook. Kaela earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance, with a minor in Management Studies, from Ursinus College. Kaela has a strong financial foundation paired with a passion for finance and problem solving.
During her time at Ursinus College, Kaela excelled both academically and athletically. On the academic side, Kaela graduated Magna Cum Laude while being a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon (the national economics honors society), a recipient of the Compton-Rose Award (given to outstanding students in the Business & Economics department), co-CEO of Ursinus College Investment Management Company, a teacher’s assistant for accounting, and a tutor for all finance, economics, and accounting courses. Also, during her time at Ursinus, Kaela studied abroad in Berlin, Germany and Prague, the Czech Republic to learn about economies transitioning from communist regimes to democratic states.
Prior to joining GVA full-time, Kaela was an intern for GVA on the Asset Management team. She gained valuable experience in analytics and communication skills by working with advisors and transitioning their clients’ portfolios to GVA.
Outside of her professional pursuits, Kaela enjoys weightlifting, Pilates, yoga, cheering on New York sports teams, and spending quality time with friends and family on the beaches of Avalon, NJ.
Evan is an Associate on GVA’s Asset Management Team. He specializes in investment research and has a passion for finance and economics. Evan uses his strong work ethic and financial literacy to help manage GVA’s multi-asset portfolios, mitigate risk, and help coordinate wholesaler relationships.
In the Spring of 2024, Evan graduated as valedictorian from Ursinus College with a BA in Finance and a minor in Management Studies. Evan took part in Finance Scholars and was a CEO of the Ursinus College Investment Management Company. Evan was also inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Epsilon during his time at Ursinus. Outside of his coursework, Evan was captain of the men’s golf team and worked on a year-long honors project focusing on the stock-bond correlation and how macroeconomic variables affect the relationship between the two asset classes.
Prior to joining GVA full-time, Evan interned with GVA’s Asset Management team! During his time as an intern he focused on equity research, and shadowing wholesaler and advisor meetings. Under the guidance of the GVAAM team, Evan gained quality professional experience in the finance and asset management industry.
Outside of Finance and Economics, Evan enjoys golfing, watching Formula 1 racing, going to Sixers games, and traveling with close friends and family.
Matt grew up in a large family out of Worthington, MN. At a young 12 years of age, Matt’s grandfather decided it was time to teach him the values of investing. As his self-taught advisor, Francis LaBelle taught Matt how to invest in stocks. From 12 to 18 Francis and Matt saved and invested enough money to pay for Matt’s college. Living through an experience like this helped Matt realize he wanted to help others do the same for retirement.
After graduating from St. Cloud State University, Matt took a job in Minneapolis at Wells Fargo bank in 2001. After a couple years as a banker, Matt studied and trained for the Series 7 and 66 exams. In 2003, Matt was licensed to sell securities. In 2006 Matt left to be an advisor at A. G. Edwards in Minnetonka. This is where Matt started to research the 401K company sponsored plan industry. Matt realized there were many companies who needed help for themselves and their employees. In 2008 A.G. Edwards decided to sell to Wachovia and then Wachovia to Wells Fargo.
It was this time where Matt decided being an independent advisor was the best for his practice. In 2009 Matt Fitch partnered up with his long lost friend and coworker Bryan Strong at LPL Financial as the Fitch & Strong group. Today Matt and Bryan work hard trying to educate and help companies manage their 401k plans mostly in the MN area.
Justin Damon grew up in St. Michael, Minnesota, where he developed a strong work ethic and team-oriented mindset through his years playing hockey. As a student-athlete at Ohio University, Justin played hockey while earning a bachelor’s degree in Financial Planning, graduating in 2024. During his college years, he gained valuable industry experience through an internship with Matt, where he studied and successfully passed his Series 7 and Series 66 exams.
Justin’s decision to become a financial advisor stems from his passion for helping people. He believes financial decisions play a critical role in shaping a person’s future, and being a financial advisor allows him to guide individuals toward reaching their goals in life. As an Associate Wealth Advisor at Fitch and Strong Group, Justin is committed to providing personalized strategies to help his clients achieve lasting financial success.