John is a Partner of Copper Leaf Financial. He is a graduate of the University of Vermont with a degree in accounting and is also an alumnus of the Leadership Champlain program in Burlington, Vermont. John is a CPA with 35+ years of experience in the financial world including both public accounting and financial planning. John works with business owners on succession planning to help facilitate the continued success of all areas of the business, including key people over time. He focuses on working with clients to help achieve their short- and long-term financial goals – mindful of the need to adjust strategies as life circumstances evolve. John lives in Williston, Vermont with his wife Sand and has two grown children – Zach Davis of Williston, Vermont and Erin Davis of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In his spare time John enjoys golfing, skiing, gardening, and anything and everything dealing with entrepreneurs.

John earned the CFP® professional designation in 1982 and during his years as an investment professional he also earned the FINRA Series 7 (General Securities Representative) providing him with the qualifications necessary to make different types of trades with corporate securities.

Bret is a Partner of Copper Leaf Financial.  He is a CPA and CFP® professional and graduate of Lyndon State College with a degree in Accounting and Business Administration.  Bret also graduated from Leadership Champlain and most recently from the Champlain College Excellence in Executive Leadership (ExcEL) 2013. With over 20 years of financial experience including public accounting and financial planning, Bret works closely with individuals and business owner clients to define their financial goals and fine-tune strategy to help ensure sound financial strategies. He lives in Jericho, Vermont with his wife Nicole and their two children, Grace and Gavin. Bret is a devoted Red Sox fan and enjoys skiing and spending time with his family.

Bret earned the CFP® professional designation and and during his years as an investment professional he also earned the FINRA Series 7 (General Securities Representative) providing him with the qualifications necessary to make different types of trades with corporate securities.

Michael is our senior wealth advisor with more than 20 years of experience helping clients achieve their financial goals. With deep wealth management experience, he takes his time to get to know our client’s unique circumstances and most important values, goals, and priorities. He serves as the steward and director of our planning process, driving strategy, bringing together expertise, and delivering on our promise of true, comprehensive planning and wealth management. Michael’s particular areas of expertise are around evidence-based and sustainable investing, retiree transitions, and complex estate and philanthropic planning. Michael is also an entrepreneur, experiencing success when he founded an organic food distribution company while attending the University of Florida. He remains passionate about small business and sustainable food systems and served for many years on the board of directors of Burlington’s Intervale Center. He is currently a board member of the Vermont Community Loan Fund (VCLF). Michael and his wife live on a farm in Jericho, Vermont.

Michael holds the AIF® (Accredited Investment Fiduciary®) designation, AEP® (Accredited Estate Planner) designation and is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®). His current licenses include the FINRA Series 66 (Uniform Combined State Law) and during his years as an investment professional he earned a number of additional licenses including the FINRA Series 7 (General Securities Representative), Series 24 (Registered Securities Principal), Series 51 (Municipal Securities Limited Principal), and Series 63 (Uniform Securities Agent State Law).

Molly Passalacqua is a Wealth Advisor with a Bachelor of Science in Corporate Finance and Accounting from Bentley University. She holds her Certified Wealth Strategist (CWS®) designation through the Cannon Financial Institute and a Certificate in Financial Planning from Boston University.

Molly has more than 10 years of experience in taxation and Wealth Management with a specialty in Private Banking, Lending, Estate Planning, Tax and Executive Compensation. She began her career at large banks including JP Morgan, as a Senior Analyst, focused on mutual fund and partnership tax. Prior to joining Copper Leaf Financial, she also worked for BNY Mellon Wealth Management serving as a Wealth Manager. Molly has extensive experience working for private wealth management advisory firms that serve ultra-high-net-worth individuals. Her wealth management experience is focused on a holistic approach to financial planning.

Molly joined Copper Leaf Financial in 2021 as a Wealth Advisor, where she can demonstrate her passion for helping clients define their financial and lifestyle goals. She enjoys developing custom tailored plans for how these objectives can be achieved and helping clients find success over time.

She grew up in Vermont and spent 12 years in Boston where she met her husband, Charles. Her love of family, summers on Lake Champlain and winters in the mountains, brought her back to “home” in 2020. She currently resides in Shelburne with her husband, son Luca, and Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever “Murphy”. Much of her spare time is spent on activities that she is most passionate about including traveling, music, skiing, boating, and spending time with friends and family.

Molly is a license holder of the FINRA Series 65 certification (Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination).

Meet Molly Passalacqua.

Breanna is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional (CFP®) and Wealth Advisor with Copper Leaf Financial. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business and Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in entrepreneurship from Bellevue University. She started her career path in business and technology education and has spent the last several years in the financial services industry.

Breanna’s experience building meaningful client relationships in both large- and small-sized company settings has ignited her passion for taking the time to understand her client’s goals and lifestyles so that she can provide the best service possible. She enjoys working with clients at different stages of their life and guiding them through transitions - young people who are building wealth as well as more mature people preparing for retirement.

Breanna leads Copper Leaf’s 401(k) team, serving business clients with comprehensive company retirement planning. She works closely with business clients to help them educate their employees and work towards retaining their top talent.

Breanna grew up in the Adirondacks but spent 10 years in the Carolinas with her husband, Jon, while he was in the military. Her passion for the outdoors and being an avid snowboarder brought her back to Vermont where she spent much of her childhood. She currently resides in Monkton with Jon and their three children, Abigail, Jackson, and Theodore, two rescue dogs Odin and Charlie and rescue cat Furby.

Meet Breanna Sykes

Jackie is an Associate Wealth Advisor. She is a graduate of St. Michael's College where she majored in Business Administration with a minor in Economics and Political Science. She has several years of client service experience that includes working in operations support at VSECU, as well as a Pharmacy Technician at Kinney Drugs.

Jackie grew up in New York City and moved to Vermont in 2012. She is an avid boater and enjoys fishing.

Jackie’s current license is the FINRA Series 65 certification (Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination). Jackie is working toward the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) certification and is currently attending the CFP® course program at Boston University.

Meet Jackie Winkler.

Maia is the Operations Specialist at Copper Leaf Financial. She is a native Vermonter and currently resides in Mallets Bay. Maia is a 2018 graduate of Saint Lawrence University where she double majored in English Literature and Sociology.

Prior to joining Copper Leaf she gained several years’ of experience in the legal field working as an estate planning and family law legal assistant in downtown Burlington. She is currently working towards earning a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) at Champlain College.

In her free time Maia enjoys being out on Lake Champlain boating and fishing, and spending time with her husband Bernie and two dogs Stella and Artie.

Position: Firm Administrator

Memberships: VT Human Resources Association (VTHRA), Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM), Board member of Women Business Owners Network (WBON) and Vermont Pet Partners of Vermont.

Education: Elon University, Elon, NC; B.S., Business Administration, Leadership Champlain Class of 2014

Resides: Essex, Vermont