Presenter

Tom Thiegs
Managing Director, Leadership and Legacy Consultant, Family Office Services, Ascent

Tom brings extensive education and leadership experience to his role at Ascent, along with his commitment to transparent, open and honest communication. He has a comprehensive understanding of family and interpersonal dynamics, psychology, governance, leadership, and the rising generation. He specializes in multigenerational family learning with an emphasis on preparing younger family members for leadership and financial wellness.

Tom approaches his work holistically, helping families discover the tactical and interpersonal skills needed to achieve their most important goals. “I really enjoy creating an environment where family members can learn, grow, and communicate together, especially when everyone gets to share their individual values, perspectives, and expectations. If families can have healthy conversations around differences, they are better prepared to handle the complexities of family wealth.”

A longtime volunteer in his community, Tom currently serves as President on the board of directors for Anu Family Services, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of foster children. Tom also provides free leadership training, coaching, and workshops to other nonprofit organizations in Minnesota, focusing on organizations that benefit children, families, and underserved communities.

Tom has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and communication from St. John’s University and earned his Master’s degree in leadership and business management from Concordia University. He received a doctorate in organizational leadership after completing a dissertation researching the connection between wealth, wellbeing, and family business succession. He holds more than 15 certifications in programs related to communication, values, finance, conflict,  and emotional intelligence. Tom is also a member of the Purposeful Planning Institute and Family Firm Institute.

FOX Presenters

Sara Hamilton
Founder and Family Advisor

Founder, Family Advisor and Board Chair of Family Office Exchange (FOX), Sara is a recognized visionary in the private wealth community. While a trust officer at Harris Bank in Chicago in the late 1980s, Sara witnessed the emergence of family wealth management as an industry. Hundreds of U.S. families became centi-millionaires overnight through leveraged buyouts that spawned private financial offices commonly called family offices, to manage family assets and educate wealth owners. Sara was the first professional to recognize family offices as a complex market segment in wealth management.

Sara founded the Family Office Exchange (FOX) in 1989 as a peer network for family office executives. Within 10 years, FOX could see that families needed help with their enterprise vision and managing financial transitions. As a result, FOX evolved into a strategist for family enterprises, a platform for sharing family wealth best practices, and an industry advocate for the importance of private capital in a global economy.

Today, Sara provides strategic direction for FOX and leads the development of new programs and services supporting family enterprises, family office executives and wealth advisory firms in more than 20 countries. She was named one of the Top 50 Women in Wealth Management by Wealth Manager from 2010-2012 and 2019 Outstanding Thought Leader for Wealth Management by Family Wealth Report.

Sara is the co-author of Family Legacy and Leadership: Preserving True Family Wealth in Challenging Times and serves on the executive education faculty of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business where she is an adjunct faculty member for their Private Wealth Management course, offered twice per year in Chicago. She is on the founding boards for the Private Directors Association in Chicago and the Foundation for Gender Equality in New York.

FOX has built a unique resource team dedicated to serving multi-generational families, led by 15 technical experts who are supported by a dedicated team of 20 additional employees based in Chicago, New York, and Madrid.

Mindy Kalinowski Earley, CMP, CFBA
Chief Learning Officer, FOX Family Learning Center

Mindy Kalinowski Earley is Chief Learning Officer for Family Office Exchange (FOX). In her role, she fosters integrated learning programs for enterprise families and is responsible for developing the family learning community. She co-chairs the FOX Rising Gen program and serves as an outsourced Chief Learning Office to FOX members. Mindy is inspired by helping people learn, grow, and discover how they will make personal and productive contributions, using their strengths and talents. 

Mindy has held various roles in small and large family offices and has been responsible for creating and stewarding professional learning networks supporting human and intellectual capital. She has designed learning experiences that increase the knowledge base and enhance the life path of individuals while providing personalized support and coaching to help them meet their goals. As a Strong Interest Inventory facilitator with a certificate in Family Business Advising, she enjoys helping families and rising generation members navigate the unique world of family enterprise and family relationships by understanding that responsibility and intention pave a path to personal achievement and satisfaction. She has been featured in the New York Times, Family Business Magazine, Successful Generations podcast and is a regular speaker and facilitator. Mindy lives in Rockford, MI, with her husband, daughter, and Bernedoodle.

Allison Lawshe
Learning Center Program Manager, FOX

Allison Lawshe is the Learning Center Program Manager at Family Office Exchange (FOX). In her role, she partners with FOX’s Chief Learning Officer, Mindy Kalinowski Earley, to deliver learning programs and content for families, family office staff and advisors. Allison brings ten years of family foundation experience to the role, most recently as Chief Program Officer at the IDP Foundation, Inc., where she led the international education portfolio and scaling of training and financing program to over 600 schools across Ghana.

Allison has an MPP from the University of Chicago, a BA in Economics and Latin American, Caribbean & Iberian Studies from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and is a Professional Certified Coach.

Jeff Strese
Family Learning & Leadership Consultant, FOX

Jeff Strese is the Family Learning & Leadership Consultant at Family Office Exchange (FOX). As a consultant, Jeff has focused on multi-generational family enterprises, corporations, and mission-driven nonprofit organizations. He has more than 25 years of experience working across industries in the areas of leadership development, organizational effectiveness, and family dynamics. He holds certifications in family wealth and family business advising (CFWA, CFBA). 

Jeff is passionate about helping family businesses and organizations create clarity out of the complex and inspiring leaders from all backgrounds to develop and master critical skills like coaching, communication and emotional intelligence. He has developed innovative programs to guide next-generation leaders to reach their full potential in a fast-paced, global economy. 

Jeff has served as Chief Talent and Learning Officer (CTLO) at Tolleson Wealth Management, a multi-family office serving client families across the country. Prior to his role at Tolleson, Jeff served as the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at Southern Methodist University (SMU).