As a boutique firm with big resources, we have the capabilities to meet your needs.
731 N. Water Street, Suite 790
Milwaukee, WI 53202
DISCLOSURE: Tax & Accounting services are subject to a separate engagement and fee.
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Amanda Stark is a Vice President at Operose and joined the firm in 2025. She brings a strong tax-aware perspective to portfolio construction and planning, integrating tax considerations into retirement planning, cash flow analysis, and ongoing investment management.
Prior to joining Operose, Amanda led VFP Tax Services and served as an advisor at Vantage Financial, where she worked closely with clients on personalized planning strategies. Her background in tax planning allows her to thoughtfully connect investment, income, and tax strategies while guiding clients through evolving market conditions and life transitions.
Amanda holds a B.S. from Carroll University with a concentration in Accounting and Finance.
Luke Cahalane is an Associate at Operose. He joined the firm in 2026 and provides investment data and market research, as well as investment due diligence.
Prior to joining Operose, Luke held roles as a Summer Analyst at TKO Miller, a lower middle market investment bank, and as a Business Analyst Intern at New Berlin Plastics, an injection molding manufacturer.
Luke holds a B.S. in Business Analytics from Grand Canyon University, with a minor in Finance.
Matt Kulakow is a Tax Director at Operose. He joined the firm in 2025 and is responsible for tax compliance for Operose clients. In addition, Matt works closely with the advisory team to develop tax planning strategies that optimize after tax portfolio outcomes.
Prior to joining Operose, Matt was a Tax Manager for a wealth management firm where he assisted clients with tax preparation and tax planning for retirement. Prior to that Matt worked in traditional CPA firms helping a wide variety of individual, small business and trust clients with their tax compliance needs.
Matt holds a BBA in accounting and a Master’s in professional accounting from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.
Matt serves as the treasurer for the Glendale Little League and Glendale Knights youth baseball programs.
Christiana Schaefer is an Associate at Operose. She joined the firm in 2025 and is responsible for client onboarding, account maintenance and addressing day-to-day client requests. Through her guidance and support, Christiana is able to facilitate smooth communication between the client and the advisor to make sure all needs are met.
Before joining Operose, Christiana served as the Center Operations Manager at the United Services Organization (USO) at Yokota Air Base in Japan. In this role, she managed the USO Center and developed programs to enhance the quality of life for U.S. military members stationed overseas. She coordinated volunteer opportunities, outreach programs and ensured the center’s operations ran smoothly to support service members. In her prior military experience, she served as a Technical Sergeant (TSgt) in the Financial Management Comptroller career field. She focused on Military Pay and Benefits, providing customer service for military members, processing payments and collections for Special Duty & Travel pays and conducted audits to ensure compliance with regulations. She also served as a Resource Advisor, responsible for maintaining operations budgets for military units.
Christiana holds a B.A. from the University of Maryland Global Campus.
Angie Newbauer is an Associate for Operose. She joined the firm in January 2024 and is responsible for portfolio accounting, management reporting and alternative investment operations.
Prior to joining Operose, Angie worked for Northwestern Mutual as the Treasury Operations Cash Manager. Her responsibilities included setting the cash balances for the investment, operating and subsidiary accounts. Detailed cash forecasting was provided to ensure proper funding for $550+ billion in invested assets under management. In addition, she provided spread lending reporting, analysis on investment data feeds and maintained the company’s treasury management system. Prior to Northwestern Mutual, Angie held Treasury and real estate operational roles at Invitation Homes and Walton International Group.
Angie holds a B.A. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Carolina Itsines is the Office Manager at Operose. She joined the firm in October 2022 and assists the Operose team with achieving our mission of servicing clients and investment excellence. Carolina is responsible for office management, corporate communications and event planning.
Prior to joining Operose, Carolina was the Director of Events at Marquette University High School. While at MUHS, she oversaw the organization and execution of the school’s events. Prior to joining Marquette University High School, she held roles with Nativity Jesuit Academy and St. Anthony School of Milwaukee.
Barbara Blickle is an Associate for Operose. She joined the firm in July of 2023 and is responsible for the execution of client service requests including onboarding and account maintenance.
Prior to joining Operose Barbara was an Advisor Support and Client Onboarding Specialist with Johnson Financial Group. Barbara was with Johnson Financial Group for 17 years and during her time there also worked in Trust Administration for high-net-worth family office clients and Compliance.
Barbara holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin – Parkside.
Zach Bachinski is an Associate at Operose. He joined the firm in 2024 and is responsible for investment data, market research and investment due diligence. Prior to joining Operose, Zach worked at Northwestern Mutual as an Investment Risk and Operations Intern on the company’s private investments team.
Zach holds a B.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee where he graduated summa cum laude with a certificate in investment management. He is also a CFA Level II candidate.
Beth Raduenz is a Director at Operose and joined the firm in 2019. Beth serves as family office concierge, overseeing the day-to-day needs of family office relationships and serving as a liaison between the client and adviser. Beth further supports our client base, by executing client service requests, including onboarding and ongoing maintenance of accounts.
Prior to joining Operose, Beth spent 7 years at Geneva Capital Management, where she held roles as an Executive Assistant to the Principals/Portfolio Managers and Research Assistant to the entire investment team. Beth also brings 20 years of excellent customer service experience from the former Milwaukee-based Midwest Express Airlines.
Jason Kausalik, CFA is a Vice President at Operose. He joined the firm in 2025 and is responsible for investment data governance, client reporting and optimizing the firm’s data infrastructure. His responsibilities extend to driving process improvements, integrating financial technology solutions and supporting data-driven decision-making by the investment team.
Prior to joining Operose, Jason worked as an Investment Strategy Associate at Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company, assisting in forwarding Northwestern Mutual’s strategic investment initiatives on the company’s $300+ billion General Account and pension portfolios. Jason had a variety of responsibilities at Northwestern Mutual since his start in 2018, including development of investment data and reporting infrastructure, implementation of new investment reporting technology and automation of various data dependent processes.
Jason holds a B.B.A. in Finance, a Master’s of Financial Analysis and a certificate in investment management from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee where he graduated summa cum laude. Jason also earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 2021.
Collin Eichinger, CPA, is a Senior Accountant at Operose. He joined the firm in 2024 and is responsible for optimizing after-tax portfolio outcomes with advisory clients, corporate accounting and financial reporting, and tax return preparation for clients of Operose Tax Services.
Prior to joining Operose, Collin worked as a Tax Associate at Lucida, specializing in business and individual tax preparation and planning, along with other accounting responsibilities.
Collin holds a B.S. in Accounting from Carroll University and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
PJ Weyer, CFP, is a Director at Operose. He joined the firm in 2024, bringing with him 8 years of industry experience. PJ provides advice to clients with respect to the planning, execution and feedback of their investment programs. In addition, PJ assists clients with overall financial planning, investment policy development, asset class assessment, investment management and ongoing client support and service.
Prior to joining Operose, PJ was a Financial Advisor at Diversified Management, Inc., where he helped the firm’s clients meet their financial objectives through investment selection, cash flow management, financial plan development and tax planning. PJ was responsible for authoring the firm’s quarterly letters, which educated clients on prevailing market conditions and the impact those conditions had on their investment portfolios.
PJ holds a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP).
Kristin Stanek is a Director at Operose. She joined the firm in 2018 and has 19 years of experience in the industry. Kristin serves as the primary investment advisor on several of the firm’s relationships. She provides advice to clients with respect to planning, execution, and feedback of investment programs, investment policy development, asset class assessment, investment management and ongoing client support and service. In addition, Kristin supports the firm’s retirement planning efforts.
Prior to joining Operose, Kristin was Principal and Senior Research Analyst at Geneva Capital Management in Milwaukee, WI. Kristin joined Geneva in 2004, which was later acquired by Henderson Global Investors in 2014. Kristin served as a member of the Investment Strategy Group which managed more than $6 billion in assets under management, focusing on high-quality small and mid-cap growth strategies.
Kristin holds a B.A. from Coe College and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.
Michael Shone is a Director at Operose and joined the firm in 2025. Michael is responsible for business development and provides advice to clients with respect to planning, execution, and feedback of investment programs, investment policy development, asset class assessment, investment management and ongoing client support & service.
Prior to joining Operose, Michael was the Founder and President of Peirce Park Group, Inc. which was sold to Marquette Associates. Michael then spent several years with Marquette Associates, where he was responsible for providing investment consulting services to clients. After leaving Marquette, Michael was an independent contractor and Senior Financial Consultant with Clariti Wealth Advisors where he was responsible for providing investment advice to clients.
Michael holds a B.S. in Accounting and an M.A. in Economics, both from the University of Delaware, and has completed graduate work in Finance at Johns Hopkins University. In addition, he was a Certified Public Accountant, though his certification is currently inactive.
Michael serves on the Investment Committee for the Christiana Care Health System and Marco Island Historical Society. In addition, he is on the Marco Island Firefighters Retirement Board.
Ryan Miller is a Director at Operose. He joined the firm in 2024 and is responsible for business development and advisory services in our growing markets from the western Chicago suburbs to Rockford, IL and north to Madison, WI. Ryan advises personal, institutional and retirement plan clients on their investment programs while emphasizing excellent client service.
Prior to joining Operose, Ryan was President and CEO of Northwest Bank of Rockford and was EVP/CFO of First Community Credit Union and Parker Community Credit Union. Ryan started in banking as a Capital Markets Examiner at NCUA, dealing with large credit unions asset liability management programs. Ryan brings over 20 years of financial and banking expertise to Operose.
Ryan holds a B.S. in Finance from Illinois State University. Ryan has served on the Boards of Northwest Bank of Rockford, Family Promise, Life Church and Jack Henry Associates ImageCenter.
Skip McGregor is a Partner at Operose. He joined the firm in 2020 and has 25 years of experience in the industry. Skip serves as the primary investment advisor on several of the firm’s key relationships. He is responsible for business development and provides advice to clients with respect to planning, execution, and feedback of investment programs, investment policy development, asset class assessment, investment management and ongoing client support and service.
Prior to joining Operose, Skip was a Managing Director at Robert W. Baird serving in various roles over his 20+ years with the firm. His most recent role was in business development for Greenhouse Funds, a private investment management company for which Baird has a minority ownership interest. He started his career at Baird on the Institutional Sales team covering asset management firms on the West Coast.
Skip holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Skip serves on the Board of Directors of Milwaukee Winter Club and Rocketship Public Schools.
Chris Evers is a Managing Director at Operose and joined the firm in 2022. Chris provides advice to clients with respect to planning, execution and feedback of investment programs. In addition, he assists clients with investment policy development, asset class assessment, investment management and ongoing client support and service. Chris is also a member of the firm’s Investment Committee.
Prior to joining Operose, Chris was an Associate Financial Advisor at Landaas & Company in Milwaukee, WI. Chris joined Landaas in 2013, working his way up to become a financial advisor dedicated to helping clients achieve their goals. Chris was also a member of the firm’s research team which guided manager selection and asset allocation.
Chris holds a B.S. in Business Administration, specializing in Finance and Economics from Marquette University.
Chris serves on the Board of Directors of the Lutheran Home Foundation, Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, and the Marquette Business Alumni Association. Chris is a member of the Milwaukee REP Investment Committee and serves as the co-chair for the Lutheran Home Foundation Investment Committee.
Caroline Jankowski is a Partner and the Chief Compliance Officer for Operose. She joined the firm in 2019 and has 22 years of experience in the industry. Caroline is responsible for administering the firm’s compliance program, as well as overseeing the day-to-day business management of the firm.
Prior to joining Operose, Caroline was a Partner and Project Lead with Vista360, LLC. During her 11+ years at Vista360, Caroline was responsible for assisting investment advisers and funds with SEC compliance and strategic matters, while also leading the firm’s research and consulting process efforts. Prior to joining Vista360, Caroline was Chief Financial Officer of Ziegler Capital Management and its proprietary fund family.
Caroline holds a B.A. in Economics and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Caroline serves on the Leadership Council for St. Marcus School. She has served on the Board of Directors of Bloom360 Learning Community and St. Francis Children’s Center.
Mandy Nowaczynski, CPA, CFP, MSPA is the Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for overseeing the firm’s back-office operations, client service team, corporate accounting and financial reporting. She also leads the firm’s tax and accounting practice and is responsible for family office accounting, tax planning and return preparation for clients. Mandy has 13 years of experience in tax and financial planning for clients.
Prior to joining Operose, Mandy was a Director with CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA), where she spent her time assisting clients with their tax filing and planning needs. Her clients ranged from high-net-worth individuals, trusts, real estate entities and small businesses. Prior to joining CLA she worked in wealth management advising clients on financial planning and developing financial plans.
Mandy holds a B.S. in accounting and finance, and a Master’s in professional accounting with an emphasis in tax from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. She also holds her certificate in financial planning.
Mandy serves as the Treasurer for the Waukesha County Estate Planning Council and is on the Finance Committee for the Waukesha Civic Theatre.
Dan Stier is the President and Chief Investment Officer at Operose. He joined the firm in 2023. Dan is responsible for managing the overall strategic direction of the firm and investment process.
Prior to joining Operose, Dan was a Managing Director at Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company, where he led Northwestern Mutual’s strategic investment initiatives. In this role, he was accountable for strategic asset allocation on the company’s $300+ billion in General Account and pension portfolios, along with the spread lending business and debt capital markets funding activities. Dan had a variety of responsibilities at Northwestern Mutual since his start in 2006, including strategic and tactical asset allocation for multi-asset class portfolios, leadership of new business initiatives, development of the investment technology and data transformation strategy, and other enterprise-wide activities.
Dan holds a Bachelors of Science degree with distinction from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Actuarial Science and Finance. Dan earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 2010 and the Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA) designation in 2007.
Dan serves as an Advisory Board member at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Nick Bauer, CFA is the Founding Partner of Operose and has 24 years of investment experience. Nick is responsible for managing the overall strategic direction of the firm including oversight of the firm’s investment advisory process, client relations and business development. He serves as the primary investment advisor on several of the firm’s key relationships.
Prior to founding Operose, Nick was Principal and Director of Geneva Capital Management in Milwaukee, WI. While at Geneva Capital, Nick oversaw the growth of the firm’s institutional business from $1 billion of assets under management to $6.8 billion.
He played a key role in the sale of Geneva’s business to Henderson Global Investors based in London and subsequently managed Henderson’s North American institutional business development efforts.
Nick holds a B.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Nick serves on the Board of Directors of the Metro Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) and Versiti, Inc. Nick is a member of the Limited Partner Advisory Committee for the Marcus Real Estate Fund I, and he is a member of the Investment Committee at Marquette University High School.
