William M. Isaac
William M. Isaac headed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation during the banking crisis of the 1980s, serving under Presidents Carter and Reagan from 1978 through 1985. Mr. Isaac founded The Secura Group, a leading consulting firm, in 1986. Secura was acquired by FTI Consulting in 2011, where Mr. Isaac served as senior managing director through 2019 when Mr. Isaac partnered with Howard Milstein in the financial services business, serving on the boards of New York Private Bank & Trust and Emigrant Bank, as well as serving as non-executive Chairman of Sarasota Private Trust and Cleveland Private Trust. The Isaac-Milstein Group is their financial consulting arm.
Mr. Isaac is Member, Board of Directors of the Ringling College of Art & Design, Sarasota, Florida; Member, Board of Directors, Total System Services (TSYS); Former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Fifth Third Bancorp; Chairman of the Isaac Family Property Companies; Life Member of the Board of Directors of The Ohio State University Foundation; Member of the Board of Directors of BankCap Investment Fund; and Member, of the Bretton Woods Committee.
Mr. Isaac received an honorary LLD from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, a JD, summa cum laude, from the College of Law at The Ohio State University and a BS in Business Administration and Economics from Miami University.
John R. Hart
John Hart is President and Chief Executive Officer of Sarasota Private Trust Company. He also serves as Vice Chairman of New York Private Bank & Trust Company, and as a Board Member of Emigrant Bancorp, Emigrant Bank and Emigrant Mercantile Bank. Mr. Hart has over 45 years of experience in banking, primarily in Investments and Private Wealth Management. Mr. Hart is responsible for the Capital Markets and Banking Divisions of Emigrant Bank. He also serves as a Director of Emigrant Mortgage Company, Inc., Emigrant Funding Corporation and Emigrant Agency Inc. Prior to New York Private Bank & Trust, he was a Senior Director of Capital Markets at Meritor Savings Bank.
Mr. Hart’s charitable interests include serving on the Board of Opportunity International, a global micro-finance organization and on the Advisory Board of the Flanzer Philanthropic Trust. He is a past Chairman of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding and also former Chairman of the Board of Hope Church in Wilton, Connecticut and of the Christian Heritage School in Trumbull, Connecticut.
Mr. Hart received his MBA in Finance and Banking from Saint Joseph’s University and a BA in Accounting from Pennsylvania State University.
Gail Fagan
Gail Fagan serves as Chief Fiduciary Officer for Sarasota Private Trust Company and its affiliates, New York Private Bank & Trust Company and Cleveland Private Trust Company. Ms. Fagan has over 20 years of experience as a trust and estates lawyer as well as extensive experience in fiduciary administration and risk management. She previously served as Senior Trust Counsel at Wells Fargo Bank and at The Northern Trust Company.
Prior to working in the financial services industry, Gail was a practicing attorney in Jacksonville, Florida. She earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Juris Doctor from the University of Florida.
Ms. Fagan is a member of The Florida Bar, the State Bar of Texas, the North Carolina State Bar and the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Counsel. Gail is active in the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar and has served on its Executive Council for many years. Gail has been active in the community as a member of the Board of Directors of the Sarasota Family YMCA and as a custody advocate for the Children’s Law Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Renee Armbruster
Renee Armbruster is a Managing Director and Senior Trust Officer with almost 25 years of experience in Southwest Florida working with high net worth families and individuals providing fiduciary expertise for their wealth and estate plans. Ms. Armbruster’s specialty is helping families ensure that their legal documents align with their needs and goals while maintaining family harmony. Having the perspective of being one of seven children in a blended family and working with hundreds of families and the largest trust companies over the years, Ms. Armbruster has the necessary perspective and knowledge. She understands the importance of identifying potential pitfalls and areas of improvement to help her clients customize their estate plan and avoid family conflict.
Prior to working in the financial services industry, Ms. Armbruster was a practicing attorney in Sarasota and she is also a Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Central Florida and a Juris Doctor from the University of Akron School of Law.
Ms. Armbruster is a member of the Florida Bar Association, the Sarasota County Bar Association, and the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council. She has been an active volunteer in the community serving Boy Scouts of America, Southwest Florida Council, Easterseals of Southwest Florida Operating Board of Directors and Foundation Board of Directors, TAC Booster Club, Inc., Board of Directors for the American Cancer Society, and as a mentor and board member for Take Stock in Children of Sarasota County.
Brian Volner
Brian Volner is a Managing Director with Sarasota Private Trust Company. His responsibilities include client relationship management and new business development. Mr. Volner has over 20 years of financial services experience, having held leadership roles in managing teams responsible for commercial lending, asset and liability management, private banking and treasury management. He has developed new markets via loan production offices and “de novo” branches. Most recently he led business development efforts in Southwest Florida, helping to grow a $220 million privately owned company into a $1.7 billion public company traded on the NYSE in less than five years.
Mr. Volner is past Chairman of the Board of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance. He has served on the Board of Manatee Sarasota SOLVE and the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corporation, where he is currently on the Board’s Executive Committee as Treasurer. Mr. Volner holds a BS degree in Financial Economics from Carson Newman University. He is a graduate of Leadership Manatee and the Florida School of Banking, through the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business.
Drew Gehring
Drew Gehring is Managing Director of Retirement Plans with Sarasota Private Trust Company. He is responsible for all Retirement Plan client relationships and business development at Sarasota Private Trust, and its affiliates New York Private Bank & Trust Company, and Cleveland Private Trust Company. Mr. Gehring has over 20 years of retirement plan experience specializing in Defined Contribution Plans (401(k), 403(b) 401(a), 457(b), etc.), and Defined Benefit Plans (Pensions, Cash Balance, etc.).
Mr. Gehring was nationally recognized in his field by receiving the 2016 and 2017 “Wingman” award by the National Association of Plan Administrators, which awards the top professionals in their field nationally. He holds his AIF and ARPC designations.
Mr. Gehring is a past Finance committee member of his church. He is also involved in fundraising efforts to provide scholarships for children to experience summer camp for families that may not otherwise be able to afford the camp experience. Mr. Gehring holds both a BA and MA from The University of Mississippi and is an active member of the U of M Alumni Association and The Grove Collective.
John V. Rindlaub
John Rindlaub is both a shareholder and Senior Advisor of Sarasota Private Trust Company. Mr. Rindlaub has over 50 years of financial services experience, having held leadership roles at multiple nationally recognized institutions. Prior to joining Sarasota Private Trust, Mr. Rindlaub held titles of Senior Managing Director at East West Bank, Asia Pacific Regional President for Wells Fargo & Company, and Regional President Northwest Division for Bank of America.
Mr. Rindlaub is past Federal Reserve Director of the 12th district. He has also served on the Board and Executive Committee for Shanghai Commercial Bank, and is past Chair of the Washington Roundtable. Mr. Rindlaub served in the United States Navy Reserve during the Vietnam War. Mr. Rindlaub holds an AP degree in Economics from Bucknell University. In his free time, Mr. Rindlaub enjoys videography, golf, and spending quality time with his grandchildren.
Stephen Wainger
Stephen Wainger is a Consultant of Sarasota Private Trust Company. Prior to his position with SPTCo, Mr. Wainger was a Trial Attorney for the United States Justice Department, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and a private practice Trial Attorney in Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
Mr. Wainger has served on the Board of Directors of both the Norfolk Academy and the Cape Henry Collegiate School. He has served on the Old Dominion University Educational Foundation, as well as the Eastern Virginia Medical School Foundation. He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Richmond Law School.
Gary Heard
Gary Heard is a Managing Director and Wealth Advisor working with high net worth individuals and families, including closely-held business owners and non-profit foundations in the greater Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and Tampa Bay marketplace. Gary began his trust and investment management career in Broward and Palm Beach counties before relocating to Sarasota, and has more than 40 years of wealth advisory and wealth management experience. He possesses the necessary perspective and expertise to help guide clients in reaching their comprehensive wealth planning, trust, investment and philanthropic goals while working seamlessly with their legal and tax advisors.
Gary earned a BA in American History from Amherst College in Amherst, MA and his MBA in Finance from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL. Gary is also a Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA) and a Certified Financial Planning™ professional. (CFP®)
Gary has been actively involved in the local community as a former Board member of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and Asolo Repertory Theatre. He is currently on the Advisory Board of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and previously served as Chairman of the Board for the Gardens. He is a past President and current member of the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council and current member of the Venice Area Estate Planning Council.
Chandler Pennington
Chandler Pennington is a Vice President and Wealth Advisor working with high net worth individuals and families, including closely-held business owners and non-profit foundations in the greater Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and Tampa Bay marketplace. With more than 6 years of wealth advisory, banking and wealth management experience in the market, Chandler possesses the experience and perspective to help guide clients in reaching their comprehensive wealth planning, trust, investment and philanthropic goals while working seamlessly with their legal and tax advisors.
Chandler studied Business Administration at the University of Louisville, with a concentration in Management and Economics. He is currently pursuing the Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA) designation.
Chandler is a current member of the Venice Area Estate Planning Council.
Andrew Gibbons
Andrew Gibbons is a Director of Financial Planning with the Sarasota Private Trust Company. A common theme with his planning involves creating simple, organized, and easy to understand plans. The holistic process involves a thorough understanding of the client and their unique situation, identifying and mitigating risks, reducing the overall volatility of the portfolio, implementing estate planning and tax mitigation strategies, all geared toward maximizing the life of the “nest egg.” The result of his efforts are clients can better enjoy their lives, knowing they have an all-weather plan that can sustain the test of time.
Andrew attended Gonzaga College High School, a Jesuit school in Washington, DC, where community outreach was a core value. The school motto, “Men for Others,” is something Andrew carried forward throughout his life. He served in the US Army for eight years as a Field Artillery Officer at various duty stations around the world, and later served as a Deputy Sheriff for six years. Andrew received two Bronze Stars for his leadership during combat operations, working as a Platoon Leader and Targeting Officer in Baghdad, Iraq, and Deputy Mayor in Paktika Province, Afghanistan.
Andrew holds a BA from Davidson College, a MS in IT Cybersecurity and a MS in the Administration of Justice and Security. Andrew is dually licensed in securities and insurance and is currently in the process of completing a Chartered Financial Consultant designation.