a2ip Leadership Team

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As Founder and Managing Partner, Vince is responsible for setting the firm’s strategic vision, guiding its long-term growth, and overseeing all aspects of leadership, governance, and client engagement. He leads the firm’s mission to deliver institutional-grade investment distribution solutions built on trust, performance, and enduring partnerships. His role encompasses executive management, strategic planning, relationship management, and the cultivation of a high-performance culture aligned with the firm’s values.

He brings a distinguished career as a senior leader across top-performing global asset management firms, where he consistently delivered results as a top performer. Known for his natural ability to build deep, durable interpersonal relationships, he has earned the confidence of institutional clients, partners, and colleagues alike. His leadership is defined by strategic insight, disciplined execution, and an unwavering focus on long-term value creation.

He holds a Master of Business Administration from Villanova University, with a specialization in Finance and Strategic Management, and a Bachelor of Science from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey, where he graduated summa cum laude as a member of the Honors College. His academic background reflects both intellectual rigor and a commitment to excellence that continues to shape his professional approach.

Beyond his professional pursuits, he is a passionate world traveler and amateur historian, driven by a deep intellectual curiosity about the evolution of societies and cultures throughout human history. In his adolescence, he was a passionate amateur boxer and credits his time spent with Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame member, Richie Kates, as one of his most formative and cherished childhood experiences—an influence he attributes to the development of his discipline, resilience, and character. Above all, he values his role as a father and takes great pride in caring for his daughter, Eva Sofia.

As Managing Partner, Bill Edwards is responsible for advancing the firm’s strategic growth initiatives on a global scale, strengthening institutional relationships, and overseeing the development and distribution of customized investment solutions for institutional clients. He plays a central role in guiding the firm’s business development efforts, expanding strategic partnerships, and assisting institutional clients with the development of customized investment solutions tailored to the evolving needs of sophisticated investors. His leadership reflects a commitment to disciplined execution, long-term relationship building, and the pursuit of durable client outcomes.

He brings more than 22 years of experience in institutional business management within the financial services industry, with senior leadership expertise spanning institutional business development, quantitative buy-side distribution, and custom asset management strategy implementation. Throughout his career, he has partnered closely with portfolio managers and investment research teams to help develop quantitative models and investment frameworks designed to support institutional portfolio construction and distribution initiatives. His experience distributing bespoke investment strategies across a broad institutional landscape has earned him a reputation for strategic insight, technical fluency, and trusted client engagement.

Known for his collaborative leadership style and deep understanding of institutional markets, he has built enduring relationships with clients, consultants, and investment professionals across the industry. His approach is grounded in professionalism, integrity, and a consistent focus on aligning sophisticated investment solutions with client objectives in an increasingly complex global marketplace.

Outside of his professional responsibilities, Bill enjoys spending time with his wife and remains deeply committed to philanthropic service through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where he has proudly served as a volunteer for more than 13 years. His longstanding dedication to supporting children and families reflects the same compassion, commitment, and sense of purpose that define his professional and personal life.

As Managing Partner, John Stadtmueller is focused on strengthening the firm’s advisor engagement initiatives, strategic growth efforts, and collaborative partnership development across the institutional and wealth management landscape. He works closely alongside fellow Managing Partners Bill Edwards and Vince Tassone in evaluating investment managers, identifying emerging wealth technology solutions, and cultivating strategic growth partnerships designed to enhance the firm’s long-term capabilities and advisor support platform. John also enjoys collaborating closely with the internal consulting and technology consulting teams, as well as the executive leadership group at a2ip, where cross-functional innovation, strategic dialogue, and shared problem-solving contribute to the firm’s dynamic culture and client-focused approach.

John brings more than 20 years of experience across multiple sectors of the financial services industry, having successfully served in a wide range of leadership and advisory capacities including Financial Advisor, Wholesaler, Discount Brokerage Financial Consultant, Broker-Dealer Regional Consultant, and Broker-Dealer Officer. His broad industry experience has provided him with a comprehensive understanding of the advisor landscape, institutional distribution, and the operational and strategic challenges faced by financial professionals in an increasingly complex marketplace. Throughout his career, he has developed a reputation for helping advisors navigate growth opportunities while maintaining a disciplined focus on client outcomes, professional integrity, and sustainable relationship development.

Recognizing the importance of authentic peer-to-peer engagement within the advisory community, John founded Good Advisors Finish First in 2022 with the vision of creating a collaborative environment where advisors could openly exchange ideas, experiences, and best practices without external influence, hidden agendas, or conflicting motivations. Built around the principle of “Pursuing Better Client Outcomes as a Community,” the organization emphasizes humility, abundance, reciprocity, and mentorship as foundational values that guide advisor interaction and continuous professional improvement. Through this initiative, John has championed a process rooted in open collaboration, personalization, mentorship, and accountability, helping foster an advisor community dedicated to elevating both professional standards and client service.

Known for his relationship-driven leadership style and collaborative approach, John is widely respected for his ability to connect professionals across the industry while creating environments that encourage trust, transparency, and shared success. His perspective is shaped by decades of firsthand industry experience and a deep appreciation for the role mentorship and community play in long-term professional development. He remains committed to helping advisors pursue continuous improvement while building enduring relationships grounded in integrity, professionalism, and mutual respect.

As Managing Partner, Ted Plax is focused on shaping the strategic direction of the firm, guiding its long-term growth planning, and strengthening the financial and operational foundation that supports a national distribution platform. He works closely alongside fellow Managing Partners Vince Tassone, Bill Edwards, and John Stadtmueller in evaluating strategic partnerships, assessing the firm's expanding solution set, and ensuring that a2ip's growth initiatives are pursued with discipline, clarity, and a long-term view. His involvement spans strategic planning, business development, and the operational architecture that enables the firm to scale thoughtfully across channels, geographies, and partner relationships.

Ted brings a career spent at the intersection of finance, strategy, and operations, with direct industry experience across financial services, fintech, SaaS, real estate, equity research, and banking. He has served in senior finance and leadership capacities at organizations including Morningstar, Zacks Investment Research, Scotiabank, Commerce Bank, and Cision, and has held the roles of Chief Financial Officer and Partner at Network Ninja, Director of Finance and Operations at Connect CRE, and Principal at Staged Right Marketing. Throughout his career, he has developed and implemented comprehensive financial strategies that have driven revenue growth, strengthened cash flow, and improved operational efficiency across functional departments and organizational levels.

His experience has provided him with a comprehensive understanding of how strategy translates into execution, and where organizations most often struggle to bridge that gap. Ted has built a reputation as a clear communicator who establishes credibility quickly with internal teams and external audiences alike, bringing analytical rigor to strategic conversations without losing sight of the practical realities of implementation. That balance of financial discipline and operational fluency informs his contribution to the firm's strategic dialogue and its approach to long-term capability building.

Known for his measured, analytical leadership style, Ted is respected for his ability to bring structure and perspective to complex decisions while remaining attentive to the people and processes that carry them forward. He is a CFA charterholder and holds a BS in Business Administration and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. His approach is grounded in professionalism, integrity, and a consistent focus on building durable value for the firm and the advisors it serves.

As Managing Partner and Head of Advisor Consulting & National Accounts, Tim Checko is spearheading the development of a proprietary firm health diagnostic tool for our financial advisor clients and leads relationship management across our investment manager, wealth technology, broker-dealer, and RIA networks.

Tim brings 30+ years of experience at the forefront of next-generation product development for Fortune 500 financial services companies. He has pioneered first-of-their-kind technical solutions that have dramatically improved the client experience while saving billions of dollars in costs. He is dedicated to identifying future fintech disruptors and mentoring the next generation of leaders to solve real-world business needs through emerging technology.

Tim previously served as Executive Vice President of Advisor Experience at LPL Financial, where he led 75+ product managers and owners across all advisor-facing applications. He launched a proprietary one-click rebalancing tool and overhauled hundreds of commission reports into a single, streamlined dashboard used by thousands of advisors.

Prior to joining LPL, Tim spent 15 years with Merrill Lynch and Bank of America as Managing Director of Advisor Experience. He pioneered Merrill's initial push into AI and predictive analytics, developing practice management tools that drove more than $50 billion in new AUM. He also developed an award-winning advisor workstation that saved over two million hours of work through deep workflow integration and speed.

Earlier in his career, as Senior Vice President at Bank of America, Tim oversaw all operations of BankofAmerica.com. While there, he integrated the AI virtual assistant "Erica" into the platform, which has automated billions of client interactions to date. He also helped launch the BankAmeriDeals rewards program and ensured a seamless digital integration between the Bank of America and Merrill Lynch websites.

A graduate of Duke University with a B.A. in Economics, Tim holds an extensive suite of industry licenses, including Series 7, 24, 27, 63, 65, 4, and 8.

As Managing Partner, Mike Casciano helps lead distribution efforts across A2IP's investment manager, wealth technology, broker-dealer, and RIA networks.

Mike brings more than two decades of experience at the intersection of wealth and asset management, having worked directly with thousands of advisors, leadership teams, and wealth firms on growth, portfolio strategy, and technology adoption. He began his career as a financial advisor, giving him a practitioner's view of the pressures firms face as they scale. He is dedicated to helping advisors modernize how they operate, turning emerging technology and complex investment strategies into solutions that are practical to adopt and built to last.

Mike spent 15 years at BlackRock in sales, portfolio consulting, practice management, and wealth technology roles, partnering with advisors to translate sophisticated investment strategy into real-world portfolios and workflows.

He later led model strategy, custom index, portfolio consulting, and wealth technology partnerships at Principal Asset Management, where he connected asset management capabilities with the technology advisors rely on to deliver them.

Through EVO Wealth Consulting, which he founded and leads as President, Mike helps RIAs evaluate their current business and redesign their service model so they can implement new technology and investment strategies more effectively. The firm works with RIAs, wealth technology companies, and asset managers to make the education and adoption of emerging technology and complex investment strategies easier to accomplish.

Mike lives in New Hope, Pennsylvania with his wife and their three children. When he is not working, you will most likely find him on a sideline or in an auditorium watching his kids play sports.

As Head of a2ip's Strategic Advisory Board, Patrick Spencer helps shape A2IP's go-to-market strategy and advises the firm and its partners on building repeatable, sales-led growth across the investment manager, wealth technology, and RIA landscape.

Patrick is a high-impact executive dedicated to driving revenue and scaling organizations through disciplined B2B enterprise sales and strategic leadership. With deep roots in banking, fintech, and B2B technology, he excels at navigating highly regulated environments while delivering modern, client-centric solutions and proven sales-led go-to-market processes that scale. His leadership style is defined by a "radical collaboration" approach that aligns product, marketing, and sales teams to solve complex client problems and achieve sustainable growth. He has a proven track record of taking established B2B enterprise SaaS brands and reintroducing them as market leaders through helpful, problem-solving messaging.

At Moneytree, Patrick transformed a legacy calculation engine into a cloud-native, advisor-centric platform, modernizing the technology stack and the user experience together. He moves beyond quick fixes, implementing rigorous sales processes and operational frameworks that ensure long-term scalability.

Patrick holds undergraduate degrees in Business Entrepreneurship and Psychology from Ball State University and an MBA from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.

Patrick has been married to the love of his life for 40 years and enjoys time with family, volunteering at equine therapy riding centers, classic car shows, weightlifting, and family trips to Disney.

Steve Mitchels is a relationship-driven business development and account management leader with 20+ years of experience helping financial services and fintech organizations grow revenue, deepen client relationships, and improve outcomes. He has built his career across wealth management, asset management, and fintech, with a track record of managing strategic accounts, driving retention and expansion, and serving as a trusted partner to stakeholders ranging from day-to-day users to senior executives. Known for his consultative approach, Steve excels at understanding client goals, aligning internal teams around solutions, and turning complex business needs into actionable growth opportunities.

With experience at firms such as Fidelity Investments, Voya Investment Management, and FIS Global, Steve brings a blend of relationship management, sales strategy, client success, and financial services expertise. He is especially effective in fast-paced environments where he can collaborate cross-functionally, strengthen partnerships, and help companies serving wealth and asset managers scale with purpose and discipline.

Steve holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Rutgers University. In his free time he enjoys snowboarding, camping and hiking all over the world.

Dom serves as a strategic advisor and specializes in technology consulting for the firm. In this role, he advises on partnership strategy, platform evaluation, and the go-to-market approach for wealth technology and data-driven solutions across the firm's distribution network. He works closely with executive leadership to assess emerging technologies, structure strategic relationships with technology providers, and ensure that the firm's technology partnerships align with its long-term growth objectives and the needs of the advisors it serves.

Dom brings over a decade of experience building strategic partnerships across consumer technology and data-driven SaaS platforms, with prior roles at Veeva Systems, Amazon, and Gopuff. His background spans enterprise software, e-commerce, and high-growth consumer platforms, giving him a practical understanding of how technology companies scale, commercialize their products, and build durable partnerships. He focuses on identifying solutions that deliver measurable value, negotiating relationships that serve both sides over the long term, and helping the firm evaluate the technology landscape with discipline and clarity.

Kyle A. Darby is a lobbyist and political strategist based in Philadelphia, PA and Camden County, NJ. He is the President and CEO of Darby Public Strategies, a bipartisan consulting firm specializing in government relations, business advisory, and political consultation services. Throughout his career, Darby has assisted clients in various industries, including real estate and development, healthcare, social and environmental justice, entertainment, professional sports, cannabis, cybersecurity, transportation, digital connectivity, and logistics. 

Brad Myers is an entrepreneur and operator with a career spanning venture capital, technology, Bitcoin, and consumer brands.

He co-founded Locale Outdoor, a destination retail and licensing apparel business, before honing his value creation instincts at Deloitte Investments. He then held revenue leadership roles at public and venture-backed technology companies, before co-founding Early Riders, a Bitcoin venture capital firm.

Today, he is focused on acquiring and growing small businesses built to endure AI disruption, a strategy rooted in his belief that commodity, commodity-adjacent, or lightly regulated businesses have staying power in a world of deflationary forces.

Brian Russell is a strategic advisor with a proven track record of developing initiatives and driving organizational success through insightful strategic planning, innovative problem-solving, and seamless execution. He has spent 10+ years working closely with C-Suite and executive leadership of Fortune-50 organizations as a management consultant, specializing in organizational transformation and Office of the CFO strategic initiatives. Most recently he's worked closely with senior leadership at a pharmaceutical firm where he's helped the organization become an industry leader, achieving a CAGR of 29% over the past five years. He possesses an exceptional ability to assess business operations from the ground up – identifying trends or opportunities for improvement, developing actionable strategies, aligning them to best-in-class industry standards, and providing a framework for organizations to achieve their long-term objectives.

Steven serves as a strategic advisor and assists with the firm’s financial strategy, reporting, and fiscal oversight. In this role, he oversees all aspects of financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, capital planning, financial reporting, and the development of internal controls designed to support sustainable growth within a highly regulated investment distribution environment. He works closely with executive leadership to align financial planning with the firm’s long-term strategic objectives while ensuring transparency, accountability, and regulatory compliance across all financial operations.

Steven brings significant experience in financial management, operational budgeting, and the implementation of disciplined financial processes that support organizational efficiency and scalability. His leadership focuses on maintaining strong financial governance, optimizing resource allocation, and ensuring the firm operates with institutional-grade financial controls and reporting standards.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he graduated with honors.