Our Team
The People Behind Your Financial Success
Geoff Lester
President and Co-Founder
I was born and raised in northern Virginia. During high school I moved to Richmond, attended VCU and worked for a small regional bank until I entered the financial services industry in 2000. During my time in the business I have worked diligently for my clients to provide them the best financial outcomes and peace of mind regarding their planning. I have been blessed to work with many wonderful clients, many of whom have become friends outside of the office. I look forward to meeting you, and understanding your goals and objectives so together, we can craft a plan to get you where you want to be. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my wife Carrie and our three children. When I am not doing that you can usually find me on the golf course
Carrie Lester
Co-Founder and Health Insurance Specialist
I have been in the financial services industry since 2014. I take great pride in my relationships with my clients. My primary specialties here at Commonwealth are group and individual health insurance as well as Medicare. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with our three children, gardening and listening to the most recent true crime podcast.
Our Agents
Nelson Ahern
Investment Specialist
I started in the financial Services industry in 1990. In 1998 I moved into a management role in which I found my true passion, training and developing new representatives in the Financial Services Industry. I am life and health licensed as well as Finra series 6, 63, 7 and 24: In my spare time I love playing golf and watching pro football, college basketball and spending time with my 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren. I enjoy working with my clients and agents and look forward to helping you.
Paden Dalles
Agent
After finishing business school in Texas, I immediately came back to my hometown, Nashville, TN, and became fascinated with financial services. Initially drawn by the history, facts and figures, and variety of information and services in this business, I quickly developed a love for the opportunity to help anyone and everyone. There is no one financial planning can't help. I focused on my business for a few years then stepped away for two years to expand my knowledge of the industry as an operations associate. After this period of learning and experiencing some personal hardships that only made me more passionate about financial planning, I returned to my business to offer advice in the areas I care about most and in which I have excelled. I provide services to help you think ahead, focused on protecting and growing your assets for the sake of yourself and the people you care about. Most of my experience is with businesses and business owners, but I desire to be the best resource I can for anyone.
Stuart Dederer
Agent
I have been in the insurance industry since 2014. I am originally from Gaithersburg Maryland, but my father was in the Army so I’ve lived in quite a few different places. I moved to Richmond Virginia after graduating from Marshall University in the spring of 2013. In my spare time I enjoy golf, and skiing, especially out west. In my practice, I pride myself on building strong relationships with my clients, in order to gain a great understanding of their goals and objectives so that together we can craft a plan to help them get there. I look forward to working with you and making sure your needs are met.
Gaël Denis
Agent
Miami has been my home for over 30 years during which I have been in the Financial Industry for over 20 of those years. I am a single parent of two young Adults and my family is a close knit bunch; and my daily reminder of love and support. I am very passionate about the work that I do because my ultimate goal is to help clients make good financial decisions and add value to their lives every day.
Jimmy Navas
Agent
I am a proud first-generation immigrant, a VCU alumni and have made Richmond Virginia my home. I play in local Richmond soccer leagues in my spare time as well as rock climb and anything outdoors. I am fluent in Spanish and use my background to create a bridge between other Latin and minority owned businesses, families and individuals less likely to know many of the great services our industry has to offer. My main focus is community outreach and to help as many people as possible!
Joe Pierce
Agent
I have been working in the Life and health insurance market for more than 15 years. He is licensed in Life, Health, Annuities, Property and Casualty along with being Securities licensed 6 and 63. When he's not preparing families for their future, you can find him golfing, hunting, fishing, and enjoying the outdoors with his wife and four children.
Joe Sabatini
Accounting and Tax Professional
For over 17 years, I have successfully run an accounting/bookkeeping and tax preparation firm. Consequently, I am very well versed in the preparation of federal and state corporate and individual income tax returns. I have experience working with individuals, startup business’ and organizations with over $10 million in annual revenues. I enjoy working with my clients and navigating them through the complexities of tax legislation and dealing with both federal and state taxing authorities when the need arises. I am passionate about helping our clients integrate their tax, insurance and planning strategies and I look forward to working with you. If I am not helping clients with their tax planning, you can usually find me on the golf course, fly fishing on the Cowpasture river or spending time with my family.
Danielle Thompson
Agent
One thing that I have learned to enjoy about life is that you can tailor it to whatever you want it to be with the right tools. The motivator is first navigating your own problems and then doing the same for others. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in VA & NY; I am also a Life Insurance Agent. Finding practical & realistic ways to show clients how to move past stagnating life experiences while simultaneously balancing the demands of life is my expertise. I believe a collaborative approach is essential to helping others strengthen their voice, identity and purpose. Having the opportunity to see how life insurance and counseling relates has helped me to build a career that can teach people how to plan for life crises, manage them and provide the financial resources needed to create legacy.
Jim Thompson
Recruiter
I left farming in 1985. Since then, I have been in financial services as an agent and as a manager since 1990. Recruiting has been my strong suit as well as training new agents. My specialty in planning as been with Special Needs Families and working with the military personnel. My wife and I have 5 children and 6 grandchildren scattered coast to coast and north to south across America. We recently welcomed our first great grandchild. Professionally, my greatest pride is when someone I helped get into financial services has the level of success that passes their original expectations.
Scott Elliott
Agent
Scott is a lifelong Richmonder, growing up in the west end of Henrico before moving to Hanover in the summer of 1994 and graduating from Atlee High School in 1996. He was in the fastener industry for over twenty years and is excited to be building his career in the insurance industry. Scott joined Commonwealth Financial Partners in January of 2024, and maintains his Life, Health, Annuity and , Property & Casualty insurance licenses. Scott has been married for 20 years and has two children. Scott is an avid movie viewer, sports fan, and enjoys spending time at the beach. Scott’s true love, is his family and coaching as many youth sports as his schedule will allow. Scott has a true passion for helping others and looks forward to working with you to address your insurance needs and concerns.
Michael Santore
Agent
I entered the insurance industry to assist individuals in understanding how to safeguard, expand, and invest in their future. The well-being of our clients is my top priority. I have surrounded myself with a team of veterans who possess extensive experience in the insurance industry. My goal is to build relationships and genuinely assist people by providing a wide range of insurance services that can simplify the shopping process for the client. Ultimately, it's about safeguarding what you possess and planning for the future, and that's precisely my purpose here.
Interested In Joining
The Team?
Schedule Your Consultation.
Fill out the form and we’ll reach out about scheduling your free consultation.
Contact Us
"*" indicates required fields