Yolana Isham, Associate Broker, REALTOR®, Certified Short Sale Negotiator (CSSN), and Advisor
yolana@brainyadvisors.com

Helping people is my passion and, through real estate, I am able to extend myself in service in many different aspects. Whether it is helping a first-time homebuyer purchase their first home, assisting an existing homeowner with marketing and selling their home and/or purchasing a second home, easing the stress of relocating, or providing a sense of relief to a homeowner who is suffering from a hardship and needs alternatives to foreclosure, it’s all about building relationships! My relationship with you will be a true partnership. With me, you can expect nothing less than commitment, patience, confidentiality, honesty, and hard work. I commit to listening to your unique needs, wants, and goals, and providing you with valuable information, knowledge and guidance that will empower you to make informed decisions. My goal is to make your real estate transition as smooth and hassle-free as possible. I am a “put on your tennis shoes and hit the pavement” type of professional who is not afraid to get my hands dirty. You can always count on me to go that extra mile to make your real estate experience the best you have ever had. You can reach me easily and be assured of a quick and helpful response.

My background includes 8 years in the real estate and mortgage banking industries, providing specialized services in residential and commercial sales, purchases, leases, short sale negotiations, and foreclosures. I am currently an Associate Broker, REALTOR® and Certified Short Sale Negotiator (CSSN) with West USA Realty Revelation.

AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Multi-Million Dollar Producer 2009
Top Producer Sales Award 2008
Top Producer Cashflow Award 2006, 2007, 2008
Top Producer Sales Award 2006, 2007

Valerie Gallardo Pettit, Nonprofit, Volunteer, and Community Resource Management Advisor
valerie@brainyadvisors.com

Valerie has earned a Master degree in Public Administration with a specialization in Nonprofit Management and a Bachelor degree in History from the University of North Texas (UNT). She received certification for Volunteer and Community Resource Management from UNT’s Educational Consortium for Volunteerism and Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the National American Humanics organization. Her expertise ranges in a series of nonprofit topics that include board development, capacity building, community outreach/marketing & public relations, diversity awareness, ethics & values, fundraising principles & practices, grant writing, historical & philosophical foundations, information management & technology, nonprofit accounting & financial management, nonprofit management, program planning, implementation, & evaluation, risk management & legal issues, volunteer management, and youth & adult development.

Valerie served as an AmeriCorps volunteer with Christ House, a 24-hours medical facility for homeless individuals in Washington, DC. Her experience with Christ House spawned her interest to work with nonprofits as a career. She interned with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration and the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition. Valerie was the Program Coordinator for a youth literacy program at UNT for two years.

Valerie currently volunteers on the Puget Sound Young Nonprofit Professional Network Advisory Board, St. Vincent de Paul, and Pierce County Homeless Coalition in Tacoma, Washington. She supports many causes, but is most passionate about obtaining permanent housing for homeless and low-income individuals. In 2009, Valerie was awarded the William A. Luker Award for Student Involvement (in her community) from UNT’s College of Public Affairs and Community Service. The award was quite an honor, because she enjoys helping people.

Erin Loukili, Graphic Design Advisor
erin@brainyadvisors.com

Erin earned her midwest work ethic growing up on a small farm in Northeast Iowa. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design from Iowa State University. After a year in the professional design industry, she moved to Phoenix to continue her growing career.

She has worked in the professional design industry for over 9 years and is now owner and founder of LuckyYou! Creative. As a business owner and graphic designer, she helps businesses in the community to develop and/or maintain the look, feel and message of their brands.

She believes very passionately that a strong brand foundation in a business's look, feel and message will benefit them greatly in their endeavors. The more a customer can visually identify with a business, the more likely they will be to remember them when needed.

She works with businesses to develop branding and marketing plans that will both work within their budgets, and also help them to acheive the best marketing results.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time camping and fishing with her family.

Bruce McHenry, Finance and Marketing Advisor
bruce@brainyadvisors.com

Bruce is founder and CEO of The School of Money. Bruce offers more than 30 years experience in Business and Entrepreneurship. His industry background includes Financial Services with Bank of America, eFunds, W. P. McKee, and Lawson Financial. Bruce is the co-founder of Slaysman McHenry & Associates, a wealth advisory firm, Achieve!, a commercial and residential mortgage brokerage, and Portfolio Internacional, a consulting firm for mid-market companies in Latin America.

Bruce has over 20 years in financial literacy and education. He has extensive knowledge and experience in banking, money & debt management, credit, investing, securities, retirement planning, tax planning, senior issues, and personal finance.

Bruce holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Masters in Business Administration with emphasis in Finance and Marketing, both from Arizona State University. He is a member of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors and International Association of Registered Financial Consultants.

The School of Money is Bruce’s passion to provide people with objective unbiased information, education, tools and skills to manage their money and enjoy life.

Lisa Koch, Wellness Advisor
lisa@brainyadvisors.com

Lisa Koch earned her Bachelors degree in Organizational Psychology from Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois. Throughout her career Lisa has always focused on people first. As the Training and Communications Director for a large corporation, Lisa was instrumental in designing and implementing programs that increased employee awareness and resulted in achieving higher levels of customer satisfaction. While she admits that she will always be a Chicago gal at heart, she now enjoys living in the beautiful Arizona sunshine with her amazing family. Today she lives her life’s passion by helping individuals achieve Complete Wellness through workshops and one on one coaching. Lisa is delighted that many companies now embrace the idea that Employee Wellness Programs benefit both the employer and employee by helping reduce health care costs and absenteeism and improving productivity and morale.

Lisa believes in serving her community and graciously volunteers her time with wonderful organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club of the East Valley and the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Andrea Huffman, Perks and Appreciation Advisor
andrea@brainyadvisors.com

With over 8 years of experience in employee benefits, Andrea knows the importance of the benefits a company offers its employees. Employees who are recognized for their hard work and good work ethics appreciate their employers and show it in their performance.

Andrea has worked for companies ranging from 10,000 employees to larger companies with over 200,000 employees. She has worked in service centers handling questions from employees and resolving escalated issues, maintained insurance carrier billing and account reconciliation, creating and transferring carrier file containing employee data, and managing employee services programs such as employee service awards, tuition reimbursement programs, and employee discounts.

Andrea has also been involved in employee charity fundraising events such as blood donations with the American Red Cross, American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days, and seasonal food and toy donation events. She is also a part of the American Business Woman’s Association (ABWA), and is a member of Toastmaster’s International.

It is Andrea’s strong belief that providing your employees with benefits, promoting wellness and health, offering fun perks and discounts, and recognizing them for their hard work and service is the key to retaining valuable employees. She desires to help make every small business succeed through a show of appreciation and reward that is affordable for everyone.

Raul Aguilar, Vice-President and Information Technology Advisor
raul@brainyadvisors.com

Raul has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) from the University of New Mexico. He enjoys capturing technology scenarios and creatively brainstorming ideas to assist developers solve challenges.

Raul has a diverse technology experience spanning over thirty years. He has twenty years working in Windows and has switched to the programming on the Mac. The past fourteen years, he has coded extensively in the Java programming language and recently in J2EE.

His web development has included a PHP AJAX interactive Annual Review software based on a MySQL database, a Google calendar event tracking PHP web page, a Java Swing XML schema parser for Xforms web pages, a Cold Fusion inventory tracker website, and ecommerce code modules for PayPal and CyberCash. His application development has ranged from an automated Excel VB API 2D data extraction algorithm to the delight of coding iPhone Xcode apps. His database designs include MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, Access, and HyperSQL including JDBC interfacing. He is familiar with IDE code environments IntelliJ IDEA, Netbeans, MyEclipse, Zend Studio for Eclipse, and the Apple Xcode.

Raul has advised computer issues by phone, taught chassis and printed circuit board construction, and tutored students five years as an undergrad on subjects Algebra, Trigonometry, Business Math, Calculus, and Physics to students. In the realm of science, Raul has designed, marketed, handled pre-sale calls, packaged and supported Back Error Propagation and Kohonen neural network graphics programs. A few of his existing Java math graph simulations can be found at MathImage.

Lynn Gustke, President and Human Resources Advisor
lynn@brainyadvisors.com

Lynn has earned a Masters Degree in Human Resource Management (MHRM) from DeVry/Keller Graduate School  and a Bachelors in Fine Arts (BFA) from Arizona State University after transferring. She originally attended UW-Stevens Point in Wisconsin. 

A believer in continuing education, Lynn has obtained certifications in Total Quality Management, ISO 9000, Community Mediation, Certified Internet Recruiting (CIR),Grant Writing, Teaching in Adult Education from Maricopa Community Colleges, and a Graphics Design Certification from Collins College. 

Lynn possesses extensive experience in Staffing & Recruiting, Human Resources, Training & Development, Employee Relations, Organizational Development, Dispute Resolution, Graphic Design and Records Management.  Industry experience includes Retail, IT, City Government, Manufacturing, the Staffing Industry, Non Profits and Consulting for start up companies.  

Dedicated to her community, Lynn has volunteered countless hours through Rotary International to help in the fight against Polio, hunger, literacy and support of not only the International programs but community based assistance to the homeless.  Other organizations that have benefited are The Boys & Girls Club of the East Valley, American Business Women's Association (ABWA) Foothills Club and her Homeowners Assocation in the San Marcos Estates in Chandler, AZ.