Executive Leadership Team
Brian Shook – Vice Chairman
Brian has served as the Chief Development Officer at Children’s Law Center in Washington, DC since 2015. In this position, he works closely with the Board of Directors and the Development Team to secure private philanthropic support for Children’s Law Center and its mission to fight so every child in DC can grow up with a stable family, good health and a quality education.
Brian has over 25 years of experience in development and alumni relations. Prior to Children’s Law Center, Brian led fundraising departments, teams and initiatives at the University of Maryland College Park (2000-2015), Virginia Commonwealth University (1997-2000) and the American Heart Association (1994-1997).
Brian got his start in development with Penn State’s Dance Marathon and Penn State’s Office of Annual Giving. He has volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters and mentored high school and college students from vulnerable neighborhoods.
Brian earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Politics from Pennsylvania State University. When not raising money for good causes he enjoys biking, swimming, and walking his Labrador Retriever
David A. Vaudt – Executive Treasurer
Dave is a CPA who began his career at KPMG in Des Moines, Iowa and became an audit partner in 1988. During his 25 years with KPMG, he served clients ranging from state and local governmental entities to private and public companies. In addition, Dave served as the Des Moines office Human Resources Partner and Recruiting Partner. He also taught national governmental education courses for KPMG personnel across the country.
Dave retired from KPMG in 2001 to seek elective office as Iowa’s Auditor of State. He was elected three times (2002, 2006, and 2010) to lead the agency responsible for auditing more than 200 local governmental entities, as well as the state’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and Single Audit Report. He resigned his position as Auditor of State in 2013 upon his appointment as Chairman of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board for a seven-year term which ended on June 30, 2020.
In July 2020, Dave was elected to the Board of Directors of Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the dominant health insurer in Iowa and South Dakota with more than two million members. In 2020, he also formed Vaudt Consulting, LLC.
Dave earned a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa. He has served on the boards of numerous professional associations, including the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (also serving as Chair), the National State Auditors Association (also serving as Chair), and the CPA Examination Review Board. Dave has also served on the boards of several civic organizations, including the Better Business Bureau of Iowa (also serving as Chair), Iowa Homeless Youth Centers (also serving as Chair), the Young Women’s Resource Center, the Morris Scholarship Fund (also serving as Chair), the Des Moines Public Schools Audit Committee, and the Iowa Supreme Court Client Security and Attorney Disciplinary Commission.
Aaron Thompson – Executive Secretary
Aaron earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland in College Park,Md. He also served as a two-year Team Captain and one of the many figureheads who helped lead the University of Maryland Football team to an ACC Championship in 2001. Aaron signed as a rookie free agent to play football with the Houston Texans National Football organization in 2002. In 2003, he signed a free agent agreement to play with the Toronto Argonauts, a Professional Canadian Football organization.
Aaron began his professional career a member of the Mutual of Omaha Life Insurance Agency in White Marsh, Md. In 2008. Aaron was recognized as a fast starter and was honored by the company with the “Rising Star” award. The “Rising Star” award was received by many of the company’s top performing 1st year agents. Aaron credits much of his early success to a great manager and his association with groups, such as, Rotary Club, Toast Masters, and his membership in small business owner referral groups. In 2009, Aaron began his pursuit to extend his knowledge into the Capital Markets. Within a few months, he passed the FINRA Series 6 exam.
In 2010, Aaron was offered, and accepted a Financial Advisor position with Insurance Company, ING (Voya), where he joined a team of advisors providing Retirement Savings Education and Investment guidance to the over 200,000 employees in the District of Columbia Government. Within 1 year, Aaron earned his FINRA Series 63,65, 7 licenses and enrolled into required courses to earn the Certified Financial Planning (CFP) designation. In 2017, Aaron decided to leave his career agent position with ING(Voya) to become an Independent Financial Advisor. He Started AGT Wealth Management with a team of two Senior Financial Advisors and himself. AGT Wealth, provides Asset Management, Financial Planning, and Insurance Services to individuals and business owners. In 2019, Aaron launched www.AGTLIFEINSURANCE.com, a Life insurance quoting site as an additional layer to AGT Wealth Management. This site allows individuals to go online and generate a life insurance quote from multiple partnering Life Insurance provider companies.
In 2018, AGT Real Estate Investors, LLC was born. This company was created after Aaron attended a Real Estate Investor Academy (REIA) meeting on buying, improving, and selling properties. The company’s primarily focuses on opportunities in the Baltimore City real estate market, where they have produced over 3 million dollars in sales since it’s inception. In addition to the buying and selling of homes, Aaron has participated in speaking engagements, conducted real estate investing workshops, property tours and mentorships relating to real estate investing. He is a member of several local investor networking communities and organizations.