Meet Our Team of Castellans

Our team's sole purpose is to steward your finances and assets. 
Get to know each castellan below.

Barry Brauch

Managing Director

Barry started his career at Deloitte & Touche as a CPA. He went on to hold a variety of senior finance and division CFO roles at Fifth Third Bancorp. In 2008, Barry led a recap of American Founders Bancorp partnering with Hillstreet Capital and became the CEO in 2012. A second recap and restructuring in 2015 delivered a 3x return to Hillstreet. A sale of the bank in 2018 returned 9x to equity holders. Barry co-founded Castellan in 2018.

 

Brian Cohoon

Director of Wealth Management

Brian has more than 30 years of financial & estate and trust planning experience. Before becoming part of the team at Castellan Group, Brian worked as a Senior Trust Executive for several large regional trust companies.  He successfully launched a regional Financial Planning Division for a publicly traded bank trust company and helped establish an independent Insurance Agency for the bank.  He was primarily focused on working with business owners, executives and medical professionals in these roles.

In his last role with a private trust company, Brian was Head of Family Office Services where he brought together his past experiences of financial planning, trust planning, philanthropy, and advanced insurance background to help High Net Worth families coordinate their personal and generational planning.

Nate Kibby

Vice President - Private Investments

Nate joined Castellan in 2022 after completing his MBA at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Nate’s responsibilities include deal sourcing, due diligence, and closing all venture capital investments in the healthcare technology sector. Prior to Chicago Booth, Nate spent three years in investment banking as an M&A Associate and three years with Northern Trust as a Senior Consultant in the leveraged loans group.

Kevin Storn

Director of Portfolio Management

Kevin is the Director of Portfolio Management for Castellan, where he manages developers to build analysis software and automated trading systems. He is also the portfolio manager for Structured Notes, Dividend Growth, and Options strategies. Kevin received his M.B.A. from the University of Cincinnati, concentrating in Finance. He graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Engineering. After spending ten years as a Software Engineer working on jet engines and cell phones, Kevin caught the entrepreneurial bug and opened a movie theater restaurant on the east side of Cincinnati. He then worked as a Project Manager for Cincinnati Bell, Pyramid Controls, and RoundTower Technologies before joining Castellan in the Fall of 2019.

Ben Davison

Senior Associate - Investment Strategy

Ben is an analyst for Castellan on the public investments team. He has completed significant work in financial engineering, econometrics, and forecasting/modeling. His work at Castellan primarily focuses on quantitative research, strategy development, and data analysis. Ben contributes to several software projects, including construction & management of database software and web tools for derivatives strategies.

John Riney

Senior Associate – Private Investments

John joined Castellan’s private investments team after two years in strategy and operations at a start-up. John began his career in investment banking before spending four years in private equity and private credit investing at Falcon Investment Advisors. At Castellan, John’s responsibilities include sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities, managing due diligence processes, and supporting Castellan’s portfolio companies. John holds a B.S. in Finance and Economics from Washington University in St. Louis.

LeAnn Swanson

Accounting Manager

LeAnn is the Accounting Manager for Castellan and is responsible for managing the daily accounting tasks and maintaining accurate financial records.  She joined Castellan in August 2024 after serving in a variety of accounting positions with public accounting firms, law firms, non-profits, and government.  LeAnn earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Indiana University Southeast and has held a CPA license in the State of Kentucky since 2001. She enjoys that her position at Castellan gives her the opportunity to use her strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Kate Ponder

Client Services Director

Kate, currently serving as the Director of Client Services at Castellan, is a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience in providing exemplary client services, back-office operational, and compliance support. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Mount Holyoke College where she distinguished herself by also completing majors in Mathematics and Biological Sciences. In addition to her academic achievements, Kate showcased her leadership skills as captain of her Division III Lacrosse team and as a member of the Field Hockey team.

With a rich background in the financial sector, Kate has seamlessly navigated through esteemed institutions such as The Bank of New York, Merrill Lynch, Washington Mutual Capital Corp., Smith Barney and Morgan Stanley. Her journey in the financial industry has equipped her with a comprehensive understanding of front and back-office client and trade support.

Kate brought her expertise to the Castellan Group in April 2021, and since then, she has played a pivotal role in enhancing the client services landscape. As the Director of Client Services, Kate leads the Client Services Team with a focus on delivering top-notch support, ensuring operational efficiency, and maintaining compliance standards. Her commitment to excellence and strategic vision continues to drive the success of Castellan’s client services-focused approach.”

Sean Smith

Co-Founder Entrepreneur Advisor

Sean is a serial entrepreneur in the healthcare tech industry, having co-founded several leading-edge businesses in cost management, fintech, and data analytics. The companies Sean founded have been listed in the Inc. 500 and Inc. 5000 multiple times. Sean was named E&Y Entrepreneur of the year, along with his brother Scott, in 1998. Sean co-founded Castellan and is active in deal sourcing and the Investment Committee.

Scott Smith

Co-Founder Entrepreneur Advisor

Scott, along with his brother Sean, is the co-founder of several highly successful companies in the healthcare tech industry. His leadership at the predecessor company to what is now Zelis Healthcare was instrumental in its current multi-billion dollar valuation. Scott now spends much of his time furthering the efforts of Castellan as a co-founder, helping the team build a network to increase deal flow and grow the portfolio companies.

 

 

Get In Touch

We can be your modern-day castellan. Contact us today for the best management and protection of your castle’s assets.

Main Office
2011 Lake Point Way,
Suite 001
Louisville, KY 40223

South Florida Office
1061 E Indiantown Rd
Suite 309
Jupiter, Florida 33477

Mailing Address
P.O. Box 43847,
Louisville, KY 40253

Castellan Group