Mission Trust Team

Bridget O'Brien Swartz, Vice President & Fiduciary Counsel, joined Mission as Vice President & Fiduciary Counsel after
practicing law for over 25 years with a primary focus on special needs law. Bridget is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). She remains involved with national attorney organizations such as the Special Needs Alliance and is a Past president of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA). She also acts as Adjunct Faculty for various law school programs. Bridget obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame before matriculating to Arizona State University (ASU), where she earned both her law degree at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at ASU and her Master's in Public Administration. Bridget endeavors to build out Mission's trustee services to include fiduciary accounts related to settlement and special needs planning.

Cynthia Wahlin J.D., Vice President, Senior Trust Officer, oversees the Trust Administration Team and serves as an administrator of trust and estate settlements, ongoing personal and charitable trusts, and successor trustee investment management accounts. Cynthia is a well-versed administrator and fiduciary professional with over 20 years of experience.  Prior to joining Mission, Cynthia cultivated her expertise through personal trust, trust and estate settlement, and private banking roles in financial institutions. She also specialized in domestic mediation and behavioral health administration. Cynthia received her Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and her B.A. from Baylor University. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar, a certified mediator, collaborative law professional, and an Arizona licensed fiduciary. Cynthia values her role because it provides a venue through which she can apply her professional skills and personal attributes to serve clients, beneficiaries, and the Mission Team.

David L. Gryp, Director of Market Development, holds joint roles as the Arizona Market President of Notre Dame Federal Credit Union and Director of Market Development at Mission Management & Trust Co.

Throughout his 15-year career, David has focused on growing the trust and estate management business for banks and trust companies. As a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor, David demonstrates his commitment to maintaining the highest ethical standards and retaining a firm grasp of financial and trust related topics through continuing education.

Prior to this role, David was Arizona President of Private Wealth Management for a bank in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was responsible for leading a team of trust officers, portfolio managers, personal bankers, and commercial lenders.

David holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Liberal Studies from Holy Cross College. He currently sits on the Professional Advisory Board of the Catholic Community Foundation.

Susan L. Ernsky, President, oversees day-to-day company operations and is a member of the Client Advisory and Portfolio teams. She joined Mission Trust in 1996 after serving as regional manager and Tucson bank president at Citibank and Norwest Bank, respectively. Susan earned a B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of Arizona. Community-minded, she was Chairman of the Board for TMC HealthCare and served on its captive insurance subsidiary board. A recipient of numerous awards, including the Women on the Move Award from the YMCA, Susan values working with a team that really cares about its clients. Earning her clients’ trust and confidence is the most rewarding aspect of her time with Mission Trust.

Sonia Carrillo, Account Administrator - As a member of the Client Advisory team, Sonia is actively involved in client service, ensuring accessibility and responsiveness for our clients.  She performs a range of administrative responsibilities and helps oversee smooth office operations.  Prior to joining Mission Trust, Sonia spent six years in international and domestic private banking, then 24 years in the brokerage services industry.  She thrives when working closely with clients and helping them achieve their goals.

Marilú Castaño, Account Administrator, supports Mission Trust's Client Advisory team by aiding in the overall maintenance of accounts. She was first introduced to Mission Trust in 2006 by working as an intern for the Consulate of Costa Rica, and was later hired as Office Manager and Executive Assistant. Over the years she was promoted to Operations Administrator and then to Account Administrator. She graduated with honors from The University of Arizona with a B.S. in Business Administration and International Business, and a Minor in Spanish. She also received Honorable Mention for the Dean’s List. Marilú contains a wide range of knowledge of our overall operations and is a valued member of the Mission team.

Karen Ross, Trust Officer, has over a 40 years of experience in trust administration. Karen has previously served as a Senior Fiduciary Officer, managing a mixed book of estates, special needs trusts, irrevocable and revocable trusts, conservatorships, and investment agency accounts. A graduate of Lamson Jr college, Karen is able to quickly identify her client's needs and exceed expectations every step of the way. She brings valuable experience and insight into fiduciary responsibilities making her a valued asset at Mission Management and Trust.

Thomas J. Feeney, Chief Investment Officer, has been professionally involved in asset management and investment consulting since 1969. He has worked with cities, states and major corporations, concentrating particularly on service to charitable and other not-for-profit organizations. In addition to his responsibilities at Mission Trust, Tom was President of Mission’s predecessor firm, Marathon Asset Management Co., Inc. He was previously Executive Director of Stewardship Services, Inc. and a Senior Vice President of Atalanta/Sosnoff Capital Corporation in New York City. Prior to his investment career, Tom served on the faculties of the University of Santa Clara, St. Joseph’s College and Guadalupe College. In later years, he lectured on investments at the University of Notre Dame and Georgetown University. His own academic background includes an A.B. in Economics from Boston College, an M.B.A. degree from the University of Santa Clara, studies at the Stanford Law School and additional post-graduate work at the University of San Francisco. Tom’s community activities include supporting and promoting charitable and other non-profit organizations.

Susan L. Ernsky, President, oversees day-to-day company operations and is a member of the Client Advisory and Portfolio teams. She joined Mission Trust in 1996 after serving as regional manager and Tucson bank president at Citibank and Norwest Bank, respectively. Susan earned a B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of Arizona. Community-minded, she was Chairman of the Board for TMC HealthCare and served on its captive insurance subsidiary board. A recipient of numerous awards, including the Women on the Move Award from the YMCA, Susan values working with a team that really cares about its clients. Earning her clients’ trust and confidence is the most rewarding aspect of her time with Mission Trust.

Rashad Kelly, Portfolio Manager, is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of Mission Trust’s formularized, heavily quantitative investment models, including new data integration and model reporting.  He is actively involved in portfolio operations, portfolio accounting, securities custody integration, trading, and market surveillance. Rashad oversees the programming and development work for our proprietary stock selection model.  He recognizes the importance of disciplined processes in portfolio work for clients and assures that Mission Trust’s processes work properly. Rashad holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Arizona and an A.B. from Pima Community College.

Kerry Sroczynski, Portfolio Manager and Director of Trade Operations, has core responsibility for portfolio monitoring and construction, equity and bond trading, cash management functions, and regulatory compliance. As the designated early bird of the office, he is in Mission Trust’s office before and during market hours to monitor market activity and client portfolios. With a steady hand, Kerry weathered the stress of the 2007-2009 markets extremely well. He joined Mission Trust in 2006 and has more than 30 years of financial service experience including positions at JPMorgan Chase Bank and several registered investment advisors. Kerry was the Director of Investor Relations for a Chicago commercial real estate firm, where he was solely responsible for managing over 7,500 investors. He entered the University of Illinois at Urbana as a salutatorian and earned a B.S. degree in Advertising.

Ben Fredlake, Senior Portfolio Manager, has over a decade of experience in the financial services industry, bringing a wealth of expertise and a proven track record of success to this position. He looks forward to contributing the mission of providing exceptional financial services to clients and leveraging his experience and expertise to help clients achieve their financial goals.

Fredlake holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Notre Dame and is a Certified Financial Planner® professional. He is deeply committed to serving his community and is actively involved in volunteering with the Fiesta Bowl organization as a Yellow Jacket committee member.

Thomas Gryp, Chair/CEO, is also the President/CEO of Notre Dame Federal Credit Union. Spanning a financial services career of more than 40 years, Tom possesses a broad array of operational acumen with an emphasis in lending, technology, and investment management services.

Since joining Notre Dame FCU in 2010, Tom has led efforts to radically transform the credit union into a dynamic, entrepreneurial institution, with an extensive and growing national presence. His constant innovation earned him the CEO Trailblazer of the Year Award from Credit Union Times in 2016.

Prior to this role, Tom was Managing Director and Regional President of Northern Trust Corporation in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he was responsible for leading a team of commercial lenders, trust officers, portfolio managers, financial advisors, and personal bankers.

Tom holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University.

Eric Gerhold, Chief Financial Officer has 38-years of banking experience having held many pivotal leadership positions throughout his career. A graduate of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, Gerhold is excited to bring his expertise and passion for finance to Notre Dame Federal Credit Union, where he will oversee financial management for all Notre Dame FCU brands, including Notre Dame FCU, Mission Insurance, Mission Investments (brokerage), and Mission Management and Trust Co.

In addition to his professional achievements, Gerhold is deeply committed to serving his community. He has previously served as the president of the Michigan City Zoological Society and has been involved in organizations such as Junior Achievement and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Cyndi Sprague, Vice President, Director of Trust Operations, is responsible for Mission Trust’s trust and custody operations, which involve pension processing, cash and trade settlements, dividend and interest income collection, depository reconcilement and the various activities of trust accounting. Working closely with Mission Trust’s portfolio managers and external investment managers, Cyndi ensures accurate and timely handling of trades and portfolio accounting for our clients. She brought to Mission Trust nearly twenty years of experience in securities operations and trust accounting, including her instrumental role in the founding of Northern Indiana Trust in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Cyndi graduated with Honors from Cannon’s Trust Operations School as a Certified Securities Operations Professional, and was Series 7 registered with the National Association of Securities Dealers. She has been a program volunteer with the YWCA and is a graduate of its Women on the Move Leadership Program. Cyndi’s responsibilities are the cornerstone for sound operations and strong growth at Mission Trust.

Kerri Osborne, Operations Administrator, carries the work load for our most critical daily operational functions. She works closely with the Director of Operations to ensure the accurate and timely handling of trades and portfolio accounting for clients.  She is most satisfied when trust accounts and settlements balance to the penny each night, ensuring that clients’ funds are where they should be.  Kerri first came to Mission Trust as a student intern.  She holds a B.S. in Finance, with honors, from Northern Arizona University.

Leslie Gagner, Trust Operations Administrator, brings five years of financial services experience to the Mission Trust Team. Her background includes fraud and claims resolution, client service, and retail management. In her role, Leslie will support critical operational functions including account openings and closings, bill payment, and other account transactions. She also handles asset documentation, performs account reconciliations, and ensures compliance with regulatory requirements. She is an important Trust Operations team member, supporting Mission Trust’s operational standards and protecting client assets. A U.S. Navy veteran, Leslie holds a Bachelor of Social Science in Care, Health, and Society from the University of Arizona.