Brannon Lloyd, President
Brannon Lloyd is the president of The College Money Guys, LP and a well-known college planner and educator who has literally “grown-up” in the financial planning business. Brannon created the company to use his many years of experience and expertise to help parents create a plan to pay for college without having to sacrifice their retirement. Under his management, The College Money Guys specializes in helping clients qualify for financial aid regardless of their income level.
The company regularly conducts free workshops around the Houston-metro area for families educating audiences on little known tips and techniques that can be used to defray college expenses. In addition, Brannon has conducted planning workshops for corporate employee benefit programs including Continental Airlines, ExxonMobil, Memorial-Hermann, NASA, and the City of Houston.
Brannon is a sought-after media guest and has been featured in such media publications as USA Today, US News and World Reports, ABC 13, and Fox News.
Brannon attended the University of Houston and is an active member of the Lutheran church. He spends time volunteering for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, The Community of Hope, Feed the Homeless, and the Houston Food Bank. He was also a Man of the Year candidate for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in 2011. He sits on the board of the Houston Boychoir and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
Before joining the firm, Brannon worked for the Department of the Navy and spent two years at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow assisting with procurement for the State Department. In addition to his native English he speaks Spanish and Russian, and is trying, without much luck, to learn Mandarin Chinese.
Debbie Elder, Chief Operations Officer
Debbie Elder serves as the COO of The College Money Guys in addition to being responsible for managing and directing all aspects of our Sugar Land branch office. She works with clients to help maximize their college financial planning and brings her unique skill set to help them understand the best possible way to handle their family’s distinctive set of circumstances.
With more than 25 years experience as an educator, business leader and success coach, she brings practical strategies and a clear step by step approach to her work with clients. She is a highly sought after speaker and has worked with Alberta Provincial Government, ECO Resources, Inc., Appelbaum Training Institute, and New College Preparatory Academy. Her coaching and teaching experience includes work with students from a university level down to
preschool age.
Debbie is a fitness enthusiast and avid learner of just about anything that relates to business and personal growth. If she’s not in the office, you may be able to catch her sailing or visiting one of her favorite places — Fiji, Prince Edward Islands, or her local favorite, Port Aransas.
Debbie lives in Richmond, Texas with her husband of 23 years, Keith, and dogs Jake and Sabre, Dusty the cat and her bird, Tweety. Debbie and Keith’s daughters, Natasha and Melissa, are recent college graduates and are working in their chosen field of marketing and advertising. Natasha is an Assistant Account Executive with Moroch in Dallas, Texas and Melissa is the Sales and Marketing Analyst for TechRadium, Inc. in Sugar Land, Texas.
Paul Monroe, Chief Financial Officer
As Chief Financial Officer, Paul Monroe’s work is mainly behind the scenes but is definitely the man you want to know. He is responsible for the long and short-term management of company assets and cash flow. He earned his Bachelors of Arts degree from Rice University and attended law school at the University of Texas University of Texas Law School before attaining his CPA license.
He is active in the community as Treasurer for the Lutheran Synod, Houston Boychoir and affiliated parents’ group. He’s also a cycling aficionado having been a cycling referee, in the Tour DuPont and Atlanta Olympics. He organized and ran the Houston Metro Cup from 1986 to 1997.
In his work in the financial world, Paul founded several successful small businesses and has worked in seven industries before focusing his energies to his tax practice.
Dr. Jerry Daniels, Student Advisor
In his position as student college advisor, Dr. Jerry Daniels oversees the college application process and helps students select appropriate colleges, prepare the resume, write required essays, complete applications and navigate the unique challenges that each student will face between highs school applicant and college freshmen. Jerry’s passion is helping students succeed. He says, “The decisions we make are only as good as the information we use to make them. I provide the information critical to making good decisions about education after high school”.
Jerry is an East Texas State (Texas A&M Commerce) graduate with a Masters of Science Degree also from East Texas State . In, addition, he holds a PhD from Texas A&M University. In his accomplished career as an educator, he has held positions from the high school to college level and received numerous awards including Fort Bend ISD secondary teacher of the year in 1996. His experience has allowed him to develop a detailed understanding of what is expected of the student at the secondary level of education as well as at the institutions of higher learning. The years of working with high school and college youth in Fort Bend ISD and at Texas A&M have helped him develop an easy rapport with students and parents alike.
Jerry is an avid reader and novice comic book collector. And you might just find him at the movie theater in his spare time, he also loves a good movie that “makes you think”.
Deniz Lopez, Office Manager
Deniz Lopez has been with company for going-on 2 years and, through that time, has come to know and understand much about the financial planning that families have to go through when wanting to send their children to a university. She’s taken on the title of Office Manager and works to create a friendly, communicative, and fun environment for staff and clients alike. While she’s not the most visible staff member in the company, she’s usually somewhere behind the scenes making sure all things are up and running on the inside.
In her spare time, Deniz is a grassroots organizer tackling themes like immigration reform, Know-Your-Rights campaigns, and cultural enrichment and awareness projects for the Black and Latino community. She’s also a writer/poet who has been invited to collaborate & speak on panels, radio shows, and local and national stages.
Jocelyn Gonzales, Director of Financial Aid
In her role as Director of Financial Aid, Jocelyn Gonzalez develops, negotiates, and finalizes student financial plans consistent with financial planning policies and procedures and with Federal/State regulations for awarding aid. She has been with the company since September of 2008 and enjoys helping clients find and file for the maximum possible financial aid.
As a college senior herself (University of Houston), she understands first hand the value of obtaining a quality education at an affordable price.
Jocelyn is also an active member on the University of Houston campus as president of the UH Society of Human Resource Management organization.
Elizabeth Medellin, Director of First Impressions
First impressions are important. As the Director of First Impressions at our corporate headquarters, Elizabeth Medellin is responsible for all aspects of the initial client experience. She also manages a multitude of supporting tasks for the financial advisors. She makes jugging the phones, paperwork, and connecting warmly with everyone who walks through the door look easy.
Elizabeth is a bit of a shopaholic. When she is not exploring the latest designs from famous designers, she enjoys spending time with her 3 furry friends, Benny, Daisy and Joey.
Elizabeth received her Associates degree in Science from Lone Star College.
Yesenia Gonzalez, Director of First Impressions-Sugar Land
Yesenia Gonzalez is the newest member of The College Money Guys Team. She is responsible for ensuring a great first impression for everyone who steps through the doors of the Sugar Land office building. We’ve been told her warm smile and attention to detail is worth the trip into the office in itself. It is no wonder that Yesenia has a passion for hospitality and food. In her free time, she enjoys trying new restaurants and recipes. In fact, her dream is to someday own her own restaurant.
She will be graduating May 2012 with her Associates of Arts degree and is a member of Phi Theta Kappa.
Kris Knopp, Director of Online Marketing and Product Development
In addition to managing her own company (Kris Knopp Companies, LLC), Kris Knopp is responsible for web design and internet marketing as well as product development for the company. As a parent of two college bound students herself, she knows firsthand the value of having this team of experts on your side when it comes to helping your student get into college. Her mission is to help The College Money Guys get their knowledge and assistance to as many parents as possible.
Her professional experience within the coaching and internet marketing world includes work in training, program development and management at Coachville School of Coaching, LLC. and Director of Content and Programming at Compass, Inc a personal development company dedicated to improving the lives of women.
Prior to her work in coaching, Kris received her Certified Public Accountant designation and worked in Fortune 100 Corporate America.
Kris specializes in helping experts and entrepreneurs get their businesses on the web and turn their expertise into products that change lives.
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