Our Team
Our definition of asset management is keeping clients happy over the long-term. As a service-first technology firm, we are devoted to acting as an expert partner to our clients, delivering solutions and services that exceed their expectations year after year.
Because client happiness is our top priority, we hire only the best and brightest talent. If you’re interested in joining our growing team, visit our careers page.
Executive Team
John Toepfer
Founder and CEO
John Toepfer is a technology entrepreneur, investor and business owner with a 25-year background in building and supporting communication solutions for the financial services industry. He lives in Chicago with his wife and two sons.
Cheryl Gelfond
VP, Operations
Cheryl is responsible for client relations and operations at Synthesis. When she's not obsessing about process improvements, she enjoys spending time with her 11 year-old daughter and their two dogs. She aspires to attend all of the tennis grand slams someday (US Open four times so far).
Robert Juergens
VP, Engineering
Robert brings 18 years of Technology leadership and Enterprise Architecture experience to Synthesis. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Robert lives with his wife and two young sons in the shadow of the Chicago ‘L’ train. He enjoys staying active and sampling all that Chicago has to offer.
Software Development Team
Ben Kuo
Lead Software Engineer
Ben is a Data Specialist at Synthesis. He has been with the company since 2013. Ben has an impressive academic background with a Bachelors in Computer Science from Grinnell College, a Masters of Information Systems from Claremont Graduate University, an MBA from Claremont Graduate University, and a PhD in Management Information Systems from University of Illinois at Chicago. Outside of work, Ben enjoys fishing, diving, and competitive paintball.
Pako Castillo
Lead Software Engineer
Pako joined our development team as a lead engineer in 2016. He brings with him a Computer Systems Engineering degree as well as a Masters in Information Management. He is a big fan of horror movies, programming, cooking, and playing piano. He is also a black belt in Tae Kwon Do! When he's not working he stays busy spending time with his lovely wife, two kids, two dachshunds, and his cat.
Ranjeetha Jos'Land
Lead Software Engineer
Ranjeetha has been with Synthesis since 2013 as a Software Engineer. She has a Masters in Computer Science from DePaul University. Outside of work, Ranjeetha enjoys being with family and friends, going for walks, and getting some shut eye!
Karthy Mallichetty
Lead Software Engineer
Karthy came on board as our Lead Software Engineer in 2016, bringing 15 years of software development experience. He is very passionate about creating robust software architecture that scales well yet is simple to implement. When he's not helping to develop and innovate our suite of automation products, he enjoys spending time with his friends and family. He is particularly fond of traveling and going on long road-trips.
Dan McGinly
Software Engineer
Dan has been with Synthesis since February 2016 as a Software Engineer. He has a Mechanical Engineering degree with a CSE minor from University of Pennsylvania. In his spare time, Dan enjoys playing and watching sports – he is from Philadelphia and still roots for all his hometown teams! He also loves to read, watch movies, and cook.
Ashish Ashture
Software Engineer
Ashish is a Software Engineer who joined the team in 2018. He has achieved a Masters in Information Technology Management from Golden Gate University, San Francisco, and a Bachelors in Computer Engineering from Pune University, India. Ashish enjoys spending time with his friends, watching movies, and exploring new places. One day he hopes to travel the Historical Route 66 and take a road trip from Mumbai to London!
Akshay Golash
Software Engineer
Akshay joined our Software Engineering team in 2017. He holds a Master's Degree in Information Technology and Management from Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. He is our resident Karate expert, holding a black belt in Martial Arts. In addition to Karate, he enjoys traveling, trying out different cuisines, and adventure sports. Sky diving and bungee jumping are currently on his bucket list!
Sarah Hayden
Software Engineer
Sarah is a Software Engineer who joined Synthesis in November 2017. She has a B.S. in Computer Science from University of Illinois at Chicago and over 5 years experience in Information Technology. She enjoys watching football, going to Bears and Blackhawks games, exploring the city and being outdoors. Sarah is also an avid fan of Starbucks, where she frequents 7 days a week!
Kunal Kolhatkar
Software Engineer
In August, Kunal joined our team as a Software Engineer to be a Java developer and work on back-end development. He went to the Illinois Institute of Technology where he earned Master's Degree in Computer Science. Some of his favorite pastimes include biking, watching action movies, spending time at the library and programming and working on his website!
David Murley
UI Engineer
David joined the Synthesis team in 2018 as a UI Engineer. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Iowa's Drake University. Prior to Synthesis, he worked at Principal Financial as a front end developer to design their retirement web portal. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, playing video games, and attending music festivals.
Eric Beville
Systems Administrator
Eric has been with the company since 2013 as a Systems Administrator. He has an Associates of Science with a focus on Information Technology from The College of Coastal Georgia. Outside of work, Eric enjoys home brewing, baseball, road trips, and, at the moment, attempting to learn German.
Client Services Team
Stoycho Stanelov
Senior Project Engineer
Stoycho has been with Synthesis since 2006. He has three Bachelor's degrees in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, and Business Administration. When not at work, Stoycho can be found at cultural events performing Bulgarian folk dancing. His other hobbies include international travel, working out, and ping pong.
Tristan Pruss
Senior Project Engineer
Tristan has spent 12 years at Synthesis designing, implementing and supporting custom solutions for some of the largest asset management companies in the industry. He holds a B.S.E. in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Tristan is a Wolverines fan and enjoys playing and listening to traditional Irish music.
Gary Lee
Senior Project Engineer
Gary graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and went on to complete the CCP (Computer Career Program) at DePaul University. Gary has worked with the Synthesis application for 14 years and been employed with Synthesis since 2006. He is married with two kids.
Mark Gilson
Project Manager
Mark has 22 years of experience working in the financial services industry and 14 years with Synthesis. He attended Drake University and earned a bachelors degree in Corporate Finance. He is married with three sons, enjoys spending time with his family and participating in many outdoor activities.
Julia Kessler
Project Manager
Julia holds a Computer Science degree from Purdue and has almost 20 years of experience in IT. Prior to Synthesis, Julia worked at IBM. She enjoys solving problems for her clients and in her spare time she roots feverishly for the White Sox. She lives in Chicago with her husband and daughter.
Marshall Christopherson
Project Manager
Marshall holds a Bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems (MIS) from the University of Northern Iowa. He has over 10 years of experience providing project management and technical client services. He is passionate about helping his clients use technology to solve problems, reduce costs, and boost efficiency. Marshall lives in the suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
Jamie Mueller
Project Manager
Jamie has over 14 years of experience supporting and managing technology projects. She attended Western Michigan University and received a B.S. in Business Administration with a focus on Computer Information Systems. She is married with identical twin daughters.
Bryce Bland
Project Manager
Bryce joined our team in July of 2018 as a Project Manager. After receiving a BS in Finance from the University of Nevada, he went on to work in financial services and software for 20 years. Outside of work he enjoys spending time with family and friends, especially outdoors. Some of the outdoor adventures he likes include camping, fishing, hunting, mountain biking and skiing.
Mike Gabel
Project Manager
Mike was hired to help streamline the development process as a Project Manager in August 2018. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology. In his spare time Mike enjoys cooking, playing with (chasing) his two toddlers and playing video games with friends across the country.
Andrew Holmes
Client Services Engineer
Andrew joined our client services team in 2016, bringing with him a Masters degree in Financial Services and Bachelor's degree in Economics from University of Limerick, Ireland. Before joining Synthesis, he worked for 10 years in the financial technology sector spending time in both Dublin and Paris. Outside of work, Andrew keeps busy being a new dad to his baby boy. He also manages to carve-out time for his hobbies including running and photography.
Josh Greaves
Client Services Engineer
Josh has been with Synthesis since 2016 as a Client Services Engineer. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Bath University in the UK. Josh moved to the US to live with his American fiancé, but he is looking forward to getting married in Brussels where he and his fiancé first met!
Charles Zhang
Client Services Engineer
Charles is a Client Services Engineer at Synthesis, and has been with the company since 2015. He holds a BS in Management Information Systems from DePaul University. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, and playing ping pong!
Mark Postilion
Client Services Engineer
Mark is a Client Services Engineer at Synthesis, and has been with the company since 2014. He has a BA in History from Wesleyan University. In his spare time, Mark loves baseball - both real and fantasy alike. He also enjoys music and cooking. Fun fact about Mark - he comes from an Italian family and had a great uncle named Primo Buscarini - the most solid Italian name we've ever heard!
Paul Reid
Client Services Engineer
Paul has been with Synthesis since 2012 as Client Services Engineer. He has a BA in Theater Studies from Duke University and an MA in Management from Wake Forest Babcock Graduate School of Management. In his free time, Paul loves biking around town, woodworking, gardening, playing basketball, and hanging out at the dog park with his pup, Atticus.
Mike Grabinski
Client Services Engineer
Mike started working for Synthesis in 2016, bringing with him over four year of experience in asset management. He also holds a Business Administration in Finance from Loyola University Chicago. Mike enjoys listening to music, podcasts, and traveling with his wife. Recent destinations include Costa Rica, Aruba, Italy, and Germany. He's also a big sports fan, particularly baseball (Go Cubs!), Golf, and Softball.
Morgan Grainger
Project Coordinator
Morgan has been with the company since 2014. She has a Bachelor of Business of Administration with a focus on Marketing from University of Wisconsin. Outside of work, Morgan loves to travel and read.
Product Management and Business Development
Noel Rodolfo
Product Manager
Noel has over 15 years of experience working in the software industry. He received an MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a B.S. in Computer Science from Texas Tech University.
Emilie Totten
Head of Marketing
Emilie is Head of Marketing at Synthesis. Emilie earned her B.S. in Advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has 15 years of integrated marketing experience in the financial services, technology, and healthcare industries. She lives in Chicagoland with her husband, two kids and two cats. When she isn't marketing or parenting, she can be found practicing yoga or reading a good book.
Rachel Totten
Product Marketer
Rachel is a Product Marketer who started out with us through an internship in the summer of 2018. Holding a BBA specializing in Marketing and French, she has 8 years of marketing experience within various industries. A native Oklahoman, Rachel fulfilled a lifelong goal in the Spring of 2018 when she moved to "The Windy City". In her spare time she loves traveling, going to concerts and festivals, and cooking (and eating) delicious food.
Jane Altman
Human Resources Manager
Jane has been working at Synthesis since September 2015 as our Human Resources Manager. As a mom of 4, partner at an investment club, and originator of a non-profit that helps build schools in Uganda, she keeps pretty busy! Fun fact about Jane - she not only has a MSIR from Loyola University, but also holds a JD from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
