Relationship Managers

Susan J. Adams
Trust Officer
Personal Trust
B.A., English
San Diego State University


Mrs. Adams is an experienced trust administrator specializing in post-mortem trust administration, estate settlements and probates.  Before coming to First American Trust several years ago, Mrs. Adams spent nearly 20 years in the legal field, 12 of those as a paralegal in the area of estate planning, trust and probate law.  She is active in the community and served as a volunteer conservator for the Orange County Superior Court Model Program for the Unbefriended Elderly.

 

Leslie Hayes Carrillo, CTFA
Vice President
Relationship Manager

 

A graduate of the Cannon Financial Institute and a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor, Mrs. Carrillo has more than twenty- four years of trust and fiduciary experience with relationship management and the administration of revocable living trusts, probates, conservatorships, special needs trusts and investment management accounts.  She is well-versed in residential and commercial real estate transactions as well as income, fiduciary and estate tax issues.  Mrs. Carrillo was with San Diego Trust & Savings Bank for eleven years and with Bank of America for eight years.

 

Laurie A. Dettelback, CTFA, CISP
Vice President
Relationship Manager
B.A., Economics and German
Rutgers University

 

Ms. Dettelback has spent nine of her more than 10 years at First American Trust in Trust Administration.  Formerly with IBJ Schroder in New York City, she gained five years experience in Trust Operations while at Santa Barbara Bank and Trust. Ms. Dettelback holds both the Certified IRA Services Professional and Certified Trust and Financial Advisor designations and is an Honors Graduate of Cannon Financial Institute.  She manages a variety of trust and investment management accounts and specializes in the administration of Individual Retirement and custodial accounts.  She has served on the JDRF Board of Directors and is actively involved with Orange County foster families and the West County YMCA.

 

G. William (Bill) Houck, Jr., CTFA
Vice President
Senior Relationship Manager
B.S., Business Administration
University of Southern California

 

Mr. Houck is a seasoned trust and investment professional with 20 years of experience in the financial services industry.  His expertise includes the administration of trusts, probates, conservatorships and private foundations.  He is knowledgeable in a broad spectrum of financial services including investment management, fiduciary law, along with Estate and Charitable Planning.  He holds the NASD Series 7 and 65 licenses.  Mr. Houck is a past member of the Board of Directors of Musical Theatre West and previously served on the St. Joseph Hospital Leadership Council.

 

Jody Hudson, CTFA
Relationship Manager
Trust Officer
Personal Trust
AA, Orange Coast College
BS, Organizational Behavior
University of San Francisco
Cannon Financial Institute

Pepperdine University

 

For nearly ten years, Ms. Hudson has participated in the management of estates, trusts, investment agency accounts and IRA's.  In her role as relationship manager and trust officer, she specializes in revocable and irrevocable trusts, investment management and IRA accounts, along with trust administration duties.  Prior to joining First American Trust, she had extensive experience in executive administrative management in the construction management, real estate development and accounting fields.  Ms. Hudson is an active community volunteer and currently serves on several non-profit boards and committees in Orange County.

 

Denise Mehus, CRSP, CISP
Vice President & Manager
Retirement Plan Services

 

Mrs. Mehus has over twenty years experience working in the employee benefits industry.  Previously she worked for over eighteen years with San Diego Trust & Savings Bank, and subsequently with First Interstate Bank and Wells Fargo Bank through bank merger activity before joining and establishing her current service team with First American Trust in 1996.   A graduate of the Cannon Financial Institute's Certified Retirement Services Professional's and Certified IRA Services Professional's designation programs, Mrs. Mehus has a deep understanding of employee benefit administrative and regulatory issues.  In addition to being an Investment Advisor Representative for First American Trust, she sits on the board of two local San Diego chapters of employee benefit organizations including the Western Pension & Benefits Conference and the National Institute of Pension Administrators.

 

Myron Schuster, CTFA
Vice President
Regional Fiduciary Manager
Relationship Manager
B.A., Economics
California State University, Fullerton

 

Mr. Schuster has administered and managed various types of trusts, conservatorships, probates and estates, Individual Retirement Accounts and investment management accounts during his twenty-seven years in the industry.  As Regional Fiduciary Manager, he oversees trust processes, policies and procedures.  In addition, Mr. Schuster is a valued member of First American Trust’s New Business Acceptance Committee.