Meet Our Team

Professional Expertise:

Scott is the cofounder and CEO of Civic Financial. Scott serves as the visionary of the firm and works closely with sophisticated clientele on comprehensive financial planning. He is a sought-after industry speaker for his exceptional financial planning framework and rapid success in establishing enterprise value.

Education and Background:

Scott attended Noble and Greenough High School and then Amherst College. At Amherst, Scott studied psychology while pursuing interests in mathematics and economics. He was Captain of the Varsity Squash team at Amherst and President of the Chess Club at Nobles; Scott works with many alumni from both schools and is active in both communities.

Scott is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional, Accredited Estate Planner, and has advanced designations in retirement income planning, philanthropic planning, insurance design, long term care, special needs, and portfolio construction. Scott is a member of Northwestern Mutual’s Private Client Group and past member of Boston’s Estate Planning Council.

Awards and Accomplishments:

Forbes recognized Scott as a Top Financial Security Professional in both 2021 and 2022. He has been the youngest advisor on the list each year and has been the youngest advisor within Northwestern Mutual to hit many milestones in relation to investment production, insurance planning, and fee-based planning work. Scott attained his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Designation at 22 years old.

Community Involvement:

Civic Financial is a sponsor of urban squash foundation SquashBusters. Scott captains the "Racqueteers" squash team in the SquashBusters annual derby, raising money to help bring higher educational opportunities to underprivileged teenagers. Scott also works closely with many former teachers and educators within the local community; he believes strongly in education and Civic is proud to provide exceptional service to the educator community. Scott also joins Northwestern Mutual every year to raise money for Alex's Lemonade Stand in support of childhood cancer research.

Personal Life:

Scott lives in Manhattan with his wife Lizzy. Scott is extremely active and enjoys exercise, cooking and traveling with Lizzy and is a proud uncle to three nephews. A nerd at heart, Scott will gladly accept a challenge to chess, backgammon, Scrabble, Settlers of Catan—pick your poison. 

Professional Expertise:

Grant is the cofounder and COO of Civic Financial. In launching Civic, Grant and CEO Scott DeSantis had a vision to integrate traditionally siloed services (e.g. planning, wealth management, insurance) to drive better financial outcomes and provide superior service to sophisticated clientele.

As COO, Grant leads the portfolio management and fee-based planning teams. He has helped grow Civic from two people to one of the largest practices within Northwestern Mutual. His approach to planning is characteristically thorough and detail oriented.

Education and Background:

Grant attended Harvard University, where he earned a B.A. magna cum laude in economics and English. He is a member of Harvard’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and was awarded a John Harvard Scholarship for outstanding academic achievement. He graduated with highest honors from Middlesex High School.

Grant is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional, Accredited Estate Planner, and has advanced designations in retirement income planning, philanthropic planning, insurance design, long-term-care, special needs, and portfolio construction. He is a member of the Boston Estate Planning Council and Northwestern Mutual’s Private Client Group.

Awards and Accomplishments:

Grant was honored as the best financial advisor at or below his tenure at Northwestern Mutual in 2022.

Community Involvement:

Grant met his cofounder and best friend, Scott DeSantis, in 4th grade. Together, they prioritize the civic impact of their work in the very name of their firm. Civic does pro bono work for teachers—and both Grant and Scott believe deeply in the power of education to propel the next generation. Civic sponsors internships and athletic programs for diverse students to expose them to financial concepts and networking opportunities.

Personal Life:

Grant lives in Boston with his wife, Zizi. He loves running and has a voracious appetite for literature and travel (40+ countries and counting). He will always be learning about something new—ask what the latest endeavor is!

A 1984 graduate of Brown University and the American College of Financial Services, earning the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®) designation. John began his life insurance career in 1986 and has been a respected industry leader qualifying yearly for membership in the exclusive Million Dollar Round Table. He works with Senior Executives at large private and public companies, Private Equity MD’s/ Partners and Institutional Fund Managers.  His focus is sharing a vision with clients on how to solve income and estate tax challenges using sophisticated life insurance tools and strategies.

John was a 3-time All-IVY football player and is a member of the Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame. He’s married to Cathy and resides in Wellesley with their six children and enjoys spending time with his family and friends. John coordinates the Thursday Men’s Breakfast, one of Boston’s longest running men’s fellowship gatherings. He’s a past director of the Brown Club of Boston, and also volunteered for many seasons as a Youth Football coach. John is actively involved in community ministry work and is a member of St. Paul’s Parish, Wellesley, MA.

Brian started in the life insurance business in 1991.  For nearly 3 decades, Brian and his team have been serving families with their financial security needs.  Today, Brian’s focus is helping our pre and post-retirement clients with tax efficient insurance tools that help them manage market risk, longevity risk, healthcare risk, and legacy planning.   Brian enjoys golf, hiking, and, most of all, spending family time with his wife Sarah and three children Kallie, Beau, and Hannah.  Brian is a graduate of Williams College.

Prior to joining Civic Financial, Alissa spent almost ten years of her career as a Private Client Service Associate and Trust Administrator at Highmount Capital in Boston.  She has spent the last five years in workplace management, most recently at Red Hat, Inc.

As the Director of Investment Operations at Civic Financial, Alissa is responsible for coordinating the wealth management operations of the firm.  This includes account opening, asset transfers and account maintenance.

Alissa grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts and received an Associate’s Degree from Marian Court College, majoring in Business Management with a minor in Accounting. She enjoys spending time with her family and four-legged pooch, spending weekends in the sun at the beach and loves to travel.

Evan comes to Civic Financial with a strong passion for financial planning and works closely with our advisors and clients to gather, analyze and prepare the materials that go into presenting our financial planning proposals.  Evan also plays an integral role in our Investment Operations at Civic, ensuring that our clients receive a consistently high standard of care when choosing to engage Northwestern Mutual’s Investment services.

After graduating Columbia University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and History, he found his way by accident to become a financial advisor shortly after graduation.  When a close family member of his passed away with eleven small life insurance policies after battling cancer for many years, Evan began to appreciate how powerful the promise of protection can be, especially as it comes to fruition as the direct result of thoughtful financial planning.  Years later, he remains perpetually energized by the financial planning industry, always challenging himself to expand his technical planning knowledge and design creative financial plans that address the unique circumstances of the client.

When not working, Evan can usually be found studying Torah, traveling, biking, ice-skating, cross-country skiing, hiking, cooking, taking road trips, doing acts of kindness for others, and spending time with his wife Laura and their two girls:  Elisheva and Avigayil.

Shannon Fadden is the Director of Client Relations at Civic Financial. At Civic, she helps manage client relationships and assist the team with financial analysis. Outside of work, Shannon has a passion for kayaking, hiking, working on cars, and learning.

Shannon grew up in Boca Raton, Florida and graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. Since moving to New England, Shannon has held a variety of account management and customer service roles which have shaped her passion for helping others. As Director of Client Service for Civic, Shannon works to manage both internal and external operations. Shannon also enjoys cooking, playing piano, and going to the beach.

Dan Monaghan serves as a Financial Planning Analyst, having joined Civic after a summer internship at Pallas Capital Advisors. He was formerly a four-year member of the varsity football team at Brown University, where he earned a B.A. in economics. Dan is driven to be a life-long learner; he has earned his SIE, Series 63, and Series 7. 

On the personal side, Dan was born and raised in Medway, Massachusetts with his three siblings. He attended Noble and Greenough High School, where he was a two-year captain of the Football team. He enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, Danielle, who is a Netherlands native and currently serves as captain of the University of Maryland Field Hockey team. Dan is an avid fitness enthusiast, having run the Boston Marathon in 2020. He thoroughly enjoys working with passionate, highly-driven people who strive to be the most authentic version of themselves each day.

Ann is the Director of Client Services and operational guru on the Civic Financial team. She has extensive experience working directly with clients and creates a positive experience for everyone. Ann is a valued resource on the team and is always happy to help. 

Ann resides in Dedham, MA with her husband (Mike) and son (Jack). She has a passion for art, the outdoors and healthy living.

Taner serves as the Insurance Coordinators of Civic Financial. In this capacity, Taner guides clients through insurance applications, underwriting and approval and assists in their insurance servicing needs.

Taner grew up in Marblehead, MA where he attended Marblehead High School and was captain of the tennis team. He pursued higher education at Penn State University as an economics and history double major and later Suffolk University Law School. After passing the MA and NY state bar exams, he worked at New York Life for seven years before joining the Civic Financial team.

After years of living in Boston, Taner and his wife, Kyle, have moved back to Marblehead with their young son. Outside of work, Taner enjoys spending quality time with family and friends and is an active racquet sport player.

Melanie has been a senior administrator for over 20 years. She has worked in a variety of key roles in various settings including real estate, medical, law and insurance practices. Additionally, she helps oversee charitable projects. Melanie began working with John Daniel and Brian Nixon in 2006 and is currently an Executive Assistant. She lives in Natick and enjoys traveling, the outdoors and spending time with family and friends.

Janine DiPaolo is an experienced Executive Assistant with over 25 years in the field.  She began working with John Daniel and Brian Nixon in 2004 as Director of Policy Owner Services, moved to the Director of Marketing, and is currently their Executive Assistant with a large focus on managing the logistics of their schedules.

In her spare time, Janine enjoys traveling, cooking and spending time with her husband, two daughters, grandchildren, rescue animals and friends.

Michelle is from Boston MA and is a graduate of UMASS Amherst. She has worked closely with John Daniel and Brian Nixon for over 25 years and brings with her a wide knowledge of the insurance industry and is involved in all aspects of the business, and especially enjoys working with, and speaking directly to clients.  Michelle lives in Westwood with her husband Bob and two sons, Matthew and RJ.

Elizabeth is a Massachusetts native and a graduate of Boston University. She has been a part of John Daniel and Brian Nixon’s team for ten years. Elizabeth lives in Framingham with her husband and three children and enjoys being outdoors with her family.