Quad Cities, IA Office

James Shrader is a financial advisor with Robert W. Baird & Co. holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 40 years of industry experience. He has worked at Robert W. Baird & Co. since 1999 and Northwestern Mutual Investment Services since 2001. Outside of his advisory role, he is the owner and landlord of a rental property in Chicago. The DDK Group, part of Baird’s Private Wealth Management department, serves individual and institutional clients, offering financial planning, portfolio management, and brokerage services. The firm manages approximately $394 billion in assets and provides a range of strategies including discretionary portfolio management, tax-management, and municipal advisory services.

Elizabeth Behrends is a financial advisor with Robert W. Baird & Co. in Quad Cities, IA, holding a Series 66 designation and 20 years of industry experience. She has been with Robert W. Baird & Co. since 2005. The DDK Group, where she works, is part of Robert W. Baird & Co.’s Private Wealth Management practice, advising a diverse client base including individuals, families, institutions, and charitable organizations. The team offers customized consulting and portfolio services, utilizing a range of investment strategies and management approaches tailored to client goals and risk tolerances.

Bryan Sampson is a financial advisor at Robert Baird & Co. with 37 years of industry experience. He has been with Robert Baird since 2009 and holds a Series 63 designation. He is part of The DDK Group within Robert W. Baird & Co.’s Private Wealth Management practice, which serves individuals, families, pensions, corporations, and institutional clients with a range of consulting and portfolio services tailored to client goals and risk tolerances.

Joshua Mills is a financial advisor with Robert W. Baird & Co. in Quad Cities, IA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 21 years of industry experience. He has been with Robert W. Baird & Co. since 2010. He is part of The DDK Group, a team within Baird’s Private Wealth Management practice that serves individuals, families, pensions, corporations, charitable organizations, and institutional clients. The group provides tailored consulting and portfolio services, including discretionary and non-discretionary management, separately managed accounts, and overlay strategies, offering a range of traditional and complex investment approaches.

Susan White is a financial advisor at Robert Baird & Co. with four years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Lincoln Investment and Midwest Climate Solutions. Outside of her advisory role, she is the owner and creator of the Small Steps Big Wins podcast, focused on self-improvement. She is part of The DDK Group within Baird’s Private Wealth Management department, serving a range of clients including individuals, corporate and business clients, pensions, and charitable organizations. The firm offers comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management services, utilizing internal research, manager-traded strategies, and tax-management tools.

Thomas Mc Cormick is a financial advisor at Robert W. Baird & Co. with one year of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at Baird, Fastenal, SENB Bank, and The Commencement Group. Mc Cormick is part of The DDK Group, a team within Baird’s Private Wealth Management department that serves individuals, corporate clients, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm provides a range of services including financial planning, portfolio management, and custody and brokerage services, utilizing both manager-traded and model-traded strategies along with internal research and technology in advising clients.

Joseph Verdi is a financial advisor at Robert Baird & Co. with 32 years of industry experience. He has worked at Robert Baird & Co. since 2009 and previously held positions at Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Morgan Stanley DW Inc., and Citigroup Global Markets. Verdi holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations. He is part of The DDK Group within Robert W. Baird & Co.’s Private Wealth Management department, which serves individuals, corporate and business clients, pensions, profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of services including financial planning, portfolio management, separately managed accounts, and brokerage services, utilizing both internal research and external partnerships to support its investment strategies.

Megan Obenauf is a financial advisor at Robert W. Baird & Co. with one year of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Salon Halo and Capri College. Megan is part of The DDK Group, a team within Baird’s Private Wealth Management practice that serves individuals, families, pensions, corporations, and charitable organizations. The group offers tailored financial planning and portfolio management services using a mix of in-house and third-party managers across traditional and non-traditional investment strategies.

Kim Anh Hua is a financial advisor with Robert Baird & Co. in Quad Cities, IA. She holds the Series 66 designation and has recently begun her career in the industry, joining Baird in 2025. Prior to this, she worked at UP Management for nine years. She is part of The DDK Group within Robert W. Baird & Co.’s Private Wealth Management practice, which serves individuals, families, pensions, corporations, and other institutional clients. The group offers tailored financial planning and portfolio management services, utilizing a range of strategies from traditional equity and fixed income to more complex approaches, including discretionary and non-discretionary management.

Jaye Behrends is a financial advisor at Robert Baird & Co. with 37 years of industry experience. He has been with Robert Baird & Co. since 1990. The DDK Group, part of Robert W. Baird & Co.’s Private Wealth Management department, serves individual, corporate, pension, and charitable clients. The firm offers comprehensive financial planning, portfolio management strategies, and custody services, utilizing a combination of internally researched investment approaches and external manager-traded accounts.

Brent Mccormick is a financial advisor at Robert W. Baird & Co. with 26 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Robert W. Baird since 1999. Outside of his advisory role, he serves on the Finance and Investment Committee of the Moline Public Schools Foundation. Robert W. Baird & Co.’s DDK Group advises individuals, families, pensions, corporations, and institutional clients through customized financial planning and portfolio management services. The team employs a variety of investment strategies, including traditional and non-traditional approaches, and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary management options.

Sydney Verdi Samuelson is a financial advisor at Robert Baird & Co. with seven years of industry experience and holds a Series 66 designation. She has been with Baird in various capacities since 2016 and serves as a board member on the finance committee of the Trinity Health Foundation. The DDK Group, part of Robert W. Baird & Co.’s Private Wealth Management department, offers financial planning and portfolio management services to individuals, corporate clients, pensions, and charitable organizations, employing a range of discretionary and non-discretionary investment strategies and internal research tools.

Craig Vanderleest is a financial advisor with Robert W. Baird & Co. in Quad Cities, IA, holding a Series 66 designation and 24 years of industry experience. He has been with Robert W. Baird & Co. since 2001. He serves as a board member for the University of Iowa Marberry Fund. He is part of The DDK Group, a team within Robert W. Baird & Co.’s Private Wealth Management practice that advises a diverse client base including individuals, families, pensions, corporations, and charitable organizations. The group offers customized consulting and portfolio services with a range of investment strategies and management options.

Douglas Wenzel is a financial advisor with Robert W. Baird & Co., holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and over 33 years of industry experience. He has been with Robert W. Baird & Co. for 30 years. Outside of his advisory role, he participates in quarterly committee meetings at Kirkwood Community College, providing oversight and advice on the school’s investment consultant presentations. He is part of the DDK Group within Robert W. Baird & Co.’s Private Wealth Management practice, which serves individuals, families, pensions, profit-sharing plans, corporations, charitable organizations, and institutional clients. The group offers tailored consulting and portfolio services, including financial planning and discretionary management, utilizing a range of investment strategies and manager options.

Andrew Trasowech is a Series 66-credentialed financial advisor with Robert W. Baird & Co. in Davenport, Iowa, where he has worked since 2000. He has 25 years of industry experience. He serves on the investment finance committees of Sacred Heart Cathedral and Friendly House as a board member. He is part of The DDK Group within Robert W. Baird & Co.’s Private Wealth Management practice, which advises individuals, families, pensions, corporations, and charitable organizations. The team offers customized financial planning and portfolio management services using a range of strategies, including traditional and non-traditional investments, with options for discretionary management and overlay services.