Staff
Stephen Trefts
Founder and owner, Stephen W. Trefts, has over 25 years of trust management experience. A graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law, he was admitted to the Washington State Bar in 1976. Prior to founding Northwest Trustee & Management Services, he served as a trust officer for Seattle First National Bank (now Bank of America) and later as the Executive Vice President of the Whitworth College Foundation. Current affiliations include: Washington State Bar Association; Spokane County Bar Association; Spokane Estate Planning Council; Inland Northwest Planned Giving Council; and Northwest Christian Schools Foundation, Board Chairman.
swtrefts@nwtrustee.com
Sandy Calbreath
With over 17 years of trust administration experience, Sandy Calbreath handles the more complex client and trust asset issues. She uses her accounting and business background to analyze investment portfolios and assist with investment review. She also provides support staff supervision and marketing assistance. Prior to joining the firm, Sandy was the Director of Administrative Services for Whitworth College Foundation. A graduate of Whitworth University, she has also been employed as an accountant and as a public relations professional. Current affiliations include: Spokane Estate Planning Council; Inland Northwest Planned Giving Council; Northland Credit Union, Board of Directors; and Holy Family Hospital Foundation, Board of Directors.
scalbreath@nwtrustee.com
Lavonda Ataide
Lavonda Ataide brings to Northwest Trustee & Management Services a career background as a bank loan officer. Although she has administered all types of trusts, she specializes in court supervised trusts, guardianships and conservatorships administered by our firm. Using her degree in accounting, she works directly with the Guardianship Monitoring Program of the Superior Court in Spokane County and the Veteran's Administration to ensure that all of our reports and accountings comply with stringent standards.
lataide@nwtrustee.com
Maureen Rickard
Maureen Rickard has been with Northwest Trustee & Management Services since 1995. A graduate of Eastern Washington University, Maureen is certified as an Enrolled Agent to practice before the Internal Revenue Service. Prior to joining the firm, Maureen worked for H & R Block as a tax preparer for individuals and small businesses. Along with trust management duties, Maureen prepares all trust tax returns as well as personal returns for many of our clients. She also oversees the preparation of financial statements and services as the office liaison for computer software and technology.
mrickard@nwtrustee.com
Support Staff
Tami Davis
Born and raised in Spokane, Tami processes income and disbursements for trusts, balances bank statements, and handles the fees. Before joining our firm, she worked as an office manager and bookkeeper for over a decade, and her meticulous attention to detail and problem solving skills help create an efficient work environment.
Shauna Kelly
Shauna works as an assistant office administrator, with tasks such as filing and archiving, and special projects needed to keep the office running smoothly. She attends Spokane Falls Community College.
Randi Marshall
Randi joined our firm as Receptionist/Administrative Assistant in 2003 and was later promoted to the position of Trust/Accounting Assistant. Utilizing her prior accounting background, she reconciles brokerage and bank statements, assists with the preparation of financial reports, serves as back-up for trust deposits and disbursements, and provides other administrative support as needed.
Jaime Morrison
With an A.A.S degree from Spokane Fall Community College in Secretarial Office Administration, Jaime has worked for Northwest Trustee for many years providing administrative assistance for our trust officers and administrators. She provides backup for all of the support staff. Jaime enjoys typing and data entry and excels in areas where organization and attention to detail are needed.
Carole Trefts
Carole is the part-time business accountant for Northwest Trustee & Management Services. She reconciles the firm's trust account and handles the quarterly tax accounting. She graduated with honors from Colorado College with a degree in economics.
Jamie
Jamie recently joined our firm as Receptionist/Administrative Assistant. With her legal office background, she keeps the office organized and operating smoothly by answering phones, scheduling appointments and coordinating travel and speaking engagements.
Teamwork
Teamwork is a high priority in our firm. This is enhanced by regular reviews of each trust and monthly staff meetings. A collaborative approach to discretionary decision making is very important. While each staff member has specific duties, we are dedicated to cross training internally and professional training externally.
_______________________
"It is a comfort to have my father's Trust under the care of Northwest Trustee & Management Services. It has always been a pleasure interacting with Steve Trefts and I look forward to many more years of excellent service his personable and professional staff provides."
-May-Lin Thomas
Kennewick, WA
_______________________
"In a nutshell, I have been very satisfied with the service I have received from Northwest Trustee & Management Services. The staff has been terrific! I appreciate their sincerity--they did everything they said they would do. As business issues arose, they took care of them immediately to my satisfaction, and I know that they will continue to do so for my family in the future."
-Edgar Bassford
Boise, ID
_______________________
“I have worked exclusively with Northwest Trustee & Management since starting my Advisory practice in 1996…The depth and breadth of their expertise and knowledge is enough to set them apart, but it is their deep level of personal service which gives me the assurance that my clients’ best interests are truly considered.”
-John Schram
LPL Financial
Spokane, WA
_______________________
“I have had the opportunity to work with Northwest Trustee & Management Services on several occasions. I have found Stephen Trefts and his excellent staff to be professional, responsive and efficient with challenging legal and factual situations. My clients have greatly benefited from their experience, professionalism and expertise.”
-J. Patrick Shirey
Attorney at Law
Lyon, Weigand & Gustafson
Yakima, WA
_______________________
“It was my great pleasure to deal with Northwest Trust and your people. They were all very personal and professional. We never had communication problems, and your response times were exceptional. …We would not hesitate to use your services in the future and will recommend you to all our future clients with trust needs.”
-Louis J. Gavin
First Vice President
Financial Advisor
Guided Portfolio Manager
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Yakima, WA
_______________________
