Staff

Stephen Trefts

Founder and owner, Stephen W. Trefts, has over 30 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; Dishman Hills Conservancy Board; and former Northwest Christian Schools Foundation, Board Chairman.

 swtrefts@nwtrustee.com

 

 

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Sandy Calbreath

With over 20 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.  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

 

 

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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

 

 

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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

 

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Cam McGillivray

Cam McGillivray joined our firm as in-house counsel and trust officer.  A graduate of City University in Bellevue, Washington, with a Bachelor of Science degree in management, Cam received his Juris Doctor degree from the Seattle University School of Law and was admitted into the Washington State Bar in November 2006.  Prior to joining our firm, Cam was an associate at Lyon's Law Offices, P.S., in Seattle, and brings with him experience in estate planning and trust and estate litigation.  Cam is a member of the Spokane Estate Planning Council, the Inland Northwest Planned Giving Council, and the Spokane Country Bar Association.

cmcgillivray@nwtrustee.com

 

 

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Support Staff

Bonny Eaton

As our Trust Accounting Clerk, Bonny handles processing deposits and disbursements for trusts, processing fees, and provides administrative assistance to the trust officers.  A graduate of Shadle Park High School, she received her B.A. in English and History from Kean University.

Shirley Miranda

As our office Receptionist/Administrative Assistant, Shirley answers phones, schedules appointments, coordinates travel and speaking engagements and performs a myriad of other tasks which keep the office organized and operating smoothly.  Shirley has Associate Degrees in Paralegal Studies and Office Administration and past experience in both fields.  Additionally, she speaks fluent Spanish.

Jaime Morrison

Jaime has worked for Northwest Trustee and Management Services for many years in different roles and currently serves as Trust Accounting Assistant.  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 has an A.A.S. degree in Secretarial Administration from Spokane Falls Community College.

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.

Whitney Vandenburg

A graduate of Whitworth University, with a double major in French and Theology,  Whitney joined the firm as an Office Assistant in 2009 and was promoted to Trust Assistant in 2010.  She provides general assistance to the trust officers, which includes research, preparing reports, correspondence, and maintaining data.  In addition, she manages the record archives and assists with marketing. 

Teri Williams

As our Office Assistant, Teri handles filing and archiving.  She also covers the front desk for a few hours a day.  Prior to joining our staff, Teri worked in the office Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries.  She has also worked as a bank teller and in customer service. 

Teamwork

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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. 

 

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"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."

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"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."

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