Scott Alaniz
Chief Executive Officer
Northwest Arkansas native, Scott is married to Dianna, and they have three daughters: Kara, Erin and Sophie. Scott graduated from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. He was president of the Portfolio Management Class and was selected for the University’s only internship on the New York Stock Exchange.
He began his career at Stephens in Little Rock. During his 13 years at Stephens, he was responsible for the financial due diligence, evaluation of management and investment recommendations for a number of prominent publicly-traded companies operating in the retail, transportation, manufacturing and banking industries. Scott was responsible for helping his counterparts at large institutional and mutual funds understand the risk and return potential of the various industries and stocks he covered.
From 2001 to 2006, Scott worked for Samco Capital (Dallas, TX) and then with Sandler O’Neill & Partners, a leading NY-based investment bank for financial institutions. The clients of these firms, fund managers, looked to Scott to provide investment insight into publicly-traded financial institutions in Texas and the Southeastern U.S.
Sam Dunn
Senior Advisor
Sam Dunn joins our firm as Senior Advisor after a successful career as a senior Finance officer with Walmart. During 28 years with that company, he served in various leadership roles including: CFO of Sam’s Club and Walmart.com, Divisional Controller for Walmart US, and the top Administrative Officer in both Japan and Mexico. At the time of his retirement, he led the strategy and planning functions for Global Leverage Services.
Sam is a member of several business and professional associations, including: Financial Executives International and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He sits on the National Advisory Council of the BYU Marriott School of Management.
Sam is actively involved in his church and in the community. His non-profit board positions include: President of the Westark Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and past-president of the Foundation Board of Open Avenues adult development center in Rogers, Arkansas.
Sam received his degree in Accounting from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He and his wife, Mary, have four grown children and three grandchildren. When Sam is not helping clients you can find him with his family; or hiking, running and biking in the hills and trails of NW Arkansas, Texas and Utah.
Stefanie Ceola
Chief Strategy Officer
Originally from south Texas, Stefanie received her bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University with a Bachelor of Art with the first decade of her career divided between Public Relations and Human Resources.
Stefanie began her journey with Boston Mountain as a wealth strategist, helping clients decipher and leverage employee benefits as part of their financial plan. As she grew to know Boston Mountain and the financial industry, she took to implementing processes and developing strategies for the future. Stefanie now acts as Boston Mountain's Chief Strategy Officer and moral compass aligning the business and the team to provide the best experience for the Boston Mountain clients.
Stefanie and her husband spent the first decade of their marriage living on their family farm in a tiny home they crafted themselves. They've since expanded their home and now own a custom door company in Northwest Arkansas.
Lindsey Charles
Client Services Specialist
Lindsey graduated from Rogers State University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting. Immediately following graduation she worked for a CPA firm short term before starting her 5 year career at Walmart working in a few different areas (Post Audit, General Accounting, and Intercompany).
Lindsey has always had a passion for budgeting and managing money which led her to Boston Mountain. She fell in love with numbers at a young age and never looked back. Her free time is dedicated to her husband and two children, one of which is a little over a year and keeps them busy. She enjoys cooking/baking, serving at church, and party planning. On a perfect day you would find her kicked back reading a book next to a campfire outside of the newest addition to her family - the travel trailer.
Josh DeForest
Junior Portfolio Manager
Josh received his bachelor’s degree from Evangel University in 2011 and his MBA from Missouri State University in 2018. Prior to joining the Boston Mountain team, he was a project and operations manager.
Josh likes to tackle complex problems and create efficient solutions that can scale as organizations grow. He also enjoys studying organizational design and identifying systems that can be implemented for long-term success. Josh uses these skills on a daily basis with our investment portfolios, ensuring that our clients are invested properly and monitored on a regular basis.
Outside the office, Josh enjoys time with his wife Sarah and their dog Kevin. If he’s not out on a trail with his family, you’ll most likely find Josh at the golf course.
Alyssa Harwell
Financial Planner
Alyssa was born and raised here in Northwest Arkansas and graduated with her Bachelor of Science from University of Central Arkansas.
Alyssa comes to Boston Mountain with 5 years of financial planning experience. She enjoys problem solving and “making the puzzle pieces fit” to create a financial plan that fits our client’s unique situations.
In her free time, you can find Alyssa outside—fishing in a river, walking her dog, Ouiser B, spending quality time with family and friends, and traveling!
Mark Chisenhall
Financial Planner
Mark joined the Boston Mountain team in 2021 as a Financial Planner. He brings over a decade of experience across investment management, personal financial planning, and corporate strategy. Prior to joining the team, Mark worked at Goldman Sachs Ayco Personal Financial Management as a financial planner supporting corporate executives in investment management, tax planning and retirement planning. Additionally, he worked in strategic planning roles at Murphy USA and Charles Schwab. Mark began his career at a New York based Registered Investment Advisor.
Mark enjoys helping clients simplify and frame complex financial planning topics so the client can be confident in their most significant financial decisions while also minimizing the stress and time spent addressing these decisions. In his free time, Mark enjoys gardening, listening to music and spending time with his family. Mark and his wife, Natalia, have two children, Isabella and Nicolas.
Mark received his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and his MBA from Southern Methodist University. He is also a CFA charterholder and member of the Arkansas CFA Society.
