Meet Our Team

As the founder of the Bender Private Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors, Bill has been helping successful families, small businesses, and institutions manage their wealth since 1984. Bill is the team's lead strategist and also focuses on institutional investment consulting. He is qualified to help institutional clients and ultra-high-net-worth individuals with a broad range of services. Bill holds a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP^®) certification, awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. He also holds a Certified Investment Management Analyst^® (CIMA^®) designation.

Bill earned his bachelor's degree in business from Keystone College, where he was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters after giving the commencement address in 2013. He formerly served as chairman of the board at both Keystone College and the Lackawanna County Red Cross. He is a former board member of St. Joseph's Children's Center, Jewish Family Services, WVIA, and the Scranton Cultural Center, as well as a former president of Scranton Tomorrow. A lifelong resident of Scranton, Bill and his wife, Maureen, have five children and 15 grandchildren. He enjoys golf, rooting for the Phillies, and spending time with his family.

Melissa has been working as a financial advisor with the Bender Private Wealth Management Group since 2006, using an individualized approach to goals-based wealth management and handling the team’s business management. As a retirement benefits consultant, she executes strategic retirement plan consulting services for new and existing clients. She is a graduate of Scranton Preparatory School and received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Scranton. Melissa went on to complete a professional study regimen and holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) certification, awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. She also holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor℠ (CRPC®), and the Certified 401(k) Professional (C(k)P®).

A lifelong resident of Scranton, Melissa lives there with her husband, Chris, and their six children. She is a director on the board for the Wright Center for Community Health, as well as the Community Health Hub board.

Kevin joined the financial services industry in 2013. Among his responsibilities with the team are managing the client contact system and client reviews. Kevin received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Temple University in Philadelphia, where he was enrolled in the Fox School of Business Honors Program. Kevin holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor^SM (CRPC^®) designation.

A proud graduate of Scranton Preparatory School, Kevin resides in Scranton, PA.

Brian began his career in the financial services industry in 2006, worked for Oppenheimer & Co., and returned in 2013. With the Bender Private Wealth Management Group, he focuses on reviewing the performance of investments and investment managers, financial reporting and analysis, and reviewing and working with institutions.

Brian holds the Chartered Financial Analyst^® (CFA^®) and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP^®) certifications. He received a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT, and he currently lives in Scranton, PA.

Alison is the newest member of the Bender Private Wealth Management Group, joining in December of 2019. As a Client Associate, she provides clients with a high level of attention, coordinating new account documentation and account transfers, and performing other administrative services. She is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, where she earned a degree in communications. Having worked as both an event planner and an executive administrative assistant in the past, she is extremely detail-oriented and prides herself on providing clients with a high level of attention and service.

Alison resides in Old Forge with her husband, Bryan, and their dog, Boomer. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and loves attending different sporting events and concerts.