Our team

Charles has been with Thrivent since 1985. He focuses on retirement income accumulation and distribution, which may include investments, insurance or annuities. He also works with accountants and estate attorneys to help create and implement tax mitigation and estate preservation strategies. Charles wants his clients to live and leave a legacy for the people and causes that matter to them.

Along with his wife, Angela, Charles enjoys supporting the following charities and causes: Live Again Ministries, Habitat for Humanity, Lake Wylie/Clover Mayday Project, Olympic High School Teachers Foundation, Motor Racing Outreach (MRO), Focus on the Family, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and The Well of Hope. He received the Voice in Philanthropy Award* from Thrivent Charitable for facilitating gifts that support our greater community and is a member of Thrivent’s Hall of Fame**.

Outside of work, Charles loves spending time with his family. He has three grown children: Lucas, Cason and Grace, and one grandson, Lucas Charles. They enjoy a wide variety of outdoor sports and activities and love spending time on the family farm.

*Each Voice in Philanthropy (VIP) must meet two criteria: Facilitate at least $100,000 in donor gifts to Thrivent Charitable for the year; and, have a career number of donors that meets or exceeds the average number of financial professionals working with Thrivent Charitable.

**Hall of Fame represents long-term commitment to our organization with consistent, successful performance. Financial Professionals qualify for Hall of Fame by achieving at least 20 years of service and by meeting performance goals.

Colby is a native of Claremont, North Carolina, graduating from Bunker Hill High School and Appalachian State University. While a student at Appalachian State, Colby completed an internship with the financial advisors in the Charlotte office. After graduating in 2009, he opened the Claremont office, now currently one of four held by the Your Journey team. Colby focuses on comprehensive dedicated planning with small business owners and entrepreneurs. He also concentrates on the tax and estate planning arms of holistic financial strategies. Colby extends his passion for mentoring to new financial advisors at Thrivent.

Community involvement and support are very important to Colby. At his home church, Mt. Calvary Lutheran, he has served as church council vice president on several occasions. He also enjoys serving as the foundation board president and a trustee board member for the Catawba Valley Health System based in Hickory, North Carolina. Along with his wife, Jenna, Colby supports the Appalachian State Yosef Club and The Walker College of Business. He enjoys supporting the business students and having some of them complete internships at Thrivent.

Outside of work, Colby loves spending time with Jenna and their three young children: Tillie, Oliver and Maren. They enjoy being outdoors together and Colby especially enjoys boating, hunting, fishing and grilling for his family and friends.

Mike has been with Thrivent for the last 17 years. He focuses on engineering holistic dedicated plans to provide clients with direction on how to meet their goals, both present and future. Mike is also a coach and mentor to new financial advisors, helping them grow and reach their fullest potential.

Mike enjoys spending time with his wife and fellow Your Journey partner, Kelly, and his three children: Jackson, Caroline and Ella. Jackson plays college baseball, so they try to attend most of his games. They also love traveling to new vacation destinations, as well as relaxing at the lake with friends.

Kelly’s clients are an extension of her family. Her mission is to lead a faith-based practice deeply rooted in service. She helps empower her clients to handle the ups and downs of their financial journeys, while gaining confidence in their present and future situations. She uses holistic dedicated planning to tailor a plan to your specific needs, whether you’re just starting out, making family plans, adjusting to a major life event, or preparing for retirement.

Kelly helps her clients live generously and be wise with money in accordance with God’s way. She seeks to share His blessings with our local community and beyond by supporting several organizations near and dear to her heart. Kelly is currently serving as a board member of the Catawba Valley Health Foundation and enjoys supporting the National Kidney Foundation, Hearts and Hope and the Hickory Soup Kitchen. Several of the Your Journey partners are passionate about participating in Habitat for Humanity international builds. They have made several trips to El Salvador and hope to resume when the Covid-19 landscape allows.

Kelly and her husband and fellow Your Journey partner, Mike, enjoy travelling the world. She gains fresh perspectives and brings back new ideas, energy and excitement. She also enjoys spoiling her nieces and spending time relaxing and having fun with family and friends.

Rob is a native of Roanoke, Virginia. After graduating from Wingate University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business, Rob joined Thrivent in 1998. He focuses on both the pre-retirement and retirement markets, while also providing advice to his senior clients on Medicare and Social Security concerns. Rob’s goal for his clients is for them to be well educated in financial and estate matters.

Rob loves to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and has traveled on many mission trips with Thrivent builds and different church groups. Outside of work, Rob enjoys a wide variety of outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing and camping. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, especially his three children: Abby, Bailey and Ben.

Chris’ duties are to provide investment solutions for our clients. Utilizing his extensive analytical background, he designs solutions that are tailored around the member’s goals keeping asset allocation and balance in the forefront of the strategy.

Chris joined Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in 2003 after spending five years with Bank of America Securities. There he worked as an analyst for the fixed income institutional group and worked with a team that supported the fixed income institutional traders.

Chris received his undergraduate degree in biology in 1997 from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a Master of Science degree in molecular microbiology in 1999 from the same institution, and an MBA from the McColl School of Business at Queens College in 2001.

Chris has had papers published in both science and business including Pitfalls in Riding the Screaming Dragon: Warnings from an Entrepreneur’s Rush to Crack the Chinese Fast Food Market. As well as publishing various papers, he has presented his work at numerous conferences around the country.

Chris has been married to his wife, Kelly, for 23 years and has two boys, ages 15 and 19.