FAIRFIELD, IA – August 22, 2025 – Cambridge is pleased to recognize independent financial professionals April Booth, Janelle Lind, and Kelly Cartier, and home office associates Mark Thornton and Whitney Pacha as the 2025 Spirit of Cambridge Award honorees. Each year, Cambridge associates vote to select two associates and three financial professionals who feel they truly embody the heart of Cambridge to receive the award. As part of the recognition for their contribution to culture, values, and service, Cambridge makes a donation on their behalf to a charity of their choice.

Financial Professional Recipients
April Booth is the President of Enterprise Operations and Advisor Experience at TAG Advisors, located in Glen Allen, Virginia. She has been with Cambridge for 12 years and has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Booth selected the Julie Baker Memorial Fund, which benefits the Willow Domestic Violence Center in Rochester, New York. The Willow Domestic Violence Center’s mission is to prevent domestic violence and champion survivors’ safety, justice, healing, and hope.

Cambridge and TAG Advisors and its subsidiaries are separate entities.

Janelle Lind is the Owner and President of Preferred Partners, located in Golden, Colorado and New Richmond, Wisconsin. She has been with Cambridge for 12 years and has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Lind selected Frontier Horizon as her charity of choice. Frontier Horizon is a catalyst for change by connecting orphaned children with caring advocates, creating a ripple effect of compassion, hope, and opportunity.

Cambridge and Preferred Partners are not affiliated. 

Kelly Cartier is the Founder of Cartier Financial, located in Clermont, Florida. She has been with Cambridge for 16 years and has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. Cartier selected the Greater Clermont Cancer Foundation (GCCF) as her charity of choice. GCCF’s mission is to provide financial assistance, support and comfort to people fighting cancer that live in South Lake County Florida. GCCF also provides scholarships to immediate family members or the patient themselves who have been impacted by a cancer diagnosis.

Cartier Financial, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. 

Associate Recipients
Mark Thornton is Senior Director of Advisory Solutions and has been with Cambridge for 15 years. Thornton selected Carry On Bags as his charity choice. Carry On Bags (COB) is a nonprofit organization that was formed to address the problem of food insecurity for preschool through 12th grade students in Jefferson County, Iowa. They offer bags with snacks and simple meals that allow children to "carry on" without school meals over weekends and during school breaks. 

Whitney Pacha is Director of Marketing and Communications and has been with Cambridge for 15 years.
Pacha selected Adoption Center (adopt.org) as her charity of choice. Adoption Center started in 1972 with a dream of making sure every kid, no matter their age or circumstances, was connected with a permanent, loving home. Since then, Adoption Center has grown into a national organization and helped more than 25,000 families grow.

About Cambridge
Cambridge is a financial solutions firm focused on serving independent financial professionals and their clients while preserving its internal control. Cambridge offers a broad range of choices for independent financial professionals regarding solutions for advice, growth, technology, and independence. Cambridge’s national reach includes: Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc. – a large corporate RIA; and Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. – an independent broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC, that is among the largest internally controlled independent broker-dealers in the country. Learn more at JoinCambridge.com.

Contact: Jeff Wulf, Senior Vice President, Cambridge: jeff.wulf@cir2.com or 800-777-6080

About the Spirit of Cambridge Award
The Spirit of Cambridge Award is given annually to independent financial professionals and associates who are dedicated to service while reflecting Cambridge’s core values of integrity, commitment, flexibility, and kindness. Each year, Cambridge home office associates select three financial professionals and two associates from a pool of outstanding candidates who have been affiliated with Cambridge for at least 10 years. The awards are presented during Ignite, Cambridge’s annual national conference, along with a donation by Cambridge to a qualified charity of each recipient’s choice to further honor their spirit and dedication to their clients, Cambridge, and the industry.

The Spirit of Cambridge awards began in 2012 to recognize quality financial professionals reflecting the Cambridge spirit, and thousands of dollars have been donated in their honor to charities across the country. Given their dedication to their clients, Cambridge, and the financial services industry, this is a well-deserved award for each honoree. Spirit of Cambridge honorees to date include:

2024 Spirit of Cambridge honorees: Rocco Scarsella, Larry Qvistgaard, Judi Griffin, Cindy Lowe, Jason Conner
2023 Spirit of Cambridge honorees: Kay Black, Morae Metcalf, Regina Quirk, Josh Schwartz, Traci Shughart
2022 Spirit of Cambridge honorees: Kristen Hafner, David Nelson, Jen Schaefer
2021 Spirit of Cambridge honorees: Dawn Baker, John Fenwick, and Kim Gaxiola
2020 Spirit of Cambridge honorees: Denny Gustin-Piazza, Jimmy Williams, and Shane Westhoelter
2019 Spirit of Cambridge honorees: Parker Consaul, Steve James, and Wanda Delgado
2018 Spirit of Cambridge honorees: Kay Knuth, Michael Curtis, and Monte Ferguson
2017 Spirit of Cambridge honorees: David Wheat, Ed Kohlhepp, Jr., and Jim Regitz
2016 Spirit of Cambridge honorees: Ed Kohlhepp, Sr., Ray Castaldi, and Scott Marshall
2015 Spirit of Cambridge honorees: Cheryl Patterson, Mark Mitchell, and Steve Przewlocki
2014 Spirit of Cambridge honorees: John Rathbun, Karl Elsass, and Tom Bode
2013 Spirit of Cambridge honorees: Bryan Kelly, Gerry Steffes, and Tim Shmidl
2012 Spirit of Cambridge honorees: Gary Wargo, Lisa Heath, and Robert Pugliese