Elevation Point Names Brad Smithy President, Wealth Management & Welcomes Katie Johnson as Head of Wealth Solutions

New Leadership Appointments Underscore Elevation Point's Dedication to Advancing Advisor Empowerment and Driving Long-Term Partner Growth

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Elevation Point, a growth accelerator and minority stake partner for independent advisors and breakaway firms, proudly announces that Brad Smithy, CIMA^®, its Founding Partner and Head of Wealth Management, has been promoted to the newly created role of President, Wealth Management. As one of the founders of Elevation Point and a veteran of the wealth management industry for more than 30 years, he will lead the firm's business development and relationship management teams and help strategically implement its goals and objectives. In addition, Katie Johnson is joining Elevation Point as Head of Wealth Solutions, a role where she will focus on advancing Elevation Point's Wealth Solutions platform, a core driver of the firm's advisor growth strategy.

Since launching last summer, Elevation Point has invested in independent wealth management practices encompassing $9.6 billion in client assets under supervision. With Elevation Point continuing to expand the support and resources it offers to entrepreneurial advisor teams, Mr. Smithy's new role will cement consistency in the firm's culture and infrastructure as it scales into the next phase of development as an organization.  

"Brad and I have worked together for many years, and I've consistently seen him inspire, lead, and elevate the results advisors can achieve," said Jim Dickson, Founding Partner and CEO of Elevation Point. "He's replicated this success with the exceptional advisor teams we've partnered with because he understands not only what advisors need, but also what their clients value. Brad has always championed advisor trust as the foundation for growth and durability. As Elevation Point continues to mature, his expertise and leadership will be critical in strengthening the paths to partnership that we offer."

Ms. Johnson, who reports to Mr. Smithy, will partner across business lines to build strategic partnerships, drive adoption, and ensure Elevation Point's Wealth Solutions offering serves as a growth engine for advisors.

"I admire what Katie has accomplished throughout her career, accelerating advisor growth by unlocking wealth solutions, and creating a seamless, elevated experience across independently operated firms which preserves their autonomy," Mr. Dickson continued. "She has the expertise and experience necessary for defining, packaging, and positioning our non-investment wealth solutions—which span wealth planning to platform capabilities—to deepen engagement across our ecosystem, and empower advisors to truly elevate what they can do for their clients."

Elevation Point provides the resources, freedom, flexibility, and collaborative culture to empower advisors to grow their own practices or successfully build them. In September, the firm made a strategic investment in Tequesta, FL-based Loxahatchee Capital, a multi-family office overseeing $1.4 billion in assets. In July, Elevation Point announced it had made a strategic minority investment in Minneapolis-based Waycrest Wealth, a wealth management firm with $1 billion in assets under supervision.

Elevation Point also recently embarked on a strategic collaboration with Goldman Sachs to offer partner firms more of the banking and lending, trading, asset management, and capital markets capabilities they need to thrive.  

"In just over a year, we've grown by leaps and bounds, a testament to both our mission and the collaborative way we grow alongside our advisor partners," said Brad Smithy, CIMA^®, Founding Partner and President of Elevation Point. "The team we've built and continue to expand enables independent advisors to excel across every dimension. I look forward to guiding our partners in fully realizing the power of our resources and extending that value to more elite, entrepreneurial advisors across the country."

Prior to co-founding Elevation Point, Mr. Smithy worked at UBS for more than 15 years, and held leadership positions including Divisional Director. In this role, he managed more than 1,900 financial advisors, responsible for managing nearly $500 billion in assets under management. Earlier in his career, Mr. Smithy spent more than 15 years at Merrill Lynch, where he served as a financial advisor, complex sales manager, district sales manager, and complex director.

"I'm inspired by the opportunity to build something meaningful with trusted partners, aligning top talent, innovative ideas, and a clear vision to help advisors and their clients achieve exceptional results," said Katie Johnson, Head of Wealth Solutions at Elevation Point. "Elevation Point has a strong foundation of advisor-focused capabilities, and now we can elevate how those solutions come to life. By connecting strategy and partnership, our Wealth Solutions platform serves as a growth engine for advisors and a key contributor to the broader Elevation Point ecosystem."

Ms. Johnson joins Elevation Point after serving as President and Partner at FiComm Partners, where she played a pivotal role in shaping the firm's people, culture, and strategic execution. She will continue her involvement with the company as an Advisory Board Member and Equity Partner. Earlier in her career, she spent 15 years at United Capital, a firm widely recognized for redefining the wealth management landscape before its acquisition by Goldman Sachs in 2019. Following the acquisition, she served as Vice President of Corporate Communications for Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management. In addition, Ms. Johnson serves as a faculty member for BNY Pershing's NEXT Gen Leadership Forum, where she mentors the industry's emerging leaders.

About Elevation Point
Elevation Point is a wealth management firm focused on bringing together industry-leading independent advisors through minority stake partnerships with RIAs and advisors transitioning to independence. Distinguishing ourselves as accelerators in a landscape of aggregators, our growth partnership model empowers advisors to retain control over their futures, with our support. With a core focus on advisor values and clients' evolving needs, our mission is simple: to elevate the entire industry to higher ground.

For more information, please visit elevationpoint.com, and for the latest updates, follow Elevation Point on LinkedIn. 

Media Contact
Sarah Tremallo
JConnelly
[email protected]
908-967-0381

SOURCE Elevation Point