Johnson Lessard Group

MaryAnn Johnson, CFP^®
Managing Director
Private Wealth Advisor
Family Wealth Director
Portfolio Management Director

A seasoned professional with more than 25 years of industry experience, MaryAnn Johnson provides customized advice and investment solutions to financially successful professionals, executives and business owners in Boston and across the country. MaryAnn is dedicated to helping her clients achieve their financial goals so they can attain the financial freedom to pursue their passions and enjoy the wealth they’ve created.

After graduating Northeastern University with a degree in business management, MaryAnn joined the law firm of Burns & Levinson as a paralegal, where she gained experience in real estate, trust and estate administration law. She moved to Nixon Peabody, where she spent four years before deciding to transition to the wealth management industry. She joined a multifamily office and registered investment advisory firm that provided financial and wealth planning advice to high net worth clients.

MaryAnn became a member of the Morgan Stanley family in 2009 for the opportunity to share her knowledge and skills with individuals and families, and to build more personal relationships with her clients. In 2014, she earned her CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNING (CFP^®) designation from the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. With her diverse professional background and unique skill set, MaryAnn brings an experienced perspective to the complex financial needs of her clients, enabling her to deliver highly customized wealth management solutions that touch every aspect of their financial lives.

MaryAnn and her husband currently reside in Cohasset, Massachusetts. They have five grown children. MaryAnn is a member of the Boston Estate Planning Council and The Commonwealth Institute. When she is not working directly with clients or actively volunteering, you can find her spending quality time with family and friends. In her leisure time, she enjoys cooking, working out and training for the Boston Marathon.

Natasha H. Lessard, CFA
Managing Director
Portfolio Manager and Investing with Impact Director
Private Wealth Advisor

A seasoned professional with more than 30 years of industry experience, Natasha provides highly customized advice to an elite clientele of senior corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and multigenerational families. Natasha often engages with her clients when they are facing complex issues associated with major life-changing events, such as the sale of a business, the death of a spouse, a divorce or an inheritance. Natasha’s holistic approach includes a thorough planning process and a commitment to providing outstanding service. She helps clients manage their financial assets so they can focus on the areas of their life that bring them joy, meaning and purpose.

Natasha began her career in 1995 as an Associate at Goldman Sachs, where she worked in the Private Client division investing for ultra-high net worth clients. She moved the team to the Morgan Stanley family in 2008, where the team met MaryAnn Johnson. They discovered that their experiences and skills complemented each other’s and started working together to provide their clients with a comprehensive array of knowledge and services. Together, they lead an eight-member team who have a shared vision and commitment to excellence in the service of their clients.

Studying applied actuarial mathematics, Natasha graduated magna cum laude from Bryant University with a B.S. in Finance. In 2001, she earned the Chartered Financial Analyst^® designation from the CFA Institute. She is a member of the Boston Society of Security Analysts and the CFA Institute. In addition to leading team strategy, her areas of concentration include investment management, executive compensation, portfolio analysis, risk management such as hedge funds and investing in private equity funds and other alternatives.

Natasha takes great pride in her ability to take complex financial concepts and effectively communicate them to her clients using simple language and easy-to-understand analogies. All too often, fear drives financial decisions, becoming a major reason why many financial plans fail. Natasha focuses on educating her clients to help them go beyond the noise to stay focused on their plans and goals.

Thanks to the trust her clients have placed in her, Natasha was named one of Forbes’ Top Women Wealth Advisors in 2020, and has been every year since. She was also named to the Top Wealth Advisor Moms list by Working Mother.

Acting on her belief that financial education is an essential life skill, Natasha volunteers with the SIFMA Foundation’s Investwrite Program for Students. She has been a speaker and actively involved in the MIT Age Lab focusing on Well Being and Longevity. Serving the most at-need part of the community is very important to her. Natasha is a proud member of the Beth Israel Bowdoin Street Health Center Leadership Council and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Leadership Board. In addition, Natasha is a Special Olympics Massachusetts volunteer for the summer and fall programs.

When Natasha is not working directly with clients or supporting local community activities, you can find her spending quality time with her extended family and friends. Natasha grew up in Rhode Island and now lives in Walpole, Massachusetts with her husband, Al, and their three sons, Albert, Bernard and Andre. In her free time, Natasha enjoys music, cooking, downhill skiing and other outdoor sports.

Learn more about her specialty in Equity Compensation. Link Opens in New Tab
Securities Agent: WA, TX, WI, VT, VA, UT, SC, RI, PA, OH, NY, NJ, NC, MN, MI, MD, MA,
LA, IN, IL, GA, FL, DE, DC, CT, CO, CA, AZ, OR, NH, ME; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative; Managed Futures; NMLS#: 1274496

Donald R. Stanton
Senior Vice President
Senior Portfolio Manager
Financial Advisor

Don has been advising wealthy private clients and institutions for 55 years. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1968 and was there until 2002 when he joined UBS. He worked at UBS until 2008 when he became a Senior Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager at Morgan Stanley. During his 34 years at Goldman, he served as a Director of Stone Street Funds from 1988 to 1991. In 1988 he received the Goldman Sachs Community Service award. Don serves on the investment committees of the Goldhirsch Foundation and Winsor School. He also served on the boards and committees at the deCordova Sculpture Park, Trinity Church, Winsor School, ICA, MFA, RISD, First Night Boston and the Berkley Divinity School at Yale. He and his wife founded the Friends of Boston Art and are still active in the Boston Art community.

Don graduated from Lebanon Valley College in 1966. At Lebanon Valley he was the chairman of the Men’s Senate and President of the Kappa Lambda Sigma fraternity. He received his MBA from Boston University in 1968. At BU he served as the Graduate Assistant to the Dean of the School of Management, where he oversaw the Distinguished Men of Management Series.

Dan Rudge is a First Vice President and Certified Financial Planner^® with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in Boston, Mass. Known for his strong work ethic and unwavering commitment to his clients, he has more than 16 years of experience in financial services, all with Morgan Stanley. Dan, who obtained his CFP^® designation in 2015, serves a broad range of high and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families and business owners.

In his effort to deliver the highest level of service to clients, Dan follows a comprehensive interview process designed to gather all pertinent facts before conducting pain-staking financial analysis and making his carefully conceived investment recommendations.

Among his many attributes, he is an exceptionally good listener and is extremely passionate about putting clients’ needs and goals first with every decision that he makes. His commitment to excellence is surpassed only by his unrelenting desire to exceed his clients’ every expectation.

After he creates a holistic financial plan for his clients, Dan remains in close contact with them, and is readily available to modify their plan as their life situation changes. “I truly strive to be a consistent and dependable resource for my clients in building beneficial long-term trusting relationships with them,” he says.

Despite having extensive experience, Dan continues to devote an exorbitant amount of time to learning about the economy and finance as well as the myriad investments available to investors. He places as much importance on helping his clients grow their wealth as protecting it during periods of heightened market uncertainty.

Dan, who went to college on a golf scholarship, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance from Eckerd College. He is still an avid golfer and also enjoys playing hockey and running in his free time.

In the summer, he had his wife and their four-year-old son vacation in Maine and at the beach in Marblehead, where they make their home. The family also loves playing with their dog Bauer, a 10-year-old golden retriever.

Understanding the importance of community service, Dan donates to his local YMCA, where his son has attended day care for several years.

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Having spent more than 20 years as a tax and estate attorney prior to his wealth management career, Ken Johnson brings a sophisticated perspective to the financial planning needs of ultra high net worth families. While not practicing law at Morgan Stanley, Ken works closely with clients of The Johnson Lessard Group and their outside advisors to develop multigenerational strategies that reflect their values and multigenerational ambitions.

Prior to joining the Johnson Lessard team, Ken served as a Wealth Planning Director for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in the Greater New England region. In that capacity, Ken works with Financial Advisors and their high net worth clients to develop Wealth Management Plans that incorporate comprehensive financial and estate planning strategies.

Ken moved to Morgan Stanley from the Boston law firm of Burns & Levinson LLP, where he served as Chairman of the trusts and estates group. Over the course of his 20-year legal career, he represented individuals and business clients in connection with the development and implementation of sophisticated estate planning documents and techniques. Ken has also been involved in the administration of numerous estates and trusts. He has represented clients before the Internal Revenue Service and state tax authorities.

Ken holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Brown University, a law degree from Suffolk University Law School and a Masters of Taxation Law degree from Boston University School of Law. He is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the First Circuit United States Court for the District of Massachusetts, and the United States Tax Court.

Brett Dietzold is a Portfolio Associate on the team. In his role, Brett focuses on providing the highest level of service to our clients. As our operations liaison, Brett is responsible for overseeing the technical aspects of our clients’ accounts. His skill set and commitment help our team elevate the client experience. In conjunction with our Financial Advisors, Brett plays a critical role in creating comprehensive Financial Plans. Financial planning is an integral component of our service model and Brett often collaborates with outside professionals such as CPAs, Estate Attorneys, and Insurance Professionals to cover all areas of our clients’ financial lives.

Brett graduated from Temple University in 2014. He joined Morgan Stanley and the team in 2019 and is Series 7 and Series 66 registered. Outside of the office, Brett is the captain of the Morgan Stanley softball team and is an avid Philadelphia Sports fan.

Jack joined Morgan Stanley in 2022 from Baystate Financial where he began his career. He graduated from Fairfield University in 2021 where he majored in Finance. During his time at Fairfield, Jack served as the president of the club baseball team and as a portfolio manager for the Fairfield Investment Group.

Jack has a passion for investing and helping clients achieve their financial goals. As a Registered Client Service Associate and Certified Financial Planner^® he strives to provide the highest level of service and enhance the client experience at Morgan Stanley. In addition to processing client requests and resolving inquiries, Jack collaborates with the team’s financial advisors on portfolio construction ideas, with a focus on fixed income. His additional responsibilities include, trade execution, equity research and due diligence. He is Series 7 and Series 66 registered. In his free time, Jack enjoys traveling, playing sports, and watching the New England Patriots on Sundays.

Gabi Tanzman is the newest member on our team. Gabi joined the team in 2023 as a Wealth Management Associate. She joined the team after spending seven years in Atlanta, GA at UBS Financial Services. Although originally from Massachusetts, Gabi moved to Atlanta to receive her undergraduate degree at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she graduated with High Honors. Gabi received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a Finance Concentration and a Business Analytics Certificate.

In her role, Gabi will be supporting the daily needs of our clients in a variety of ways. Her previous experience will enhance our ability to support a range of services including banking, checking accounts, online bill pay, credit cards and lending solutions. As a holder of the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER TM designation, she will also provide support with constructing, monitoring, and modifying goals-based financial plans for our clients. Gabi is Series 7 and Series 66 licensed. With her free time, Gabi likes to bake, travel and spend time trail running. She and her husband live in the South End with their two cats.