Matthew Blattmachr, CFP®, CFIRS

Matthew Blattmachr has been with Peak Trust Company full-time since 2008, and currently serves as President & CEO. Prior to assuming this leadership role, Matthew served in various roles with the company across every department, including investments, operations and trust administration. Matthew is responsible for overseeing three office locations and a staff of over 40 team members in Alaska and Nevada. Matthew’s expertise includes administration of private foundations, trusts holding private placement life insurance, Grantor Trusts, Incomplete Non-Grantor Trusts, and Charitable Trusts. 

Since 2008, Matthew has taken an active role in the passage of trust and estate-related legislation. In early 2019, he organized a formal working group, Alaska Trust & Estate Professionals, to continue this progress to further advance Alaska’s trust and estate planning law for the benefit of the state, Alaskans, and Alaskan professionals.

In the Alaska estate planning community, Matthew is active in several professional associations, public policy groups, and nonprofits. Matthew has served in leadership positions as Chair of the Anchorage Senior Activity Center Endowment Fund Board of Trustees, President of the Anchorage Estate Planning Council, and currently serves as President of Alaska Trust & Estate Professionals and as a Board member of Commonwealth North, Alaska’s premier non-partisan public policy forum.

Matthew has written and co-authored numerous articles related to trusts and estate planning in Alaska for various publications including Family Office Magazine and Trusts & Estates Magazine.

Matthew holds a Master of Business Administration from Alaska Pacific University, a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Matthew has earned his Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation from the College of Financial Planning and Certified Fiduciary & Investment Risk Management Specialist (CFIRS) designation from the Cannon Financial Institute.

Abigail O’Connor, JD

Abigail O’Connor serves as Chief Fiduciary Officer for Peak Trust Company. Since joining the team in 2024, Abigail brings deep expertise in strategic estate planning for high-net-worth clients. In her role, Abigail is responsible for overseeing the fiduciary operations of the company, ensuring the highest standards of trust administration and client service. She leads a team of experienced professionals, providing strategic guidance on complex trust and estate matters, and works closely with clients to develop and implement customized estate planning solutions. Abigail’s extensive background in estate planning, tax strategy, and trust administration uniquely positions her to drive Peak Trust Company’s mission of delivering unparalleled fiduciary services.

With over 15 years of dedicated experience in trusts and estates, Abigail has honed her expertise in a variety of practice areas. These include estate planning, estate and gift tax strategic planning, representation of trustees and beneficiaries, estate administration, and family business succession planning. Her comprehensive approach to estate planning integrates tax considerations, challenging family dynamics, and the unique needs of family business owners. This diverse experience is instrumental in her current role, where she ensures that clients receive holistic and tailored fiduciary services.

Abigail is known for her ability to navigate complex legal and financial landscapes, offering counsel on a range of estate planning tools such as revocable and irrevocable trusts, life insurance trusts, dynasty trusts, asset protection trusts, and more. She also collaborates with out-of-state attorneys to incorporate Alaska trusts into broader estate plans, guiding fiduciaries and beneficiaries through their creation and administration.

In her legal practice, Abigail represented trustees and personal representatives, providing counsel on trust administration and estate probate in Alaska. She is adept at addressing complex issues like irrevocable trust modifications and providing ongoing administration support.

Abigail’s professional affiliations are extensive. She serves as the Alaska State Chair of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and has held leadership roles in several professional organizations, including the Anchorage Estate Planning Council and Anchorage Trust & Estate Professionals. Her accolades include a Martindale-Hubbell AV rating and a Band 1 ranking by Chambers Private Wealth Law in Alaska.

Abigail is a prolific writer and speaker, contributing to numerous publications and presenting at various industry events. She holds a Juris Doctor with a concentration in Estate Planning from Albany Law School, a Master of Science in Applied Mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Rutgers University. Abigail is licensed to practice law in Alaska and Florida.

Lisa Russell, CFA

Lisa Russell has been with Peak Trust Company since 2003 and currently serves as Chief Investment Officer. Lisa specializes in designing unique investment programs for high-net-worth clients and trust accounts. She is highly attuned to the tax consequences of investment actions. Lisa has over 25 years of investment experience. Prior to joining Peak Trust Company, Lisa held investment positions at other firms, most recently at US Bank, where she worked with high-net-worth individuals as a Senior Portfolio Manager.

Lisa holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from Emory University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Southern California. Lisa holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Seattle.

Michelle Stahle

Michelle Stahle has been with Peak Trust Company since 2018 and currently serves as Chief Operations Officer overseeing all back-office banking operations. In this leadership role, she manages fiduciary operations teams across multiple offices and is responsible for daily processing and procedures related to trust administration, account management, transaction processing, asset custody, compliance, and more.

Michelle brings over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry focusing specifically on fiduciary and trust operations for the past 13 years. Prior to joining Peak, she worked in increasingly senior roles at a federal credit union leading the trust operations department. There, Michelle directed her teams in account opening, money movement, brokerage interactions, annual reviews, tax form preparation, records management, and reconciliations.

As Chief Operations Officer at Peak Trust Company, Michelle leverages her expertise in fiduciary processing and client account management to lead company-wide initiatives impacting accuracy, efficiency, risk mitigation and client satisfaction. Michelle and her division are essential to ensuring seamless trust administration operations and providing excellent service levels to Peak Trust’s clients and partners.

James Meier, CPA, CMA

James Meier serves as Chief Financial Officer for Peak Trust Company. In this role, James oversees all aspects of financial management for the firm. His core responsibilities include financial reporting and analysis, budgeting and forecasting, treasury functions, audit and control, shareholder communications, and strategic planning. He assesses business performance, directs capital allocation, manages risk and financing, and develops long range fiscal growth plans. As a key member of the executive team, James helps drive decision making that advances Peak Trust’s operational and commercial objectives in support of its vision and mission.

James joined Peak Trust Company as Chief Financial Officer in 2023, bringing over 20 years of financial leadership experience in the gaming, technology, and financial services industries. Most recently, James served as CFO for a major bitcoin mining and data center operator, overseeing financial operations for cryptocurrency mining facilities across 8 locations. Prior to that, he held the CFO role with a pre-IPO manufacturer of technology products and services and was a national commercial lender with a major bank. James also spent five years as CFO of a publicly traded developer, owner and operator of gaming properties across multiple states, guiding financial strategy for 9 casinos. During his tenure, he led acquisition analysis, due diligence, financing, integration and SEC reporting. James spent 10 years in strategic finance positions with a publicly traded casino development and management corporation. His oversight included internal controls, risk management, regulatory compliance, and coordinating construction financing projects exceeding $375 million.

In the Las Vegas professional community, James serves on the board of the Las Vegas chapter of Financial Executives International and is a member of the SEC Professionals Group. James holds a Master of Science degree in hotel administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Minnesota State University. James maintains active CPA and CMA certifications and gaming licenses across numerous jurisdictions.

Douglas Blattmachr

Douglas Blattmachr founded Peak Trust Company, formerly Alaska Trust Company, in 1997. Douglas served as the President and CEO from 1997 until 2018. Douglas continues to serve in an advisory capacity for the company as well as board management. He brings with him over 40 years of trust and investment management experience. Prior to starting Peak Trust Company, he was Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer for a $5 billion trust division at WestOne, President & CEO of Neuberger & Berman Trust Company, and headed up the D.A. Davidson Trust Company.

In 1996 Douglas along with his brother Jonathan Blattmachr took an active role in the passage of the Alaska Trust Act, which ultimately passed in 1997. This groundbreaking legislation set the model for modern trust legislation across all top trust jurisdictions in the nation today. From 1997 until 2018, Douglas maintained a major role in the passage of trust and estate-related legislation in Alaska, and was instrumental in the passage of numerous bills over that time period.

Douglas has taught investment management at the university level and has been a speaker at many seminars on investments, retirement plans, and estate planning. He has also written or co-authored numerous articles on estate planning and investment topics.

Douglas holds a Master of Business Administration in Banking and Finance from Adelphi University, a Bachelor of Science degree from Clemson University, and is a graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School.

Stephen C. Miller, JD

Stephen Miller has been with Peak Trust Company since 2009 and currently serves as General Counsel. 

After trusts associated with the Horejsi family acquired Peak in 2009, Mr. Miller served as the primary liaison between Peak’s management and Peak’s sole shareholder. Mr. Miller previously served in management roles serving on Peak’s Board of Directors and Audit Committee. Mr. Miller became in-house counsel to the family and business affiliates of the Horejsi family in 1998 and has served in a number of executive management capacities for Horejsi affiliates since. He previously served as vice president and general counsel of Rocky Mountain Advisers, LLC, and Boulder Investment Advisers, LLC. Mr. Miller also served as a director of Boulder Growth & Income Fund, Inc., Boulder Total Return Fund, Inc., First Opportunity Fund, Inc. and The Denali Fund, Inc., all publicly traded closed-end investment companies previously listed on the New York Stock Exchange. 

Prior to joining the Horejsi family enterprise as in-house counsel, Mr. Miller practiced law in the Denver office of Kirkland & Ellis from 1987 to 1992 and started a private practice in Boulder, Colorado in 1992.   Mr. Miller maintains his law firm, Stephen C. Miller, P.C., and “of counsel” status with the law firm of Krassa & Miller, LLC.  Mr. Miller holds a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Georgia and a Juris Doctor degree with honors from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law.

Kelsey Baldridge

Kelsey Baldridge serves as Head of Human Resources at Peak Trust Company, where she leads the firm’s talent strategy and human capital infrastructure across all offices. In this capacity, she oversees recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and workforce planning to ensure Peak attracts, develops, and retains high-caliber professionals aligned with the firm’s culture and long-term strategic vision. She has played a central role in modernizing Peak’s hiring processes and building scalable systems to support sustained organizational growth.

Kelsey designs and implements structured onboarding, mentorship, and professional development frameworks that promote engagement, accountability, and career progression. She leads firmwide continuing education initiatives and partners with leadership to strengthen management capability and succession planning. Through thoughtful policy design and operational discipline, she fosters a workplace culture grounded in professionalism, integrity, and operational excellence.

Since joining Peak in 2020, Kelsey has demonstrated steady leadership advancement within the organization. She began as a Fiduciary Assistant supporting a Senior Fiduciary Officer, gaining direct experience in trust administration and client service. In 2022, she transitioned into a dedicated people leadership role, expanding her responsibilities to include talent acquisition, organizational planning, employee engagement, and strategic workforce alignment. Her experience within both fiduciary operations and human resources enables her to bridge operational realities with long-term talent strategy.

Kelsey brings more than a decade of experience in administration and team leadership. She earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Psychology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and holds the SHRM-CP designation from the Society for Human Resource Management. Her strategic mindset and commitment to developing high-performing teams play a key role in supporting Peak Trust Company’s continued success.

Patti Blattmachr

Patti Blattmachr is an indispensable pillar of the Peak Trust Company team, having served since the founding of the company in 1997. As Executive Officer, Patti conducts all independent annual trust reviews to evaluate account status, performance, risk levels, and achievement of client goals and objectives. 

In her decades of tenure, Patti has worked extensively across fiduciary operations, investments, relationship management, and trust administration. She leverages this remarkable institutional knowledge to inform annual reviews and provide key executive insights. Patti was the first ever employee of Peak Trust when the company established its inaugural Alaska office location over 25 years ago. Her commitment to the business and vision were instrumental in those early stages of growth.

Patti earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Outdoor Recreation from Northwest Nazarene University. As Peak Trust’s longest-tenured employee, she has been essential in building the high-performing, client-centric team Peak Trust Company is known for today.