David Gaynes joined the Middlemark team in 2018. He is a hedge fund and capital markets consultant. He is also Head of business development at A-L Associates an executive search firm focused on capital markets, hedge fund and fintech execs as well as investment Bankers. David is also a Senior Vice President at JLL doing tenant rep primarily for alternative asset managers.

Previously, he was in Barclays Prime Services Origination Sales. Based in New York, David draws on more than two decades of Prime Services management experience. David joined Barclays in 2010. He previously spent eight years at Deutsche Bank where he was a Managing Director in Sales. He was also part of the senior management team for Deutsche Bank’s Prime Services business, where he serviced and financed some of the world’s largest hedge funds. David had regional sales responsibilities in the West Coast, Connecticut and New York, and his guidance was instrumental in propelling Deutsche Bank to the top of the prime brokerage rankings.

David joined Deutsche Bank from Lehman Brothers, where he was a Vice President and Senior Relationship Manager, and helped maintain and enhance relationship management for some of the firm’s key clients. He grew the firm’s prime brokerage relationships by expanding the client services Lehman offered. David spent a total of 12 years at Lehman Brothers.

David is also a CPA who worked at Coopers and Lybrand from 1987 to 1990 as an Audit Senior and Staff Accountant. He earned a BBA in Accounting from Hofstra University, where he was a member of the Accounting & Tax Society.

David is also a board member of R Baby Foundation.

David Gaynes is a Registered Representative with Seedchange, and all securities are offered through Seedchange Execution Services Inc.. David holds Series 7, 8 and 63 licenses with FINRA.

Arlene Gaynes currently works part time at Rags, a woman’s boutique store. Previously, Arlene worked at three placement firms: Update Legal, Dynax Solutions and StaffWise Legal.

She graduated from Queens College with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and Psychology.

Arlene and David started Chillin’ with Adam after their son passed away in 2004 of a brain tumor to help honor his legacy. Arlene is a mother to Taylor, 23 and Lindsay, 10, and always Adam, who is forever in our hearts.

Taylor Gaynes is currently an Investor Relations Analyst at Oz Management, responsible for all diligence and marketing activities concerning Oz's multi-strategy hedge funds and dedicated equity hedge funds, including funds-of-one and SMAs in the same. Prior to joining Oz Management in September 2018, Taylor was an Analyst at James Alpha Management, based in New York, focusing on business development across all channels of the Firm's alternative investment products. Taylor joined in January of 2017 from Savills Studley, a global corporate real estate advisory firm where he was an Associate in business development, focusing on alternative asset managers.

While attending university, Taylor interned for the marketing - investor relations team at Pine River Capital Management during the summer of 2015 where he conducted strategic analysis and channel research on prospective clients. Prior to interning at Pine River, Taylor interned at Hutchin Hill Capital in the summer of 2014 under the Counterparty Management Team, Southpoint Capital during the summer of 2013 where he tracked fund flows for asset managers, and at Elliott Management Corporation during the summer of 2012, working with the Counterparty Management Team.

Taylor holds a Series 7, 63 license.

Taylor earned a BSM in 2016 from Tulane University, where he majored in Finance and was accepted into Burkenroad Reports as an Equity Research Analyst.

Alexandra Krystal is a Managing Director and Sales Head, Prime Services Group, CIBC. Ms. Krystal’s responsibilities include the strategic development and implementation of CIBC’s U.S. Prime Brokerage Launch Initiative, including oversight of core activities involving product development and sales & marketing. In her current role, Ms. Krystal is also responsible for managing senior client relationships with alternative asset managers, overseeing the build-out of client-facing strategies and providing ongoing guidance with respect to structure, industry best-practices and forward looking trends in the Prime Brokerage market.

Prior to joining CIBC Capital Markets, Ms. Krystal worked in the Hedge Fund Consulting Practice at EY, where she led the Hedge Fund Emerging Manager Strategy and Prime Brokerage Advisory Initiative. Ms. Krystal developed their Prime Brokerage Advisory business, where she and her team worked along-side Prime Brokers to perform business assessments considering metrics across infrastructure, legal entity analysis, balance sheet, human capital, risk, client composition, and fixed / variable technology costs. She also developed an industry leading Treasury Function Study to substantiate the evolution of the financing role, based on a detailed examination of collateral management processes, counterparty risk management practices, margin replication methods, Prime Brokerage relationships and funding technology solutions. Ms. Krystal chaired that same firm’s Emerging Manager Hedge Fund Strategy and was involved in emerging manager consulting, including start-up considerations and franchise-sized best practices across middle and back office functions.

Prior to EY, Ms. Krystal held senior Sales and Relationship Management roles within the Prime Brokerages groups of Barclays and UBS. In this capacity, she helped bring new clients to the respective banks, grow client profitability within Prime and was a conduit into the broader banking organization.

Ms. Krystal graduated from Colgate University with a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science & English) and from Columbia University with a Master of Business Administration (Finance).

Andrew M. Lamkin, Esq. is principal in the Law Office of Andrew M. Lamkin, P.C., where he focuses his practice in the areas of elder law, estate planning and special needs planning, including Wills and Trusts, Probate, Medicaid planning and Medicaid applications. He is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey.

Andrew is a member of the New York State Bar Association, Nassau County Bar Association and Suffolk County Bar Association. Andrew is also a member of the Elder Law and Trust and Estate Sections of the New York State Bar, where he is active in the Medicaid and Supplemental Needs Planning committees.

Andrew is a Certified Court Evaluator and frequently author’s articles and conducts seminars for non-profit and civic organizations in the areas of asset protection, Medicaid eligibility, estate tax liability, probate, advanced directives, veteran’s benefits and special needs planning.

Andrew is an active member of the Plainview Old Bethpage Chamber of Commerce, for which he serves on the Board of Directors and as Vice President of the Board. He also serves on the board of directors of Hand in Hand for Seniors, Inc in Huntington, a non-profit organization that provides services to seniors.

In March 2013, Andrew served as Honoree for the Eden II & Genesis Foundation benefit to raise money for programs and services benefiting autistic children. Andrew is also an associate member and serves as Counsel to the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 25 in Hicksville, New York.

He is the founder and organizer of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Senior Resource Group, an organization of Professionals whose purpose is to educated seniors, their caretakers and their service providers in all areas regarding senior care and planning.

Andrew received his J.D. from Widener School of Law in 2006 and his B.A. in Political Science and History from Syracuse University in 1996. Andrew and his wife, Heather, have a daughter and son and reside in Melville, NY.

Heather Lamkin holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Syracuse University. Heather previously worked at Island ECN where she reported to the CEO and was responsible for all aspects of Financial reporting for the firm. Most recently, Heather was Vice President at Morgan Stanley in the Finance department where she was responsible for compliance and financial reporting. Heather now works with her husband, Andrew at his Long Island law firm and cares for their two children.

Jeffrey G. Cohen, CPA is the Partner-in-Charge of Tax Services at Grassi & Co. With over 20 years of experience, Jeff specializes in serving companies within the Manufacturing and Distribution Industry, with an emphasis on the Food & Beverage and Pharmaceutical sectors.

A leading tax expert in the New York Metropolitan area, Jeff has enabled his clients to realize significant tax savings through proper tax planning and consultation. Specifically, Jeff has extensive experience assisting clients with research and development credits, cost segregations studies, domestic production exemption, defined benefit pension plans, IC-DISCs, NYS Qualified Empire Zones and the Excelsior Program, as well as tax credit utilization.

In addition to Jeff’s role as the head of tax services, he sits on the Firm’s Executive Committee and is the Treasurer of Long Island Elite (LIE). He has also received a number of accolades, including being named one of Long Island Business News’ “40 Under 40” and the 2013 New York Enterprise Reports Accountant of the Year.

Lisa Cohen is the Director of Planning/Media Strategist for Wilson Media Group. Lisa has been in the advertising and media industry for over 25 years. She joined Wilson Media Group at its inception in 1994.

Her diversified background includes media strategy, planning, and buying for luxury products such as Mercedes Benz, Tiffany and Fortunoff. Lisa has also worked in the liquor category, specializing in marketing to diverse audiences, while handling Bacardi Rum, Alizé and Kobrand Wines.

Lisa’s background in the healthcare industry covers both OTC and DTC products, having worked on Neosporin, Actifed, and the launch of Sudafed OTC. Lisa also worked on the launch of Barr Laboratories Proprietary Birth Control division, launching Seasonale, Seasonique and Plan B, as well as in the Diabetes Category for Victoza and currently Roche AccuCheck.


Lisa has worked on HIV products since 1996, and worked on the first consumer HIV effort for Glaxo Wellcome, “Be Smart about HIV”. Lisa has been working with Gilead HIV since 2003 and has worked on Truvada, Complera, Stribild, PrEP, and is currently working on the launch of Genvoya and Odefsey. Lisa also works on community outreach and support campaigns including “HIV Answers” and “Help Stop the Virus”.

For Wilson Media Group, Lisa handles all aspects of planning and research, as well as Print, Out of Home, Non Traditional, and Point of Care buying.

Prior to joining Wilson Media Group, Lisa was an Associate Media Director at McCaffrey and McCall.

Lisa received a BS in Business from SUNY New Paltz. She lives in Plainview, NY with her husband Jeff, and has two sons, Alex and Jake and an Airedale named Bella.

Larry Heller, CFP® is the President of Heller Wealth Management, an independent, fee based financial advisory firm that he founded in 1992. He works with clients to design financial planning strategies that help them achieve their financial goals and lifetime aspirations. Larry is also responsible for the management and oversight of the investment process including portfolio management and investment strategy development.

He has appeared on CNN, Fox’s Good Day New York, 103.9FM LI News Radio, and has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal and Financial Planning Magazine. He has written articles for Bloomberg Wealth Management and the Journal of Financial Planning. He is also a member of the Alliance for Wealth Management, a think tank of prominent tri-state financial advisors, where he co-authored a book titled “Creating Prosperity.”

In his spare time, Larry enjoys playing tennis and golf, traveling with his wife, and spending time with his three children.

Marc provides tax, estate, financial, and retirement planning services to high-net-worth individuals and business owners in the health care, investment banking, real estate, and professional services industries. Marc’s more than 25 years of public accounting experience span a range of tax, personal finance, business advisory, and practice management expertise. Often invited to speak to medical societies and health care groups, he has served as an adjunct Healthcare Economics professor in Hofstra University’s Master of Healthcare Administration program. Marc has a Bachelor of Science in Economics from State University of New York at Albany, and a Master of Business Administration in Accountancy and Taxation from Hofstra University.

Richard Gertler is a Partner who practices out of the firm’s East Meadow, Long Island office. His particular areas of focus include commercial litigation, bankruptcy, business law, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, and commercial real estate.

Mr. Gertler litigates a wide range of complex commercial matters involving corporate and shareholder disputes, commercial landlord/tenant issues, unfair competition, construction disputes, intellectual property issues, and general business disputes. He also represents debtors, bankruptcy trustees, creditors and creditors’ committees in all phases of bankruptcy proceedings. When necessary, Mr. Gertler represents clients at arbitrations, mediations, court proceedings, or administrative hearings. Additionally, Mr. Gertler counsels businesses at all stages of development, from incorporation through dissolution, and advises them on diverse business transactions, including growth strategies involving acquisitions, mergers and joint ventures, and also advises on structuring their financial transactions, including obtaining secured or unsecured loans and other financing. Mr. Gertler is certified as a Mediator by the Commercial Division of the Nassau County Supreme Court of the State of New York, and is best known for his innovative and strategic approach to solving problems.

Mr. Gertler is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and founder of the Gertler Law Group, LLC.

Sarah Pachtman joined the Chillin’ with Adam board in 2016 and serves as the Medical Director. Chillin’ with Adam holds a special place in her heart, as Adam was her cousin.

Sarah is from Scottsdale, Arizona, so she grew up far away from her cousins. She moved to New York in 2011 for residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center. She recently completed Fellowship training in Maternal and Fetal Medicine at Northwell Health in 2018.

She earned her Master’s in Biomedical Engineering and then Doctor of Medicine degrees from the University of Kentucky in 2007 and 2011. Prior to that, she attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee where she earned her Bachelor’s in Biomedical Engineering.

Sarah enjoys traveling, spinning, music, and cooking in her free time.

Walter Wasnieski has a bachelor’s Degree from Ashford University in Social Science with a minor in US History and Secondary Education. A former United States Marine, he currently works for the New York City Department of Sanitation in Queens, NY for the past 13 years. Mr. Wasnieski also serves as a volunteer religious education teacher at St. Barnabas RC Church in Bellmore for the past 11 years and was awarded the prestigious Pope Paul VI Medal for his dedication and volunteer work.

A proud member of the Ridgewood Lodge No. 710 of the Free & Accepted Masons of the State of New York, Walter has risen through the ranks of not only his Lodge where he served as Master in 2009-2019 but also the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons in the State of NY where he was also a District Deputy Grand Master in 2014-2016. Walter has served on many committees in the Grand Lodge of the State of New York including the Young Masons Committee, The Deputy Grand Masters Advisory Committee, the Convention Committee & the one he is most proud The Grand Secretary’s Golf Classic which for the past 10 years has raised over $200,000 for charity including the Ruby Kaplan Scholarship Foundation, Caddy for a Cure which helps US Military Veterans who suffer from PTSD and are missing limb or limbs & the Masonic Care Community in Utica, NY which is one of the top senior care centers in NY State.

Walter enjoys golf, ice hockey and travel with his family, he is the proud father of 3 daughters Kaitlin, Megan & Liza and has been married to his wife Danielle since 2005.

Mr. Wasnieski feels that Adam's parents took the biggest negative any parent could face and turned it into the biggest positive to help others who suffer like Adam did. He lives by the quote of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill “We make a living by what we earn, but we make a life by what we give”.