GenXYZ 2023 — Cassandra Puhalla

They’re uncommon achievers, whether as entrepreneurs, CEOs, nonprofit leaders, visionaries critical to their companies’ success or, in some cases, all of those roles. This year’s Top 25 Young Professionals figure to continue making a difference professionally and in their communities for years to come.

Read on to learn about the 2023 Top 25 Young Professionals and to see the list of this year’s top 50 finalists.

READ: GenXYZ 2023 — Top 25

Cassandra Puhalla, 33

Director, Client Advisory, Crestone Capital | Boulder

To pay off her student loans, Cassie Puhalla decided to apply for a Wall Street job. She landed an interview with J.P. Morgan and spent two weeks preparing by learning everything she could about finance. She got the job, and in less than 10 years she was a portfolio manager in J.P. Morgan’s Asset Management business. 

On a trip to Wonderland Lake in Boulder, Puhalla realized she wanted to make an impact on that community. Six months later, she was offered a position with Crestone Capital as a director of client advisory for the Boulder-based independent wealth management firm. Soon after joining Crestone Capital, Puhalla was asked to take a leadership role for the firm’s initiative to grow assets under its management from approximately $3 billion to $10 billion, more than 300%, in 10 years. 

Puhalla helped create the Crestone Brand Monetization Task Force and focused on enhancing Crestone’s presence within key target industries and centers of influence. She implemented new tools to better identify and qualify prospects, create a client journey and hold her team members accountable for goals. She designed carefully curated events in target markets with entrepreneurs, founders and clients to build awareness for Crestone.

She joined the board of directors for a financial literacy nonprofit, Cents Ability, whose mission is to educate high school students about the fundamentals of personal finance. She also recently joined the board of directors of Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, and was drawn to BMoCA because of its focus on Diversity, Equality, Access and Inclusion (DEAI).