
Ira J. Brower
Chief Executive Officer
Ira founded Garden State Trust Company in 2008. He has over 40 years in the trust industry primarily providing trust, estate, and investment solutions for retired and soon-to-be retired individuals. As CEO of Garden State Trust, Ira has grown the company with the simple premise that caring for and thoughtfully guiding clients develops strong trusting relationships that span generations. In 1990, Ira co-founded Manchester Trust Bank that became the wealth management division for Sovereign Bank. Under Ira’s leadership, the wealth management division of Sovereign Bank grew to $2 billion in assets under administration. Ira stepped away from Sovereign as Managing Director of Wealth Management to form Garden State Trust Company. In 1981, Ira worked with the senior management of Berkeley Federal Savings, a Savings and Loan Association located in Millburn, NJ, to establish a Trust Department under the newly enacted Monetary Deregulation Act. Berkeley was granted the First Trust Charter by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board for the New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico District as a Division of a Savings and Loan Association. In his professional activities, Ira was a member of the Samaritan Healthcare and Hospice President’s Advisory Council; a former member of the Virtua Foundation Gift Planning Advisory Council and is a Trustee of the 21 Plus Foundation. Moreover, Ira is past president and a Paul Harris Fellow of Central Ocean Rotary, Toms River. He also served as past president of the Ocean County Estate Planning Council and the Ocean County Bankers Association.

Barbara Kannheiser
Chief Financial Officer
Barbara is a principal of Garden State Trust Company. She has over 30 years’ experience in fiduciary administration and operations. In her role as CFO, she is responsible for all financial reporting for Garden State Trust Company. Barbara also oversees all facets of fiduciary tax and operations activities. Additionally, the depth of Barbara’s experience and dedication to problem solving promotes a culture within the company for the delivery of quality and responsive service to clients. In 1990, Barbara joined Manchester Trust Bank and became the Chief Financial Officer. When Manchester Trust became the wealth management division for Sovereign Bank, Barbara served as senior manager on various management committees overseeing the daily administration and investment activities for the fiduciary accounts ensuring regulatory compliance and risk management for a multi-billion-dollar division serving a multi-state market. Barbara has a B.S. degree in accounting and an MBA from Georgian Court University.

Adam B. Brower, CTFA
President
Adam was appointed President of Garden State Trust Company in January 2023. He is focused on the overall delivery of wealth management services to our clients. Since joining the company in 2012, Adam has always taken pride in finding solutions for client’s needs while developing strong and lasting relationships. Adam earned a B. S. in Marketing from West Chester University. He is a member of the Estate and Financial Planning Council of Central New Jersey. Adam is a graduate of the Cannon Trust School and earned his Certified Trust & Financial Advisor (CTFA) designation. In addition, he has been invited to speak at multiple seminars for other trust professionals on the topic of special needs trusts. He worked for over 10 years in the field of commercial insurance and held a Life Insurance and Property & Casualty Insurance license through the State of New Jersey as well as the designation of CIC Certified Insurance Counselor and CRM Certified Risk Manager.

Siobhan M. Connolly, CTFA
Senior Vice President & Trust Officer
Director of Administration
Siobhan joined Garden State in January of 2009. As Senior Vice President and Trust Officer and Director of Administration her focus is on client relationships and day to day contact with our investment management, trust, and charitable foundation clients. Siobhan’s expertise over the last few years has grown in the area of Special Needs Trusts which often requires navigating the dilemmas faced by special needs clients and their families. Siobhan enjoys working with these families and takes pride in helping them provide the best life possible for their loved one. Prior to joining Garden State Trust Company, she owned her own business and worked in Corporate Communications in NYC. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Social Community Activities Network serving the large retiree population of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Siobhan graduated from Cannon Trust School and earned her Certified Trust & Financial Advisor (CTFA) designation. She also holds a Master’s in Education from Long Island University and a Bachelor of Science from University of Albany.

Sean M. Rice, CTFA
Senior Vice President & Trust Officer
Regional Manager South Jersey and Philadelphia
In January 2023 Sean was appointed Senior Vice President and Trust Officer. Sean also serves as Regional Manager for our South Jersey and Philadelphia markets. Since 2012, Sean has been a Wealth Management Advisor working diligently to expand our client relationships and professional network in his markets. Sean plays a pivotal role in attracting and retaining clients by cultivating new relationships via professional associations, local community events, and a wide array of relationship-building activities. In his professional activities, Sean is a member of the following:
- New Jersey State and Burlington County Bar Association
- South Jersey Young Professionals
- Estate and Financial Planning Council of Southern New Jersey
- Moorestown Rotary Lunch Club
Sean graduated from Cannon Trust School and earned his Certified Trust & Financial Advisor (CTFA) designation. He earned his B.S. degree in Management and a Minor in Business Law at Smeal College of Business at the Pennsylvania State University.

Kurt Talke, CTFA
Senior Vice President & Trust Officer
Regional Manager Lebanon

Michelle Black
Administrative Assistant

John M. Bonk, CTFA
Senior Vice President & Trust Officer

Emily Brower
Compliance Officer

Mary Gonzalez
Assistant Trust Officer

Kerri Jablonski
Assistant Tax & Operations Officer

John P. Ritter
Senior Vice President & Trust Officer
