Team

How We Work

How We Work

Our reasons for becoming financial professionals are deeply personal. We repeatedly saw many friends and family struggling to find the help they needed to map out their financial future. We are confident that with our understanding of personal finance, coupled with our training as financial professionals, we can help people better prepare for the future. After years in the business, we have developed a reputation for educating individuals in an easy-to-understand manner so they can grasp personal finance and use those concepts to pursue their financial objectives. We feel a commitment to our community.

Our team approach adds perspective to all we do and provides increased benefits to our clients.

Meet Our Team

Blake Dorvillier, CPFA ®

LPL Financial Advisor | Analyst

(858) 551-8701

(858) 551-8702

Blake@symbiofinancial.com

Blake is a financial advisor on the Symbio team.  He values the opportunity to work directly with our clients with the goal of enhancing their lives through the services we provide.  Having the chance to positively impact the lives of our clients and their families is what brought Blake back to the family business. 

As a Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor ®, he assists with the management of our corporate retirement plans.  In addition to this, Blake manages the Symbio Investment Committee and the due diligence process associated with portfolio construction and ongoing management.  Blake holds his FINRA series 7 and 66 licenses through LPL Financial and is also a licensed health and insurance agent, California license # 408899. 

As a tech savvy Gen Z’er Blake aims to help advance Symbio’ s efficiency through the integration of new technologies and work towards progressing the value Symbio provides to the next generation of clients.  

Born and raised in La Jolla, Blake has made his way back home following his graduation from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado where he earned a degree in Finance and Real Estate.  In his personal time, Blake enjoys staying active through golfing, surfing, skiing, and fishing.  He is also an avid Padres fan.

Christine Day Reyes

Client Services Associate

Christine joined Symbio Financial Partners in October 2020 as a Client Service Associate.  Christine is responsible for opening new accounts, account maintenance, processing various account transactions and providing clients with excellent care.  

Her career in financial services began in 1985 as a bank teller and she has held many positions over the years including Financial Services Manager and Small Business Relationship Manager prior to joining LPL Financial in August 2020.

Christine is originally from Minnesota but moved to San Diego at the age of 7 as her father was in the US Navy and considers herself a Californian at heart.  Christine and her husband Jose have been married for 27 years and have 2 sons aged 26 and 22 and a dog named Bella who just celebrated her 15th birthday.  They can be found in the desert off-roading in the winter months and boating on the water in the summer months.

Cindy Velasco

Chief Operations Officer

Cindy began her career in the Financial Services industry over 10 years ago.  She started her career in retail banking and worked her way up to Branch Manager.  Wanting to be involved in the Wealth Management and Investment side of the business, she joined Charles Schwab.  During her 5 years with Charles Schwab, her duties included servicing clients, interfacing with Financial Advisors, and third-party money managers.  She was also responsible for branch office compliance. Cindy has the following licenses: Series 7, 63, 9 and 10 which are held with LPL Financial. 

Her unique skill set allows her to work with advisors and management on firm initiatives such as operations, compliance, procedures and processes. 

On a personal note: Cindy is a transplant from Arizona and loves to enjoy everything San Diego has to offer by hiking, paddle boarding and frequenting the dog friendly beaches with her family.

Jessica Schexnayder

Client Services Associate

(858) 551-8701

(858) 551-8702

jessica@symbiofinancial.com

Jessi joined Symbio Financial Partners in October of 2021 and quickly became an integral part of our team. As a Client Service Associate, Jessi is responsible for account maintenance, processing various account transactions, and providing clients with excellent care. She keeps our team organized and efficient by maintaining our system administration and keeping our social media and marketing up to date.

Her career in financial services began in 2017 at our LPL Financial Corporate Office. As a valued Care Organization member at LPL Financial, Jessi provided support to LPL Advisors and their team members with day-to-day account needs.

Jessi is a proud native of San Diego. She lives with her husband Michael and adopted rescue Chihuahua, Hei-Hei! Jessi and Michael are foodies at heart and love to experience amazing food and dine at new restaurants around town. In her spare time, she enjoys expressing her creative side through art and music.

Karrissa Stone

Client Services Associate

(858) 551-8701

(858) 551-8702

karrissa@symbiofinancial.com

Karrissa became a member of the Symbio Financial Partners team in 2018 when Dow Financial Group of Palm Desert, CA was acquired.  As a Client Services Associate, she is the lead on processing all annuity and insurance transactions, is proficient in payouts, 529 plan maintenance and RMD calculations.  Karrissa is responsible for money movement transactions, client scheduling, account maintenance and providing our clients with a positive overall experience. 

Prior to joining the Symbio Team, Karrissa managed an office affiliated with LPL Financial for 25 years.  She was responsible for office compliance, account maintenance, handled the transfer of assets, compilation of cost basis information and monitoring account activity.  Karrissa gained further experience assisting the advisor with trading, model analysis and preparation of financial plans. 

Karrissa is a native Southern Californian originally from Newport Beach and currently resides in Palm Desert.  In her spare time, she enjoys road trips, visiting National Parks and geocaching.  She loves gardening, hiking, mountain biking and spending time with her teenage daughter and her three cats. 

Lisa Yang, CFP

LPL Financial Advisor | Financial Planner

(858) 551-8701

lisa@symbiofinancial.com

As a financial advisor and a Certified Financial Planner™, with Symbio Financial Partners, Lisa is passionate about helping clients build a strong financial foundation. Having joined Symbio Financial Partners in 2014, she plans to continue founders Michael Dorvillier and Shari Miller’s legacy of service, integrity and trust.

Lisa graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a B.A. in International Studies—Business. Discovering her passion for financial services began early on in her career where she spent six years in retail banking at Citibank and Wells Fargo. Lisa is a Certified Financial Planner™, and holds her FINRA series 7 and 66 licenses through LPL Financial. She also holds her Life and Health Insurance Licenses, California license # 4083969. 

Through financial planning, Lisa helps clients navigate complex financial matters so that they can make sound decisions when it comes to their goals. The planning includes helping clients prepare for retirement goals, or for big purchase goals—such as an investment property or secondary education costs for their children. Lisa partners with our clients and strives to cultivate long-lasting relationships. 

When she’s not busy at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband Jun and new born baby, weight training, spending time outdoors, and playing fetch with her ornery but lovable Corgi mix, Thor. Her love of animals extends to her volunteer work at the San Diego Humane Society where she sits on the Finance Committee board.

G. Michael Dorvillier, AIF®

LPL Financial Advisor | LPL Registered Principal

(858) 551-8701

michael@symbiofinancial.com

With over 25 years of experience as an advisor, Michael specializes in helping his clients navigate through the complexity of their financial lives. Michael strives to make a difference in the lives of his clients through lasting relationships built upon integrity, experience and trust.

Having spent the early part of his career as an advisor working for Fortis and Aragon Financial Services, Michael had a strong desire to open his own business where he could offer independent, personalized and objective advice to clients. In 1998, he took the leap and joined LPL Financial. A few years later he was fortunate to meet Shari Miller and from there they joined forces and co-founded what today is known as Symbio Financial Partners. Together Michael and Shari have built one of the most successful comprehensive, financial planning practices at LPL Financial. Symbio Financial Partners currently ranks amongst the top 1% of practices at LPL Financial.*

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Michael moved to New Hampshire in 1979, where he attended the University of New Hampshire. In 1989, he relocated to Southern California to begin his professional career. A car aficionado Michael has taken his love of cars and turned it into an opportunity to give back. Michael is the Chairman of the La Jolla Concours d’Elegance, a charitable organization that hosts a prestigious annual automotive event benefiting the La Jolla Historical Society, The La Jolla Merchants Association, as well as several other charities. Michael has two children, Madeline a graduate of Cal Berkeley and Blake a graduate of The University of Colorado. Madeline lives in New York City and is in the consulting industry while Blake serves as a team member at Symbio Financial Partners. Michael is married to Tracy and has a stepdaughter, Addison, who attends The Bishops School in La Jolla. In his spare time Michael enjoys skiing, gardening, charity work, and being active with his children.

*Membership in LPL Financial Council’s Club is based on year end production and is reserved for top achievers and represents less than 1% of all LPL Financial advisors.

Shari Miller, AIF®

LPL Financial Advisor | LPL Registered Principal

(858) 551-8770

shari@symbiofinancial.com

Shari brings over 30 years of experience focused on helping clients pursue their financial goals. She emphasizes having an open and honest relationship with clients, listening to their questions and concerns in order to fully understand their needs and to help them reach their financial goals. With a degree in education from Kansas State University, Shari has the experience and ability to break down complex financial matters to help clients fully understand how to best manage their financial lives.

Shari moved to New York City in 1985. It was there that she began her career in financial services while working on Wall Street for Kidder Peabody & Co. After 5 years in New York, she sought out a more personal touch with clients and subsequently left Wall Street to begin working as an independent advisor with LPL Financial. In 2002, Shari joined forces with Michael Dorvillier and founded Symbio Financial Partners. Together Michael and Shari have built one of the most successful, comprehensive, financial planning practices at LPL Financial. Symbio Financial Partners currently ranks amongst the top 6% of practices at LPL.* 

Shari has received the following awards and recognition:

  • 2021 & 2024 Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisors** 
  • 2022 member of the LPL Ambassador Council and was chosen to this team of 20 from out of over 21,000 LPL Advisors
  • Recipient of the Five Star Wealth Manager awards***
  • Accredited Investment Fiduciary since 2010

Born and raised in Kansas, Shari’s love for warm weather and being outdoors drew her to San Diego and she is passionate about giving back to the San Diego community. She serves as the 2022-2023 President of the Board of the San Diego Women’s Foundation which is a non-profit that has granted over $4 million benefiting over 85 non-profit organizations in the San Diego area. She also volunteers at the San Diego Yacht Club and in the past has been a mentor for Just in Time for Foster Youth. Shari and her husband Chris founded the non-profit West Coast Beach Volleyball in 1991 and provided tournaments to many amateur and professional players for over 10 years. She still plays volleyball, and it has become a family affair with her daughter, Kyana having played at the collegiate level for Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland. Shari and her husband of over 30 years, Chris reside in Carmel Valley. Their daughter Kyana has followed in her mom’s footsteps and currently resides in New York City and works in the event planning industry.

*Membership in LPL Financial Chairman’s Club is based on year-end production is reserved for top achievers and represents less than 6% of all LPL Financial advisors.

**The Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisor ranking, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on in-person and telephone due diligence meetings and a ranking algorithm that includes client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, including assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Portfolio performance is not a criterion due to varying client objectives and a lack of audited data. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receives a fee in exchange for rankings.

***Award based on 10 objective criteria associated with providing quality services to clients such as credentials, experience, and assets under management among other factors.  Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 Five Star Wealth Managers.