Diahann W. Lassus, CFP^®, CPA/PFS

		In 1985, Diahann W. Lassus co-founded Lassus Wherley, a wealth management firm with offices in New Providence, New Jersey and Naples, Florida.  Diahann is President of the company.

Diahann has focused on finance since 1970, when she handled accounts payable for Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Florida while attending college at night.  She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Florida State University in 1976.  In 1977, Diahann earned an MBA from the University of North Florida.  During this period, she worked as a graduate research assistant and was co-author of a study on the economic impact of the University of North Florida on the surrounding community.

Experience

After receiving her MBA, Diahann worked for Western Electric until 1984, fine-tuning her skills in assessment, analysis, supervision and planning.  She also developed first applications for new products including site selection, presentation to customers and process monitoring.

Diahann worked for several AT&T organizations between 1977 and 1984, at one point overseeing annual sales of $140 million and managing 60 employees.  In 1984, she was AT&T’s Field Operations Manager for the Special Project Olympic Operations in Los Angeles, creating in eight months the largest temporary telecommunications network in existence.

Diahann taught Organizational Communication and Corporate Social Responsibility at the University of New Orleans during the 1978-79 and 1981-82 academic years. Between 1987 and 1989, Diahann taught at Upsala College and the College of Saint Elizabeth.  She is an accomplished author and lecturer with articles appearing in newspaper financial columns and other financial-interest publications. She speaks on financial topics at universities and business seminars on a regular basis.

Accomplishments 

·        In 1998, President Bill Clinton appointed Diahann to the Retirement Savings Summit in Washington, D.C.  In 1996, New Jersey Governor Christine Whitman appointed her to the New Sources of Capital Board.  In 2000, New Jersey Speaker of the Assembly, Jack Collins, appointed Diahann to the Assembly Business Task Force.

·        Diahann served on the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Board of Governors from 1994-97 and on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Financial Planning.

·        In 1995, Diahann was a delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business, for which she chaired the New Jersey Capital Formation Committee.

·        Diahann appears on CNBC and is often quoted in many national publications, including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Investor's Business Daily.  

·        Diahann served on Corporate and Advisory Boards including FSO Technologies, Inc., Charles Schwab Institutional and Women's Financial Network at Siebert.  She currently serves on National Advisors Trust Company, FSB, Board of Directors, the Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies Advisory Board, International Institute of NJ Advisory Board and the NJCPA's CPA Magazine Editorial Advisory Board.

·        Since 1994, Diahann has been a member of the Board of Directors for the Center for Women's Business Research.  She currently serves on the Board of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) as Chair of the Industry Issues Task Force.

Honors

Diahann was named one of Worth Magazine’s Top Financial Advisors an unprecedented six times, beginning in 1994 with the top-60 list.  She was named among the 120 Best Financial Advisors for Doctors by Medical Economics magazine.  Diahann has been profiled in the Dow Jones Investment Advisor Magazine, CPA Wealth Provider, the Journal of Financial Planning, and Financial Advisor Magazine.

Diahann was named U.S. Small Business Administration’s 1995 New Jersey Women in Business Advocate.  The following year, she was awarded the University of North Florida’s Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award.  In 2001, Diahann participated as a speaker in Florida State University's Bruning Distinguished Speaker Series.

Diahann has been named to the following in Business News New Jersey: