Otto and Associates Who We Are

Susan Otto Goodell joined Otto & Associates in 2007, after a 15-year career as a teacher. She serves as Treasurer of the West Newbury Congregational Church, and is a Board Member of both Music Helps and the Oxbow Senior Independence Program. Susan is CEO and President of Otto & Associates and brings with her to the Norwich office a familiarity with the Upper Valley and expertise in working with younger families and the varied financial issues that arise for them. She is a graduate of Bates College and has a Master’s Degree from Antioch New England. Susan is a CFP^® professional and a member of The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA). She and her husband live in Newbury, VT and have two adult children.

David Otto founded Otto & Associates in 1991 and is currently the CEO Emeritus. A CFP^® professional, he got his credentials at Pace University. He is a member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), the professional association of Fee-Only financial planners, and has served in leadership positions with that organization. David holds a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from Andover Newton Theological, both of which supported his first career as a pastor and pastoral counselor. He has been on many boards, including several where he was the chairman and/or treasurer. Recently he served on the boards of the Montshire Museum of Science and Twin Pines Housing. During the 1980s he also worked part-time with investment real estate and founded a corporation dedicated to real estate financing. He and his wife now live at Wake Robin, a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in Shelburne, VT. They have two adult daughters, one of whom, Susan, is President of O&A.

Deborah Levy Maher joined Otto & Associates in 1997. She is a CFP^® professional and holds a BA with honors from Vassar College. She is a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) and has served on the Board of the Greater Hudson Valley Chapter. Deborah was formerly a Vice President of Chase Bank and its predecessors Chemical and Manufacturers Hanover Trust, where she worked in a variety of lending and relationship management positions. Volunteer activities include pro bono financial planning through the FPA and serving as Vice President of The Inter-Religious Coalition of New Rochelle. She and her husband live in New Rochelle, NY and have three adult children.

Kathy Patton joined Otto & Associates in 2007 and serves as the Office Manager, a role that helps to streamline the office processes and procedures efficiently. She received a BS from Georgetown University, after which she worked at Goldman, Sachs & Co. for 14 years in the Equity Capital Markets and Asset Management divisions. When Kathy is not at O&A, she spends her time visiting her children and her grandson, reading, playing tennis or hiking. She and her husband live in Bedford, NY and have three children.

Laura Bergstresser joined Otto & Associates as an administrative assistant in 2022. Laura has a master’s degree in anthropology and spent several years working as an archaeologist and environmental planner with the National Park Service before parenting small children in remote locations made staying home the more sensible option. Her family moved to the Upper Valley in 2010. Since then, Laura has balanced shuttling kids around the region for after-school sports, arts, and musical theater events with her paid and volunteer work. She’s been production manager for school musicals, the religious education director for their church community, a long-standing board member with the local library, and the assistant clerk at a local town office. She is happy to have joined O&A and looks forward to growing with the job.

Jessica Kischko Potter joined Otto & Associates as the administrative coordinator in spring of 2024. She received her bachelors degree (psychology) from Elmira College and her masters degree (athletic leadership) from Castleton University. Prior to joining, Jess worked as an assistant athletics director at Dartmouth College. Jess brings experience as an executive assistant at both Dartmouth, as well as Global Rescue, and almost a decade of coaching collegiate field hockey. She lives in Hartland, VT with her husband, two young boys, and golden retriever, George. When not in the office or taking care of her boys, she wishes she was on the ski slopes, on a beach, reading or golfing!