Dennis Forster, an advisor of the firm since 1979, has a long and successful tenure with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney assuming roles from Branch Manager to Financial Advisor. Dennis is the leader of The Forster Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, and his unofficial title is "Chief Advocate" for his clients. He focuses on estate planning for high net worth families, education funding, endowment management for nonprofits, and strategic consulting to businesses. Dennis is an accredited member of the prestigious CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Institution.

Dennis is committed to financial education for his clients and for himself. He has attended financial education seminars on Wealth Management, Intergenerational Wealth Transference, Income & Cash Flow Planning and Retirement Planning. He recently enjoyed his 68th birthday but this veteran financial advisor is not anywhere near retirement!

As an active member of the community, Dennis has served as a past president of the Jaycees, Santa Barbara Newcomers, and the Marian Medical Foundation. He has also been on the committees of the Santa Barbara Bowl and the YMCA. Dennis currently serves on the boards and committees of the United Way and the Santa Barbara Council on Self-Esteem. Dennis enjoys tennis, skiing and biking. He is a member of the Santa Barbara Ski and Sports Club where he has earned the nicknames "The Bullet" and "The Flash." He has been married to his wife, Patty, for over 40 years, and is blessed with six grandchildren.

Jeff Forster, CIMA®, CRPS®
Vice President - Wealth Management
Financial Advisor
Series 7, 31, 63, 65
Life and Variable Annuity Licensed

Jeff Forster focuses on retirement and financial planning for high net worth families, the management of endowments, and business lending. He recently has earned the Certified Investment Management AnalystSM® (CIMA) license from the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA).  The CIMA®® course and exam are the result of extensive development by the IMCA Certification Committee, IMCA staff and faculty of The Wharton School of Business of The University of Pennsylvania.  Jeff is among only 4,000 individuals worldwide who have attained this prestigious license. To maintain the CIMA®® credential, he must complete ongoing education for recertification every two years.

Mr. Forster has been with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney for 10 years. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Jeff was VP of Marketing for Gallup in Tokyo, Japan. He is a graduate of California State University, San Diego with a degree in International Business. Jeff is not only dedicated to steering his clients to a successful financial future, he is also very involved in the Santa Barbara community. He is a Graduate of the Katherine Harvey Fellows program, which is sponsored by the Santa Barbara Foundation. The program was established in 1999 to cultivate future leaders for community organizations in Santa Barbara County.  He currently serves on the finance committee for the Santa Barbara Foundation.

Additionally, Jeff is an avid golfer and volunteers for the 1st Tee Central Coast, most recently serving as a board member. The mission of the organization is to improve the lives of young people by emphasizing educational and character development through the game of golf. Rounding out his community service, Jeff serves as the Vice President of the CPA/Law Society of Santa Barbara County. Finally, Jeff's biggest passions in life are his wife, Laura and three children, Julia, Samantha, and Jeffrey.

Julie Williams
Registered Associate
Financial Planning Associate
Series 7, 8, 24 and 63

Julie Williams joined The Forster Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in 2003 as their financial education workshop coordinator. She runs their annual nonprofit and business owners' seminars and has been promoting financial education to women through the Women & Company Program offered through Citigroup.  Additionally, Julie provides financial planning for clients.  In the Spring of 2008, Julie earned the designation of Financial Planning Associate after completing course work and examination through Morgan Stanley Smith Barney continuing education.

Julie began her financial services career over 17 years ago in San Francisco, with CS First Boston as an associate sales and operations supervisor, working with the institutional and retail sales forces. In 1995, she joined Volpe, Brown Whelan & Company, a boutique Investment Bank, specializing in technology and healthcare companies. While there she was responsible for OTC trading compliance, sales supervision, continuing education and annual audits. She is a graduate of University of California, Santa Barbara, with a degree in Communications.

Away from the office, Julie shares her energy and love with her husband John, their two children, Mary and Warren, and her extended family and friends. Her hobbies include running with her dog, hiking, gardening, coaching her daughter’s softball/baseball team and drinking a nice glass of pinot from the family vineyard.

Erika Washburn
Registered Client Service Associate
Series 7, 66

Erika joined The Forster Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, first as an intern in 2006, and then as a Client Service Associate in May of 2007. She is responsible for customer operations, including opening new accounts, database management, and she is our liaison with Branch Management. She is a graduate with honors of Westmont College, earning a degree in Economics with an emphasis in Business. During her four years at Westmont, she co-founded a student mentorship program that matches first year students with upper classmen to promote community and enhance the Westmont experience. Additionally, Erika made the Dean's list in 2004 and was awarded a Westmont Academic Scholarship based on her strong academic background and well rounded extracurricular profile.

When Erika is not in the office, she loves to be at the beach.  Her favorite pastimes include running, flying kites with her roommates at Shoreline Park, and taking in the sun with a good book. 

Ken Stokes
Financial Advisor
Financial Planning Associate
Series 7, 66, 31,
Life and Variable Annuity Insurance Licensed

Ken Stokes is very familiar with the Forster Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, having been a client since 2004.   A review of Ken’s life would clearly demonstrate his thirst for knowledge. He has earned multiple degrees in Business (BS, MS and Ph.D.) and has taught business courses at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).  Ken also earned a Professional Certificate in Personal Financial Planning from UCSB.  He is eager to put his financial knowledge to work to help business owners with investment management, business lending, business succession planning, as well as assist foundations and nonprofits with managing endowment assets. 

Ken does not lack in “hands-on” business experience.  He has been a successful local businessman, most notably, he was the founder and owner of Santa Barbara Transportation which started with taxis, limousines, and vans and grew to be one of the largest school bus contracting companies in North America. With the help of outside investors, the company was taken public as Student Transportation of America and Student Transportation of Canada.  Most recently, Ken owned a graphic design business which he sold in 2008.

Ken and his wife, Joyce, have lived in Montecito for the past thirty years.  The have two children who grew up and attended local schools in Santa Barbara.  They are blessed with one grandchild and are looking forward to more.  Their hobby is to travel the world and spend time on their speed boat at Lake Mead and Lake Powell.  When Ken is not selling a business or taking on a new profession, he serves on the board of the Santa Barbara Partners in Education, which he has been serving for the past 20 years.

Michelle Madril
Financial Advisor
Financial Planning Associate
Series 7, 66, 31
Life and Variable Annuity Insurance Licensed

Michelle Madril is a native of California, having grown up in the central valley in Lindsay, California, the home of Lindsay Olives.  She graduated from California State University of Fresno in 1996 with a degree in Psychology.  She moved to Santa Barbara in 1999 to work for Gallo Wine Company, selling wine on the central coast to local businesses and restaurants.  She honed her sales skills for three years with them and switched gears from wine to financial services with Paychex, where she specialized in 401(k) sales and account maintenance.  She was very successful with Paychex, covering the central coast for three years and expanding their 401(k) services business dramatically.  In November of 2008, Michelle successfully completed the Financial Advisors training program in New York as well as received the designation as a Financial Planning Associate.   Michelle will focus on the 401(k) and Retirement Plans business, while advising business owners with their personal financial and retirement goals. 

During her time in Fresno, she volunteered for the Boys and Girls Clubs, as well as served as a counselor for the Rape Crisis Center and The Victim and Offender Reconciliation Program of Fresno.  Her hobbies include hiking, tennis and cooking.