OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM

Hermann Rojas

Partner

Hermann Rojas migrated to the United States at the age of ten with his mom and two older sisters in search of the American Dream. Coming from a low-income environment, Hermann dedicated his early years to his studies in Southern California as a way to open opportunities for him and his family. Hermann has a bachelor’s degree in International Business from San Diego State University. Professionally, Hermann has been part of the leadership team to three top 500 companies. His passion for helping others and contributing to his community has opened up this tremendous opportunity to match his talents with one of the strongest, most financially secure companies in the industry. Hermann is involved in the community through different organizations working together with others to make the community a better place for future generations. Today, Hermann is living that dream; married to his beautiful wife Leilani and father to his two sons Franco and Cazador. After joining us in December 2017 and being a succesful agent, Hermann became a Partner in 2020. He went on to be recognized as Partner of the Year in his first year.

Mikhail Mikhail

Associate Partner

Mikhail Mikhail was born and brought up in Egypt. He graduated from Assuit University with a business degree. In 1992, he joined Xerox Egypt (one of the top 20 business companies in the country at the time) as a sales representative. In 2004, Mikhail transitioned to the banking industry. Throughout his 9-year banking career he worked in four different banks in three different countries at a managerial level. He immigrated to the United States in 2013 to provide better opportunities for his two children. Now his daughter Monica is attending Optometry School at Nova Southeastern University in Florida and his son David is at UCR studying Mechanical Engineering.

Mikhail joined New York Life in August 2019. As an Agent he achieved two consecutive Executive Council¹ qualifications and became a MDRT² member. Additionally, he finished as a Top 5 Agent in the office, lead the New Org in life sales, and was named Rookie Agent and New Org Agent of the Year in 2020. Mikhail was promoted to Associate Partner in 2022. Mikhail believes that New York Life provides him with a unique opportunity to help others achieving their financial goals. He is a dedicated family man and a people person who loves being involved in his community and church.

Jakob Braun

Director of Recruiting

Born in Kazakhstan Jakob’s family moved to Germany when he was seven years old. Consequently, he grew up in the Hamburg metro area, where he attended college and made his first steps in the financial services industry. Following a study abroad program, which marked his first ever visit to the United States, he was captivated be the American way of life and soon decided to return to further his education. He came to the United States in 2011 and never left.

Before joining New York Life in 2017, Jakob worked in consulting and taught college courses while working on his Ph.D. in Business Administration at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Being around the company for roughly a decade through family ties has allowed him to build relationships with agents and managers nationwide and has taught him what it takes to be successful in the company and industry. His primary responsibilities focus on growing the New York Life family in the Inland Empire by working closely with our Managing Partner in the selection and development of new agents.

Patricia Rudd

Development Manager

Born and raised in Riverside, Patricia is an Inland Empire native. She graduated with a BA in Communication Studies from California State University, San Bernardino in 2002. Patricia has held various positions in Sales and Business Development before coming to New York Life in 2015. She achieved Executive Council¹ in 2017 and became a Registered Representative and Established Agent in 2018. In addition to her own professional career with New York Life, Patricia has been around the NYL family all her life as her father has held different roles as a development manager, product consultant and recently as a Senior NYLIC since 1974. Patricia lives in Riverside with her husband Michael and their two children, Logan and Madelyn. She is excited to help develop the careers of new agents as well as support the Inland Empire Office as a whole.

Jason Presley

Operations Manager

Jason started his career with New York Life as an Agent in the Los Angeles General Office. In 2012 he was hired as an Administrative Manager Trainee in the Greater Pasadena General Office and was appointed to the Inland Empire General Office as the Administrative Manager (now Operations Manager) in 2013. Jason graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in International Business. Jason has earned designations as a Registered Operations Professional, Associate Customer Service (ASC), and the Associate Life Management Institute (ALMI). He currently oversees a staff of 4 and supervises all administrative functions in the General Office, including the handling of all new business, contracting and licensing and agent services. Jason is a Southern California native and currently resides in Lake Elsinore with his wife Julie and daughter Regan. He enjoys spending time with his family, going to sporting events, hiking, and doing service in the community.

Brian Molinatti

Director of Agency Standards

Brian Molinatti began his career in the financial services industry prospecting and opening new accounts at a New York Stock Exchange member firm. He went on to handle customer service and the review of new account applications for a leading online brokerage firm. Thereafter, Brian began his career in the compliance department as the compliance officer for a boutique brokerage firm. He joined New York Life in 2002 reviewing advertising and sales material in the corporate compliance department where he worked until December of 2016. In January of 2017, Brian joined the agency standard department of New York Life where he currently is the Director of Agency Standards for the Inland Empire and San Diego offices. Brian has an MBA in General Management and holds the FINRA series 4, 7, 24, 55 and 63 securities licenses.