Born in Santa Cruz, CA, Brian lived in the Tri-Valley most of his life. He had moved away for college, but decided to return to the Bay Area to pursue a career in insurance and financial planning. He was a self-made man – put himself through college while working as a car mechanic. After graduation, he only had $1000 to spend to make something of himself. He decided to take an insurance class and became a Licensed Life Agent before training for Life Underwriting Council Fellowship. He was a Registered Representative with Ameritas; member of the National Association of Insurance & Financial Services; and General Agent (General Agency Owner) for Kansas City Life. Brian was licensed in both Life and Securities, and held certificates in Retirement Planning, Investments, Advanced Business Planning, Business Continuation and Strategies, and Estate Planning. He specialized in Wealth Accumulation and Preservation, Wealth Transfer, Business Succession Planning, Asset Protection, Estate Analysis and Tax Planning, and Retirement Strategies, just to name a few. In 2015, he considered retiring, instead, he found a new drive and created a goal of opening his own insurance and financial planning agency. His drive to further grow his business became more and more apparent having married someone with the same goal. The idealistic vision that he had, and Joanne’s realistic views gave birth to BNJA. Among his many professional accomplishments with more than 24 years in the business was receiving the MDRT Top of The Table Qualifier early on in his career. He received various awards and recognition, namely, President’s Club, Leader’s Court, Top Agent, and Agency awards.

Growing up as an athlete himself, Brian was a huge supporter of all the Bay Area sports teams, and a fanatic of his beloved 49ers (Go Niners!). He was also  fitness-minded and enjoyed working out at the gym, and an outdoorsy guy who enjoyed backpacking, fishing, and camping. He and his wife took time to travel frequently. He found a new way to enjoy life, and that was spending time roughhousing with his son, Boedhy. He was a family man who wanted nothing more than being with his fur-daughter, Brooksie, his hero, Boedhy, and “angel” wife, Joanne. 

A teenage transplant to the Bay Area, Joanne was born in Manila, Philippines. Aside from English, she is also a fluent speaker and writer in Filipino (Tagalog). She worked in the healthcare industry for 16 years as an educator, practitioner, sales, and liaison before transitioning to the insurance and financial planning industry. The length of time she had spent in the healthcare field gave her the necessary aptitude to transition to the world of insurance and financial planning. To Joanne, emotions and attitudes are parallel when dealing with wealth – may it be financial or health. She was initially a supporting factor when Brian had his vision for the agency, but as a married couple with the same goal, Brian’s idealistic vision coupled with Joanne’s realistic views, BNJA came to fruition.

Joanne is an avid sports enthusiast (Go Niners and Warriors!!); a fitness fanatic, globetrotter, lifelong learner, and philanthropist. She is truly a “Joanne of all trades,” but most importantly, she is a wife, and a mother, and loves nothing more than spending time with her family.

Born in the East Bay region of the SF Bay Area, Boedhy, is the heart of the agency. He has a warm personality, is kind-hearted, and loves being around others. He is a loving son to his mother and adores his father immensely. At an early age, Boedhy is already investing on his future. He goes to school full-time and is a part-time influencer. He would like to remind parents of kids his age that it is never too early to invest in yourself or your children.

As Operations/Office Manager at BNJA INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC., Judith brings a deep passion for empowering individuals and families to achieve financial security and peace of mind. With years of experience as a Social Service Director at skilled nursing facilities, Judith has witnessed firsthand the challenges many individuals face when trying to return home after care. Seeing elderly patients unable to return home due to financial unpreparedness—such as lacking long-term care insurance or sustainable resources—ignited Judith’s commitment to addressing these critical financial gaps.

Growing up in the Bay Area, Judith developed a strong sense of community and a drive to help others. This foundation has shaped Judith’s career, blending operational excellence with a people-first approach to leadership. Judith leverages her unique expertise to guide BNJA INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. in delivering impactful financial solutions that ensure individuals can plan for and sustain their futures with confidence.

Judith is dedicated to creating a culture of service, innovation, and financial literacy to support clients in navigating life’s uncertainties. 

Lynette holds a BS in accounting, and is an Enrolled Agent, enrolled to practice before the Internal Revenue Service. Over the last 3 decades, Lynette has focused on business accounting and taxation. She has worked with many clients in different industries including money management firms, medical, transportation, restaurants, real estate, and many other service industries. Her primary planning strategy for clients is legal tax savings and wealth preservation. Lynette was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, gardening, painting, and spending time with her family.

Justin Chapman was raised in the Carolinas. Upon high-school graduation, he entered service in the US Army achieving the Rank of E-4. Upon Separation from Military Service, he enrolled at The University of North Carolina. Graduating with a bachelor's degree. Justin has owned, developed, and sold several successful businesses. Since 2013 he has built a successful Financial Planning Practice in the excess of over 700 Businesses and Individuals.

Donald Groh has over 29 years of experience as an employee benefit specialist. Don takes the time to listen to the clients' concerns, needs and questions by assessing and reviewing current plans, conducting the renewal analysis, summarizing plan options, and advising on opportunities equaling and surpassing the clients' needs.  

In his free time, Don enjoys going out hiking and walking in nature, and spending quality time with family and friends. 

Dorothy is known for her client-centered approach. She takes the time to listen, understand individual needs, and clearly explain strategies that empower her clients to succeed.

Outside of work, Dorothy enjoys staying active, exploring the outdoors, traveling, cheering on her hometown teams—the Giants, Warriors, and 49ers—and spending quality time with her family.