Jonathan Connolly serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of Wealth Advisors Trust Company (WATC), an independent, advisor-founded corporate trustee headquartered in Rapid City, South Dakota. With $4 billion in assets under administration and more than 400 trust relationships nationwide, WATC provides directed and delegated trust solutions that strengthen advisor and attorney relationships while protecting family legacies.

As President & COO, Jonathan leads the firm’s strategic direction, integration, and operational performance, advancing WATC’s growth and commitment to delivering best-in-class fiduciary solutions to clients and partners.

A senior executive with more than 30 years of financial and trust industry experience, Jonathan is recognized for building and scaling fiduciary platforms that serve ultra-high-net-worth families, family offices, and estate attorneys globally. Before joining WATC, he served as CEO and President of Wealthspire Trust LLC, a Tennessee-chartered public trust company based in Franklin, Tennessee.

Jonathan, congratulations on your recent appointment as President & COO of Wealth Advisors Trust Company (WATC). What inspired you to join WATC at this moment in its journey?

Thank you. What drew me here was the clarity of purpose. WATC was founded by advisors who were frustrated that traditional trustees often complicate client relationships instead of supporting them. The firm’s mission is to provide kind, responsive, and collaborative trust administration that strengthens advisor and attorney relationships and protects family legacies, which resonates deeply with my own leadership philosophy.

After 30 years at institutions like UBS, RBC Trust, PNC Bank, and TD Bank, I saw how bureaucracy can erode compassion and responsiveness. WATC is the antidote to that. It’s independent, custodian-neutral, and genuinely advisor-friendly. Our model is built to simplify, not control, the fiduciary process.

WATC has grown substantially in recent years, now administering more than $4 billion in assets. What are your immediate priorities as you take the helm?

My focus centers on three growth areas to expand reach to advisors and attorneys, offering access to a model that works.

1. National Expansion. We’re bringing WATC’s advisor-friendly model to new regions from New England to the South and West Coast in order to serve markets that are underserved by traditional trustees.
   
2. Partnership Excellence. Every interaction with an advisor, attorney, or client relationship should reflect our values of kindness, responsiveness, and clarity. We want our partners to feel that we make them look exceptional in front of their clients.
   
3. Operational Innovation. As we grow, we’re modernizing our infrastructure to ensure seamless, scalable service while maintaining the human warmth that defines WATC. We understand that technology will ultimately determine the client experience in the future and WATC needs to stay ahead of the ever changing landscape of our client’s needs for information.

You mentioned WATC’s independence. How does that set the firm apart in such a crowded, commoditized industry?

Independence is our superpower. Because we’re not owned by a bank or custodian, we don’t compete with advisors for their clients. Our only allegiance is to the advisor, the attorney, and the family we serve together.

This structure enables a culture that’s ego-free and innovation-driven. Our founders built this company to remove friction rather than create it. We augment the advisor relationship with their clients by providing thoughtful fiduciary solutions that aligns with modern estate planning concepts, tax efficient structures, and the flexibility of South Dakota’s strong fiduciary framework. Our flexibility to offer a collaborative solution to the wealth management industry allows us to deliver a customized experience nationwide.

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What broader trends do you see shaping the trust and fiduciary space and how is WATC positioning itself for that future?

The industry is undergoing a values reset. Clients and advisors want transparency, speed, and personalization. Regulators are raising the bar on governance and privacy, while technology is enabling new levels of responsiveness.

At the same time, we’re entering the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in history. This shift is redefining how families think about stewardship and trust. The next generation expects digital fluency and ethical alignment in equal measure.

Our focus is to blend innovation with humanity. We’re building systems that let us communicate faster and more clearly, backed by our Data Reliability and Service Consistency Framework, so every advisor, attorney, and beneficiary experiences the same care, consistency, and compassion.

For advisors or attorneys who may not be familiar with WATC, what would you say is your core promise to them?

Quite simply — because You expect more. Advisors come to us because they’re tired of losing clients to banks. Attorneys turn to us because they need a trustee who protects their client relationship, not one that gets in the middle of it.

We make the process simple, elegant, and human. Our delegated and directed trust solutions allow professionals to stay in control of their relationships while we handle the administration behind the scenes always with kindness, precision, and speed.

WATC has a strong cultural reputation for being both high-performing and heart-centered. How do you sustain that balance as you grow?

It begins with empathetic leadership and a culture of purpose. In fiduciary work, the smallest lapse in responsiveness or miscommunication can ripple into family stress or reputational damage for an advisor. We lead with empathy, thoughtfulness, and inquisitiveness. We remind our teams that behind every document, there’s a family legacy. Behind every inquiry, there’s trust. Within every discussion, there is an opportunity to inform and guide.

We also invest heavily in communication training and technology that supports compassion ensuring every email, call, and process reflects professionalism and care. Our people know they’re not just administering trusts; they’re stewards of peace of mind.

Finally, what is your long-term vision for WATC? Where do you want the company to be five years from now?

Five years from now, WATC will be a household name that is synonymous with “advisor-friendly trust company.” There is market disruption within our industry, and we want to provide a long term home for advisors, attorneys, and clients that have become disenfranchised by other trust companies who only focus on numbers. Our focus is every heart and mind who wants to partner with a trustee that truly cares about collaboration and building long term relationships.

Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Rapid City, South Dakota, Wealth Advisors Trust Company (WATC) is an independent, advisor-founded corporate trustee serving financial advisors, attorneys, and family offices nationwide. Through directed and delegated trust solutions, WATC preserves professional relationships, protects family legacies, and delivers peace of mind — because You expect more. Learn more at www.wealthadvisorstrust.com.

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