Changes at Cetera: John Lefferts to lead indie advisor community as Clint Brookshire heads up Avantax

It's a busy time right now for Cetera, which has named new leaders across two of its advisor communities while launching a new technology partnership aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and regulatory compliance.

On Wednesday, the hybrid RIA announced it has tapped John Lefferts as head of Cetera Investors, a role that positions him to lead the company’s national network of more than 40 branch offices operating under its supported independence model.

He succeeds Sean Casey, who will transition to a newly created position as head of operations and development for the same community.

Lefferts joins from Equitable Advisors, where he served as national head of business development. He brings more than 30 years of experience in financial services, including expertise in sales leadership, recruiting, and growth strategy.

“John’s track record of driving growth, building exceptional teams, and putting advisors and branch managers first makes him the ideal leader for this next chapter at Cetera Investors,” LeAnn Rummel, president of Cetera Investment Services, said in a statement Wednesday.

Lefferts will oversee a structure of regional growth teams and branch leaders, supporting them with operational resources, advanced technology, and marketing tools designed to deepen client relationships and expand revenue opportunities.

“I look forward to working together to build on a strong foundation of trust, innovation and growth,” Lefferts said.

In his new position, Casey will focus on streamlining sales enablement efforts and supporting scalable growth strategies, while maintaining operational efficiency across the Cetera Investors community.

Lefferts' hiring comes shortly after another change within the network last week, with Cetera promoting Clint Brookshire to community leader of Avantax – the tax-focused advisor group it acquired in 2023 – which forms part of Cetera’s Tax & Accounting channel alongside Cetera Financial Specialists. Brookshire’s promotion marks a continued effort by Cetera to reinforce leadership consistency and support for niche advisor segments.

Brookshire, who has been with Avantax and its predecessor firms for over 20 years, most recently served as head of elite consulting and community development. In that role, he worked closely with high-producing advisory firms on business strategy and community engagement.

“Every day he works tirelessly to protect and strengthen the unique sense of community which has created such an extraordinary bond among our 3,000 advisors,” said Andy Watts, Avantax president and leader of the Tax & Accounting channel at Cetera.

Brookshire emphasized that the community’s collaborative spirit is central to its continued success. “Avantax is all about the relationships, which drives our conviction,” he said.

On the wealth tech front, Cetera has also entered a strategic partnership with Jump, an artificial intelligence firm that offers an enterprise-grade meeting assistant for financial professionals. The AI tool integrates with advisor workflows to automate documentation, CRM updates, compliance tasks and follow-ups.

The platform is designed to address regulatory complexity while boosting productivity across large-scale firms. Jump – which completed its $20 million series A funding round in February – has received high marks from the advisor community, earning top satisfaction and market share scores in the 2025 T3/Inside Information Software Survey.

In an AI notetaking technology research report published April, the Oasis Group gave Jump top marks on accuracy (96.15 percent), outscoring other options such as Zocks, Zeplyn, and Finmate.

“AI for advisors has gone from a novelty to a nice-to-have to a must-have over the past 12 months for firms that want to stay competitive,” said Parker Ence, chief executive officer and co-founder of Jump.