Our People

Natalie Carter was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas and graduated from the University of Texas in 2009 with a BBA in Finance. She joined Western in 2009, spearheading the development of the company’s research division, which she currently leads. Natalie lives in Aledo, Texas, with her husband and three girls.

Kallen serves as Western’s Chief Financial Officer and manages all finance, accounting, and administrative functions. Previously, he served in a dual role as Corporate Controller at Vecta Environmental Services and Controller at Polaris Services, both located in Weatherford, Texas. Kallen is originally from Elysian Fields, Texas, and attended Abilene Christian University from 2003 to 2007 (Master’s in Accounting). Today, he lives in Brock, Texas, with his wife and two daughters.

As Chief Commercial Officer, Rick focuses on developing relationships with Western’s valued clients and supporting various sales and marketing efforts throughout the company. Previously, he was a managing partner and founder at PXP Holdings, a Dallas-based consulting services firm that serves private companies. Rick has nearly 25 years of experience in sales and marketing, including CMO or Director-level positions at private and public companies. While Rick has lived and worked in too many places to count worldwide, Rick calls Texas home.

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Turner earned his B.S. in Economics from the United States Military Academy. After five years in the U.S. Army, he received his MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management. Prior to Western, Turner worked at J.P. Morgan in New York in their Leveraged Finance Investment Banking group. His primary role at Western is to lead the team from day one engagement all the way through close and beyond. Accordingly, he is a close friend and confidant with many of Western’s clients.

Jack earned his BBA in Finance from Texas Christian University. After graduation, he spent several years in commercial banking at Frost Bank before joining Western in 2020. As the leader of the deal execution team, Jack works closely with Western's clients to effectively value, structure, and execute transactions. Outside of the office, Jack enjoys spending time on his ranch in Stephenville, Texas, or pursuing his passion for hunting and fishing.

Don Woodard, Jr. was born in Fort Worth, Texas. At fifteen, he started his career in the advertising space by selling ads for the Fort Worth News-Tribune until eventually moving into the life insurance business. In that capacity, he met many business owners who, in addition to purchasing life insurance, were looking for assistance with estate planning strategies related to their companies. Don saw an opportunity to help these families and opened Western’s doors in 1998. As President of Western, he manages many of the firm’s buy-side and sell-side relationships.

Donnie grew up at Western and has regularly been coming to the office with his father since he was just a few years old. He joined Western in an official capacity in 2019, starting in the company’s research department. Today, he is Western’s Chief Marketing Officer, managing all aspects of the company’s branding, advertising, and client-facing functions. Donnie was born and raised in Fort Worth, just a few miles from Western’s Museum Place office.