Our Management Team

Peter Novak

General Agent

Pete is the General Agent of Charter Oak Insurance and Financial Services Co. The agency is represented throughout New England with offices in Western and Central Massachusetts, Greater Hartford, Greater New Haven, and Fairfield County, Connecticut.

A nearly 30-year veteran of the insurance and financial services industry, Pete served as general agent to MassMutual’s Rochester agency; co-general agent at The New England/Robinson Co. in Waterbury, Connecticut; and as an agent at the New York Life Insurance Company. Before entering the financial services world, he coached college basketball for over seven years, and worked as a social worker in his hometown of New Haven, Connecticut.

A firm dedication to community service has remained at the center of all of Pete’s professional endeavors. This dedication is evidenced in his creation of the Charter Oak Fund, which provides funding to organizations focused on children, particularly those with special needs.

Pete lives in Longmeadow, Massachusetts with his wife and three children.

Brendan Naughton

General Agent

Brendan focuses his role as GA largely on the recruitment and professional development of new and experienced associates. In addition to these duties, he is responsible for Charter Oak’s sales management team and agency training program.

Throughout his career, Brendan has been recognized as a leading field agent and manager. In 2007, his group led the entire company in overall production, an accomplishment for which MassMutual awarded him the prestigious spot as Sales Manager of the Year.

Brendan resides in Danbury with his wife and their three daughters.

Linda Troiano

Chief Operating Officer

In her role as Charter Oak’s COO, Linda is primarily responsible for the agency’s financial management and day-to-day operations. She also serves as a liaison between Charter Oak’s agents and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual).

Linda has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, in both a corporate and field capacity. An avid traveler, Linda enjoys exploring cultures and countries around the world. She resides in Milford, Connecticut.

Frank Stellato

Chief Financial Officer

Frank’s role as Charter Oak’s CFO focuses primarily on the agency’s financial management. Frank has over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry; most of that at MassMutual’s Home Office.

Frank is an avid golfer and enjoys coaching his daughters’ soccer team. He lives in Wilbraham, MA with his wife and their daughter.

Brett M. Amendola

Managing Director

Brett began his financial services career in 1991, when he joined American Express Financial Advisors. He started there as a Financial Advisor before being promoted to District Manager. Building on his early success, Brett became an Associate Managing Director at Prudential Financial Planning Services, and then became a Divisional Vice President at UBS. Brett was a Senior Agency Director/Market Leader for Barnum Financial Group before coming to Charter Oak to build his own team of financial services professionals.

Leveraging his nearly two decades of experience at some of the world’s largest investment firms, Brett has attracted successful financial industry professionals to work side-by-side with some of the brightest minds from local colleges. The result is a team with extensive knowledge and experience that can also provide service to multi-generational client relationships.

Outside of the office, Brett enjoys golfing, fishing and, of course, spending time with his family. He resides in Clinton, Connecticut with his wife and three children.

Jason Castaldi

Managing Director

As sales manager for Charter Oak’s Southbury-based team of agents, Jason focuses on recruiting and agent development while also managing his own practice. He entered the financial services industry in 2003 as a municipal bond broker in Northern New Jersey, joining Charter Oak in 2005.

Jason has been recognized by MassMutual as a Rising Leader, MDRT qualifier and a Fast-Pace Award recipient.

Outside of the office, Jason is an active member of Business Networking International and serves as assistant football coach for a local high school.

Jason resides in Danbury, Connecticut with his wife and their German Shepherd.

Shawn Torres

Managing Director

Shawn joined the financial services industry immediately after college. In the five years since, he has been recognized consistently as a MassMutual Rising Leader, and moved quickly into the role of sales manager for Charter Oak’s Holyoke office.

In his management role, Shawn focuses on the recruitment, training and professional development of successful financial service professionals.

Shawn is an active member in Business Network International and Meadows Masonic Lodge. He is also an assistant varsity coach for Springfield High School’s boy’s basketball team. Shawn lives in Springfield with his wife and their two children.

Allen Davis, CFP®, ChFC

Managing Director

Allen heads Charter Oak’s Hadley unit, integrating his role as sales manager with his own financial planning practice. He entered financial services following a long career in high tech, executive search, and a prior post in experimental higher education academic administration.

As a Sales Manager for the past five years at Charter Oak, Allen has built a diverse team of seasoned professionals and successful career changers. He focuses his own fee-based financial planning practice on retirement, estate and multi-generational planning, and has a special interest in social investing—helping clients develop philanthropic plans that allow them to maximize the extent to which they can support activities and organizations that are important to them.

Allen continues to pursue his passion for music, as both an avid bass and piano player and as the founder of Mak’hela, the Jewish chorus of Western Massachusetts.

He has been married for 45 years, and has two grown sons and two (gorgeous and brilliant!) grandchildren.

Joseph Giannini

Brokerage Director

Joe brings his prior experiences as a general agent, compliance officer and district manager to his position as a Charter Oak brokerage director.

In this role, Joe provides Charter Oak’s brokers with one-on-one support for all of their client needs, including case consultation, marketing and illustration support and estate and business planning expertise.

Outside of the office, Joe is the president of the Branford Football League in Branford, Connecticut and head coach for the 5th grade team.

Joe lives in Branford with his wife and four children.

Bob King, CLU, ChFC, MSFS

Brokerage Director

Bob brings more than 40 years of financial services experience to Charter Oak’s brokerage operation. He was an agent with Connecticut General and the Regional Director of Sales with Provident Life and Accident before joining Charter Oak in 1998.

A 13-time Management Council qualifier, Bob has won six MassMutual bowl trophies, including a prestigious Gold Bowl, for his brokerage business leadership. He is also a three-time recipient of MassMutual’s Academy of Honor Award.

Outside the office, Bob enjoys fishing, cooking and spending time at his “retirement” home in Glen Spey, NY. He and his wife reside in Stafford Springs, Connecticut.

Joanna Leary

Agency Director of Marketing and Communications

Joanna manages all areas relating to the agency’s communications, including its Web site, promotional materials, advertising and public relations programs and employee communications. She is responsible for building and promoting Charter Oak’s brand both internally and externally.

With a background in journalism, media relations and creative copywriting for organizations as diverse as a boutique software company and a multinational law firm, Joanna brings more than a decade of marcomm experience to Charter Oak.

Joanna lives in West Hartford, CT with her husband and two daughters.

Toni LiTrenta

Agency Director of Training

Toni is responsible for enhancing the selling, marketing, and business management skills of Charter Oak’s agents. She uses her background in distribution and her industry knowledge to provide comprehensive training/service to the agents she supports.

A veteran of the financial services industry for more than a decade, Toni brings a strong background in project management, customer service, products, training and compensation to her role. Prior to joining Charter Oak, she worked as a Regional Training Director for multiple MassMutual agencies in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

Toni lives in Springfield with her two sons.