Empowering
Four Schools at Your Fingertips
Your Prestige Family University Team
The Executive Commitee
George Brown
George P. Brown, PhD, is the Founder, President, and CEO of Prestige Family Office University, where he brings more than six decades of experience in banking, securities, investment management, estate planning, business consulting, entrepreneurship, and education.
A former Vice President of Retail Banking at Philadelphia Saving Fund Society, George helped lead major innovations in retail and private banking, including the development of private banking, securities, insurance marketing, and business development services. His career has also included leadership roles in investment advisory firms, securities companies, corporate marketing, mergers and acquisitions, advanced estate planning, and Virtual Family Office consulting.
George holds a PhD in Management & Leadership, the CLU and ChFC professional designations, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. He has also served as a guest instructor and lecturer in banking, estate planning, and related professional education programs.
Throughout his career, George has worked with thousands of families, business owners, and professional advisors on matters involving trusts, succession, charitable planning, family governance, and multigenerational wealth.
He founded Prestige Family Office University to help families and their advisors move beyond isolated planning decisions and develop a coordinated family office stewardship mindset—one that integrates leadership, education, professional collaboration, family continuity, faith, purpose, and responsible stewardship across generations. (read more)
Dan Dougherty
Kurt von Ahnen
Kurt von Ahnen is an accomplished entrepreneur in the eLearning space, as well as a NICA Mountain Bike Coach, Crosspoint Challenge Mentor, Business Coach, and Public Speaker.
With a corporate background as the L&D (Learning and Development) Manager/Director and contributor to projects like Ducati North America, Suzuki Motor of America, INC., and BRP, Kurt has amassed a wealth of knowledge in the technology vertical revolving around Student Experience, promotion, and administration.
His tenacity in these areas can most likely be traced back to his competition years as a semi-professional soccer player and nationally sponsored motorcycle road racer. His sense of competition and drive, as well as his faith and commitment to working with young people make him a great addition to our team.
When Kurt is not backing up this specific project, he maintains a digital agency called Manana No Mas! and focuses largely on business start-ups and enterprise eLearning projects and migration. Away from the keyboard, you can find him on one of his bicycles.
Founders Board of Directors
Rev Stephen Higgins
Rev. Dr. Stephen James Higgins is Vice President of Academics at Aidan Theological Seminary and Global Executive Director of Missio Christus, serving four countries across three hemispheres. Missio Christus ministers to children through seniors in broken regions of the world. He also serves as Archdeacon of Reach Global, an Anglican Communion missionary society, and as a Lutheran pastor.
His vocation spans fifty-one years of ministry and business. He has taught and equipped people of every age—from children and confirmation students to university and seminary leaders—across Anglican, Lutheran, and other Christian communities in North America, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Europe. That work has included parish ministry, higher education (as both president of a College and Professor highly qualified to teach Fifty-seven courses in Business, Theology, General Ed), and international mission partnerships.
He is married to Laurie. Together they have eight adult children and many grandchildren, and they travel and serve together in ministry at home and abroad. READ MORE
Gregory S. Brown
Gregory S. Brown serves as Director of Culinary – Healthcare & Seniors, North America, for Sodexo, where he provides strategic leadership for culinary operations across healthcare and senior living facilities throughout North America.
His executive responsibilities include operational excellence, financial performance, technology innovation, quality assurance, and leadership development.
Gregory brings to the Prestige Family Office University Board extensive experience in enterprise management, organizational growth, and developing high-performing teams, supporting the University’s mission to prepare responsible leaders and strengthen families and businesses for future generations. READ MORE
Michael Sheppard
Michael Sheppard presently serves as a Partner & Director of Investor Relations for Treasure Investments Corporation and CEO/Chairman of Nevada Mining Company. As former President of the America Cancer Society in Wisconsin, he has raised millions of dollars for charities conducting live auctions using donated Ghiglieri fine art since 1998.
Michael has raised over $400,000,000 as President of the National Community Foundation and is a nationally known speaker on estate planning. He served President George W. Bush on the Presidential Roundtable.
Recently, he negotiated an international partnership with the renowned Ferdinando Marinelli Foundry in Florence, Italy, granting Treasure Investments the exclusive right to produce the world’s only pure silver Pieta by Michelangelo, as well as seven other Renaissance masterpieces. READ MORE
Advisory Council
Dr. Cook
Brodie Thompson
Brenda Simms
Want to Read More? See the Book
Prestige Family Office University (PFU) helps successful Christian families honor what they have built, prepare what comes next, and strengthen their stewardship, leadership, succession, and multigenerational influence. This book provides a practical, biblically grounded roadmap for families who want to navigate the complexities of wealth, business, and legacy with clarity, purpose, and faith.
Drawing on decades of real-world experience in banking, entrepreneurship, and family office advisory, George P. Brown presents the PFU framework and proven approaches to help families build enduring legacies, thrive across generations, and make a more influential world.