Arax uses Kate Johnson's philanthropy award as a recruiting proof point

InvestmentNews has named Kate Johnson, a wealth advisor and senior portfolio manager at Ashton Thomas Private Wealth, an Excellence Awardee for the Thrivent Financial Award for Excellence in Philanthropy and Community Service in its 2026 Women to Watch Awards. Arax, a national wealth management company that reports more than $43 billion in assets under management, announced the recognition on Aug. 17. The award program collected nominations from across the industry, supplemented them with in-depth research from the InvestmentNews awards team, and turned the final decisions over to a panel of independent judges, according to Arax.

The honor looks at philanthropic and community service contributions over the prior 12 months, Arax said. Johnson's record goes deeper than that window. Arax said she has spent nearly a decade helping nonprofit organizations across her home state of Wyoming, using her wealth-management experience to support their long-term planning, financial stewardship and organizational growth. No compensation was paid in connection with the award, the firm said.

Arax CEO Haig Ariyan said Johnson exemplifies the kind of seasoned, community-oriented professional Arax was built to support, and that the honor is well-deserved. The firm markets itself as a home for established advisors, offering centralized resources, strategic support and integrated capabilities. That pitch gets a concrete human face in Johnson, whose Wyoming nonprofit work spans nearly a decade.

Final winners will be announced Nov. 5 in New York. Until then, Arax gets to advertise an awardee inside its community. The firm, which says it is growing rapidly and supports advisors serving high-net-worth clients, can point to Johnson as evidence of the community-oriented professionals it recruits. In a market where consolidators chase the same experienced advisors, an award with a community-service angle is a cheap way to signal what the firm values — and to let a recruited advisor do the talking.