Leadership

	Scott Akerley CEO
	Scott Akerley is Co-founder and CEO of American Trust Escrow. His vision and unique management skills has grown American Trust Escrow from a staff of 3 to nearly 75. Scott Akerley credits the high-energy level of his exceptional staff for the company’s success.Throughout his career, Scott has been active in his community, working on behalf of Christmas Can Tree, Special Olympics, New Horizons and United Way. He also is the President of the Glendale Chamber of Commerce, and proudly serves on the board of the Glendale College Foundation. Between commitments, Scott devotes his time to his wife Cari and their three children Amanda, Ryan, and Tyler.
	Jeff Russell President
	As President and Co-Founder of American Trust Escrow, Jeff Russell oversees finance, sales and staff hiring for the company. Jeff’s belief that success is “all about the people and the tools” is obvious to those who work with him. He spends significant time providing staff with marketing tools, advanced technology and personal coaching to ensure each and every person is realizing his or her true potential. Jeff is a former board member of the Los Angeles Escrow Association and an active participant in the business community.
	Brett Yates Chief Operating Officer
	Throughout his career, Brett Yates has illustrated leadership on highly functioning management teams as an executive and as a part of the team. He brings an active management style to his position as Chief Operations Officer at American Trust Escrow. A native Californian who spent more than a decade in the Rockies working with the mutual funds giant, Janus, Brett returned to his home state to pursue his other passion—real estate. With his extensive experience in finance and real estate, Brett provides the ideal combination of capabilities and knowledge to help the organization with its key initiative— organic expansion. His current focus is the assessment of operations – how they can be improved, evolved and replicated to grow the company into the future.
	Sue Opalk Senior Vice President
	Susan Opalk is the founder and co-owner of American Trust Escrow Los Feliz. She has earned the title Certified Senior Escrow Officer and Certified Escrow Instructor from the California Escrow Association. Having been in the California Escrow Industry for over 30 years, Susan has recently expanded our operations into Nevada and Arizona. She has created and manages a successful Escrow Processing Center with a 99% accuracy rating for REOs, Short Sales, Refinances, and Sales. Susan’s current passion is “paperless escrow” and she is responsible for converting our escrow software to accommodate the paperless process which has been used successfully in Los Feliz since 2008.
	Joe Curtis Executive Vice President of Sales
	Joe Curtis has spent several years directing sales and presiding over one of the largest escrow companies in the region. His role at American Trust Escrow as Executive Vice President of Sales gives him the opportunity to put his natural born skills and experience in the escrow industry to greater purpose. Joe’s responsibilities include adding support to the existing sales team, coaching, training, recruiting and providing the guidance and inspiration needed to demonstrate added value to clients. “By providing great service and a superb environment for our employees, we in turn are attracting new clients and developing the best salespeople in the business. It’s a win-win which is what sales is really all about.” Joe is a member of the California Escrow Association and American Land Title Association (ALTA).
	Jackii Backstrom Operations Manager
	Jackii Backstrom joined American Trust Escrow in 2001 as manager of our corporate office on Sunset Blvd. Two years later, she assumed the role of auditor/consultant manager for the complete network of American Trust Escrow offices. Jackii gained most of her escrow expertise as an escrow officer and manager with Bank of America both in Southern and Northern California offices. After more than 20 years with Bank of America, Jackii left her Vice President position to co-found Glen Oaks Escrow in Glendale, California for several more years. The sale of Glen Oaks Escrow brought Jackii a short retirement, however, the escrow business pulled her back and American Trust Escrow is most grateful to have her experience and expertise to rely on.