Management Team
The Greater San Francisco General Office Management Team
Please feel free to contact one of our management team members to learn more about New York Life.
Kevin H. Choi, CLU
Managing Partner
Office: (415) 393-6033
Cell: (415) 577-2720
kevinchoi@newyorklife.com
Kevin H. Choi, CLU is the Managing Partner of the Greater San Francisco General Office. Kevin attended the University of Southern California and graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and Finance. Upon graduation, he went into the Banking Business as VP of Customer Service and Loans at Bank of America.
Kevin started his career with New York Life as a Partner in the Los Angeles General Office in December 1996. He accumulated numerous awards as a Partner; Top Partner across the nation among 280 Partners, and was promoted to Senior Partner in October 1999. Kevin then was promoted to Agency Vice President in the Pacific Zone in July of 2000. He was responsible for the development of Partners and Managing Partners in 33 offices. In 2003, the Pacific Zone was the Top Producing Zone in the New York Life Insurance Company. After that, Kevin was promoted to Zone Vice President in March of 2005.
Looking for a new challenge, Kevin became the Managing Partner of the Los Angeles General Office in January 2006, where his career had first started. Over the next six years, the production in the Los Angeles General Office doubled. Numerous awards were accumulated, including View from the Top, Management Development and Zone Chairman's Award for New Agent growth. In January 2013, Kevin was asked to become the Managing Partner of the Greater San Francisco General Office, which is the largest office in the Pacific Zone.
Kevin's constant aspiration is to pursue a life of significance and empower others personally and professionally. Kevin is married to Serena for the past twenty years and has a beautiful daughter Claudia who is a sophomore at the Cornell University majoring in Hospitality. Kevin is actively involved in the Wheel Chair Foundation, which provides financial and emotional support to underprivileged children giving them aid and hope.
Cindy C. Ngai
Partner, San Mateo
Office: (650) 513-3206
Cell: (650) 278-2889
Cindy joined New York Life as an agent in 2000 at the San Mateo office. She qualified for Executive Council in 2002 & 2003. In 2002 she earned the Life Superstar, Club 21 and Centurion Awards. She became a member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT*) in 2004. She was also promoted as a Partner in the San Mateo Sales office in the same year. As a Partner in 2005, Cindy earned the Pacific Zone Breakthrough Recruiter and an Outstanding Achievement Award in the Chinese Market for Recruiting.
Cindy graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor Degree in Marketing. She and her husband John live in San Bruno, California.
Anthony Garibaldi, CFP, LUTCF, FSCP
Partner, San Francisco
Office: (415) 393-6009
Cell: (650) 455-2085
Tony joined New York Life in 2010 as an agent after working many years in a family business in the healthcare industry. Tony was awarded Rookie of the Year Class of 2010 and qualified for Executive Council each of his four years as an agent. As a Financial Advisor with Eagle Strategies LLC, Tony specialized in retirement, insurance, and investment planning. In 2014, Tony was promoted to a Partner in the Greater San Francisco office and qualified as the New Partner of the Year in the Pacific Agencies and the View From the Top Award.
Tony was born and raised in Millbrae, CA and currently lives in San Francisco. Tony enjoys traveling, playing guitar, and spending time with family and friends.
Sharla Aquino Garibaldi, LUTCF, FSCP
Partner, San Mateo
Office: (650) 513-3219
Cell: (408) 307-6037
Sharla began her financial services career with New York Life in 2002. In her 10 year tenure as a Financial Services Professional with New York Life, she achieved the Life Centurion Award every year from 2003-2012. She was also awarded the Life All Star Award and Executive Council in 2003-2006, and 2008-2012. In 2012, Sharla was promoted as Development Manager in the Greater San Francisco General Office. In December 2014, she took on a new role as Partner. In her first year as Partner, she earned the Gathering of Eagles Award for exceptional recruiting. Sharla's mission is to select new talent and develop the next generation of associates become successful financial professionals that can make a positive impact on people's lives and in their communities. Sharla holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Economics from UC Riverside and enjoys traveling, art, and volunteering for non-profit organizations.
John Erwin “EJ” M. Magbitang, LUTCF, FSCP
Partner, San Francisco
Office: (415) 393-6006
Cell: (925) 323-1006
Although by the time he was hired, EJ was already a familiar face (and voice!) to the Greater San Francisco General Office, his career in the Financial Services Industry officially began when he joined The New York Life in September of 2001. Passionate about his work and dedicated to his clients, he achieved Quality Council in 2006, 2009, & 2011, and Executive Council in 2003, 2012, 2013 & 2014. As an agent, EJ's practice was primarily focused on serving business owners and working with young professionals as he most enjoyed the strategic planning aimed at risk management, wealth accumulation, wealth distribution, and estate preservation. Now, as Partner, EJ is determined to pass his knowledge and experiences to the next generation of New York Life agents, so that they may also realize their dreams and become leaders of their communities. Proudly a second-generation New York Life Agent, EJ bleeds blue through and through. “Growing up, New York Life was much more than just the firm Mom worked with — it was our way of life, our extended family. In carrying on this tradition, my hope is to share with our agents the unique opportunity and the urgent responsibility we have in serving our clients, their businesses, and especially their families.”
EJ and his wife, Sheryl Magbitang, CPA and Senior Accountant with Collins, Mason & Company. LLP, reside in downtown San Francisco and have been happily married since 2012. Together, they enjoy traveling, spending time with family and friends, and exploring all the exciting cuisine the city has to offer.
Brady Muir
Partner, San Francisco
Cell: (415) 385-3993
Brady joined New York Life in December of 2020 as an Agent in Fast Track to Management Program. In his first year he made Executive Council Premier, Rookie of the Year 2021 and qualified for Million Dollar Round Table. He has recently graduated from the Associate Partner Program is our newest Partner. Brady specializes in family protection, college and retirement planning.
After graduating, from Michigan State University he soon joined Morgan Stanley as an Institutional Sales Trader, trading equities with hedge funds and mutual funds. He spent the next 15 years with Robert Baird, Guggenheim Securities, Mizuho Securities USA and William O’Neil.
Brady was born in Rhode Island and lived in over 12 states following his family around while his dad coached in the NFL for almost 30 years. He lives in San Ramon with his wife Amy and his kids Joseph, Daniella, Ryan, Luccas, Kendall and Charlie. His hobbies include his family, coaching baseball, football and occasionally some Golf.
Ge “Ivy” Shen, CLU
Associate Partner, San Mateo
Office: (408) 306-3848
Ivy began her career in 2007 as an agent in the Greater San Francisco General Office. As the first- generation immigrant from China, she has no natural market can support her but she qualified as a member of New York Life’s Executive Council** in the very first year of her career.
Her consistent effort was rewarded as she went on to be the panel speaker for Chinese Culture Market two times and in 2010, she decided to take a journey as to discover how other companies and their products work since she realized providing the Financial Professional services for people is the mission of her life. She qualified as a member of Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT*) in 2013. In the November of 2015 Ivy decided to return to New York Life who she admired the most as a Mutual Company in the industry from she last 5 years journey. She continued to build a thriving practice and qualified for New York Life’s Executive Council in short 6 months in 2016 and qualified for President Council in 2017.
In the spring of 2018 Ivy was promoted to Development Manager and began training and developing newly hired agents in Reno General Office. She received 4 Development Managers Achievement Awards from the company for building New Org’s Production and Retention in her less than 4 years of work as the DM in Reno Agency. She found the passion to empower individuals and seen them rise to their potential gave her great joy. Beginning of 2022, she decided to take the new challenge to build a team of Trusted Financial Professionals to provide high quality services to individuals, families, businessowners and communities. Ivy is focused and looking for the ones who have the Passion of helping others, Discipline to grow personally and professionally, and have the Drive to build the prosperity life they deserve.
Rigoberto Ruiz
Partner, San Francisco
Office: (415) 393-6010
Rigoberto Ruiz also known as “Rigo” is a NYL Partner operating in San Francisco, CA, who has 10 years of experience in finance. He earned his Bachelors of Science in Accounting and Business Management from CSU East Bay. Before joining the ranks as a financial adviser at Eagle Strategies he worked with Edwards Jones and Wells Fargo for several years. He joined the NYL family in 2019 and fell in love with the culture of success at the Greater San Francisco office. Rigo holds his series 66 and 7 license.
Rigo’s dedication to his clients and NYL team allowed him to join the NYL management team. Prior to joining the management team In 2022, he obtained the award Presidents council and multiple Executive councils.
Rigo is a first-generation Salvadoran American that is passionate about mentorship and giving back to his community. He has a long history of teaching guitar which is one of his favorite hobbies.
His favorite quote comes from American actor and filmmaker, Denzel Washington: “Without commitment, you'll never start. But more importantly, without consistency, you'll never finish.”
F. Thomas Laniecki, CLU, ChFC
Senior Director of Development, San Francisco
Office: (415) 393-6089
Cell: (415) 672-4310
Since joining the Greater San Francisco management team in 2014, Thomas has been preparing entrepreneurial-minded individuals for a rewarding career in financial services. Prior to that, he spent 10 years as a successful Agent with New York Life Insurance Company, Registered Rep with NYLIFE Securities LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC, A Licensed Insurance Agency, and Financial Adviser with Eagle Strategies LLC, A Registered Investment Adviser. He qualified for New York Life's Executive Council during each of his 10 years as a Producer. Over the same time period, he qualified for the prestigious Million Dollar Roundtable (MDRT)* six times. Thomas also served as a volunteer instructor for Money Management Educators, a national organization promoting Financial Wellness. He has conducted close to 100 seminars and over 1,000 one-on-one financial education sessions for employees at Bay Area companies on a variety of financial topics and employee benefits.
Prior to joining New York Life, Thomas spent 10 years in the high-tech industry in Silicon Valley in various sales, business development and operational management roles. Thomas was born and grew up in Germany, and is fluent in German. He holds a Masters degree in Business and Economics from Passau University in Germany and spent a year studying in Dublin, Ireland, before moving to the U.S. in 1994 to pursue his professional career.
Thomas lives in Alameda with his wife Sharon and his two children Lucia and Mateo. In his spare time, he enjoys a good round of golf and spending quality time with his family and friends.
Jaclyn Eryn M. Magbitang, CLU,ChFC
Director of Development, San Mateo
Office: (650) 513-3263
Cell: (925) 876-5187
Development Manager Jaclyn Eryn M. Magbitang, CLU, ChFC has devoted her career to New York Life’s mission—providing outstanding financial advice with integrity and compassion. In 2016, “Jac” was promoted to Development Manager of Greater San Francisco, after serving the same general office as a Financial Services Professional. Immediately prior to joining the company, she earned both her B.S. in Business Administration and B.A. in Performing Arts from the Saint Mary’s College of California.
In 2021, Jac was appointed to New York Life’s Development Manager Advisory Council (DMAC), and was recently elected by her peers to serve as the 2022 DMAC President. Interestingly, Jac is the youngest of three children — each of whom (following in the footsteps of their mother) have dedicated their careers to continuing New York Life’s legacy and tradition. Jac is a native to the Bay Area and has made her home in Rincon Hill, San Francisco.
Dana McCue, FLMI, ACS
Service Leader
Office: (908) 437-9220
Dana joined New York Life in 2001 where she began her career as a Contracting and Licensing Representative at the Greater Washington General Office. In 2002, she transferred to the Northeastern Pennsylvania General Office and transitioned over to a New Business Representative. In 2005, she was promoted to Office Coordinator and in 2006 she was promoted to Service Leader. In 2022 Dana was given the opportunity to work with the Greater San Francisco GO as their temporary Service Leader. During her tenure, Dana was a foundering member and co-lead for the Inaugural Service Advisory Council. Dana has won several awards over the years in a variety of different areas, but delivering the best customer service, and Manager of the Year are what she is most proud of. Dana was a 2018 Service Superstar and has earned two trips to Executive Council based on agent adoption of eLife and highest percentage of Term Conversions.
Dana has earned her FLMI, and ACS designations through LOMA. She earned her Series 99 from FINRA. She has a Bachelor of Science in Management from the University of Phoenix, an Associates Degree in General Studies from Central Texas College, and an Associate Degree in Information Systems from the Community College of the Air Force. Dana also retired from the United States Air Force.
Dana has been married to her husband Dwight for over 20 years. They have two daughters, Haley, and Payton, and a son, Liam. In their free time, they love to volunteer at several different organizations, and they like to spend time together often vacationing to Disney.
Minh Ngo
Director of Agency Standards
Office: (415) 393-6233
Minh Ngo joined the Greater San Francisco General Office as the Agency Standards Manager in June of 2021 after a successful career in the retail investment industry as a Director. Minh spent 14 years in Financial Supervision and Oversight with Merrill Lynch. Minh’s extensive background with Supervision, Compliance, and Risk Management has taught him that we are better served when we are inclusive with our clients and advisors to strive for financial innovation together.
Minh could not pass on the opportunity to join New York Life, a company that supports an inclusive culture. It has been said many times that “the people make New York Life” and we serve the client need of Insurance and Wealth Management Solutions. In 2022, Minh was the recipient of the New York Life New Agency Standards Manager of the Year Award. In 2023, Minh was promoted to Director of Agency Standards.
Minh earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California at Santa Cruz, a Masters in Governance from the California School Board Association, and holds active Series 24, 4, 53, 6, 63, 66, and 7, as well as his California Life Insurance license.
Minh has been married to his beautiful wife Jennifer since 2009. Minh is a proud father to two daughters, Zoe and Averline, and a son, William. Minh is an avid Golden State Warriors and San Francisco 49ers fan. In his spare time, Minh is actively involved in his community with various non-profits, as a member of the Milpitas Rotary International Club, Volunteer with Silicon Valley Second Harvest Food Bank, Former Advisory Chair with Silicon Valley High Tech High Heels, and a Governing Board of Education Trustee with Milpitas Unified School District.