Our Team
Joanie Kwiatkowski
Joanie Kwiatkowski has worked with her husband Mike Kwiatkowski since 1998. She is responsible for daily operations of our office including office administration, human resource activities, network software oversight, as well as scheduling client appointments. She is an integral part of the Divorce Planning Partners team.
Joanie was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio and graduated from The Toledo Hospital School of Nursing. She worked for 17 years in the nursing field, specializing in Pediatrics. Her experience included hospital nursing, home healthcare and utilization review, before leaving the nursing profession in 1996. Her last position was in a corporate setting, which allowed her to hone her business skills.
Joanie has volunteered for a variety of organizations, from church groups to School District 204 PTAs, as well as Hesed House, a homeless shelter in Aurora, Illinois. She is married to Mike and has two children, Lisa and Ryan.
Darren Gaschler
Darren Gaschler joined Divorce Planning Partners as an administrative assistant in 2005 with the intention of moving into a more active role in client relations and divorce financial planning. In his current role, Darren assists in the daily office operations including customer service and facilitating the progress of cases. Preparation for client meetings and special projects are also a large part of his duties with Divorce Planning Partners.
Darren was born in Springfield, Missouri but spent most of his years in Hutchinson, Kansas. After graduating from Kansas State University in 2003, Darren moved to the Chicago area to take a position at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare. It was at the Hyatt that Darren developed his personal service and business skills in a corporate environment. In 2005 he joined New York Life with the goal of learning the investment planning and investment industry.
Darren is involved with his local community through the Kiwanis Club. He is an avid golfer who enjoys the outdoors, competitive sports, cooking and spending time on the lake with his family in the Ozarks.
Bernadette West
Bernadette West joined our staff as an administrative assistant in 2007. Most recently, she worked as an editor for a private investigation firm, specializing in insurance fraud. After graduating from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, Bernadette developed a community relations department for the community hospital in Peru, Indiana. When she and her husband, Dave, moved to Naperville, Illinois, she worked as a corporate copywriter in the marketing department of a software training company.
Bernadette and Dave have two children. Over the years, Bernadette has enjoyed assisting in the classroom and school library, accompanying students on field trips and volunteering with various activities within their schools and church.