Alexandria Dunn

Though her father was a financial advisor and she grew up enjoying math, Alexandria Dunn never envisioned being an advisor herself.

What she loved most was talking to people, understanding their life goals and getting to the bottom of what stood in the way of accomplishing those goals. The light bulb turned on as she reviewed career options with a college advisor, who explained how planning combines problem-solving and numbers with elements of behavioral psychology.

“It was the best of both worlds, using both parts of my brain,” Dunn said.

After a few years working for other firms, she joined her father’s firm, Affinia Financial Group, which focuses on serving families with children who have special needs. The practice is multigenerational and interdisciplinary, and pulls in estate planning, government programs, long-term care and case workers.

For Dunn, it’s personal, too: one of her brothers has Down syndrome, is nonverbal and needs significant ongoing support.

“It goes back to the emotions. You’re not able to be there forever for your child, so how do you provide the resources they are going to need?” she said.

As a partner and chief technology officer, Dunn has helped implement technology that streamlines the firm’s unique, complex approach to planning. She is the former president of the Massachusetts Guardianship Association, which connects professionals who work with families with special needs and chairs the State Advisory Council of the Department of Developmental Services, the largest agency serving individuals with special needs, to advocate for more resources and better understand what happens when a child with special needs becomes an adult.

Not every family has someone who can care for a child with special needs after the parents, so building that support network is critical, Dunn said.

“It is extremely important and close to my heart,” she said. “It definitely takes a village to provide the right types of support.”

—Ryan Neal