Heidi has been with Vanderbilt Financial Group since 2001 and held the role of Chief of Staff for 7 years prior to becoming CEO in 2019. Heidi has worked within every department within the firm, oftentimes building that department from scratch in the early days. She was a part of the original management team that grew the firm from a smaller Office of Supervisory Jurisdiction (OSJ) to the firm that continues to grow year over year, spread across the country. Heidi has also spearheaded major strategic and technical shifts within the Firm’s cybersecurity efforts – managing internal teams across technology, compliance and operations departments while working directly with the regulatory entities. Heidi oversees the firm’s efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Alongside VFG President, Joe Trifiletti, she oversees the day-to-day operations of the firm.
Prior to joining Vanderbilt, Heidi spent 15 years at Citicorp Retail Services as a Relationship Manager in their Private Label Credit Card Division which has carried over into establishing the high-level of customer service Vanderbilt Financial Group has become known for.
Heidi and Steve Distante have been married for over 35 years and are the proud parents of their entrepreneurial children Elizabeth and Quinten. She is a spirited volunteer in the community involved with the Suffolk County Girl Scouts for over 25 years, an ambassador for The Interfaith Nutrition Network (The INN), serving the hungry and homeless on Long Island as well as supporting combat veterans. In her free time, Heidi enjoys baking, gardening, sewing, the arts and spending time with her family at their farm in Georgia or fishing on Long Island’s east end.
Heidi’s KOLBE A™ INDEX is 6743, which measures the instinctive ways you take action when you strive.
Her Strengths are Connectedness, Responsibility, Belief, Empathy and Developer.
