Named 2024’s Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year for Efforts in DEI, Liz serves as Director of DEI and Servicios en Español and Financial Planner at Francis LLC. She uses her extensive experience as an international, bilingual educator to help advise participants through the often-confusing world of personal finance. In addition, Liz leads the firm’s DEI Committee and works to create a more inclusive, collaborative, and just workplace; one that supports minoritized individuals and offers opportunities for learning and growth that positively impact the Francis team and their clients.

Daniel Aronowitz is the President of Encore [formerly Euclid] Fiduciary, a leading fiduciary liability insurance underwriting company for America’s employee benefit plans. Dan has over 30 years of experience in the professional liability industry as a coverage lawyer and underwriter, and is a widely recognized fiduciary liability expert and thought leader and advocate for sponsors of employee benefit plans. He is the author of the Fid Guru Blog, the Fiduciary Liability Insurance Handbook, and the fiduciary liability insurance chapter of the Trustee Handbook published by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University and Vanderbilt University School of Law and has achieved the RPLU+ designation from the Professional Liability Underwriting Society.

Vikrant Arya, CFA, CAIA, is a Managing Director within Nuveen’s Retirement Investing group. Vikrant leads Nuveen’s Defined Contribution engagements with institutional consultants, with a focus on building advocacy for Nuveen’s Target Date Fund suite, Lifetime Income solutions and other investment strategies appropriate for DC plans. Prior to joining the firm in 2021, Vikrant spent 12 years at BlackRock in various roles within their Retirement Group spanning consultant relations, institutional relationship management and product marketing. Vikrant also spent time within BlackRock’s U.S. Wealth group. Vikrant graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in Finance from Howard University. Vikrant is a CFA and CAIA charter holder and holds the FINRA Series 7 registration and the Life Insurance Producer license. Vikrant also represents TIAA/Nuveen on the Executive Committee of the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA).

Shlomo Benartzi is a behavioral economist interested in combining the insights of psychology and economics to solve big societal problems. He works on creating digital nudges that leverage technology to achieve massive scale and help millions make better financial decisions. Benartzi received a Ph.D. from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, and he is currently a professor emeritus and co-founder of the Behavioral Decision-Making Group at UCLA Anderson School of Management. Benartzi is also a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Wharton Behavior Change for Good Initiative.
Along with Nobel Laureate Richard Thaler of the University of Chicago, Benartzi pioneered the Save More Tomorrow (SMarT) program, a behavioral prescription designed to nudge employees increase their savings rates gradually over time. He has been a senior academic adviser to Acorns, Morningstar, Personal Capital, Voya and others. He is currently an adviser to Athena, Wisdom Tree and additional fintechs. Benartzi is also the co-founder of PensionPlus, a start-up dedicated to providing a personalized retirement income plan for all Americans.

Sean C. Bjork founded Bjork Asset Management with the goal of providing disciplined, independent fiduciary guidance to institutions sponsoring retirement plans and their employees.

Sean is a recognized leader in the retirement plan space and has over 20 year’s experience working with qualified retirement savings plans and plan participants, holds AIF® and CIMA® designations and is currently a CPWA® candidate. Sean earned his MBA from The University of Chicago and earlier graduated with a BA from St. Lawrence University where he was Captain of the NCAA Division I Alpine Ski Racing Team.

Beyond family and work, Sean volunteers in his community as a Firefighter/EMT with the Lake Bluff Fire Department and serves as a Dive Rescue Technician with the MABAS Division 4 & 5 Specialized Response Team.

Ken Bond is World Insurance Associate’s Chief Corporate Development Officer for all three of World’s businesses—retail insurance, retirement plan and wealth management services, and specialty insurance—and will lead all M&A functions for the firm.

Ken has more than 30 years in strategic planning and corporate development with expertise building and leading M&A activities including establishing global corporate development processes, governance protocols, valuation methodologies, artifacts and templates, metrics, and project management offices. He architects multi-billion-dollar transactions from start to finish, including sourcing, valuation, pricing, structuring, negotiation, due diligence, contracting, integration, and program management.

Prior to World, Ken served as the SVP head of corporate development at Cetera Financial Group, a Genstar Capital portfolio company, where he oversaw M&A activity for a $6 billion wealth management platform, and he previously had a long-standing career at Aon plc as its SVP corporate development where he led M&A activity for the firm’s $12 billion Commercial Risk and Health Solutions businesses in Chicago and London. Ken got his start in the United States Navy where he was ultimately a Lieutenant, Nuclear Submarine Officer.

Ken holds an M.B.A. from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, with a dual major in Finance and Strategic Management; an M.S. in Nuclear Engineering from The Naval Nuclear Power School; and a B.S. in Physics from Creighton University. He is a member of the M&A Leadership Council for Transaction Advisors Institute, an advisory board member for M&A Science, and a board member for Prosperity Advisors LLC, CCR Wealth Management, NetVest Financial LLC, and Pinnacle Wealth Management LLC. Ken is also a mentor for American Corporate Partners, a career mentoring program for military veterans transitioning to the civilian sector.

Gina Buchholz brings over 25 years of retirement plan experience to the 401k Plan Professionals team. After graduating from the University of Iowa with a B.S. in Finance, Gina began her career as a 401(k) sales and service representative and later worked at an advisory firm. She joined 401k Plan Professionals in September 2017. Gina is Series 7, 65 and 63 licensed (registration held through LPL Financial) and holds the AIF and CPFA designations. Gina works closely with plan sponsor clients to provide fiduciary and investment due diligence, plan consultation and participation education and financial wellness. The 401k Plan Professionals team was awarded the 2023 Plan Adviser of the Year for Plan Participant Services by PLANADVISER.

Matthew Cain is a Custom Solutions Sales Director for Empower. In his role, he is responsible for participant outcomes through communications, distribution, and sales for offerings related to Empower investments and advice in the South Region core market. He collaborates closely with consultants and registered investment advisers on complex issues surrounding investments, advice solutions, retirement plan design, and longevity for plans and their participants.

Matthew joined the organization in 2007 and has also served as an Investment Analyst responsible for managing research and due diligence across organizational platforms and providing education on investments, including Empower Investments. He has also worked at Putnam, where he was responsible for overseeing research capabilities and positioning investments for the 401(k) sales team. In addition, he has worked with defined contribution (DC) clients, helped develop a startup asset retention team, and helped launch a new DC brokerage business.

Matthew holds a bachelor’s degree in finance with a minor in economics from the University of Massachusetts. He is a CFA® charterholder.

Kim Cochrane, QPA, TGPC, is the Director of Client Services at HUB International Mid Atlantic LLC in Rockville, MD. She has over 25 years of experience, primarily in the consulting area of IRS, Department of Labor and ERISA regulations.

Kim focuses on corporate and non-profit retirement plans, including pension plans, 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, profit sharing, cash balance and executive benefit plans. Kim’s day-to-day responsibilities include working with plan trustees on addressing their fiduciary responsibilities and working with individuals on managing their retirement accounts.

Kim holds FINRA Series 6, 63 and 65 securities registrations, life and health insurance licenses and is a credentialed and active member of The ARA (American Retirement Association), NAPA (The National Association of Plan Advisers) and WIPN.

At HUB, Kim is a Non-Profit Specialty Expert and has received numerous industry awards, including NAPA’s Top Woman Advisor, PLANADVISER’s Top Retirement Plan Adviser and PLANSPONSOR Adviser of the Year Finalist.

Prior to joining HUB in January 2022, she was the Director of Client Services with Raffa Retirement Services. She has spent over 20 years as a relationship manager and consultant at some of the biggest recordkeepers in the industry.

Scott Colangelo is the Chairman and Managing Partner of Prime Capital Investment Advisors (PCIA), and the creator of Qualified Plan Advisors (QPA). Forward-thinking in the financial business, Scott is responsible for the strategy and growth of these companies.

With his clients’ best interests in mind, Scott started QPA to fill a void in the company when an investment client inquired about the best way to monitor and maintain his company’s retirement plan. “We wanted to see what their retirement dreams and goals were and how we could help,” said Scott. “Yet, I discovered that there were no requirements whatsoever for participants in a retirement plan. Essentially, this left a nation of workers to manage their retirement planning and investing without the knowledge to do so. My client was confused when I asked to meet with all the employees to learn about them and to set goals, asking, ‘Why do you need to meet with them? No one has ever done that before.’”

This single experience left an indelible impact on Scott, and out of it came a singular focus on participant education that has evolved into comprehensive financial wellness.

PCIA’s team approach and commitment to invest in resources open up even more opportunities for clients. The collaborative approach is the foundation of this company. PCIA builds real relationships with clients, but Scott continues to strive for better and is willing to look for solutions that are not always the easiest to find.

When Scott’s not working hard for his clients and team, he is spending time traveling with his family. “The concept of work-life balance, unfortunately, doesn’t happen often enough in our business. But our team approach provides a support system that allows us time to be with our families.”

Scott holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance with a minor in marketing from Kansas State University, as well as FINRA Series 7, 63, and 66 registrations. In his own words, his two hobbies are basketball and golf, “although I’m not very good at either.”

Jason Crane leads Core Retirement, the Ascensus-branded Defined Contribution business serving plan sponsors, advisors, and millions of retirement savers. He joined Ascensus in 2018 as Head of Retirement Distribution and assumed his current role in 2024. He has more than 25 years of industry experience, previously holding leadership roles with Transamerica. Jason graduated from Miami University with a degree in Psychology and Philosophy.

Jeff Cullen specializes in helping corporations and non-profits design, implement and monitor successful retirement plans.
Over the past 16 years, Jeff has built a national practice by helping organizations align HR strategy & total rewards with participant goals through innovative plan design and fiduciary best practices. As a member of the national SRP Investment Committee, he is a specialist in investment due diligence processes and innovative QDIA strategies. Beginning with his very first client, designing customized employee education services that seek to improve participant outcomes has been a hallmark offering.
Jeff received his MBA from DePaul University. He is an investment advisor representative and has passed the Series 7, Series 66  and Series 65 exams.

Liz has been widely recognized as the pioneer of workplace financial wellness. Prior to launching Financial Finesse at 28 years old, she ran a hedge fund and discovered that even high net worth investors lacked a fundamental understanding of how to best manage their money. This caused her to leave the hedge fund industry back in 1999, to establish an unbiased financial wellness company with the mission of helping employees from all walks of life to reduce their financial stress, gain the confidence needed to make informed decisions and ultimately seek out financial advice to grow and protect the wealth they’ve accumulated. Today, Financial Finesse is the largest independent provider of financial coaching as an employee benefit. Financial Finesse works with many of the nation’s most recognized brands, including CVS Health, Nestlé, the NFL Players Association, Meta, Patagonia, and dozens of others. Liz holds an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA. 

Joe is the President of Retirement & Private Wealth (RPW) at HUB International, where he leads HUB’s mission to offer comprehensive client services at the retirement plan sponsor, participant and individual levels. Since 1990, he has maintained a commitment to building an organization centered on client needs that seeks to provide unsurpassed service and independent advice for professionals, entrepreneurs, businesses and their employees.
Joe was honored to receive a 2022 WealthManagement.com Industry Award for Aggregator CEO of the Year. The Wealthies recognize the best companies, people, and organizations that support financial adviser success.
Prior to joining HUB in 2019, Joe spent his entire career as the CEO of Washington Financial Group, which was named a 2023 PLANADVISER Top Retirement Plan Adviser, a 2022 NAPA Top DC Advisor Team as well as the 2017 PLANSPONSOR Retirement Plan Adviser Small Team of the Year. The 2017 PLANSPONSOR Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year winners have demonstrated leadership and a commitment to excellence for their retirement plan sponsor clients and participants.
Joe is the President of the American Retirement Association as well as the Past President of the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA). He was recently named to the 2020 Financial Times Top 401 Retirement Plan Advisors list.
Joe is a strong advocate of financial education for himself and his clients. He is a Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA), Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist (CRPS), Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) and a Certified 401(k) Professional (C(k)P). He is also a Founding Lecturer at The Retirement Advisor University (TRAU) in collaboration with UCLA Anderson School of Management Executive Education, where he educates qualified retirement plan advisers enrolled in the two-year C(k)P certification program.

Michael is the USI Senior Retirement Strategist, primarily responsible for driving the increased visibility of T Rowe Price’s investment brand, furthering the firm’s position as a thought leader in the retirement arena. Michael has more than 25 years of experience across several firms and functional roles. Specifically, he has a multifaceted background including time spent with Franklin Templeton, MassMutual and Fidelity. He has broad experience through various roles, namely global head of marketing for Franklin’s retirement business, head of business strategy for Fidelity’s tax-exempt retirement plan business, and other expansive sales and relationship management roles within the retirement space. He is also a frequent speaker at industry events on key issues affecting the DC and global retirement industry and remains well connected on the ever evolving legislative and regulatory conversations happening on Capitol Hill. On a personal note, Michael is a graduate of Xavier University and has earned his FINRA Series 7, 63, and 24 registrations. He is an avid traveler and outdoor enthusiast. He is a husband to Patty and the father to three children; Holland, Parker and Lily.

Melissa Doucette is the National Sales Director of Strategic Relations for Retirement and Income Solutions at Principal®, leading the firm’s alliance partnerships with retirement plan consultants and financial professionals from key national firms. In this role, she is responsible for strengthening existing relationships and distribution channels while creating new opportunities to elevate the services offered to employers of all sizes and plan types – 401(k), 403(b), 457, defined benefit, non-qualified and ESOP.

Melissa joined Principal in 2023 and has 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Her vast experience ranges from reporting to heads of sales, product and finance, providing her with a unique, strategic perspective in the industry. She currently resides in Glastonbury, CT with her husband, Marc, and son, Mason. Melissa is proudly part of Women in Pensions (WiPN) and currently serves as co-chair for the Hartford chapter.

Grant Ellis, AIF, CPFA is the founder and Managing Principal of Ellis Retirement Services, a 401(k) and retirement consulting firm headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. He has more than 18 years of experience and more than 15 of running his firm.
Grant works with companies all over the country. Having worked on the provider side, consulting with international brokerage and private equity firms, and owning both TPA and 401k advisory firms, Grant brings his clients a highly specialized level of 401(k) experience and expertise. Grant is a nationally known thought leader in the retirement plan industry. He is regularly asked to speak and consult with industry leaders and legislators to help more American workers prepare for retirement.

Derek Fiorenza co-founded Summit Group Retirement Planners, Inc.. SGRP is a Registered Investment Advisory Firm registered with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). Derek serves as an Investment Advisor Representative (IAR) of the RIA. He is the COO/CCO of the corporation and is focused on expanding the brand by providing an extremely high level of service to all its qualified corporate retirement plan clients and the industry as a whole. Additionally, Derek founded the non-profit organization, Fiorenza’s Food For Friends (F4) as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2011. F4’s Vision is to create a world without hunger! F4’s Mission is to connect sources of food to recipients in need.

Lisa M. Gomez was sworn in as Assistant Secretary for Employee Benefits Security on October 11, 2022. Previously, Gomez was a partner with the law firm Cohen, Weiss and Simon LLP and the Chair of the firm’s Management Committee. She has deep technical and practical experience in the multifaceted field of employee benefits law and has spent almost three decades representing various Taft-Hartley and multiemployer pension and welfare plans, single employer plans, jointly administered training program trust funds, a federal employees health benefit (FEHB) plan, supplemental health plans, and VEBAs covering employees in a wide array of industries.
Lisa served as a Co-Chair of the Board of Senior Editors of the Bloomberg BNA treatise Employee Benefits Law. She also served in various leadership positions with the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Labor and Employment Law, including as the Union Co-Chair of its Employee Benefits Committee. She is a graduate of the ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law’s Leadership Development Program and served as the Union Co-Chair for that Program. She was a member of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and the AFL-CIO Union Lawyers Alliance. Lisa was inducted as a Fellow of The American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, Inc. in recognition of her over twenty years of practice in employee benefits law and her contributions to the field, including as a frequent speaker on numerous employee benefits issues. Lisa was also a member of the Advisory Board of The Peggy Browning Fund, a non-profit organization devoted to advancing law students who wish to pursue careers protecting workers’ rights. She previously served as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association as well as a volunteer mediator for the New Jersey state courts. She was also a guest lecturer for the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations on employee benefits. Lisa was named as a Super Lawyer for Employee Benefits on the Super Lawyers New York Metro Annual Lists for 2021 and 2022.
Lisa earned her law degree from the Fordham University School of Law and her undergraduate degree from Hofstra University.

Jamie Greenleaf is a senior vice president for OneDigital’s Retirement + Wealth division. She has spent her entire professional career helping retirement programs and public funds. Jamie provides consulting services in all areas of plan management and oversight, including plan design, fees and services benchmarking, investment management selection and monitoring, fiduciary and regulatory compliance, investment policy design, and financial education to many Fortune 500 and publicly traded companies, nonprofit entities and public agencies.

She is an adjunct lecturer in the Plan Sponsor University certification program for UCLA’s Anderson School of Business-Executive Education. Greenleaf holds a BA in Business Administration from Delaware Valley College, is a Registered Financial Advisor and is Life insurance licensed.

Andrew Heiges is the director of Retirement Income and Advice in Retirement Plan Services. He is a vice president of T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.

Andrew has been with T. Rowe Price since 2016, beginning in the Retirement Plan Services Product and Platforms Group. Prior to this, he was employed by TIAA as the senior director of Financial Planning and Advice Platforms. Prior to TIAA, Andrew was the principal and owner of Acumen Financial Services Consulting, LLC. Before that, Andrew held various roles at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank, Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC), and Vanguard.

Andrew earned a B.S. in both marketing and human resources from La Salle University and an M.S. in management and leadership from Western Governors University. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professional and a Series 7, 24, and 66 registered representative.

Bret Hester is an Executive Vice President and General Counsel for TIAA, responsible for providing legal and strategic advice and guidance and overseeing the legal teams for wealth management, banking, and M&A and corporate strategy and development. Bret also leads TIAA’s government relations and public policy team.

Bret joined TIAA in the fall of 2017 from Barclays, where he led the Washington, DC office. He previously served in the U.S. Treasury Department as senior advisor and counsel to the Under Secretary for Domestic Finance and the Assistant Secretary for Financial Markets. He also served as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Government Financial Policy, responsible for overseeing the $70 billion Federal Financing Bank and the $20 billion State Housing Finance Agency Initiative. Bret was awarded the Treasury Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the Department.

Bret is a graduate of Harvard College and Stanford Law School and has also worked as a federal prosecutor, chief counsel to a U.S. Senator, and in private legal practice. He has also been awarded the Safe Haven Award by Immigration Equality for his pro bono immigration work. He serves on the boards of the Investment Adviser Association and the Life Insurance Council of New York.

Daniel J. Houston is chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Principal Financial Group® — a leading global financial services company with $695 billion in assets under management[1]. He is responsible for overall management of the Fortune 500 company across its global asset management, retirement, and U.S. benefits and protection lines of business.
Under his leadership, Houston has led the 144-year-old company through significant growth and transformation. He’s focused the company strategy on the highest value opportunities and growth drivers to serve its 62 million customers[2] and shareholders around the world. This transformation includes expanding the breadth and capabilities of Principal Asset ManagementSM by increasing the reach of its global real estate investment team and offerings into Europe and Asia, adding new, in-demand private market investment strategies, and growing the scale and scope of its global fixed income team to include private credit, emerging markets debt, and liability-driven investing solutions.
During his tenure, Houston has doubled the size of the Principal U.S. retirement business and continued to grow the linkages between the company’s global retirement expertise and global asset management capabilities – leading to the expansion of its target date and target risk fund franchise beyond the U.S. into Latin America and Southeast Asia.
Currently Houston serves as an active member of the Business Roundtable, an association of U.S. CEOs from the country’s largest companies, and of the Fortune CEO Initiative, an invite-only CEO consortium committed to addressing business and social issues. He is also the Chair of the Tax Committee for the American Council of Life Insurers, an organization representing 94 percent of insurance assets in the U.S. Houston frequently addresses the U.S. Congress and government officials from around the world as he advocates to help advance financial access and promote capital markets globally. In 2023, Houston received the Ray Lillywhite Award from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), honoring his distinguished career in the retirement and investment management field and the impact he has had enhancing Americans’ economic security. 
Houston joined Principal® in 1984 and has held several management positions: senior vice president in 2000, executive vice president in 2006, and president of Retirement and Income Solutions in 2008. He was named president and chief operating officer in 2014 before assuming his current role in late 2015. He received his bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in 1984 and an honorary doctorate from the institution in 2022.

Kathleen Kelly, originally from Ballston Lake (Saratoga County), NY, received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Wake Forest University. She is a Founding and Managing Partner of Compass Financial Partners, LLC, and a 25-year veteran of the financial services industry, specializing in the areas of retirement plan consulting and investment advisory services for qualified retirement plans and executive benefit planning. Kathleen has achieved the Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist (CRPS) designation, and the Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst (AIFA) designation through the Center for Fiduciary Studies. A nationally recognized firm, the team at Compass Financial Partners was named to the PLANADVISER 2013-2018 and 2020-2022 Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisers listing and was selected as a finalist for the 2015 – 2017 PLANSPONSOR Retirement Plan Adviser Team of the Year Award. Compass Financial Partners is the 2023 Plan Adviser of the Year award winner in the category of Efforts in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Active in her community, Kathleen was appointed by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors to the Board of Trustees for Winston-Salem State University, one of the nation’s leading HBCUs, where she was recently appointed Chairman of the Board; Chairs the Endowment Committee; and serves on the Finance Committee and Governance, Advocacy, Trusteeship and Ethics Committee. Additionally, she has served on both the Wake Forest Board of Visitors and Greensboro College Board of Visitors and is currently on the Wake Forest Board of Visitors Emeritus. She was awarded a “Women in Business” Award (based on successful entrepreneurship) through the Triad Business Journal and was named a “2019 Women of Distinction” by the Peaks to Piedmont Girl Scout Council for making a difference in the community, where she served as a past Board member.

Sean Kelly is Financial Advisor and Vice President at Heffernan Financial Services. With a career spanning 18 years in the retirement plan investment advisory business, Sean has become a trusted expert in group retirement plans across private, public, and nonprofit sectors. His dedication lies in helping organizations craft and sustain robust retirement plan benefits for both the company and its employees.
Mr. Kelly was recently awarded PLANADVISER Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year in 2024 in the Plan Sponsor Service Category. He was also named as a Top Retirement Plan Adviser for both assets under management & number of 401(k) plans 2024 as well.
Sean takes pride in delivering genuine independent investment advice and fostering a consultative relationship with each client. As a committed advocate, he guides them through every step of the process, ensuring the best outcomes. Together with his team, Sean manages a portfolio of just over $1 Billion in assets, distributed among 47 valued clients.
Sean pursued his education at The University of California, Santa Barbara, earning a BA in Business Economics

Jason recently joined TIAA as the Managing Director, Head of Consultant Relations, and Sales Operations. In this new role his focus will be on enhancing our support for advisors and helping expand our new prospect opportunities in the not-for-profit markets. In his capacity he is responsible for developing and implementing the strategic vision for supporting consulting firms and recordkept clients.

Jason brings a wealth of DC experience, having spent the last 22 years at Lincoln Financial, where he most recently served as the Head of Consultant Relations for the past decade. He has helped institutional retirement focused advisors and consultants deliver outcomes for their clients and plan participants that we collectively serve enabling individuals to achieve financial goals.

He has extensive experience leading business development efforts with a history of successfully growing strategic and emerging markets of focus. Areas of expertise include Defined Contribution and Benefit Plans, Financial Planning, Key Account Relationship Management, Organizational Strategy and Leadership.

Jason earned his B.S. degree from North Carolina State University and holds his CFP^® and FINRA Series 6, 7, 63.

Anne Lester, author of Your Best Financial Life (William Morrow 2024), is an independent member of the Board of Directors of Partners Group Holding AG. She is a member of the Client Oversight Committee, the Risk & Audit Committee and the Nomination & Compensation Committee. Her mandate is focused on driving forward Partners Group’s bespoke private markets solutions for the Defined Contribution (“DC”) pensions market. She has over 31 years of experience in senior leadership roles at JP Morgan Asset Management, most recently serving as Managing Director, Portfolio Manager and Head of Retirement Solutions in the Multi-Asset Solutions division where she launched JPMorgan’s SmartRetirement Target Date franchise. She also founded the Aspen Leadership Forum on Retirement Savings in conjunction with AARP and holds three patents for the design of a dynamic withdrawal investment process and for the evaluation of target date funds. Anne holds an Bachelor’s degree in Politics from Princeton University, New Jersey, USA and a Master’s in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Washington, DC, USA.

With over two decades in the financial services sector, Lauren K. Loehning is a respected Partner at Retirement Impact, where her client-first approach has earned her a reputation for excellence. As the Co-Founder of Moniwell, she leads a pioneering initiative blending psychology, science and technology to redefine financial well-being.
Lauren’s expertise, spanning financial planning, investment management and financial therapy, is bolstered by prestigious certifications, including Certified Financial Planner practitioner, Certified Investment Management Analyst, Certified in Financial Social Work, and Accredited Investment Fiduciary.

Rob Madore joined MarshBerry in early 2023 and focuses on business perpetuation, organic growth strategies and M&A services for MarshBerry’s clients in wealth advisory, retirement consulting, financial technology, and private equity firms.
Rob brings more than eight years of industry experience to his role as a Vice President on MarshBerry’s Financial Advisory team. His role in providing strategic consulting and sell-side advisory services to more than 100 independent RIAs, Retirement Consulting firms, and FinTech providers gives him a unique perspective on practice development, enterprise value enhancement, and the convergence of wealth management, retirement consulting, and insurance brokerage.
Rob holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Vermont and currently maintains the FINRA Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam through MarshBerry Capital, LLC, the affiliated FINRA-registered Broker/Dealer of Marsh, Berry & Co., LLC.

Marc McDonough is the CEO of TIFIN@Work, the first AI-Powered Financial Assistant for the Workplace. Leveraging our strength in AI and investment intelligence, @Work provides personalization down to an audience of “one” while providing the scale advisors need. We help activate the workplace audience to improve financial outcomes.
Before joining TIFIN, Marc held the position of Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, where he played a pivotal role within the Corporate Solutions division (Morgan Stanley at Work). Over the course of his career there, he led various teams including Sales Enablement, Financial Wellness, Corporate Participant Services, Executive Financial Services, Designated Brokerage, Global Intelligence, and the Digital Experience.
Prior to Morgan Stanley, Marc served as Senior Vice President and Managing Director at Schwab’s Workplace Financial Solutions. There, he oversaw B2B business lines including Compliance Solutions, Employee Branch, Financial Wellness, and Stock Plan Services, supporting over 2,200 corporate clients with equity compensation, brokerage services, and financial wellness programs. Earlier in his career at Schwab, Marc was Vice President and General Manager of Schwab Stock Plan Services.
Before that, Marc was Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Thomas Partners Investment Management®, a registered investment advisor headquartered in Boston. Under his leadership, Thomas Partners grew from $2 billion to over $15 billion in assets. As Vice Chairman of the Management Committee and a member of the Investment Committee, he was responsible for portfolio strategy, trading, client service, and business operations.
Earlier in his career, Marc was Vice President at Schwab Private Client Investment Advisory, where he led a team of more than 100 private client advisors managing over $15 billion in fee-based assets. From 2005-2010, he also held key leadership positions at Charles Schwab & Co. across Portfolio Consulting, Active Trader, and Options.
Marc graduated summa cum laude from the University of Colorado with a B.S. in Business Administration. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and holds Series 7, 9, and 10 securities licenses. He serves on the Board of Directors and Investment Committee for the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver. Outside of work, Marc enjoys spending time with his wife Elizabeth and their family, and he is passionate about outdoor sports like skiing, running, and competing in triathlons.

Justin Morgan is Director of Fiduciary Consulting and Advisor Solutions at American Trust. He is the team leader for fiduciary consulting which includes broad responsibilities in all facets of client management and strategic planning for ERISA 3(38) and OCIO business. He consults with ERISA clients on a variety of retirement plan-related topics, including fiduciary plan governance, investment menu strategy, and plan compliance matters. He is also responsible for developing and implementing innovative asset retention solutions for both internal and external stakeholders.   
Justin serves as a voting member of the Trust Investment Committee, which is directly responsible for the development and implementation of the company’s investment policy and portfolio management strategy. He also chairs the investment subcommittee that assists with investment policy, asset allocation strategies, and the selection of investment managers for retirement plans managed by American Trust.
Most recently, Justin was Director of Institutional Services, a role in which he provided leadership and strategic direction for American Trust’s institutional outsourcing business—overseeing client servicing and relationship management for institutional partners. Prior to that, Justin led plan administration and recordkeeping operations for the ERISA line of business at Unified Trust, as well as client consulting and servicing. He also gained qualified plan experience leading the internal sales and service desk while at Unified Trust.
Justin is a graduate of the University of Kentucky Carol College of Business & Economics where he received a BBA in Finance. He has earned the Qualified Pension Administrator (QPA), Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA), and Qualified Plan Financial Consultant (QPFC) credentials through ASPPA, as well as the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) designation awarded by the Center for Fiduciary Studies.

As Chief Executive Officer of Innovu, Hugh O’Toole is changing adviser/consultant practice models from their siloed focus on health and welfare, retirement and property and casualty, to a model focused on holistic human capital risk management. He understands that the world of retirement services and benefits can be complicated.

Hugh has dedicated his career to aligning the financial wellness of American employees with the positive impact their wellness has on the financial statement of their employers. With leading capabilities in data aggregation, data science/analytics and behavioral finance, the industry can have a much greater impact with the convergence of data and benefit disciplines versus a siloed view.

In 2014, he founded Viability AG LLC, to address the relationship between financially well employees and the impact on the employer’s financial statement, through mitigating the future liability from health care, risk protection/management, productivity, and engagement of their employees. In 2015, Viability was purchased by MassMutual, and he once again joined the MassMutual team as a Senior Vice President.

His first mission was to bring non-profit employers and their employees institutional investment product, versus the legacy insurance products historically sold to them. As a partner of Professional Pensions, Inc. (PPI), they accomplished this mission, and the firm grew rapidly. Principal Financial Group purchased PPI in 1999.

As Managing Director, Head of Lifetime Income Default Distribution, Tim brings his knowledge and skills to plan sponsors and consultants as they design their retirement plans that seek to deliver the best possible outcomes for their plan participants. Driving innovation in the increasingly important default and QDIA space, Tim leads our custom default and QDIA strategies team. He works closely with consultants and plan sponsors to create default options unique to their plan that focus on generating lifetime income for participants.

Tim and his team are also responsible for helping our clients and consultants understand the value of TIAA and CREF annuities and the importance of generating a lifetime of income – TIAA’s focus for over 100 years.

Prior to joining TIAA in 2013, Tim was an independent consultant providing consulting services to both institutional retirement plans and individual wealth management clients. He gained valuable perspectives on the challenges facing plan sponsors and helped them with their fiduciary duties including: investment menu design, retirement committee formation and plan governance, employee education and fee alignment. He was recognized as one of PLANADVISER’s Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisers in 2013 and was one of five finalists for PLANSPONSOR’s Retirement Plan Advisor of the Year in that same year.

Tim also spent 12 years at Fidelity Investments where he held a variety of roles ranging from client service to product development and sales. Tim led the product development for bundled defined benefit services and also drove the development and distribution of an early version of an outsourced CIO business and led the national sales team.

Tim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a Master of Science degree in finance from Clark University. He holds FINRA Series 7, 24 and 63 registrations. An energetic and engaging speaker, he is a frequent presenter at client and industry conferences throughout the country and has lectured at several New England colleges and universities.

Jennifer Rayner is a visionary entrepreneur dedicated to fostering financial wellbeing through innovative strategies. With over 25 years of experience in the financial industry, she has now dedicated her career to empowering individuals and organizations to navigate the complexities of achieving financial wellbeing.
As the CEO of Moniwell, Jennifer leads a company revolutionizing financial engagement and wellbeing through a groundbreaking engagement platform. Informed by behavioral science, Moniwell provides accessible solutions to money challenges, reshaping the future of financial wellbeing.
Jennifer is a sought-after speaker and thought leader known for her insightful perspectives on financial engagement and innovation. Through her visionary leadership, she is transforming the way people interact with their finances, one text at a time.

Srinivas D. (Sri) Reddy is senior vice president, Retirement and Income Solutions at Principal Financial Group®. He is responsible for the Income Solutions businesses, which includes Pension Risk Transfer, Defined Benefits, Retail Annuities, Principal Bank and our Principal Trust and Custody Solutions business. 

Prior to joining Principal, Reddy was the head of the investments and retirement income businesses for Prudential Retirement. Before that, he led all the product lines for USAA’s investment management and life insurance companies and held several roles at ING where his experience ranged from managing wholesale and direct distribution groups to product development in both the defined contribution business as well as the rollover & retirement income business. Previously, he served as a consultant with Ernst & Young. 

Reddy has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Baylor University and a master’s degree in International Management from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. He has also completed his coaching certification through the NeuroLeadership Institute. Reddy is a frequent contributor to national media outlets and an expert resource on a range of retirement and financial security topics. He has served on various industry and regulatory groups including as the chair, vice-chair and council member of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) Advisory Council at the United States Department of Labor from 2017 to 2019 and currently is on the board of directors of the Insured Retirement Institute. 

Craig Reid is President and National Practice Leader of Retirement & Wealth at Marsh McLennan Agency, a subsidiary of Marsh. With over 10 years of experience in the financial services industry, his passion for helping people create better financial futures is at the core of his success.

In 2018, Craig opened a retirement practice in MMA’s Overland Park office. After establishing the framework for the Kansas operation, he was promoted to National Practice Leader, Retirement & Wealth in August 2019 and subsequently became President of MMA Securities LLC in April 2020. In these roles, he works closely with MMA’s strategy team to execute short- and long-term strategies to achieve business objectives and ensure operational excellence. He establishes and leads the team’s business strategy, direction, and focus, while managing relationships with external and internal partners. In addition, he works with regional leaders at MMA to ensure the retirement services and wealth management businesses produce the desired results.

Fred Reish is an attorney whose practice focuses on fiduciary responsibility, prohibited transactions, conflicts of interest and plan qualification and operation. He has been recognized as one of the “Legends” of the retirement industry by both PLANADVISER and PLANSPONSOR magazines. Fred has received awards for: AV Preeminent Rating by Martindale Hubbell; the 401(k) Industry’s Most Influential Person by 401kWire; the Institutional Investor and PLANSPONSOR magazine Lifetime Achievement Awards; one of RIABiz’s 10 most influential individuals in the 401(k) industry affecting RIAs; Investment Advisor’s 25 Most Influential People by ThinkAdvisor; the IRS Commissioner’s Award and District Director’s Award; the Eidson Founder’s Award by ASPPA; and the ASPPA/Morningstar 401(k) Leadership Award. He has also received the Arizona State University Alumni Service Award.

Fred currently serves on the CFP Board’s Public Policy Council and is a member of the CFP Board’s Standards Resource Commission. He has written more than 350 articles and four books about retirement plans. Fred co-chaired the IRS Los Angeles Benefits Conference for 10 years and served as a founding Co-Chair of the NAPA 401(k) Summit.

Jacqueline Reeves is the Director of Retirement Plan Services with Bryn Mawr Capital Management. With more than 20 years of experience in wealth management, Jackie provides a foundation of research and analysis for retirement planning.  She operates a central repository for research, process, and monitoring by developing a risk-adjusted return analysis that is used throughout the client base.

Prior to joining the company, Reeves served as an institutional equity research analyst as well as director of research and head of financial institutions research at firms including Ryan Beck, Putnam Lovell, Citigroup, Janney Montgomery, CS First Boston, and Rothschild.  She is holds the AIFA, and PPM designations, a Masters in Finance and is pursuing her doctorate degree. Reeves is a resource to the national media, including CNBC, Bloomberg television and radio, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and various other printed media.

Deena Rini is Senior Vice President and Practice Leader of the Retirement Plan Division at Oswald Financial, Inc. She has over 15 years of industry experience, previously serving in multiple roles on Oswald’s retirement plan team.
Deena is dedicated to managing Oswald’s retirement plan division’s service and support capabilities include strategic leadership of the team’s operations, compliance, administration and marketing. She is a founding member of Oswald’s Women’s Leadership Council and a former Co-Chair. She is deeply committed to the development, advancement, and empowerment of women in the workforce serving as an active council member, mentor, speaker and blog writer.
Deena holds her FINRA Series 6, 63 and 65 licenses. She also holds her C(k)P designation and her MBA.

In this role, Diron has general management responsibility for running all aspects of the geographic territory of the West Central region encompassing 26 States. This includes developing strategic business plans and leading teams to execute successfully in support of client needs and business goals.

Diron is an accomplished leader with 30 years of financial services experience. He has led with firms including Vanguard, Merrill Lynch, and WR Hambrecht. Diron has ten years of military services as a Marine.

Diron holds an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Chicago and B.A. in Management at Morehouse College. He holds FINRAA Series 7, 63, and 24 registrations.

With over 30 years of advising plan participants under her belt, Kelli Send has extensive financial wellness knowledge and oversees the firm’s financial wellness team. She is responsible for curriculum design and delivery, as well as the firm’s money coaching services. Under her leadership, the financial wellness team has won 15 Eddy Awards for excellence in retirement plan participant education programs.

Kelli is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Professional (CFP) and has her Series 65 license and ERISA Fiduciary certification. She has a B.A. in Marketing from Michigan State University and an M.A. in Adult Education from Carroll University.

Courtenay Shipley is the founder and Chief Planologist of Retirement Planology, a consulting and registered investment advisory firm for corporate-sponsored retirement plans. With a diverse background in the retirement plan industry, Courtenay provides a unique foundation for her clients in the areas of fiduciary responsibility, investment analysis, plan design and employee education. She has provided institutional investment consulting to qualified retirement plans, developed business strategy for a boutique third-party administrator and recordkeeper, and conducted over 10,000 education meetings for employees. Courtenay is licensed as an investment adviser representative (Series 66). She holds designations including the Accredited Investment Fiduciary from the Center for Fiduciary Studies, Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist from the American College of Financial Planning, Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor from the National Association of Plan Advisors, Certified Exit Planning Advisor from the Exit Planning Institute. She is past president of the Retirement Advisor Council.

Neal Stamper is a Corporate Retirement Director, First Vice President and Financial Advisor with Graystone Consulting, a business of Morgan Stanley, in Atlanta, Georgia. Neal has a focus on helping to provide support to the trustees of corporate retirement plans, as well as advising client families on financial planning, investment management and retirement income strategies. He is often called upon to advise retirement plan committees on strategies to help modernize their retirement benefit offerings and works with committees to implement changes with the goal of transforming participant retirement outcomes. Neal joined Morgan Stanley in 1999 and earned the CFP (CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER) designation in 2006. He earned the C(k)P Certified 401(k) Professional designation from the Retirement Advisor University, in collaboration with UCLA Anderson School of Management Executive Education, and earned the Qualified Plan Financial Consultant designation through the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA). Neal has been named to both the 2023 and 2024 PLANADVISER Top Retirement Plan Adviser list. He graduated from Taylor University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business.

I am a driven leader that is passionate about providing solutions to businesses and individuals that positively impact their lives.  Through my experience, I have developed a compelling method of analysis and service that aims to impact the long-term wealth and security of my clients. Nothing is more satisfying than helping to simplify, develop understanding, and plan around complex regulations and situations to help individuals make better decisions for themselves or their company. 
Education: Bachelor of Arts, Political Science + Economics Management Ohio Wesleyan University

Jania Stout has over 28 years of experience in ERISA plan consulting, currently holding the position of Senior Vice President at OneDigital Retirement & Wealth. She and her team advise on retirement plans encompassing more than 10 billion in assets and serving over 250,000 employees. She was named a 2016 Plan Adviser of the Year by PLANSPONSOR.

Jania has dedicated over a decade to being a voice for plan sponsors across the country with her work on Capitol Hill. She has shared her insights as a retirement expert during Congressional testimony for the Ways and Means Committee and by contributing her perspective to the Department of Labor on the then-pending Fiduciary Regulation.

Jeanne is CFP and a CPFA with Strategic Retirement Partners. She serves as a retirement plan consultant and financial wellness educator for companies across the country. Jeanne’s goal is to simplify advice in an over-complicated, jargon-filled industry. She has been interviewed by national publications including Forbes Magazine, Time Magazine, USA Today, The New York Times, CNBC News, etc. She brings an energy and simplicity to complicated topics and is known for the original content she posts on social media. Topics range from personal finance to employer-sponsored plans. You can find her using the hashtag #401klady. Jeanne’s accessible way of providing virtual advice and engagement is creating a more collaborative platform for financial professionals to support each other and their clients in the digital age. She and her team live in Bowling Green, Kentucky, but serve clients across the country.

Leah is an Executive Partner and the President of Retirement Plans for Shepherd Financial. Prior to joining Shepherd Financial in 2015, Leah worked as a retirement plan designer and plan consultant. She has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame. Leah is a Qualified 401(k) Administrator; Qualified Pension Administrator; and Certified Pension Consultant.

Tamiko Toland is co-founder and CEO of IncomePath and she is the founder of the 401(k) Annuity Hub, a market intelligence service for retirement plan fiduciaries. IncomePath provides innovative software to more effectively communicate retirement risks and help people make better decisions that enable them to meet their retirement lifestyle goals.

Tamiko is an expert and thought leader in retirement and annuities in the individual and institutional markets who is known as the “annuity yoda.” For more than two decades, she has tracked trends and key issues on retirement income, addressing all audiences. She has held leadership roles at TIAA, Strategic Insight, and Cannex Financial Exchanges, the annuity data and analytics firm.

Tamiko’s introduction to annuities began as a trade reporter for Annuity Market News. She regularly shares her perspectives for the news media and speaks at industry conferences and webinars.

Bonnie Treichel is the Founder and Chief Solutions Officer of Endeavor Retirement, a consulting firm dedicated to solving problems for plan sponsors, advisors and service providers in the retirement plan industry. Her unique experience as an ERISA attorney and advisor helps her bring governance solutions for day-to-day issues that are an inevitable part of running a successful retirement plan. Bonnie is also a Partner at Endeavor Law, a firm dedicated to supporting the ecosystem of financial services with their retirement plan-related decisions, documentation, compliance, regulation and litigation.

As a thought leader on retirement plan governance issues, Bonnie has been quoted in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, InvestmentNews, 401(k) Specialist, Ignites, PlanAdviser, NAPA Net Daily, and Journal of Pension Benefits. She is an active member of the American Retirement Association and has served in various leadership roles as well as the American Bar Association’s Tax Division where she is on the Lifetime Income Committee. She was awarded InvestmentNews 40 Under 40 in 2023, the ABA’s On the Rise – Top 40 Young Lawyers Award in 2022. She is also a member of the Women in Pensions Network, the State Bar of California, the State Bar of Kansas, current advisory board member of RISA, LLC and board member for the FinServ Foundation.

Stephen’s primary mission is to pave the way for individuals and businesses to thrive in their financial futures. As a Retirement Plan Advisor at Morgan Stanley, he utilizes the intricate world of retirement planning, turning challenges into opportunities for growth. By harnessing the firm’s vast resources and state-of-the-art technology, he delivers insights and solutions that are tailored to each individual client.
In his capacity as a Corporate Retirement Director, Stephen provides businesses with strategic insights to enhance their retirement plans. He can help ensure these plans are not only robust and compliant but also tailored to attract and retain the industry’s best talent. His designation as a Financial Planning Specialist further amplifies his value. Stephen adopts a 360-degree view of each client’s financial journey, integrating elements from investments to estate planning strategies. This can help clients experience financial growth and stability at every life stage, not just in retirement.

Gerald develops creative strategies that help clients work toward meeting their financial and succession planning goals, integrating retirement plan design, consulting, administration and investment advisory services with overall business and financial plans. He works with a cross-functional Rehmann team to proactively guide each client, considering tax law and efficiencies, estate planning, and accounting needs along the way.
Gerald began his financial services career in 1984 and has supported a wide
spectrum of individuals and businesses ranging in size. He has extensive knowledge of retirement plan strategies, from plan design through annual administration, to the plan termination process. Gerald’s experience has qualified him to direct the consulting services area for Rehmann’s retirement plan division. Before focusing on retirement plans, Gerald practiced extensively in the areas of individual, corporate and partnership taxation. Gerald has now taken all this knowledge and experience into the business transition arena. Gerald received the C(k)P® Certified 401(k) Professional designation, Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst® designation, Certified Employee Benefit Specialist® (CEBS) designation and the Certified Exit Planning Advisor designation. He is also an investment advisor representative.

Throughout his 30-year career, Matt has been singularly focused on helping investors retire with confidence. As President of Income America—an in-plan retirement income solution that provides retirees with guaranteed income for life—he provides innovative, fiduciary-oriented solutions that enhance participants’ retirement security. 
A prolific speaker and panelist, Matt has spoken at dozens of industry events, including the NAPA 401k Summit, the Alliance for Lifetime Income Summit, the Investment News Retirement Income Conference, the CFA Society PORTFOLIO Conference, AFS 401(k) Retirement Services Employee Benefits Symposium, SS&C Deliver, and the Advisor2X Wealth@Wor(k) conference. With more than 30,000 followers on LinkedIn and Twitter combined, Matt shares his thought leadership on everything from guaranteed income to proposed legislation to fintech trends that impact how Americans plan and save for retirement.

A board advisor for Prime Capital Investment Advisors, Matt previously served as president of Fi360 until its acquisition by Broadridge in 2020. He also served as the executive business leader of Morningstar’s Global Advisor and Wealth Solutions unit, the company’s largest operating segment, where he was responsible for executing strategy and driving top-line revenue.

Passionate about fiduciary standards of excellence, Matt is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) and Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst (AIFA).