Retirement Industry People Moves

Cash balance plan provider Kravitz has opened a regional headquarters in Atlanta to serve the demand for cash balance plans throughout the South and Southeast.

Kravitz tapped Atlanta resident and retirement plan sales expert Shannon Hayes to lead the new office.

Hayes brings more than a decade of retirement industry experience to Kravitz, including experience at The Hartford, Edward Jones and Mass Mutual. Most recently, she doubled sales in the Atlanta region for a national third-party administration (TPA) firm.

“I really look forward to growing relationships with the Kravitz network of financial advisers, CPAs and partner TPA firms across the Southeast,” Hayes says. That network includes more than 300 retirement professionals in the local area who have completed the Kravitz Cash Balance Coach Certification program.

Ben Lewis, senior managing director at TIAA, has been elected to serve on the National Business Officer’s Association (NBOA) Board of Directors starting July 1.

Lewis, who leads TIAA’s retirement plan business dedicated to independent schools, was selected to the board due to his deep understanding of the challenges facing independent school business officers and leadership in the small- to mid-size retirement plan field. During the three-year term, Lewis and his fellow board members will focus on helping independent schools address strategic needs, including securing financial well-being for their employees.

CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions added six regional sales professionals to its sales team.

Based on a team structure, retirement plan advisers across the country now have access to regional vice presidents and regional sales consultants to help build and close business.

In the Eastern Division, Lee Tenney joined CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions in January 2016 as regional vice president for Connecticut, eastern New York and western Massachusetts. He previously served as senior vice president at 3D Asset Management and director of retirement at Wisdomtree Investments. He reports to Christina Gregory, Eastern Divisional vice president.

Michael Kouromihelakis was also hired in January as regional sales consultant in Connecticut, upstate New York, western Massachusetts, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Prior to joining CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions, Kouromihelakis served as a financial associate with Webster Bank in Connecticut, and brings more than 15 years of experience in the financial services industry. He reports to Pete Wesner, divisional manager, Internal Sales.

CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions added four new hires in its Western Division. Michael Kuehnle is the regional vice president covering the south Texas territory. Before joining the company in August 2015, he served as director of sales and marketing at Malcolm Thompson and Associates and was regional vice president of retirement plan sales at Nationwide Financial and Enterprise Capital Management. Kuehnle has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry.

Jonathon Matson joined CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions in December 2015 as regional vice president for Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Prior to joining the company, Matson served as a regional vice president with Guardian Retirement Solutions and joins the team with more than 10 years of experience in the financial services industry.

The new regional vice president for northern Texas is Trey Wallace, who was promoted in December 2015 and has more than 15 years of experience as a wholesaler focusing on retirement solutions. He previously worked directly with business owners, plan sponsors and financial advisers as a retirement plan consultant at ING and Nationwide. Wallace and Matson report to Joe Eleccion, Western Divisional vice president.

DJ Sobrepena became the regional sales consultant in January supporting Scott Thaler for southern California, Hawaii, and Las Vegas. Prior to joining CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions, Sobrepena served as a retirement solutions associate at AllianceBernstein before becoming a business development specialist at MullinTBG. He has nearly 10 years of experience in the financial services industry and reports to Pete Wesner.

“The intermediary channel is a critical component of the long-term growth strategy for our retirement services business,” says Paul Swanson, vice president of National Sales and Institutional Relationship Management for CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions. “I am very excited about the level of talent we’ve put in place to support our expanding client base.”

With these additions, the CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions sales team is now fully staffed.

LPL Financial LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of LPL Financial Holdings Inc., has established an office in Washington, D.C. for members of its Government Relations team who engage regularly with legislators, regulators and trade associations to advocate and address issues on behalf of the financial services industry, LPL advisers and retail investors.

While LPL’s Government Relations team has long been engaged with policymakers and influencers in the capital city, having a local base of operations will foster increased collaboration across the various functions within this team, while also creating efficiencies and conveniences that will maximize their efforts on behalf of the firm and the industry, the firm says.