Kara Ardis has been in the financial services industry for more than 18 years and with Charles Schwab since 2014. As the director of business strategy for Schwab Retirement Plan Services, Ms. Ardis focuses on the client experience as well as platform and product development strategy. She supports business plan execution and provides guidance to the leadership team on critical initiatives in order to help retirement plan sponsors, consultants, and participants meet their goals. Prior to joining Schwab, Ms. Ardis was vice president of investment and sales for a Texas-based broker-dealer serving municipalities in their investment strategies and bond underwriting. Ms. Ardis earned a master’s in management and international business at Colorado State University, a bachelor’s in rhetoric from Drake University, and holds her FINRA Series 7, 63, and 24 licenses.

Matt Bahl works with customers to unlock the power of financial wellness. Taking a holistic, data-driven and consultative approach, he helps employers develop custom financial wellness solutions and strategies that best meet the financial wellness needs of that employer’s unique workforce. Bahl began his career as an attorney working on labor and employment issues. Prior to joining Prudential, he served as vice president of human resources for one of the largest health systems in northern New England. In 2015 he joined Prudential to lead the company’s health and productivity analytics and consulting practice in the Northeast and Central regions before stepping into his current financial wellness role. In this role, Bahl travels all over the U.S. speaking on a wide range of topics including financial wellness, health and productivity, the multi-generational workforce, employee engagement, building a culture of employee well-being and ways businesses can leverage employee benefit offerings to support broader human capital initiatives. Bahl is a cum laude graduate of the Southern Methodist University-Dedman School of Law and is Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude graduate of Colorado College.

Kimberly Boberg is an Of Counsel at Groom Law Group, Chartered.  Kim’s practice focuses on taxation issues affecting retirement plans, including those of public companies, tax-exempt and governmental entities.  Kim also has significant experience in creating tax-exempt entities and assisting such entities in maintaining that status.  Kim’s retirement plan practice includes assistance in plan design and ongoing administration, preservation of plans’ tax-qualified status, and application of reporting and withholding rules, while also regularly helping clients establish new plans and assisting with corrections under the Internal Revenue Code.

Clients seek Dan Brandenburg for his extensive experience in and knowledge of pension and welfare benefit plans, executive compensation (including plans for tax-exempt organizations) and executive employment matters. He also has substantial experience with association-sponsored, member service programs. Dan represents clients regularly before the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. He has particular expertise in aiding clients with voluntary compliance programs of the IRS and DOL, and in responding to audits and investigations initiated by IRS, DOL and PBGC. Dan’s practice also includes advising clients on the Affordable Care Act, corporate governance, international employee benefits, and labor and employment law as well as tax matters. Prior to joining The Wagner Law Group, Dan was a partner at one leading law firm in Washington, D.C., and served as the managing partner at another leading Washington, D.C. firm.

Tim Brown is senior vice president, head of Life & Income Funding Solutions (LIFS) for MetLife. LIFS includes MetLife’s Structured Settlements, Institutional Income Annuities, Specialized Benefit Resources (e.g., corporate- and bank-owned life insurance) and non-pension Post Retirement Benefits businesses. The division is part of Retirement & Income Solutions, the company’s institutional retirement business, which historically has been responsible for generating over 20 percent of MetLife’s operating earnings. Brown, who joined MetLife in 1997, has over 25 years of experience in insurance and financial services, working in both individual and group markets with products including property casualty, healthcare, mutual funds, life insurance and annuities. In his current role, Brown has overall profit center and general management responsibility, including product oversight and development, underwriting and pricing, sales and relationship management, and service and operations, for the LIFS businesses. Prior to MetLife, Brown held positions with Prudential Financial and City Insurance Services. He has extensive knowledge of specialty life insurance and annuity products and has written and been quoted in published articles related to strategies for managing non-qualified benefit liabilities and securing lifetime income. Brown earned his Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance & Economics from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. He is a FINRA Registered Principal, a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®), and a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®).

Bob Buch, VP of SoFi at WORK, leads the business development team at SoFi. He and his team work with companies to review and improve their student loan benefits programs. SoFi currently works with over 800 organizations, offering everything from student loan education and resources to refinancing and contribution benefits. Prior to SoFi, Bob was the CEO of Manifest Commerce, a marketing technology company built on the Facebook Ads platform that focused on social marketing for top retailers like Target, Walmart, QVC, Zappos, and Neiman Marcus. Manifest was later acquired by Rakuten, where Bob then served as the SVP of Sales. Earlier in his career, Bob was the VP of Business Development at Digg where he drove much of the company’s early revenue and distribution efforts, including the wide adoption of the Digg button and the launch of DiggAds – the first native ad platform on the web.  

Jason joined Chepenik Financial in 1999 as Managing Partner and Financial Adviser focused on providing fiduciary guidance to corporate retirement plans. For more than 20 years, Jason has been recognized as a thought-leader and outspoken advocate for the retirement industry, testifying in 2008 before Department of Labor’s ERISA Advisory Council on the spend-down issues of corporate retirement plans. He has received numerous industry accolades, having been named one of 401kWire’s 60 Most Influential DC Advisors, one of Financial Times Top 401k Retirement Advisers, and selected in 2019 as PLANADVISER Magazine’s Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year. Jason has earned a degree in Management with concentration in Finance from Tulane University.

Joe Connell is a Partner in the Retirement Plan Services area at Sikich Financial.  Joe has been helping organizations manage and enhance their retirement plan programs since 1999. His long-term track record of success is a result of working with hundreds of employers in implementing prudent processes designed to manage their fiduciary liability, reduce plan expenses, meet specific plan goals and significantly improve participant retirement outcomes. Joe is a frequent and nationally recognized speaker and presenter to employer and industry groups alike.   Mr. Connell is regularly invited to present to retirement plan organizations and human resource groups educating employers on the key elements of successful retirement plan design and structure.  One of Sikich’s 401k plan clients; United Hardware was selected as the Plan Sponsor of the year in 2018 for the 10 million- 50 million category plan size category. Joe was also named the 2014 Retirement Plan Advisor of the Year by PlanSponsor magazine, which honors advisors annually who best represent their mission to help make retirement security a reality for workers across the nation.   Mr. Connell has earned the following industry designations:  Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst (AIFA®), From the Center for Fiduciary Studies at the University of Pittsburgh; Qualified Plan Financial Consultant (QPFC), from the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA) Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist Designation (CRPS®), from the College for Financial Planning in Denver, CO  and RF™ (Registered Fiduciary) Designation, from DALBAR – The Registered Fiduciary™ (RF™) certification identifies financial professionals that have achieved pertinent educational qualifications and licenses, learned required skills, and have passed a background check to serve in the important role of Fiduciary Adviser. RF™ certified professionals are identified as having met the highest fiduciary standards in the financial industry.

Maura is a Managing Director and Head of Retirement Plan Solutions at Morgan Stanley. She leads the Corporate Retirement Services team and the Retirement Sales and Distribution teams that reside within the Morgan Stanley @ Work & Digital Solutions organization under Global Wealth Management.  She is currently a member of the Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Committee as well as the Morgan Stanley @ Work & Digital Solutions Operating Committee. Prior to her current role, Maura was Head of Institutional Wealth Services Sales and Distribution within Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. Previously, she was Director of Portfolio Trading and Implementation for the Morgan Stanley Consulting Group businesses in Wealth Management, encompassing the Private Portfolio Group team.  Maura joined Morgan Stanley in 2011 taking on various Wealth Management Capital Markets management roles from fixed income sales, trading and distribution for the Private Wealth Management and International Wealth Management segments to Head of the Advisory Fixed Income Desk & Third Party Relationship Management. Before joining Morgan Stanley, Maura held positions at the Credit Suisse Private Bank as a senior product specialist and sales trader covering taxable fixed income products.  She began her career at Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette, where she served in a similar capacity, with a focus on credit and rate products. Maura earned her B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Emily Seymour Costin is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Alston & Bird LLP, where she focuses her practice primarily on the defense of employee benefits disputes and counseling employers, plan sponsors, and fiduciaries on litigation avoidance strategies. Emily represents plan sponsors, insurers, and fiduciaries in individual, mass action, and class action litigation over claims for benefits and breach of fiduciary duty under ERISA. She has experience litigating various types of ERISA disputes, including those involving excessive fees, employer stock, benefit termination, and health care matters.  Emily is the chair of the ABA’s Joint Committee on Employee Benefits (JCEB), a member of the editorial advisory board of the Benefits Law Journal, and a contributing author to the BNA treatise ERISA Litigation. In 2018, Emily was named a “Rising Star” by Law360, and a Washington, DC Super Lawyer.

Robert Covin is a Benefits Consultant for the Milliman Employee Benefits Administration Practice. His responsibilities include client management, plan administration, plan design and compliance consulting, and issue resolution.

With over 20 years of experience in the employee benefits field, Robert brings a valued perspective to the team. Robert has worked at Trust companies most of his career. With his in-depth knowledge of ERISA law and accounting, he has served as a compliance officer, staff attorney and manager of a trust department. Robert has also worked as a controller overseeing the installation and management of an accounting system and supervision of the IT and HR department. His experience with both the corporate and consulting sides of the business add depth to the team and enables him to provide practical recommendations for any business concerns. Education: BS, Accounting, Mississippi State University, JD, University of Mississippi

Deborah Culhane is Chief Executive Officer of Optum Financial Services (OFS) and President of Optum Bank. In this capacity, her primary responsibilities include overseeing Optum’s Financial Services products and providing leadership for Optum Bank. In this role, Deborah ensures that all OFS products deliver financial services expertise to every point in the health care system through consumer health accounts (health savings accounts, health reimburse-ment accounts and flexible savings accounts), health care payments and stop loss insurance products. Previously, Deborah was Senior Vice President and COO for Fidelity’s ActionsXchange where she was responsible for operations, product development, relationship management and sales. She also held executive positions at Computershare, Allmerica Financial and State Street Bank. She brings more than 30 years of industry experience in institutional and consumer financial services both domestic and internationally.

An innovative entrepreneur and respected business leader, Barbara Delaney has been navigating the financial world since 1981. After spending 20 years leading retirement planning divisions within successful companies, Barbara took that expertise and founded Fundamental Foundations of America (FFOA). Having identified challenges within the retirement planning industry, Barbara saw a great opportunity to reshape the market place and did so with her firm focusing on small to midsize company retirement plan needs. At the forefront of this industry, Barbara emerged as a leading advisor and her firm was named as the 2008 Advisor Team of the year. In 2008 Barbara formed StoneStreet Renaissance (SS/RBA) to shift focus to a holistic and innovative business model. This model not only provided the traditional plan advisor services, but added a new layer of value to the plan sponsor by implementing financial wellness tools to create active participant engagement at every step of the retirement plan participant’s careers. This positioned Barbara and her firm launch into the mid to large size retirement plan market. Having gained the distinction as a top plan advisor, Barbara and her team continue to receive top accolades and honors within the industry. In addition, Barbara is an active member of the Government Affairs Committee for NAPA in Washington, D.C. Barbara is a sought-after speaker who appears at numerous industry conferences and seminars. She also regularly authors articles for publications within the financial sector.

Julie is an Investment Advisor Representative with Sentinel Pension Advisors, Inc. She joined Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group in 2016 as a Plan Advisor in the Institutional Retirement Services area. Today, she leads the Retirement Plan Advisory Services Team for Sentinel Pension Advisors, Inc. Julie works closely with retirement plan sponsors to implement fiduciary best practices and ensure prudent plan management, with an end goal of increasing plan effectiveness and positive retirement outcomes for participants. She brings over fifteen years of retirement industry experience to Sentinel. Julie has experience providing investment advisory and plan management services to retirement plan sponsors of all sizes. She brings a unique perspective to the team, having worked on the asset management, recordkeeping, and consulting sides of the industry over the course of her career. Julie holds a Bachelor of Science – Business Communication from Bentley College, Waltham, MA and a Master of Business Administration from Babson College, Wellesley, MA

John Doyle is a senior vice president and a senior defined contribution strategist in the Retirement Strategy Group at American Funds, part of Capital Group. He has 31 years of investment industry experience and joined Capital Group in 2013. Prior to joining Capital, John was executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Hartford Investment Management Company. Before that, he worked as head of marketing and product at T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services and as a vice president of marketing at Fidelity Investments. John is a frequent speaker on issues and topics important to the success of the DC retirement system. He holds an MBA from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Georgetown University. John is based in New York.

Jodi has more than 20 years of experience with all aspects of employee benefits, with a particular focus on defined benefit plans and 401(k) plans. She is particularly adept at managing integrations after acquisitions, setting up new benefit platforms, pension plan lump sum windows and terminations, and advising qualified plan committees regarding their fiduciary duties. Jodi’s practice includes day-to-day compliance issues, such as assisting with implementation of new legislation and regulations, trouble-shooting when glitches arise in plan operations, and helping qualified plan committees monitor plan investments and plan vendors. Her practice also includes the one-of-a-kind issues that can arise, usually in connection with M&A activity.  Jodi is well-versed in the complexity and challenges raised by large controlled groups.  Clients appreciate Jodi’s ability to manage projects involving multiple plan vendors, often on a tight timetable. Her client service and responsiveness are unsurpassed. Jodi has been individually recognized by Chambers & Partners for Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation.

Jeff is a Senior Relationship Manager with ADP Retirement Services and has almost 30 years of experience in the financial services and human capital management industries. He began his career at Towers Perrin (now Willis Towers Watson) before moving to William Mercer Consulting (now Mercer)  where he managed customer service and operations support teams in the outsourcing units of both organizations.  Jeff joined ADP Retirement Services in 1995.  He has spent the last 24 years helping clients address their retirement plan benefits design challenges, employee communication needs, as well as identifying strategic solutions for compliance and administrative concerns. Jeff is a member of various product development and client service working groups within ADP that focus on continuous improvement. Because of his deep experience with large-market plans, he brings valuable insights and a strategic perspective to these teams. Jeff lives in the Chicago area with his wife Julie.  He earned a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts from Drake University and also holds FINRA 6 and 63 licenses.

Rita is a Senior Vice President and an Institutional Retirement Consultant with UBS since 1996. Rita has dedicated her career to equipping Plan Sponsors with best practices in meeting their Fiduciary responsibilities. Her focus integrates plan design consulting with employee education in building effective communication programs in order to increase overall plan participation. Rita serves as a Partner to her clients and advocate in assisting them in maintaining the most competitive cost structures, formalization of investment committee meetings and decisions, and overall holistic management of all regulatory requirements.  In addition to Series 7, 63, and 65 securities licenses, Rita holds many professional certifications relating to employee benefits. She is both a Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist (CRPS) and an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF), an accreditation on investment fiduciary standard of care ranging from employee education to investment due diligence, asset allocation vendor reviews and overall cost management for the retirement plan. Additionally, Rita is a Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA), which is exclusively available to investment consultants with at least three years of professional experience. The certification focuses on asset allocation, ethics, due diligence, risk measurement, investment policy, and performance measurement. Her active involvement in the 401(k) community, in addition to her industry experience and expertise, have earned her recognition from 401(k) Wire as one of the industry’s top 300 Most Influential advisors in the defined contribution marketplace. Rita was named as one of the top 5 individual plan advisors in the country by PLANSPONSOR and PLANADVISER Magazine in 2010.  She has also been recognized as a Top 100 Adviser by PLANSPONSOR and PLANADVISER magazine in 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014 as well being named one of the Top 401 Retirement Plan Advisers in the country by Financial Times in 2017, 2016 and 2015.  Rita was recognized as the Top Retirement Plan Adviser of the year in 2015 by PLANSPONSOR and PLANADVISER magazine.   Most recently, Rita was named a 2018 Barron’s Top 100 Women Financial Advisor. Rita has earned her Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in finance from the University of South Florida and her Master of Science degree in Business Administration from the Illinois Institute of Technology Stuart School of Business in Chicago.

Spencer has over 15 years in the financial services industry, and oversees StoneStreet Equity’s investment management capabilities and business development initiatives.  Prior to joining StoneStreet Equity in 2011, he was an analyst, trader, and portfolio manager, specializing in energy equities and commodities. He holds a Series 66 registration, and is a CFA Charterholder. Spencer earned his Master of Finance and BS in Management from Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business in New Orleans, LA.

Catherine Golladay is senior vice president and chief operating officer of Schwab Retirement Plan Services, leading participant services, operations, relationship management and national business development. She is an expert source of commentary on how companies and participants alike can make the most of workplace retirement plans, and her writing has been featured on sites including MarketWatch and HuffPost. Golladay has been with Charles Schwab since 1996 and was most recently senior vice president, participant services and administration for Retirement Plan Services, responsible for plan administration, participant service centers and support teams, third-party advice services, and education presenters. Golladay has been serving retirement plan clients since 1990 and has held management positions in compliance, client services, communication consulting, and participant service centers. Prior to joining Charles Schwab, Golladay was vice president of ERISA compliance at Key Bank. Before that she served as a Certified Public Accountant at S.R. Snodgrass and Co., LPA. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a qualified 401(k) administrator (QKA). She also holds FINRA Series 7, 9/10, 24, 63, and 66 registrations. Golladay earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Akron. She also has a Master of Business Administration degree from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.

A recognized expert in the retirement plan industry, Jamie has been with Cafaro Greenleaf since 1993 and a principal since 1997. She has been a recognized vice president and retirement plan advisor with UBS Financial and with Prudential Securities, consistently ranking among the top retirement advisors nationally at both firms. Jamie is regularly invited to speak at industry conferences and is a sought¬ after presenter for many other advisor and plan sponsor continuing education sources such as Pensions and Investments, HR.com, and SHRM University Conference Services. Jamie serves on the Advisory Boards of Prudential and Allianz and John Hancock, as well as the Leadership Council for the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA), where she regularly provides her retirement plan expertise and experience to our nation’s regulators and policymakers in Washington DC. Jamie has spent her entire professional career helping retirement programs and public funds. She has provided 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. Jamie is also is a Registered Investment Advisor representative and holds series 7, 26, and 63 licenses. Jamie is known for her extensive and unparalleled knowledge, expertise and passion for the industry. She has a keen ability to guide, support and educate plan trustees, plan sponsors and plan participants alike. Leading from our headquarter office in Red Bank, New Jersey, Jamie advises throughout the New York Metropolitan and Tri State areas, traveling to other regions of the country when the opportunity to serve arises. Jamie currently resides in Rumson, NJ with her husband and two sons.

Ben Grosz is a partner with Ivins, Phillips & Barker, where he advises clients on a broad range of employee benefits issues and federal tax planning matters, with particular focus on counseling employers and fiduciaries about their 401(k) and other tax-qualified plans.  One recent highlight has been advising a prominent company on the creation of a new proprietary ESG fund for its 401(k) plan. He regularly advises clients regarding their fiduciary duties and handles day-to-day compliance issues, such as trouble-shooting when glitches arise in plan operations, implementation of new laws and regulations, and helping qualified plan committees monitor plan investments and plan vendors.  He has handled a variety of benefits issues that arise in transactions, negotiated investment management agreements and other benefits vendor service agreements (e.g., recordkeeping, consulting, and trustee), and represents clients in audits and before government agencies such as the IRS and DOL.  Ben has extensive experience drafting plan documents, amendments, fiduciary committee meeting minutes, summary plan descriptions and other participant communications. He has been retained as outside legal counsel to implement many investment manager and fund changes (including mutual funds, collective investment trusts, separately managed accounts, and private funds); to assist with the implementation of de-risking initiatives and plan redesigns; to establish numerous brand new qualified retirement plans (including defined benefit and cash balance pension plans, as well as 401(k) plans with ESOPs) in connection with complex transactions; to advise on executive employment agreements and tax matters; and to oversee and manage fee disclosure due diligence and reporting processes.  Ben works with large and small clients on their benefit programs and routinely handles day-to-day administrative questions for all types of plans.  Recent employee benefits clients include ConEdison, GE, IBM, PSEG, SABIC, and the U.S. Golf Association. Before law school, Ben started his own financial planning business. Prior to that he was a business manager at Capital One.  His business experiences help him understand the needs of clients ranging from entrepreneurs to large corporations.  Ben earned his B.A. from the University of Virginia (magna cum laude and elected Phi Beta Kappa), an Executive Certificate in Financial Planning from Georgetown University, and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.  He has been frequently quoted in national publications and the trade press (including Forbes, US News & World Report, CNBC, PLANSPONSOR, Family Office Monthly, and Fiduciary News) on benefits and tax matters, and he has spoken to the American Bar Association, the D.C. Bar, The Plan Sponsor University, the Tax Executives Institute, and PLANSPONSOR’s Best of PSNC conference.

Stace Hilbrant, named Plansponsor’s 2012 Retirement Plan Advisor of the Year, is Managing Director and Founder of Chicago-based 401k Advisors, LLC.  Since 2001, Hilbrant and his Associates have assisted plan sponsors of 401k plans of all sizes. The firm represents small to mid-sized companies from manufacturers to printing companies and professional sports teams to firms engaged in the automotive and aerospace industries and has over $1.5 billion in assets under management. Stace has been in the financial industry for more than 30 years, including 20 years with one of the 401k industry leading service providers. Stace, is a Registered Investment Advisor and holds Series 6, 63, 7, 24 and Series 65 designations.  He is also an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIFÔ), a Plansponsor Retirement Professional, a Certified Behavioral Analyst and a Registered Fiduciary (DALBAR).  Stace’s expertise ranges from employee education and investment due diligence/asset allocation to vendor reviews /cost management and fiduciary liability management. Stace has been involved with the Chicago Chapter of the America Heart Association and recently served as the Chairman of the Board of the Hadley School of the Blind in Winnetka, Illinois.  He also serves on a local foundation that provides educational assistance to young people desiring secondary educational support who are “funding challenged.” Stace is married and has six children.

Jim Hill is Manager of Support Services at Intermountain Power Service Corporation (IPSC) in Delta, Utah. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Brigham Young University (BYU) and a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Utah. He has been with IPSC for over 30 years and is currently Chairperson of the Savings and Retirement Committee at IPSC. He has been involved with designing and implementing many of the retirement programs at IPSC. IPSC was recently recognized as a PLANSPONSOR winner for their retirement programs and benefits. Jim is married and has five children and four grandchildren. He enjoys spending time in the outdoors and sports where he cheers for the Steelers and Jazz. Most of all he enjoys spending time with his family; especially on the beaches of Lake Powell in Southern Utah.

David Hinderstein leads Strategic Retirement Group’s consulting practice, which assists plan sponsors and participants in responding to the many challenges in managing their retirement programs. David has extensive background and significant expertise in helping not-for-profit, corporate, healthcare, and higher education plan sponsors meet their fiduciary responsibilities and manage and optimize their investment provider relationships. As a retirement benefit veteran, David has been recognized by several industry organizations for his leading experience and expertise. He is also a frequent keynote speaker at industry conferences, and an instructor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management Executive Education TRAU- The Retirement Advisor University, where he instructs on the not-for-profit retirement marketplace. Prior to starting Strategic Retirement Group, David spent almost 12 years in various management and consulting positions with Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Most recently, he was President of GBS Retirement Services, Inc. (the retirement division of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.), with responsibility for consulting and servicing large defined contribution and defined benefit plans and overseeing all facets of Gallagher’s regional retirement services practice. Previously, David held multiple positions with CitiStreet (formally the Copeland Companies), where his emphasis was consulting and servicing large defined contribution plans for healthcare and not-for-profit institutions. David earned his BS degree in Finance from The American University in Washington, D.C., and has achieved the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) designation. He also is an Investment Advisor Representative of Strategic Retirement Group, Inc., an SEC Registered Investment Advisor and a Registered Representative with LPL Financial.

As DVP of Sales Operations, Ted and his team are responsible for all the operational aspects that impact the Retirement Services Sales Organization such as new share acquisition, compensation, sales policy, as well as tools and technology. In addition to his sales operation role, Ted also serves as the supervising principal responsible for approximately 350 registered representatives for ADP Broker Dealer. Ted joined ADP in 1995 and has over 20 years of experience leading several teams at the organization. He has a proven track record for driving increased sales growth while reducing net sales expense. Prior to becoming head of Sales Operations for Retirement Services, Ted was a part of the business unit’s sales leadership team for 14 years. In this role, he successfully lead more than 90 high performing sales associates who attained double-digit sales growth for the organization in the upmarket segment of the retirement plan marketplace. In addition to his deep experience in Retirement Services, Ted also held positions in ADP’s HR and Benefits businesses where he has been responsible for marketing the ADP product suite to companies with 50 to 1,000 worksite employees. Some of his notable accomplishments at ADP include qualifying for ADP’s President and Board of Directors recognition clubs for outstanding annual sales efforts. Ted has a BA from SUNY GENESEO in New York.  He holds FINRA Series 7, 63, and 26 registrations and maintains his Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) and Accredited Retirement Plan Consultant (ARPC®) designation.

As chief operations officer and co-founder of RFP360, David is responsible for ensuring clients maintain a positive customer experience as they engage with RFP360. He brings more than 10 years’ experience in the software industry.

Todd Kading has been serving retirement plan clients for over 20 years. He is the President and Cofounder of LeafHouse Financial (“LeafHouse”), a national discretionary investment manager for retirement plans. LeafHouse partners with advisors in providing fiduciary investment services, and integrates technology and industry knowledge to provide a layer of protection to plan sponsors and advisors. The firm manages over $5 billion in retirement plan assets, and serves retirement plans that range from start-up to large institutions (both public and private clients) across the U.S. Todd is one of the most credentialed and experienced advisors in the retirement fiduciary field in the country. He has become a sought-after national speaker and authority in the retirement plan arena. Todd has been interviewed by Fox Business News and spoken for numerous groups such the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the Texas Association of Business, and over a dozen SHRM chapters. A few things you might not know about Todd: He is married to a terrific red-head named Lori. Together, they have an energetic and inquisitive little boy named Max and a beautiful daughter named Madeleine. As a family they enjoy camping, hiking, off-road driving, fishing and many other outdoor and wilderness activities.

In my role as Vice President of National Tax Exempt Sales, I work to provide ideas, knowledge, information; both technical and practical, to facilitate efficient, cost effective, plans and participant outcomes. Since joining the companies of OneAmerica® in 1988, I have held various positions within the Retirement Services division. Beginning in 2000, my exclusive focus has been on healthcare and tax exempt organizations. I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Tennessee and Masters of Business Administration, University of Houston.

Rory Kirkpatrick is a Managing Director of Centre Lane Partners, a Middle Market Private Equity firm based in New York City. Mr. Kirkpatrick has over 20 years of operations experience, having served in operational and finance leadership capacities in a number of companies. Prior to joining Centre Lane, Mr. Kirkpatrick served as a divisional CFO at Chromalloy, a division of private equity backed Sequa Corporation. Prior to Chromalloy, he was the CFO of The International Culinary Center. Prior to this, Mr. Kirkpatrick served at GE and Alcoa in operations, finance, business planning and strategic development roles. Mr. Kirkpatrick received a BS in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University.

As a Senior Director in the Consulting Solutions Group of CAPTRUST Financial Advisors Phyllis has overall responsibility for maintaining CAPTRUST’s fiduciary standards, ERISA technical and regulatory issues and Participant Advice Services in supporting CAPTRUST’s advisors and clients.  Phyllis has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse and has over 30 years of retirement plan industry experience, including plan design consulting, investment advisory support and fiduciary expertise.

Ellen is the Principal and Founder of  Renaissance Benefit Advisors Group, LLC (RBA), an independently owned retirement plan consulting and institutional investment advisory firm.  RBA is a member firm of Global Retirement Partners. Following a career of working for actuarial consulting firms and national retirement plan recordkeeping/investment providers, Ellen made the decision to start her own consulting practice in 2008.  RBA was founded with a mission to provide retirement plan sponsors with the specialized expertise needed to help them make objective and fully-informed decisions which in turn, help them to meet their fiduciary obligations and help their employees become better prepared for more secure financial futures.  RBA has grown on a referral-only basis and today, advises to over $1.5 billion in plan assets; serving plan sponsors and participants of both U.S. and non-U.S. corporations and not-for-profit organizations.With her entire career having been devoted to the retirement plan industry, Ellen has gained specialized experience and expertise in working with all types of retirement plans and in numerous areas including ERISA compliance, fiduciary governance, plan design, investment analysis, contract negotiations, plan fees, analytic benchmarking and development of employee education and financial wellness programs. Ellen’s more than 25 years of experience and advocacy for the retirement plan industry has led to her involvement with several investment and retirement provider advisory boards.  Her credentials and designations demonstrate her attainment of the highest level of experience, expertise and commitment to the retirement plan business and investment fiduciary responsibility standards.Ellen is thrilled to have been named 2019 PLANSPONSOR’s 2019 Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year.

First Vice President – Wealth Management Institutional Consultant, UBS Institutional Consulting Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist (CRPS®), UBS Retirement Plan Consulting Group

For more than 30 years, Bruce has been helping plan sponsors strengthen their employee retirement plans. He focuses his practice on delivering insights and results in three key areas within corporate retirement planning: sponsor and participant success, investment consulting, and fiduciary guidance. Bruce addresses several priorities for each relationship—clarifying client needs, identifying goals and implementing plan changes to drive outcomes. His engagements start with an analysis to understand the current state of an organization and its retirement plan. Plan design, the investment menu, fiduciary liability, fees, service providers and participant retirement readiness are all evaluated in order to outline where things are today and discuss opportunities moving forward. From there, he applies his experience and in-depth knowledge of the 401(k) to match client needs with strategies and partners that can best support their organization and employees. To Bruce, advising a 401(k) plan is not just about investments and fees. It’s about people, families and helping them feel confident about their future. He provides retirement committees with a well-documented process designed to help them comply with fiduciary responsibilities and optimize participants’ retirement outcomes. Bruce works primarily with mid- to large-size businesses that want to protect and enhance their current retirement plan. He and his team work best with clients who are concerned about their employees’ retirement and need help building a plan that can make a real difference in their lives as they work toward their retirement goals. Bruce is passionate about giving back to the community and serves as on the Board of Junior Achievement of Wisconsin. He also enjoys speed skating—he is an International Official and part of an elite group of just 24 starters in the world who qualify to be an official at the Olympic Games. He and his wife, Bernadette, have been married 37 years. They have two wonderful children. BJ is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at National Jewish Health and the University of Colorado in Denver. A world-class speed skater, Erica graduated cum laude from Marquette University and is a radiologist at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

David N. Levine is a principal at Groom Law Group, Chartered.  Mr. Levine advises plan sponsors, advisors, and other service providers on a wide range of employee benefits matters, from health and welfare to retirement and executive compensation matters.   Mr. Levine was previously the Chair of the IRS Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (2011-2013) and is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association.  Mr. Levine regularly speaks on plan design, fiduciary governance, and legislative issues.  He is recognized in the Chambers USA Guide for Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation.  Mr. Levine received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and his B.A., with general and departmental honors, from Johns Hopkins University.

Rich Linton is Executive Vice President of Group Distribution and Operations for Empower Retirement. In his role, he oversees Empower’s segment distribution, which includes core, government, large, mega and not-for-profit markets. He also manages all aspects of recordkeeping and plan administration operations, including the Plan Service Center, the participant services center, compliance, conversion and implementation services, client services, processing operations, and financial controls. Additionally, he has responsibility for Great West Global operations in India. Rich joined the organization in 2016 and has 28 years of industry experience, managing all aspects of the defined contribution business. Before joining Empower, he served as President of large corporate markets and retail wealth management for Voya Financial. There, he oversaw sales and marketing, relationship management, product development, platform management, field representative service, brokerage operations and strategic planning. Rich has also served at Bank of America, where he was Managing Director of the business retirement solutions group, and at Fidelity Investments, where he gained deep experience running a major part of the operations organization. At Fidelity he served in a variety of leadership roles in operations, sales, product, marketing and client services before becoming Executive Vice President in the advisor retirement business. Rich holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics from Boston University. He is board chairman and president of the Society of Professional Asset-Managers and Recordkeepers (SPARK), and he serves on the board of trustees of Colorado Succeeds, an organization of business leaders who are working to improve Colorado’s schools.

Mike is currently the Sr. Director of Human Resources for Sumitomo Machinery Corporation of America (SMA), headquartered in Chesapeake, VA. SMA has five (5) assembly and manufacturing facilities, as well as field sales staff throughout the United States, for a total of 420 employees in the U.S.  Responsible for all aspects of HR administration, to include benefits, payroll, employee learning and development and environmental health and safety. Mike also has HR responsibilities for subsidiary operations in Canada, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala and Peru. Total employment of all facilities within the Americas is 700. B.S. Business Administration – Christopher Newport University, Newport News, VA  (1979)

Marianne is a vice president and director at Innovest.  She has more than 30 years of experience in the retirement plan sector. She is a member of Innovest’s Retirement Plan Practice Group, a specialized team that identifies best practices and implements process improvements to maximize efficiencies for our retirement plan clients.  Marianne holds the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) and the Retirement Plan Associate (RPA) designations from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She is also holds the Series 65 License (Registered Investment Adviser Representative) though FINRA. Prior to joining Innovest, Marianne was a director with Empower Retirement, a senior consultant at Strategies, LLC, a vice president and senior relationship manager at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and spent 15 years with Invesco Retirement Plan Services as an associate partner and senior client relationship Manager. Marianne graduated magna cum laude from the University of Denver with a Bachelor of Arts in law and society and a certificate in conflict management studies. In addition, she is a former board member of the Denver Chapter of the Western Pension and Benefits Council, a current board member of the Colorado Zoological Trust, a 29-year member of the Board of Directors for the Denver Santa Claus Shop, a member of Mile High United Way’s Women United, and a Junior Achievement volunteer. Marianne also volunteers at Arrupe Jesuit High School and actively participates in various charity fund raising events in the metropolitan Denver community. Marianne is a Denver native. She and her husband Ed have four grown children and enjoy traveling, skiing, hiking and kayaking.

Jonathan McBride, Managing Director, is the Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity and also a member of the firm’s Global Operating Committee. Prior to joining BlackRock, Mr. McBride served as Director of the Presidential Personnel Office in the White House, a role he was appointed to in July 2013. He joined the administration as a Special Assistant to the President and the Deputy Director of the Presidential Personnel Office in August, 2009. In February, 2012 he was promoted to be a Deputy Assistant to the President. Prior to serving in the White House, Mr. McBride was the Chief Strategy Officer with Universum, a global Employer Branding company, and served as the company’s most senior consultant to companies and agencies looking to attract and recruit top talent. In 2000, Mr. McBride co-founded Jungle Media Group. Jungle’s magazines, websites, and live events served a variety of audiences including MBAs, JDs, college students, African American young professionals, and Hispanic young professionals. The content focused on the career lifestyle and informed its readers about how to best navigate current and future career moves. Mr. McBride also worked for Goldman Sachs from 1997 to 2000 and U.S. Senator Herb Kohl from 1992 to 1995.

Amy M. McCarthy, believes that her experience, comprehensive knowledge of the retirement industry, reliability, and passion for the business are essential for effective account management. She excels at client-facing undertakings, including meetings, presentations, and plan design consulting. Conferring with clients and their advisors to design an optimal plan to create employee loyalty and assist their employees in saving for a secure retirement is what is most important to her. Amy entered the financial services industry in 1995, joining Prudential in 1998. She has a B.A. in business administration with an emphasis in finance from Clarke College. Amy is a Series 7 registered representative and holds life and health Insurance licenses.

Marty joined Pacific Life in 2012 as a director in the Retirement Solutions Division. He is responsible for consulting with companies to customize solutions that solve the financial risk inherent in their pension plans through the Pacific Life suite of pension-risk products. Marty also works with companies who have defined contribution plans, such as 401(k) or 403(b) plans, to provide guaranteed lifetime income options for plan participants. Prior to joining Pacific Life, Marty held a variety of positions in the insurance and employee benefits industry for firms such as Prudential, Mullin/TBG, Marsh & McLennan, Merrill Lynch, and MetLife. Marty holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and economics from University of California, Los Angeles.

Steven Mindy is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP.  He works extensively on issues related to group health plans and insurance, wellness programs, health savings accounts (HSAs), flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and transportation fringe benefits, including the laws applicable to plans and their service providers when using new technology like mobile devices, apps and wearables.  Steven also has deep experience with ERISA’s plan-asset rules, trust requirements and prohibited transaction exemptions. He advises on issues related to multiple employer welfare arrangements (MEWAs), voluntary employees’ beneficiary associations (VEBAs), and union multiemployer plans. He also has a niche practice counseling financial institutions, insurance companies and nonbank trustees on HSA matters.

Una is a Senior Vice President of  MassMutual Financial Group and Head of Institutional Markets and Worksite Client Management within MassMutual WorkPlace Solutions. In her role, Una has accountability for the lifecycle of the customer experience leading the new business, account and relationship management teams.  Una is responsible for ensuring high levels of satisfaction and retention driven by superior strategic and tactical execution.  Una and her teams are focused on plan installations and ongoing plan management for retirement and voluntary benefits with an emphasis on delivering consultative solutions to ensure that we are helping plan participants with their overall financial wellness before and at retirement. Una joined MassMutual in 1996 and has spent her career in the Retirement Plan arena with over 27 years of industry experience.  Una has held several roles at MassMutual, all client facing, and has been recognized for her leadership and passion centered on constantly elevating the customer’s experience at MassMutual. Una holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in European Studies from the University of Limerick in Ireland. She also holds FINRA Series 6, 7, 24 & 63 registrations, and is a Retirement Plans Associate of the International Foundation for Employee Benefit Plans.  She is also a member of the Board of Advisors for Loyalty360. Una lives in East Longmeadow, MA with her husband Lou, and two children Leah and Louie.

Kevin Murphy is a senior vice president and Head of the Defined Contribution Strategic Accounts team for Franklin Templeton’s US Investment-Only division. He is responsible for directing and expanding sales of mutual funds and sub-advised portfolio products in employer-sponsored retirement plans. In addition to leading the team of Strategic Account Managers, his primary focus is on mid-market advisory firms with a national footprint, and serves as the primary liaison with these firms at their home offices. Mr. Murphy also leads the firm’s Health Savings Account (HSA) initiative. Mr. Murphy’s primary objective is to help more Americans achieve optimal retirement outcomes. He approaches this by offering thought leadership in retirement plan services and investments and working diligently as a key business partner to retirement plan advisory firms, consultants and retirement plan sponsors. His expertise spans qualified plans, investments, current industry trends and Franklin Templeton products and services. Mr. Murphy began his career in the financial services industry in 1999 and joined Franklin Templeton Investments in 2011. Prior to that, he was a regional vice president on Columbia Management’s Defined Contribution Investment Only team. He also served as vice president and regional sales director of corporate retirement plans at Wachovia Retirement Services. Mr. Murphy holds a B.Sc. in Agriculture from the University of Delaware. He was selected by National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) for its list of the Top 100 Defined Contribution Wholesalers in the industry in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Among his sales accolades, Mr. Murphy was named Franklin Templeton’s Investment-Only Specialist of the year in 2012 and 2014. Kevin, his wife Shannon and their four children reside in Kinnelon, NJ. He is a FINRA registered representative.

Managing Director, is a member of the US & Canada Defined Contribution Group. He is the Co-Head of the LifePath franchise and heads the DC Investment Strategy team. Mr. Nefouse has spent the majority of his career in product strategy roles where he was responsible for developing strategic product plans and the positioning of products both internally and externally. These roles included the Lead Product Strategist for the Global Emerging Markets team, the Senior Investment Strategist in the Alpha Strategies group, the Lead Product Strategist on the London-based Global Equity team and a Product Specialist for the BlackRock Global Allocation team. Mr. Nefouse’s service with the firm dates back to 2003, including his years with Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, which merged with BlackRock in 2006. At MLIM, he worked as a product specialist and began his career on the US Retail sales desk in Princeton, NJ. Mr. Nefouse earned a BA degree in economics from Michigan State University in 2003 and is a board member on the Financial Markets Institute at Michigan State University. He is a CFA charter holder.

Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Kelley Palmer, Marketing Director in Retirement Optimization, is responsible for developing new participant solution strategies and improving the retirement readiness of all John Hancock Retirement Plan Services participants. John Hancock Retirement Plan Services is a major retirement plan provider serving businesses of all sizes, from entrepreneurial companies just starting a plan for the first time to some of the largest organizations in the country that require total retirement outsourcing services. Kelley has acquired more than 20 years’ experience in marketing and over 10 years’ experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining John Hancock, Kelley was with Commonwealth Financial Network and Financial Engines from 2011 to 2015 as Senior Communications Manager.

Kelley earned an MBA from Simmons School of Management as well as a BA in Psychology from Wheaton College.

Elaine Parham is Sr. Manager of People for Southwest Airlines and is responsible for the strategy and implementation of comprehensive Total Rewards for nearly 60,000 Employees.  Southwest Airlines offers two qualified and four non-qualified plans with more than $12 billion in assets.  At Southwest Airlines, the focus is always on its People, making sure they are recognized and rewarded for working hard, serving others and having fun.  This approach to business has provided for an unprecedented run of 45 consecutive years of contributions to the Employees’ Profit Sharing plan. Elaine enjoys the privilege of designing strategies and executing the delivery of a retirement program that meets a broad spectrum of Employee needs.

Beth Pattillo has an accomplished background with both defined benefit and defined contribution plans, working with a major utility company and defense contractor, prior to joining Leidos, Inc. in 2015. As the Director for Retirement Programs at Leidos, Beth has oversight for the administration of the retirement plan for over 45,000 participants with assets over $7.3B.  Beth has worked extensively with mergers and acquisition projects, striving to integrate, harmonize and manage multiple retirement programs, including bargained plans.  Beth is a strong proponent for seeking financial solutions that meet the needs of the participants, to and through retirement.  As an active member with the T. Rowe Price Defined Contribution Client Advisory Board, the Council on Employee Benefits, the American Benefits Council, and several forums through consultants, Beth continues to challenge trends and look for opportunities to incorporate within the organization.  Beth holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree from North Carolina State University, and is a Certified Professional in Human Resources (SHRM-CP) through the Society for Human Resource Management, and as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) through the HR Certification Institute.

Daniel J. Peluse joined Wintrust in 2013 as Director of Retirement Benefits and has been working in the financial services industry since 2001. He began his career at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, where he specialized in retirement plans—specifically in the areas of Defined Contribution and Defined Benefit plans. Dan has been recognized for multiple honors by PLANSPONSOR Magazine, including being named a finalist for ‘Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year’ (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2019), one of five finalists for ‘Retirement Plan Adviser Team of the Year’ (2011), as well as one of their ‘Top 100 Advisers’ from 2010-2019. Dan graduated from Elmhurst College with a degree in Finance and has earned the designation of Certified 401(k) Professional (C(k)P) from The Retirement Advisor University and the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist (CRPS) from the College of Financial Planning, Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) from the National Association of Plan Advisors, Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) from the Center for Fiduciary Studies, and Certified Behavioral Finance (CBFA) Analyst through Allianz Investments and Professor Shlomo Benartzi of the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. Dan most recently has attained the Certified Health Savings Advisor (CHSA) designation as well.  Dan holds FINRA Series 7, 63, and 65 Licenses, as well as Life and Health Insurance Licenses. Dan resides in New Buffalo, MI with his wife Ashley.

Rhonda Prussack is Senior Vice President and Head of Fiduciary and Employment Practices Liability at Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance.  Ms. Prussack has been with BHSI for the last five of her twenty-nine years in the insurance industry.  In her extensive career, Ms. Prussack has developed and brought to market state-of-the-art policy forms and innovative coverages for corporations, organized labor, municipalities, and not-for-profits.  She also oversees pricing, profitability, and underwriting of fiduciary and employment practices liability insurance products.  Early in her career Ms. Prussack had roles at Dean Witter, Johnson & Higgins, and the New York City Employees’ Retirement System.  She has written articles for and been quoted in many publications and is a frequent speaker at ERISA, employment practices, and executive liability seminars around the U.S. and Canada. Ms. Prussack is originally from Brooklyn and is based in New York.

Brandon Radach is Managing Director for John Hancock’s Investment Only Division covering the Midwest.  Brandon’s focus is working with retirement plan advisors providing them with unique positioning and prospecting ideas.  Along with that, he enjoys discussing the finals meeting environment and key points on winning more business.  This includes follow-up, personal positioning and question asking. Brandon has been a registered representative of John Hancock Investments since 2003 where he began working with the group annuity division before moving to the DCIO market.  Recently, he obtained the Certified Investment Management Analyst ® (CIMA®) designation.  Originally from Iowa, Brandon moved to Chicago in 1997 after graduating from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa.  He is married to Gretchen and they have a 7-year-old named Max Frederick and a 5-year-old named Roman.  All four are Chicago Bears and Iowa Hawkeye fans.

Joe Ready is executive vice president and director of Wells Fargo Institutional Retirement and Trust. In this role, Joe has responsibility for products and services for more than 5,400 employer-sponsored retirement plans and custody accounts with 4 million employees representing almost $800 billion in assets, supported by more than 2,200 team members with a mission to help America’s diverse workforce prepare for a better retirement. Joe has more than 30 years of leadership experience the financial services industry, including relationship management, sales, investments, trust administration, operations and systems. He has served in a variety of leadership roles in the institutional retirement and investment areas including the mutual funds business, defined contribution, pension and employee benefits, and the institutional custody division. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Franklin and Marshall College. Joe is active in the retirement industry as a speaker and has appeared on Fox Business News, CNBC, Reuters, and has been quoted in various publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Pensions & Investments, Investment News, The Street, PLANSPONSOR, 401kWire, and The Washington Post. He also participates in several executive industry trade groups and boards. He currently is C0-Chair of the Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Trust Committee and is an active Governing Board Member of The SPARK Institute, Inc. Joe previously served as the President of SPARK Institute, Inc. from March 2014 to June 2017. Joe was also previously a board member of BPS & M, LLC, a benefit consulting actuarial firm that is now owned by Findley & Davies. Joe volunteers in the Charlotte, N.C. area with various charitable functions. He previously served as a board member on the College of Charleston Parent Advisory Council and chaired the Charlotte Catholic Foundation. Over the last several years, Joe has been named one of the 401(k) industry’s top 100 most influential people by 401(k)Wire.

Kevin Robertson serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, where he is responsible for leading the growth strategy and organization at HSA Bank. Kevin has worked for HSA bank for five years, and has more than 20 years of experience in banking, insurance, and financial services. Under his leadership, Kevin helped HSA Bank surpass more than $5 billion in assets and 2 million members by 2016. His background covers a variety of sales, business development, and operational roles, and spans a diverse spectrum of employee benefits, insurance, and retirement products and services. In addition to his tenure as a banking executive, Kevin was also a self-employed business owner for 12 years, managing a large insurance operation with more than 25 separate agency locations, and was a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Registered Representative and Principal for eight years. Kevin is a well-known figure in the consumer-directed healthcare industry, especially for his legislative and regulatory efforts as Compliance Committee Chairman of the American Bankers Association HSA Council. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Marquette University.

With more than 25 years of experience in the retirement plan consulting and advisory industry, Jim’s responsibilities, as a Managing Director at Strategic Retirement Partners (SRP), include consulting with our clients in all aspects of their plans, including compliance, investments, fiduciary management, plan design, analytic benchmarking and provider negotiations. Prior to joining SRP, Jim co-founded White Oak Advisors, LLC in 2004 after 15+ years within the companies of Marsh & McLennan. During this time his responsibilities included consulting with clients in the development and oversight of their ERISA-based and non-ERISA based retirement plans. Jim has earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) designation demonstrating his attainment of the highest level of experience, expertise and commitment to the retirement plan business and investment fiduciary responsibility standards. In addition, Jim has obtained the Certified Behavioral Financial Analyst (CBFA) designation. This certification reflects his focus upon drivers that impact and effect long-term retirement plan outcomes for participants. Jim graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Finance. His director or corporate memberships include the American Retirement Association, National Association of Plan Advisors, the Retirement Advisor Council, and the Financial Services Institute.

Brent has earned recognition as a Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist®, Retirement Income Certified Professional®, Accredited Investment Fiduciary® and is a member of the National Association of Plan Advisors. What he is most proud of is seeing his clients, their organizations, and their employees achieving their financial goals. Brent has been named Top 401 Retirement Advisor by the Financial Times.  A graduate of the University of Delaware with his 7, 63, and 66 securities licenses, Brent resides in Philadelphia with his wife and son. He stays active by competing in triathlons and enjoys volunteering with local non-profit organizations.

Robin helps employers successfully design and administer retirement plans, health & welfare benefits, and executive compensation arrangements. She has more than 20 years of experience developing practical solutions to complex employee benefit problems. Clients value Robin as a “business-minded” and practical leader, who can manage large projects on a tight deadline. Robin advises Fortune 500 publicly-traded companies, closely held businesses, and tax-exempt organizations on a broad range of benefit and compensation issues. She has extensive experience with the design and administration of tax-qualified pension and 401(k) plans, and she routinely advises plan benefit committees on their fiduciary obligations. Robin possesses a particular aptitude for counseling clients on workforce and benefits integration following an acquisition, and she is experienced with the unique problems faced by large controlled groups. In addition to her practice, she is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, where she teaches Retirement Plan Qualification Requirements.

Jania Stout, Managing Director, Co-Founder of Fiduciary Plan Advisors at HighTower, brings over 22 years of experience in ERISA plan consulting to her role as Practice Leader.  Her team advises over 4 billion in retirement plan assets covering over 100,000 employees.  She was named the 2016 Plan Adviser of the Year by Plan Sponsor Magazine and is currently the President for National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA). Jania spent the first half of her career working at two of the biggest recordkeepers in the industry.  She was a Senior Account Executive at Fidelity prior to becoming an independent advisor. While at Fidelity, Jania advised on retirement plan solutions for mid-market companies. Jania gained tremendous exposure to the challenges plan sponsors face and their need to have a fiduciary partner.  Ms. Stout was elected President of National Association of Plan Advisors in 2019.  The Council is charged with setting the strategic direction and making policy decisions on all matters related to NAPA’s mission. Ms. Stout was asked to testify in front of Congress in the summer of 2017 to speak as a Retirement Expert. She has also met with the DOL in the Spring of 2016 to provide her thoughts and opinions about the pending (at the time) Fiduciary Regulation. Jania has been featured in the Washington Post, Investment News, Benefits Magazine, RIA Biz and Plan Sponsor Magazine. Her team won one of the most prestigious awards in the industry in 2013; the 401(k) Advisor Leadership Award sponsored by National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA). She won Plan Advisor of the Year in 2016 and has been named Top 100 Plan Advisors for the past 4 years.

Lynn Sweet is the Benefits Associate at Badger Mining Corporation, a Wisconsin-headquartered industrial sand producer.  Lynn holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Ripon College. Prior to joining Badger Mining Lynn was a small-group employee benefits sales representative for Blue Cross and Blue Shield. She later moved to the employee benefit consulting arena, joining Aon Consulting, where she provided consulting services to all sized employers. She later joined the benefits practice group at Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP. In 2009 Lynn had the opportunity to join the team at Badger Mining Corporation, a client she worked with while at Baker Tilly. Since 2009 Lynn has led the health and welfare and retirement programs at Badger Mining. 

Pete is Senior Vice President and National Practice Leader for Pentegra Retirement Services and is known nationally for his work on retirement plan governance. He is a prolific writer and speaker for the financial community and was the founding Chair of NAPA’s government affairs committee. In 1988 he graduated with a degree in Linguistics from the University of Virginia, where he was selected for the prestigious Echols Scholar Program. He served in the first Gulf War as Executive Officer of a U.S. Marine infantry company. He lives with his family in the horse country of Central Kentucky.

Francis Investment Counsel LLC is a registered investment advisor founded in 2004 whose practice is focused solely on consulting to qualified retirement plans. Francis was named PlanSponsor’s 2018 Retirement Plan Advisor of Year in the Large Team category. The Firm is unique in the retirement plan space as it has an extensive employee financial communication and ERISA advisory pracitce without the conflicts of also providing individual wealth management services. Francis has offices in Brookfield, WI and Minneapolis, MN serving clients located across the country. Joseph leads the Firm’s recordkeeper evaluation services and conducts plan cost benchmarking and fee negotiations on behalf of their clients.

Attila is a Partner and Co-Founder of Portfolio Evaluations, Inc. He has over 26 years of consulting experience working with a broad range of clients. Attila’s responsibility is advising retirement plan committees of participant and trustee directed plans on all phases of their fiduciary responsibility. Attila is a member of the senior management team, which oversees the firm’s strategic initiatives.  In 2004, Plan Sponsor Magazine awarded Attila the Most Successful Retirement Plan Advisor in the Mid-Atlantic.  In 2010, Attila was once again nominated for PLANSPONSOR’s Retirement Plan Advisor of the Year. In 2008 and 2009, 401kwire recognized Attila as one of the 300 most influential advisors in defined contribution. In 2010, Attila spearheaded the implementation of a program directed to teach elementary school children the importance of fiscal responsibility and saving at an early age. He is a current member of the Saint Joseph’s School Educational Council where he continues these efforts. Attila is also active in PEI’s outreach activities. In 2013 and 2014, Attila was featured in PLANADVISER’s list of Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisers. This list consists of advisers and adviser teams competing for the annual PLANSPONSOR Retirement Plan Adviser and Adviser Team of the Year Awards. Attila earned a BS in Business Administration from Saint Francis University.  Attila is a member of the Profit Sharing Council of America and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Marta Turba is a Content Director for WorldatWork and a subject matter expert on Total Rewards strategy. In her role, Marta collaborates with Total Rewards experts globally to identify emerging trends and address challenges in the profession. She develops content for WorldatWork’s members to advance their professional growth – via education and certification programs, thought leadership, research, advocacy, and idea exchange. Prior to joining WorldatWork, Marta’s 25+ years as an HR professional included executive positions in a variety of industries including technology, professional services, financial services and healthcare.  As a Total Rewards leader, she has guided strategies to maximize the impact broad-based compensation, benefits, executive compensation, sales compensation, and work-life programs have on business performance. Marta is committed to developing current and aspiring Total Rewards practitioners, and is an instructor for the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s Masters in Human Resources and Labor Relations program. She is also a mentor for Marquette University’s Instructor Practice Management group, helping design ways to bring hands-on experience to the classroom. Marta has a B.S. in Public Policy and Administration and a Masters in HR and Labor Relations from the University of Wisconsin.

Mr. Ulmer has spent his entire career in finance at Morgan Stanley (MS) or its predecessor companies; and has been focused on the pension marketplace since 2004.  Joshua is a Corporate Retirement Director and leads the SeaPort Group within Morgan Stanley’s Institutional Wealth Services (IWS) business area and has obtained the business rank of Senior Vice President within Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Management Division. Joshua received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Business from Lewis and Clark College. He went on  to complete the CIMA program through the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, as well as obtain a Certificate in Risk Management from the New York Institute of Finance. Mr. Ulmer is a Chartered Financial Analyst, a rigorous global program attained over a minimum of three years’ study and examinations. He holds several other professional designations, including the Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist through the College for Financial Planning, the Accredited Investment Fiduciary through the Center for Fiduciary Studies and Behavioral Finance Analyst through the Allianz Global Investors Center for Behavioral Finance.  Joshua has been the recipient of various forms of industry recognition, including: 2017 PLANSPONSOR Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year; PLANADVISER’S TOP 100 RETIREMENT PLAN ADVISERS in 2017 – 2019; Financial Times Top 401 Retirement Plan Advisors in 2015 – 2018; Barron’s Top 1,200 Financial Advisors in America 2016 – 2019; National Association of Plan Advisers Top DC Advisory Teams in 2017 & 2018; Forbes America’s Best-in-State Wealth Advisors  in 2018 & 2019. In 2019, Joshua joined  the Morgan Stanley IWS Corporate Retirement Director Advisory Board.  In January of 2017, Mr. Ulmer was selected to serve as a council member for the Retirement Advisor Council of America and in 2016 he joined the Advisory Board for the largest record keeper in the marketplace.   Joshua is an active Advisory Board member for two of the most widely attended and recognized 401(k) Conferences – PLANSPONSOR National Conference  and  Institutional Investors Retirement Plan Advisor Summit.  He also regularly contributes to,  and participates in, industry news articles, events, panels, and product evaluation committees. Joshua is the Co-Chair of the Advisory Board at the Center for Entrepreneurship at Lewis and Clark College, and previously served on both the Finance and Investment Committee of the Children’s Cancer Association. He is presently a member of the CFA Institute, the Portland Society of Financial Analysts, the National Association of Plan Advisors, as well as a Member of the Investment Management Consultant Association.

Rachel Weker is a vice president of T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc. As a senior manager in Products and Platforms, she is responsible for the financial wellness and retirement income solutions strategy. Prior to this role, she worked in Product and Marketing and was responsible for market-driven innovation and emerging products and services. She has also worked in Product Development and was responsible for multiple development strategies, including automated solutions, statements and personalization, advice and guidance, participant Web and mobile experience, and production on-demand solutions. Prior to joining the firm in 1998, Rachel was an assistant vice president at Boatmen’s Trust Company. She earned a B.S. in finance from the University of Illinois. Rachel is a Series 7 and 63 registered representative.

As the Vice President of Manufacturing at Taylor Guitars, Chris Wellons utilizes his 27 years of manufacturing experience to lead the acoustic and electric guitar maker in its annual production and international distribution of 190,000 guitars. In his role, Mr. Wellons oversees a 700-person team of production managers and staff at the company’s manufacturing facilities in El Cajon, California and in Tecate, Mexico, and retains responsibility for all issues related to bi-national manufacturing and guitar repair. He is also instrumental in the company’s implementation of LEAN process management in its factories and shipping warehouses. Through his leadership, Mr. Wellons serves as a member of the company’s Executive team, 401(k) Committee, Compensation and Benefits Committee. After discovering his talent for woodworking in his high school shop class, Mr. Wellons joined Taylor Guitars in 1992, initially building miscellaneous items to support the burgeoning manufacturer. His talent as a craftsman was recognized, and Mr. Wellons joined Taylor’s Milling Department, learning all aspects of guitar manufacturing, and leading him to his current role.

Michelle partners with Corporate and Not-for-Profit organizations nationwide by serving as a client advocate, and aligning Lockton’s Retirement Services to help meet their business objectives. She has over 20 years’ experience in retirement plan consulting and directing functions as a Retirement Plan Specialist in the defined contribution and defined benefit plan market.  This includes being a leader in strategic partnerships to maximize vendor management, increase efficiencies, reduce fiduciary related risk, improve employee engagement and overall appreciation for retirement plans.   Michelle has spent her career focused on client advocacy for key institutional Plan Sponsor relationships across the Southeast, with a specialty partnering with Healthcare Clients. Michelle joined Lockton Retirement Services in 2017. She was previously with Transamerica Retirement Solutions, where she received several industry awards, including National Client Executive of the Year. Michelle holds her Series 6, Series 63 and NC Life and Health Insurance Licenses. She also is Carolinas Co-Chair for Women in Pensions Network, as well as a member of the National Association of Pension Advisors (NAPA). She resides in Charlotte with her husband, Andrew, and daughter, Jessica.