Since joining Fidelity in 2005 as Vice President, Emerging Products, Will Applegate has served as Product Manager for both Health & Welfare Administration and the Fidelity HSA® (Health Savings Account). He also served as the team leader for the Fidelity HSA® product launch and led HSA business development efforts for the Fidelity HSA®. In his current role, Will has responsibility for Fidelity’s relationships with intermediaries with a focus on the distribution of our health offerings, as well as industry events. Prior to joining Fidelity, Will developed Mellon Financial Corporation’s HSA product offering following Mellon’s acquisition of Kwasha Lipton. Will’s prior roles at Kwasha Lipton included managing large benefit outsourcing relationships, developing one of the first H&W administration platforms, and consulting with employers on health care plan design, pricing, and vendor selection. Will graduated from Colgate University with a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science and holds FINRA Series 7 and 63 licenses. He is an influential figure on the topic of emerging health care consumerism and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences.

Dr. Berkman is the principal investigator of the Health and Aging Study in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa (HAALSI), a program project funded by the National Institute on Aging. HAALSI aims to study the drivers and consequences of HIV and non-communicable diseases in an aging population in Agincourt, South Africa. She is currently a member of the Conseil Scientifique de l’Institut de Recherche en Sante Publique (IReSP) in France. She has been actively involved since 1994 on the GAZEL study, a cohort of 20,000 French employees of EDF-GDF, the large natural gas-electricity company. In May 2017, Dr. Berkman was appointed faculty director of the PhD program in population health sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is author or co-author of several books and 300 publications/chapters. In 2003, she co-edited (with Ichiro Kawachi) Social Epidemiology, a groundbreaking textbook on this burgeoning field. A second edition was published in 2014 with co-authors Kawachi and Maria Glymour. In recent years, she served as a co-PI on the Work, Family & Health Network, a study involving workplace practices and employee and family health. From 2002-2016, she served as co-site director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars program. Prior to becoming director of the HCPDS, Dr. Berkman was chair of the Department of Society, Human Development and Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (1995 – 2008) and was former head of the division of chronic disease epidemiology at Yale University.

April Bettencourt joined VSP Vision Care as Benefits & Payroll Manager in January 2001. In August 2008, VSP acquired Marchon Eyewear, creating VSP GlobalSM and expanding April’s responsibilities to include both domestic and international employees. April is currently responsible for all benefits and payroll administration, including wellness, worker’s compensation, and disability management, for VSP Global’s 3,000 employees worldwide.
April’s 26-year career in Human Resources, with an emphasis on Benefits Administration, began in the savings and loan industry, where she participated in various mergers and acquisitions.

Brian Brown is a Vice President in the Fidelity Workplace Consulting group of Fidelity Investments. Brian works from the Chicago office.  He has 18 years of experience, including 13 with Fidelity, in supporting consulting relationships with companies on health plan and retirement issues. Brian’s experience includes managing financial risks, financial analysis, and understanding strategic opportunities for employers through strategy, design, and implementation of active and retiree health & welfare plans, including high- deductible health plans. Brian is an Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA), and a member of the American Society of Actuaries (MAAA). He holds a Bachelor of Science in statistics and actuarial science from the University of Iowa.

Carol is a co-founding partner of Cohen & Buckmann. With a career that spans more than 35 years, Carol has become one of the foremost employee benefits and ERISA attorneys in the country. She is widely known for her in-depth understanding of issues related to ERISA, including pension plan compliance, fiduciary responsibilities and investment fund formation. Her clients – global and U.S. companies – and attorneys rely on her for advice related to complex pension law and fiduciary problems. She also is experienced at advising global employers on U.S. and cross-border employee benefit matters. Carol writes for the firm’s blog, Insights, and contributes regularly to the “Ask the Lawyer” column on 401kTV. In addition to opining about new developments in the benefits industry, Carol also speaks frequently at industry and client events. Prior to founding Cohen & Buckmann, Carol was Counsel in the New York Office of Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP and spent 23 years as specialist and ERISA Counsel at Sullivan & Cromwell.

Brian has been with Dawn Food Products for 13 years. Dawn Food Products, Inc. Under Brian’s leadership, Dawn was recently recognized by Pension and Investments as Pensions & Investments Eddy Awards and a finalist of the 8th annual Excellence and Innovation Awards. In 2015 and 2016 a finalist for the PLANSPONSOR Magazine Plan Sponsor of the Year Award. In 2016 a winner of the PLANSPONSOR Magazine Plan Sponsor of the Year Award. Dawn was recognized by Employee Benefit News as the 2015 Judges Choice Benny Award winner. Dawn was recognized by Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC (and has earned TrendBender status (keeping the average cost increase near 0%) for 8 consecutive years and  Brian has 29 years of experience in Human Resources and has expertise in Business Integration, Human Resource Technology, Employee Relations, Organizational Development, Payroll, Compensation, Benefits, Business Operations, Payroll and Change Management. Prior to joining Dawn, he has held positions at Trinity Health, Accenture (Anderson Consulting) American Axle and Manufacturing, Inc. Brian is a strong believer in giving back to the community and is a member of the Management Department External Advisory Board and guest speaker at his alma mater. He is a Scoutmaster and a former Order of the Arrow advisor with the Boy Scouts. Brian has a B.A. degree from Eastern Michigan University, where he majored in Human Resources.

Jeffrey W. Clark is an analyst in Vanguard Strategic Retirement Consulting. He provides strategic and customized analytics designed to help plan sponsors better understand their participants’ behavior and plan design effectiveness. In addition, Mr. Clark is responsible for data analysis to support Vanguard Center for Investor Research as well as additional Vanguard retirement research initiatives. Mr. Clark joined Vanguard in 1998. Before Strategic Retirement Consulting, he worked in Participant Services and the Compliance Testing and Analysis department, assisting plan sponsors with plan design and compliance issues. Mr. Clark earned a B.A. in economics from Bucknell University.

Summer Conley guides companies through the complicated legal landscape surrounding employee benefits. She advises on qualified plan, health and welfare and executive compensation issues related to: Retirement plan committee fiduciary responsibilities, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Department of Labor (DOL) correction procedures, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), Section 125, Health care reform, Alternative plan investments. Summer helps companies comply with HIPAA privacy regulations and health care reform rules, and she assists plan sponsors and fiduciaries in complying with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code. Summer drafts various plan documents, including summary plan descriptions and employee communications, and she counsels clients on establishing, changing and terminating benefits programs and on entering into benefits services agreements.

Hernando Cortina, CFA is Head of Index Strategy at ISS ESG. Previously, he was Director of Indexes & Analytics at JUST Capital where he led the launch of the JUST ETF, and portfolio strategist and equity index trader with Morgan Stanley. He started his career in Latin America equity research at Goldman Sachs. Hernando earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering and Economics from MIT and an M.A. in Mathematical Finance from Columbia University. He was also awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst designation

Emily Seymour Costin is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office, and the leader of the firm’s ERISA Litigation team. Emily primarily represents employers, plan sponsors, insurers, and fiduciaries in employee benefit disputes and advises on litigation avoidance strategies. She has experience defending a variety of individual, mass action, and class action claims for benefits and breach of fiduciary duty under ERISA, including those involving investments, excessive fees, employer stock, actuarial factors, benefit termination, and health care matters. Emily also represents clients in related disputes that include employment, securities, insurance, breach of contract, professional malpractice, and government contract matters. She also assists clients responding to government audits, investigations, and subpoenas. Emily was one of five lawyers named a “Rising Star” by Law360 in the field of employee benefits in 2018, and was most recently recognized by The Best Lawyers in America© in Litigation – ERISA. Emily is the former chair of the American Bar Association’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. Emily is a national co-chair of the firm’s Women’s Initiative and actively participates on the firm’s diversity and hiring committees.

Harry Dalessio is head of the Institutional Retirement Plan Services and is chairman and CEO of Prudential Bank and Trust within Prudential Retirement, a unit of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU). In this role, Dalessio is responsible for the defined contribution, defined benefit, nonqualified deferred compensation plan administration, institutional investment, client management and participant services. Since 1924, Prudential Retirement serves nearly 7,800 public, private and not-for-profit organizations and more than 4.5mm individuals accounts for over $500 billion of retirement account values. In his previous role, Dalessio led U.S. sales and strategic relationships. During his tenure, the business achieved transformational growth in the full service, investment-only stable value, pension risk transfer and nonqualified businesses. He also led the channel management team responsible for developing and implementing Prudential Retirement’s third party advisor strategy. Prior to that, Dalessio was vice president, corporate sales, leading the team who represented Prudential’s comprehensive defined contribution, defined benefit, and nonqualified products and services to corporate plan sponsors. Earlier in his career, Dalessio held regional sales leadership, client management, and operations positions with CIGNA Retirement & Investment Services. Dalessio is an industry leading expert and has published several bylined articles in industry-related publications. Often requested as a keynote speaker, he frequently meets with industry and national media to discuss opportunities and trends within the financial services industry. Dalessio serves on the Board of Trustees for The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, Corporate Board of Advisors for UnidosUS and the Board of Directors for No Barriers USA. He also serves on the following corporate boards: Global Portfolio Strategies, Inc., Prudential Bank & Trust, Prudential Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company, Prudential Trust Company, Mullin TBG Insurance Agency Services and Prudential Retirement Holdings. Dalessio earned a B.A. in Economics from Providence College and an MBA in Finance from Fordham University. He holds FINRA Series 7, 24, 63 and 79 licenses.

Geoff’s responsibilities include management of the overall day to day business activities of the firm. This central operating role combined with his plan underwriting and quote process management experience, allow DIETRICH the ability to ensure adequate staff resources are always available to service the needs of our clients. This function represents a key competitive advantage for DIETRICH whose smaller annuity placement competitors are often key person dependent with limited back-up staff resources.

Mike Domingos is a senior vice president head of Sales & Strategic Relationships within Prudential Retirement, a business unit of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), and a leading provider of defined contribution, defined benefit, nonqualified deferred compensation plan administration, and institutional investment and risk management services. In this role, Domingos leads national sales, including full service corporate, tax exempt, pension risk transfer, investment-only and nonqualified sales, plus the channel management team responsible for developing and implementing Prudential Retirement’s channel strategy. Channel management focuses on strengthening relationships with key intermediaries (consultants, advisors and third-party platforms). Previously, Domingos was responsible for leading distribution teams, nationally. This included the development and execution of the distribution strategies for institutional risk management, stable value investment management as well as national account qualified and nonqualified plan services. Domingos entered the financial services industry in 1993, when he joined Prudential and has held a number of leadership roles. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Hartford and is a Series 6, 7, 24, and 63 registered principal. He volunteers his time to several charitable organizations including having served on the host committee for UNICEF Chicago, and through participation in Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and the United Way efforts.

John Doyle is a senior vice president focused on defined contribution in the Retirement Strategy Group at American Funds, part of Capital Group. He has 28 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.

Upon graduation from the University of Alabama, Russell began employment at the Alabama Department of Labor as an employment specialist and in 1998 he was promoted to employment service office manager in Birmingham, AL. In 2000, he joined Phifer Incorporated in Tuscaloosa, AL as a Human Resources – Recruiter. In 2017, Russell was promoted to HR Director and charged with leading human resources for the corporation. Russell enjoys broad HR duties: developing strategic policy; serving as the human capital lead for corporate business development and acquisition; lead the SAP Human Capital Management enterprise; healthcare, wellness and occupational health; benefits, compensation, corporate recruiting; staffing, talent management, workforce development and corporate training; workers’ compensation and employee relations. Russell has also served 33 years in the United States Army in both active and reserve status. He is currently holds the rank of Colonel, and has held a variety of command and staff assignments at the company, battalion, brigade and division levels. He is a graduate of numerous military schools to include the Command and General Staff College, Royal Canadian Forces College, Army War College and National Defense University. Russell is active in community services. He has served on the Alabama State Rehabilitation Board and past- president of the Tuscaloosa Society for Human Resource Management chapter. He currently serves on the Alabama State Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act Board and West Alabama Regional Workforce Council. He is a passionate leader involved in designing programs that align business and industry with those seeking career and career training opportunities. Russell has been married to his wife Kelley for the past 27 years and they live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Their son Jackson is currently serving in the active United States Navy onboard the USS Vicksburg in Norfolk, Virginia.

Cliff has over 28 years of investment industry experience and serves the Firm as investment consultant and partner.  In this role he assists plan sponsors and their committees with plan design, investment manager searches, investment performance monitoring, and other ERISA compliance issues.  Previously he was a Vice President at a national mutual fund company where he provided consulting services to professionals in the financial services industry serving both corporations and individual investors.  Advice included 401(k) plan design, development of investment policy statements, and creation of model portfolios using modern portfolio theory.  Cliff holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. He obtained a B.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Illinois Wesleyan University.

Nancy is Vice President, Health Care Thought Leadership where she is responsible for helping to shape and define Fidelity’s point of view on health care and benefit trends. Nancy started with Fidelity in 2011 as a part of Fidelity’s Workplace Customer Experience team, helping the organization better understand and perfect customers’ experiences across a variety of products and services. Since that time, Nancy has held various roles where she has been responsible for designing and delivering employee experiences, making complex topics easier to engage with and understand. Before joining Fidelity, Nancy worked as an HR strategy and change management consultant at Buck Consultants, where she focused on helping clients optimize and maximize their HR functions. Nancy also held various roles at Mellon Financial, in their total benefits outsourcing business and within the Dreyfus group. Nancy has a B.S. in Management from Boston University and a M.A. in Education from Columbia University.

Jodi H. Epstein is a partner in Ivins, Phillips & Barker’s Employee Benefits practice. She focuses on qualified plans, with particular expertise in integrations after acquisitions, setting up benefit platforms, 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 did her undergraduate work at Stanford University, graduating with distinction in 1988.  She graduated from Harvard Law School in 1993 (cum laude).  She has been at Ivins since 1997. 

Edward Farrington is an Executive Vice President with Natixis Investment Managers. In this role, he leads consultant relations as well as institutional and retirement sales efforts. Mr. Farrington was previously based in London, where he led global wholesale efforts for the firm, supporting clients throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Mr. Farrington has more than 20 years of experience in investment management. Prior to joining Natixis, he served as national fundraising manager for Fidelity Charitable Services. There, he led fundraising efforts for the nation’s largest donor-advised fund. Mr. Farrington also held senior roles in Chicago, San Diego, and Boston with Fidelity Investments. Mr. Farrington has a BA in political science from the University of New Hampshire. He is FINRA Series 6, 7, 24 and 66 licensed and holds an Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) designation and the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) designation. Additionally, Mr. Farrington is actively involved in Strong Women, Strong Girls, a Boston-based nonprofit focused on eliminating the ambition gap for young women. He is also a trustee of the Travis Roy Foundation and a member of the Advisory Board for the World Surf League, the governing body for professional surfing.

Jamie Fleckner is a partner in Goodwin’s Financial Industry group and Chair of its ERISA Litigation practice. Mr. Fleckner represents clients in a wide array of complex commercial litigation, with a focus on financial services and products, including investment management. He regularly litigates class and derivative actions under ERISA, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and related federal and state laws. His practice also focuses on regulatory investigations and governmental proceedings, and has represented clients before the U.S. Department of Labor, Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Justice, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and state authorities. Mr. Fleckner’s success in litigating cutting edge legal issues has been profiled in The American Lawyer’s Big Suits and Litigator of the Week features. According to Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business where Mr. Fleckner has been selected for inclusion since 2014, Mr. Fleckner is “at the top of his game,” and is “a rare thought leader” on ERISA litigation. Since 2015, he has been recognized as a leading lawyer in the list of Who’s Who Legal: Pensions and Benefits.

Josh Itzoe is a Co-Founder, Partner & Chief Strategy Officer of Greenspring Advisors (www.greenspringadvisors.com), one of the country’s most well-known retirement plan consulting firms and the 2018 PLANSPONSOR Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year (Small Team).  He is the author of two books – The Fiduciary Formula: 6 Essential Elements to Create the Perfect Corporate Retirement Plan and Fixing the 401(k): What Fiduciaries Must Know (And Do) To Help Employees Retire Successfully and host of the Fiduciary U™ podcast (www.fiduciaryu.com).  

A frequent industry speaker, Josh has been quoted extensively in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, SmartMoney Magazine, Kiplinger’s Retirement Report, InvestmentNews, PLANADVISER and PLANSPONSOR.‍ He has  been named a Financial Times Top 401 Retirement Advisor on three occasions (2016-2018) and nominated for the Top 100 Most Influential People in Defined Contribution survey by 401kWire.  A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and Accredited Investment Fiduciary®, Josh is also the creator of FeeMetri(k)s™ (www.feemetriks.com), a web-based tool to help companies analyze, compare, and negotiate retirement plan fees.

Joanne has over 25 years of experience advising corporations, tax-exempt organizations, governmental employers, and financial institutions on a broad range of employee benefits and executive compensation issues. Her expertise covers numerous topics affecting employer sponsored tax-qualified retirement plans, nonqualified deferred compensation plans, equity compensation programs, executive employment agreements, and health and welfare arrangements. In addition to plan design, implementation and administration, Joanne helps plan sponsors navigate the benefits issues related to mergers and acquisitions and the termination of pension plans. She advises plan benefit committees on their fiduciary obligations and guides employers through internal compliance audits and responds to audits and investigations by the IRS, DOL, and PBGC. She provides advice concerning all aspects of health and welfare plan compliance, including requirements under the Affordable Care Act, high deductible health plan/health savings account plan designs, ERISA’s plan document and notice requirements, HIPAA, cafeteria plans, and COBRA rules.

Lisa currently serves as the Director of Retirement Programs and Services at the University System of Georgia where she is responsible for leading and managing plan administration of  the system-wide retirement program for 26 higher education institutions statewide with over 50,000 active participants and 30,000 retirees.   She has over 25 years of experience working in the investment industry.  Lisa has extensive experience working exclusively with providing investment consulting services to Institutional Multi-Employer, Foundations, Endowments and Public pension plans.  She was also responsible for managing over $80 billion in investment manager research activity for over 300 Retirement plans. Prior to joining USG, she was a Vice-President with Citigroup’s Wealth Planning Division where she was responsible for providing estate and investment planning services to ultra-high-net worth clients. Ms. Joe holds a BS degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Minnesota and an MBA with an emphasis in Marketing and Financial Derivatives from Loyola University Chicago.  She is a member of the Georgia Association for Public Pension Trustees (GAPPT), American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA) and the National Tax-deferred Savings Association (NTSA). She served as an adjunct Economics faculty professor for the University of Phoenix School of Business for 10 years.  She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.  She is the founder and former board member of Warm Spirit Homes Inc., a Non-Profit Organization that provides affordable housing for the underserved. She currently resides in Atlanta. GA with her husband and son.  

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.

Eva Kalivas an ERISA 3(21)(a) and 3(38) investment manager has been a financial advisor since 1990.  She is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary and currently holds her Series 65 with Global Retirement Partners.  In addition, Ms. Kalivas is licensed with several State Insurance Departments.  Insurance licensing includes Life, Health, Disability and Casualty. Eva graduated Magna Cum Laude from Saint John’s University in 1991 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.  Her career began at Prudential, initially as a Registered Representative, and was later promoted to a  Sales Manager. Eva joined HUB International’s Northeast Division in September of 2019, as Senior Vice President of Retirement and Wealth Management.  In 1999, Eva co-founded EPIC Retirement Services Consulting, LLC.  EPIC specializes in the area of qualified retirement plans and provides complete independent and unbiased consultative advice.  EPIC is built around providing Excellence, Principle, Integrity and Care to both institutional and individual clients alike, nationwide. Eva is a member of Women in Pensions, Beta Gamma Sigma, the Golden Key Honor Society, the National Association of Women Business Owners and the Hellenic American Women’s Council.  The National Association of Plan Advisors named Eva to its 2019 List of Top Women Advisors in the “Captains” category*, acknowledging her contribution to the retirement industry and for bringing excellence to the profession.  In 2020 Eva received her Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor designation (CPFA) through The National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) Eva is the author of the book, the second edition of “I Get Knocked Down – A Woman’s Survival Guide to Business and Life”.  The first edition of her book was published in 2008 and is currently selling nationwide.  Eva has spoken at numerous events in relation to her book and her overall experience in the workplace. Eva is happily married to Bob and they are proud parents of their daughter, Nikolette.

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. 

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 counseling, and fiduciary guidance. He provides in-depth knowledge and experience to retirement committees with a well-documented process designed to help them comply with fiduciary responsibilities and optimize participants’ retirement outcomes. 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. Bruce holds a B.S.B.A. Accounting from Marquette University and Series 7, 63 and 65 licenses. Outside the office he gratefully served as Chairman of the Investments Committee of Junior Achievement of Wisconsin. Bruce also enjoys speed skating and is an International Starter. He is one of just 24 individuals who qualify to be a Starter at the Olympic Games.

Eric Leverson, MassMutual’s Lead Regulatory Consultant, has guided plan sponsors to action through conversations, seminars, written materials, webinars and podcasts for over 30 years.  He is a recognized expert in retirement policy and regulatory analysis and is well-known for explaining complex legal requirements in easily understood terms. Eric is the creator and primary presenter of MassMutual’s popular Fiduciary Training Program.  Since 2014, the Program has helped thousands of retirement plan fiduciaries understand their responsibilities and take action to mitigate risk through improved  plan governance. Eric holds FINRA Series 6, 7, 24 and 63 registrations and is a registered principal of MML Distributors, LLC, a MassMutual subsidiary.

David Levine is co-chair of the firm’s employer-focused practice. He advises plan sponsors, advisors, and other service providers on a wide range of employee benefits matters, from retirement and executive compensation to health and welfare plan matters. David advises on the design and redesign of complex retirement, executive, and health and welfare plans; ongoing, day-to-day counseling of plan sponsors; in-depth compliance reviews of corporate and governmental benefit programs; products and compliance for retirement and health service providers, and representation of tax-exempt organizations with respect to issues involving corporate governance, executive compensation, and unrelated business income tax liability. David 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 and serves in a number of leadership roles in the American Bar Association Tax Section’s Employee Benefits Committee. Mr. Levine regularly speaks on plan design, fiduciary governance, and legislative issues and contributes a recurring column to NAPA Net — The Magazine. He is recognized in the Chambers USA guide for Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation.  

Phil leads TIAA’s DCIO Guaranteed Income Solutions team. He and his team are responsible for designing, manufacturing and managing spread-based and fee-based guaranteed annuity, funding agreement, and other lifetime income and stable value products across multiple product types, distribution channels and end user clients. He has 26 years of experience with general account and separate account products that preserve principal and provide stable returns, both with and without lifetime income options. He joined TIAA in 2007 and has developed and/or managed a range of products, including TIAA’s off-platform guaranteed solutions for plan defaults, TIAA’s flagship TIAA Traditional Annuity, TIAA Stable Value, and separate account GIC product lines. Previously he held a variety of managerial and individual contributor roles with Prudential Financial supporting guaranteed income and stable value products issued to defined contribution, defined benefit and college savings plans. Phil holds a B.S. in finance from the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) and an M.B.A in finance from the Rutgers Graduate School of Management. He is a member of the Stable Value Investment Association (SVIA), has published industry collateral in partnership with both the SVIA and industry peers, and has represented TIAA on industry working groups to help shape regulations and policy. He holds an insurance license in the state of North Carolina. He and his wife Maya, originally from New Jersey, moved to Charlotte in 2007, and have two daughters and a son ranging in ages from 8 to 16 years old. Outside of work he enjoys music, travel, technology and action sports. He has coached his daughters’ fastpitch softball teams since 2008 and has also coached his son’s, wrestling, baseball, and soccer teams. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of a local volunteer fire department.

Bill McDermott is Senior Vice President of the Large, Mega and Not-for-Profit Markets for Empower Retirement. He is responsible for the quality of service delivered by Empower to more than 1,400 clients and 3.4 million participants. A 30-year veteran in the benefits and retirement industry, Bill joined the organization in 2012. Before coming to Empower, he led the defined contribution business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management. His previous experience includes leadership roles as the Head of Defined Contribution and Outsourcing for large plans for Fidelity Investments; Head of Corporate Markets and a member of the Executive Committee at AXA Equitable; and Head of Business Development in the New York market and partner for Hewitt Associates. Bill holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Villanova University. He is a frequent speaker at investment and retirement industry events. In addition, 401kWire has recognized Bill as one of the most influential people in the defined contribution industry.

Bart McDonough is CEO and Founder of Agio, a hybrid managed IT and cybersecurity services provider specializing in servicing financial services.  Bringing more than 20 years of experience in business development, IT and cybersecurity management in the alternative investment industry, specifically, Bart’s core strengths are assessing, defining, advocating, and driving the adoption of risk management strategies, controls, and models.  His driving focus remains to enable organizations to advance technology and cybersecurity resiliency while successfully complying with evolving regulatory requirements, and behavioral transformations.  Bart currently sits on the board of two cybersecurity firms, TwoSense.AI and Magnus Cloud, and launched his debut book, Cyber Smart: Five Habits to Protect Your Family, Money, and Identity from Cyber Criminals, in early 2019. Prior to founding Agio, he held positions at SAC Capital Advisors,  Bluestone Capital Partners, OptiMark Technologies, Sanford Bernstein and American Express. Bart attended the University of Oklahoma and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut

Matt McLaughlin is a Senior Vice President and Institutional Consulting Director with Graystone Consulting, Morgan Stanley’s Institutional Consulting Business.  Matt has spent a 27 year career devoted to helping plan sponsors create an environment for participants to succeed in reaching their retirement goals. Matt leverages his experience and knowledge to help a select number of mid to large organizations strategically improve their retirement benefits. Employers that want to offer the best retirement plan for their employees look to Matt’s vision and insight to help them and their employees reach a higher level of success.
Upon graduating Cornell in 1993 with a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Matt took an engineering position in Los Angeles, CA. Shortly after, Matt grew passionate for investing and altered his career path by moving into the finance industry. His engineering background has provided a base upon which he has built up his investment proficiency. Today, Matt has attained the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) designation through the Wharton School of business and the Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist (CRPS®) designation through the College for Financial Planning.
Areas of focus: ESG Investing, Investment policy statement development, Customized asset allocation strategies, Investment manager selection, Plan Design Initiatives, Participant Behavior. Matt volunteers his time coaching hockey and soccer for Andover’s youth programs, which his two children have been a part of for more than 10 years. He has also served as President of the Andover Hockey Association over the past three years.

.

Kelly Mutuc is the Vice President Talent Management for Novaspect, Inc. She has helped Novaspect triple in size since joining the organization in 2008. Before coming to Novaspect, Kelly worked in various sales, management and HR positions in the retail, non-profit, and healthcare industries. Kelly holds a B.S. degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Master’s Degree from DePaul University.
Kelly is a mother of two boys, ages 4 and 6, who take up most of her time. She also enjoys watching and playing sports, and her favorite teams are the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Bears and she cheers on both the Mizzou Tigers and Michigan Wolverines. She also enjoys traveling with her husband and sons whenever possible.

Nick Nefouse, CFA, Managing Director, is the Co-Head of BlackRock’s LifePath target date fund franchise and Head of Investment Strategy for BlackRock’s Retirement Group. In this capacity, he leads product strategy and platform development and is responsible for developing and delivering innovative retirement solutions to BlackRock’s clients. Mr. Nefouse has spent the majority of his career in product and investment strategy roles across multi-asset, fixed income, and equities, previously leading product strategy for our Emerging Markets and Global Equities teams. He has been with the firm since 2003 in both New York and London, including his years with Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, which merged with BlackRock in 2006. Mr. Nefouse earned a BA degree in economics from Michigan State University, and he is a board member on the Financial Markets Institute at Michigan State University. He is a CFA charter holder

Hugh Penney is Senior Advisor for Benefits Planning  and responsible for long-term strategy and leadership of the critical areas of retirement, heath care, and university benefits.  He serves as a member of the Retirement Account Plans Fiduciary Committee on Investments, Labor-Management Planning Team, Board of University Health, and HIPAA Privacy & Security Advisory Committees.  His previous position was Senior Director of Compensation & Benefits. Yale University is an American private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1701, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine Colonial Colleges chartered before the American Revolution.Yale’s 403(b) Plans have over 15,000 active participants and 12,000 retirees and former employees with assets exceeding $6.5 billion.  Yale’s 403(b) Plans have a hybrid Custom Target Date with a guaranteed accumulation annuity as its primary fixed income investment that includes lifetime income options.  Yale’s Target Date Plus service is the QDIA and combines many of the very best features of Target Date investing, Managed Accounts, and guaranteed Lifetime Income.

Preston Rutledge is the former Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). Mr. Rutledge, as the nation’s top pension regulator, oversaw an agency of over 800 employee benefits professionals in Washington, D.C. and thirteen regional offices throughout the United States.
Mr. Rutledge led the drafting and publication of guidance to implement retirement, health and workplace benefits policies, including rules governing Association Retirement Plans, electronic disclosure, 401(k) auto-portability, 401(k) private equity investment, the fiduciary advice rule and exemption, ESG, proxy voting, Health Reimbursement Arrangements, medical price transparency, surprise billing, and Association Health Plans. He also led EBSA’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In international affairs, Mr. Rutledge led the U.S Delegation on private pension policy at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France, was a member of the OECD Insurance and Private Pensions Committee, served as Chair of the OECD Working Party on Private Pensions, and worked with the International Organization of Pension Supervisors (IOPS). He also led oversight of the Federal Thrift Savings Plan, the world’s largest defined contribution plan and represented the Secretary of Labor on the Boards of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) and the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds.
Before joining the Department of Labor, he served as senior tax and benefits counsel for Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) on the Majority Tax Staff of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee where his responsibilities included employee benefits, retirement, health and Affordable Care Act taxation, life insurance corporate and product taxation, Social Security, Medicare and Unemployment Insurance payroll taxes, executive compensation, worker classification, charities and tax-exempt organizations, and the DOL fiduciary rule. He drafted the Chairman’s primary retirement initiatives: the Secure Annuities for Employee (SAFE) Retirement Act and the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act (RESA). RESA became the SECURE Act, the most sweeping reform of retirement savings policy in over a decade.
Prior to joining the Finance Committee, Mr. Rutledge served as a senior tax law specialist on the Headquarters Staff of the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division of the Internal Revenue Service, and as a senior technical reviewer in the Qualified Pension Plans Branch of the IRS Office of Chief Counsel. Mr. Rutledge also served as a law clerk on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and worked in private law practice as an employee benefits counselor and ERISA litigator. Mr. Rutledge earned a B.S. in business, cum laude, from the University of Idaho; J.D., with high honors, from the George Washington University School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review, and an L.L.M. – taxation, with distinction, including a certificate in employee benefits law, from the Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to law school, Mr. Rutledge was a Naval Officer and served on the U.S.S. Bagley (FF-1069).

George Sepsakos represents clients on a broad range of ERISA, federal tax and securities law matters. His practice is primarily focused on issues related to Title I of ERISA, including fiduciary responsibility and prohibited transaction issues.  For example, George’s practice includes: Regularly defending plan trustees, fiduciaries, and service providers in investigations and enforcement proceedings brought by the Department of Labor. Representing clients in front of the Department of Labor (DOL), Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), seeking advisory opinions, prohibited transaction exemptions, no action letters, and other guidance. Counseling banks, broker-dealers, recordkeepers, investment managers and advisers and other financial services companies on the structuring and marketing of retirement plan services and products. Advising clients on compliance with DOL’s final regulation defining the term “fiduciary.” Regularly counseling large employers and plan committees to develop processes and best practices regarding plan investments, including the acquisition and management of employer securities, and plan governance matters. Conducting reviews and internal audits of plan governance and administrative practices. George is a frequent speaker and author on a range of employee benefits related topics. Prior to joining the firm, George worked as an ERISA Enforcement Advisor within the Office of Enforcement of the Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration.

For over five years, Asha has led Fidelity’s Student Debt Program, pursuing the mission of tackling student debt from a variety of angles.  Asha and her team have built a suite of employer-sponsored benefits and consumer-facing financial planning products, which are collectively accessible to over 20 million Fidelity customers nationwide.  In addition to product development, Asha has brought thought leadership on the financial and emotional impacts of student debt to a variety of arenas, including the White House, the US Department of Education, the US Treasury, and Congress.  She holds an MBA from the Rotman School at the University of Toronto, and an undergrad in Film from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University.

Sudhir Tauro leads UBS Wealth Management Americas’ Employee Wealth Services Group supporting the Equity Plans, Financial Wellness and Retirement Consulting businesses. In his role, Sudhir is responsible for developing, coordinating, and managing the overall experience UBS delivers to all corporate client employees. Sudhir has over 15 years of financial services and management consulting experience specializing in Wealth Management, Corporate services, Digital transformation, Sales and Service optimization and platform management.  Prior roles included COO, Sales and Service at E*TRADE where he was responsible for platforms, roadmaps and implementation of a wide range of strategic initiatives including participant and active trader experience. Sudhir has an MS in Computer Science from University of California, Riverside and earned an MBA from New York University, Stern School of Business.

As a Principal and Consultant at Innovest, Gordon provides institutional consulting services to committees and boards of retirement plans.  With his expertise in retirement plan design and management and in-depth understanding of IRS Code and DOL rules and regulations, his responsibilities include consulting on plan design and features, plan health and retirement readiness, fiduciary responsibilities and protection, plan benchmarking, vendor search analysis, and investment menu design and implementation. Gordon has more than 20 years of retirement plan industry experience. Gordon is a graduate of Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. Gordon is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Colorado. Additionally, Gordon has received the Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA), Qualified Pension Administrator (QPA) and Certified Pension Consultant (CPC) designations from the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA). The CPC designation is the highest non-actuarial designation available from ASPPA and requires in-depth understanding of IRS Code and DOL regulations and an extensive working knowledge of plan features and design.  CPCs generally work alongside employers to formulate, implement, administer, and maintain qualified retirement plans.  Gordon is also an Enrolled Retirement Plan Agent (ERPA). The ERPA designation allows the designee to represent clients before the IRS on certain retirement plan matters.  He is a member of ASPPA, the Denver Chapter of the Western Pension and Benefits Conference and a founding Board member of the Colorado Public Plan Coalition.

Scott Thoma began his career with Edward Jones in May 2000 and is responsible for the Strategy team in Research, which includes Investment Strategy and Client Needs Research. Thoma focuses on developing the firm’s advice and guidance based on clients’ needs, including the guidance for clients preparing for and living in retirement. He is also co-chair of the firm’s Investment Policy Committee. From 2008 to 2011, Thoma served as director of investment advice for the firm’s advisory programs. Prior to that, he served as the lead medical device analyst in Research for more than six years and as a market strategist, focusing on issues for investors in retirement.

Thoma was named a limited partner with the firm in 2006 and a principal in 2012. Thoma graduated summa cum laude from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, with an emphasis in finance and economics. He earned a master’s degree in economics and finance from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in 2000. Thoma has served as an instructor of corporate finance and banking/risk management at SIUE. He earned his Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2003 and is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of St. Louis. He earned his CFP® designation in 2016. Thoma has been a guest on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street, PBS’ Nightly Business Report and Bloomberg and has been quoted in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s and the Boston Globe. He was named to the St. Louis Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list in 2015. Scott is regularly featured in the media and is a contributor to Edward Jones Market Insights.

Julie Varga is a lead solution specialist for investments and products within the retirement solutions group.  She is responsible for working with a team of investment, client service, and sales professionals to develop business and client strategy in the defined contribution plan sponsor marketplace.  She works as a subject matter expert by providing direction to clients regarding all workplace solutions. 
In her previous role as Vice President of Product Management, Varga managed the custom target date solutions and the Morningstar Lifetime Index Funds, a series of collective investment trusts based on the Morningstar target date indexes.  She worked closely with business leaders, investment professionals, sales, and marketing to address the needs of the industry and clients in supporting the funds.
Prior to that, Varga was Director of Client Solutions, responsible for managing strategic client relationships within the retirement solutions group of the Morningstar Investment Management group. She focused on broadening key relationships, developing customized solutions for clients and strategic planning based on the needs of the marketplace.
Varga holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematical economics from the University of Michigan.

Nathan Voris joined Schwab Retirement Plan Services in 2016. He is responsible for leading the client experience, platform, and product development strategy to help retirement sponsors, consultants, and participants meet their goals. Mr. Voris previously worked at Morningstar, where he held several roles within Morningstar Investment Management, including portfolio management and asset allocation responsibilities. His most recent focus there was on product development and strategy for retirement solutions, including wellness, advice and managed accounts, and target date solutions. He was also a Consultant with R.V. Kuhns & Associates, where he worked with defined contribution plan sponsors to help improve asset allocation and solve other needs of plan participants. In that role, Mr. Voris was responsible for all aspects of portfolio construction, including asset allocation and manager selection/due diligence for plan sponsors, retirement plan providers, and asset managers. He began his career working for defined contribution plans, including Wal-Mart and the Ohio Public Employees’ Retirement System. Mr. Voris has earned a bachelor’s degree in education from The Ohio State University.

Derrin is an independent ERISA attorney and educator in Santa Barbara, California with over 40 years of experience in dealing with retirement plans. In addition to his solo practice, Derrin is Of Counsel to the Ferenczy Benefits Law Center and also works with FIS with their Relius line of plan documents. Derrin received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from BYU and in 1980 he graduated from UCLA Law School.  He has been involved with qualified plans since 1977 and had his first case involving controlled groups shortly thereafter.  He has maintained a strong interest in this area ever since and has become the leading authority on controlled group, affiliated service group, and leased employee issues.  He is the author of Who’s the Employer (soon in its 8^th edition), the 403(b) Plan eSource, and the 457 Plan eSource, and co-authored the Plan Correction eSource, all published by ERISApedia.com. Derrin is a Senior Advisor of the Journal of Pension Benefits. He has a wife, two sons, four of the finest grandchildren on the planet, and four cats.  His varied experiences range from doing standup comedy (yes, even about ERISA) to serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Iran, to editing and writing books and newsletters on a variety of topics.  He enjoys punctuating his ERISA presentations with original parodies.

Rachel Weker is a senior manager in Product Platforms and Services of Retirement Plan Services. Rachel is responsible for market-driven innovation and emerging products and services. She also is a vice president of T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc. Rachel’s experience began in 1991, and she has been with T. Rowe Price since 1998, beginning in the Product Development department. In Product Development, she was responsible for multiple development strategies, including automated solutions, statements and personalization, advice and guidance, participant Web and mobile experience, and production of on-demand solutions. Rachel also was responsible for financial wellness and retirement income strategy. Prior to joining the firm, she was employed by Boatmen’s Trust Company. Rachel earned a B.S. in finance from the University of Illinois. She is a Series 7 and 63 registered representative.