Tripp is a Senior Vice President, Defined Contribution Solutions in Heitman’s Client Service & Marketing group. In this role, he is responsible for supporting the firm’s initiatives across its full suite of real estate investment strategies within the defined contribution channel including consulting firms, OCIO providers, and other financial intermediaries. Tripp will work with firm leadership to offer Heitman’s real estate investment products and solutions to DC plans in order to help plan sponsors and their participants achieve their investments goals. Prior to joining Heitman, Tripp was a Senior Vice President at PIMCO, where he focused on the defined contribution investment only (DCIO) and insurance sub-advisory marketplaces. Previously, he was Senior Vice President, Head of Retirement Strategic Accounts at BNY Mellon Investment Management. Earlier in his career, Trip held a variety of client service and marketing roles with Fidelity Investments.  Tripp received a BA from Boston College and an MBA from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College.

Through its corporate retirement plan clients, the D’Aiutolo, Malcolm & Associates Investment Consulting Group represents over $3 Billion of plan assets and 40,000 plan participants across several states, including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Illinois, Florida, North Carolina, Delaware and Ohio. Paul is the lead fiduciary consultant for the team’s retirement plan consulting clients, assisting companies in navigating complex choices and contractually providing fiduciary services. These include everything from fiduciary committee training to drafting and monitoring Investment Policy Statements (IPS), to overseeing the plan’s investments, to plan trend consulting and employee education services. Paul and his team have a passion for getting participants engaged and on track for retirement, starting with a well-designed plan that results in high levels of participation and savings rates. Paul was raised in a blue-collar family with strong beliefs in personal accountability and work ethics. He saw people in his family devote their lives to their employers, but fail to retire with dignity because they did not have the resources to prepare themselves well. Throughout his career, Paul encountered similar experiences too frequently: loyal, long-term employees unable to retire.  These experiences have formed the foundation of the employee education services the D’Aiutolo Investment Consulting Group provides to plan participants. The team has taken on a personal mission to work tirelessly, exhausting every effort to enable participants to address their retirement planning confidently. Paul has an Honors Associates degree in Accounting from Monroe Community College and a B.S. in Accounting from St. John Fisher College.  He is a Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist (CRPS®), an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) a Certified Behavioral Financial Analyst (CBFA®) and a Certified Health Savings Advisor (CHSA®).From 2017 through 2018, Paul served as the President of the National Asso ciation of Plan Advisors (NAPA), a subsidiary of the American Retirement Association, a $20 million Washington, D.C. based association.  He is a past Board member for the American Retirement Association, which has allowed him to personally advocate for retirement security in America by spending time in Washington and meeting first hand with members of Congress and representatives from the IRS and Department of Labor. A former college athlete, Paul has coached house and travel soccer and Pop Warner football for nearly ten years. He also volunteers for Heritage Christian Services. Paul enjoys traveling and all outdoor activities, as well as word puzzles, including crosswords, Sudoku and word jumbles. He and his wife have raised three great children, Christopher (25), Alex (22) and Emma (18). As a recent empty nester, he awaits life’s next adventure.

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.

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.

Lisa E. Ledoux is the current Senior Director of Global Benefits at Asurion. She is an experienced employee benefits professional with a proven track record handling complex employee benefits issues including strategic plan design with health, welfare and retirement plans, creative employee communications, vendor management and strong leadership. She has a passion for creating the best employee experience as employees navigate their way through the complex world of employee benefits.

As a member of Cammack Retirement Group’s Investment Committee, Tracey manages the investment due diligence process for our clients’ retirement plans. Tracey is also responsible for creating all of the quarterly commentary and theme charts and plays an important role in our thought leadership efforts by producing our weekly Market Moves​ update and our popular newsletter feature, the Chart of the Month​. Tracey has more than 25 years of investment experience, having previously served as both Vice President, Senior Analyst, and as a Senior Global Fixed Income and Currency Trader at two large investment management firms. Tracey also founded and managed two businesses of her own. Tracey received a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Jessica Ruggles works with customers to unlock the power of financial wellness. Taking a holistic, data-driven and consultative approach, she helps employers develop custom financial wellness solutions and strategies that best meet the financial wellness needs of that employer’s unique workforce.  With an academic foundation and thesis work in communication theory and psychology, and broad experience in public relations, integrated marketing and financial services, Jessica has worked with institutional clients of all sizes and industries. In 2012 she joined Prudential to manage communication and participant engagement campaigns in accordance with the strategic initiatives of retirement services clients and the organization. She then went on to foster intermediary relationships and drive deal strategy to execute sales aligned with the goals of the Workplace Solutions Group before stepping into her current financial wellness role. In this role, Jessica works with complex clients, 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.

Will Sealy is the co-founder and CEO of Summer, helping student loan borrowers navigate the complex repayment process and maximize their savings. Prior to Summer, Will worked at SoFi on student loan policy and business strategy in 2016. He was one of the first student loan policy experts at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and was among the first employees to launch the agency in 2011. Will served as a special assistant and policy advisor to now-Senator Elizabeth Warren at both the CFPB and the U.S. Department of Treasury. In 2010, Will worked on the White House team tasked with implementing the Dodd-Frank Act. Will earned his MBA from the Yale School of Management and his BA from the College of William & Mary.

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.

(Former Executive Director, White House Business Council)

Elizabeth Vale is currently a Senior Managing Director at IntraFi Network. Previously, she served as a Senior Advisor and the Business Liaison for Elizabeth Warren’s Senate campaign. She was responsible for strategizing, designing, and executing the campaign’s engagement with the business community throughout Massachusetts and nationally.

Previously, Elizabeth served as the Director of the Division of External Affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Prior to being named Director of External Affairs, Elizabeth was a Senior Policy Advisor to Elizabeth Warren on the CFPB’s Implementation Team. Elizabeth served previously as the White House Business Liaison and Executive Director of the White House Business Council. Prior to her career in public service, Elizabeth was a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley.

Steve Vernon, F.S.A., is president of Rest-of-Life Communications and a research scholar for the Stanford Center on Longevity. In both roles, Steve is active with research, writing, and speaking on the most important issues facing older workers and retirees, including finances, health, and lifestyle.  Previously, he worked for over 35 years as a consulting actuary, helping Fortune 1000 companies design, manage and communicate their retirement programs.
Steve has published over 1,000 posts on retirement topics for CBS MoneyWatch and Forbes.com. His latest book, published in July 2020, focuses on generating lifetime retirement income:
-Don’t Go Broke in Retirement! A Simple Plan to Build Lifetime Retirement Income.

His previously published books include:

– Retirement Game-Changers: Strategies for a Healthy, Financially Secure, and Fulfilling Long Life
– Money for Life: Turn Your IRA and 401(k) Into a Lifetime Retirement Paycheck 

– Recession-Proof Your Retirement Years: Simple Retirement Planning Strategies That Work Through Thick or Thin

– The Quest: For Long Life, Health and Prosperity (a DVD/workbook package)

– Live Long & Prosper! Invest in Your Happiness, Health and Wealth for Retirement and Beyond

– Don’t Work Forever! Simple Steps Baby Boomers Must Take To Ever Retire

Steve is an independent researcher and writer. He bases his insights and strategies on research regarding both the economic and behavioral economics aspects of retirement decision-making.
Steve is a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries, and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of California, Irvine, with a double major in mathematics and social science. He splits his time between the Bay Area and Ventura County in Southern California.

Kerry is Oscar’s Chief People Officer, where she manages the company’s entire HR and Talent function across the company’s offices in New York, Tempe, Los Angeles, and Dallas for 1,500+ employees.

Kerry has deep experience attracting, placing, and growing people across the technology, financial, and health care industries. Prior to Oscar, Kerry was the Director of Talent for Madrona Venture Group. Before Madrona, Kerry was a senior leader at Amazon.com, where she led executive recruiting for Amazon Web Services. Earlier, Kerry led senior and general management hiring at the Westport, CT hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates.