Previously named a Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year by PLANADVISER and honored as a Leader by the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA), Liz serves as Director of Inclusive Engagement Strategy and Financial Planner at Francis. Leveraging her experience as an international, bilingual educator, she develops innovative strategies to engage diverse participant populations and helps individuals navigate the often-confusing world of personal finance. Liz also leads Francis’s Workplace Excellence Committee, fostering a more inclusive, collaborative, and equitable environment that creates opportunities for learning and growth, benefiting both the Francis team and its clients. Passionate about her work, Liz strives to make financial wellness accessible and attainable for everyone while ensuring that all colleagues, clients, and participants feel seen, heard, valued, and supported.

Liz is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professional (CFP) and holds a Series 65 license. She earned her B.A. in Communications from Seton Hall University.

Vikrant is a Managing Director within Nuveen’s Retirement Investing group. He leads the Retirement Strategic Clients team which involves partnering with 70 firms covering the spectrum from global and national investment consultants, aggregators, RIAs, broker dealers and wirehouses. The team’s primary focus is to build long-term alignment and advocacy for Nuveen’s core investment capabilities for defined contribution plans, including target date fund suite, lifetime income solutions and other private and public market investment strategies. Vikrant personally leads account coverage for Nuveen’s retirement partnerships with some of the largest global and national investment consultants.

Prior to joining the firm in 2021, Vikrant spent 12 years at BlackRock’s Retirement group in various roles such as consultant relations, institutional business development and product marketing. In addition, he worked within the firm’s U.S. Wealth group.
Vikrant graduated with a BBA in Finance from Howard University. He is a CFA and CAIA charter holder and holds the FINRA Series 7 registration and the Life Insurance Producer license. Vikrant sits on the operating and executive committees of the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA). He is frequent speaker at industry conferences and on webinars organized by DCIIA, Pensions and Investments (P&I), PLANSPONSOR, PLANADVISER, Plan Sponsor Council of America (PSCA) and Institutional Investor (II).

Pat Arey is a Custom Solutions Sales Director for Empower. In his role, he is responsible for communications, distribution, and sales related to Empower Investments offerings in the core market for the Northeast region. He collaborates closely with advisors, consultants, and registered investment advisers on complex issues surrounding investments, advice solutions, retirement plan design, and longevity for plans and their participants.
Pat originally joined the organization in 2017, serving in leadership and individual contributor roles within investment distribution. Prior to that, he worked in similar roles with consultants and advisors at large asset managers, including State Street Global Advisors and Fidelity. Pat holds a bachelor’s degree in finance with a minor in computer information systems from Stonehill College.
He currently maintains FINRA Series 6 and 26 securities registrations and Series 63 and 65 state securities licenses, and he holds FINRA Series 3 and 7 credentials.
Pat is also the co-author of a financial literacy and career development curriculum for youths and young adults designed to help develop more educated retirement savers into the future.

Daniel Aronowitz leads the Employee Benefits Security Administration after being confirmed by the United States Senate and after receiving approval from the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on a bipartisan basis.
The former president and founder of Encore Fiduciary, formerly Euclid, a leading fiduciary liability insurance underwriting company for America’s employee benefit plans, Assistant Secretary Aronowitz has 35 years of experience in the professional liability industry as a coverage lawyer and underwriter, and is a widely recognized fiduciary liability expert, thought leader and advocate for sponsors of employee benefit plans.
Before joining the Trump Administration, he was the author of The Fid Guru Blog, the Fiduciary Liability Insurance Handbook, the fiduciary liability insurance chapter of the Trustee Handbook published by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, and a co-author of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society’s Registered Professional Liability Underwriter training module on fiduciary insurance.
He is a graduate of The Ohio State University and Vanderbilt University School of Law and has achieved the RPLU+ designation from the Professional Liability Underwriting Society.

Matt Avery is Vice President in Fidelity Workplace Consulting group. In this role, he is responsible for developing and overseeing relationships with clients for Defined Benefit, Defined Contribution, Non-Qualified, and other benefit programs.

Prior to joining Fidelity over 12 years ago, Matt held actuarial roles at other large consulting firms, focusing on retirement plan administration, design and compliance, cost analysis, projections, and nondiscrimination testing. With nearly 25 years of consulting experience, Matt enjoys helping clients see the bigger picture of the total benefit programs they offer to employees.

Matt earned Bachelor of Business Administration degrees in Actuarial Science and Risk Management from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA), an Enrolled Actuary with the Joint Board (EA), a Fellow of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries (FCA), and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA).

Matt is based out of the Chicago Fidelity Office.

Heather Bader assists plan sponsors and service providers in navigating the complexities of qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, as well as health and welfare plans. While her work extends to all aspects of employee benefits, she is particularly experienced in assisting plan committees and sponsors in fulfilling their fiduciary duties. Heather advises on a variety of fiduciary compliance issues and assists with the defense of government agency audits and investigations, including but not limited to the Department of Labor (DOL), Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Heather works with plan sponsors that are publicly traded and the issues surrounding employer securities in retirement plans. Heather is co-leader of the firm’s financial services industry group.

Kristi K. Baker is Managing Partner for HUB Retirement and Wealth Management/CSi Advisory Services (HUB CSi). Since 1993, Kristi has partnered with hundreds of plan sponsors to design and manage a successful retirement plan, both from the company perspective and from the retirement success of their employees. Kristi has upheld a commitment to building an organization centered on integrity and meaningful relationships, which seek to provide unsurpassed service and independent advice for professionals, businesses, and their employees.

Kristi is a strong advocate of financial education and successful retirement outcomes. She holds a B.S. in Finance and Insurance from Illinois Wesleyan University. She has earned the Certified 401(k) Professional (C(k)P) designation awarded in conjunction with the Anderson School of Business and Executive Management at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA); the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) professional designation awarded by the Center for Fiduciary Studies. She is a Chartered Advisor of Senior Living (CASL), a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), and a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU).

Kristi and CSi have been recognized for their services. Kristi has been named a Top 100 Retirement Plan Adviser by PLANADVISER, in addition to being named in 2023 and 2024 as a Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year Finalist.

Andy Banducci is Senior Vice President, Retirement and Compensation Policy, ERISA Industry Committee. He leads ERIC’s efforts to develop and advocate for retirement, compensation and paid leave public policies priorities for ERIC member companies at the federal, state and local levels.

Prior to joining ERIC, Andy served as the Chief Policy Officer of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), where he advised the U.S. Senate-confirmed Director on all legislative and regulatory activities; oversaw the agency’s legislative affairs; and coordinated the agency’s external activities.

In addition to his agency experience, Andy has staffed three congressional committees on retirement, compensation, and labor policy. He has a J.D. at the University of Michigan Law School and undergraduate degrees from Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College.

Lisa joined Sentinel Group in 2020 as a Retirement Plan Advisor. In this role, she works directly with plan sponsors in helping them manage their fiduciary risk by implementing best practices in investment oversight and fiduciary governance. She helps clients and their employees become better prepared for their financial future through the design, implementation, communication, and administration of qualified and non-qualified retirement plans.

Lisa brings over twenty years of investment experience to Sentinel, providing a wide variety of industry expertise and a unique perspective to the team.

Doug began his career in the financial services industry in 1994 with Empower Retirement. He later joined ABD Insurance & Financial Services, a predecessor firm of Wells Fargo Insurance Services.

In 2007, he joined Wells Fargo Advisors and formed the Bermudez/Hall Retirement Group with his associate, Erin Hall. They provide high-level service to both corporations and individuals through comprehensive financial advice.

Doug and Erin joined SRP in June of 2019, opening the Los Angeles area office. In 2005 and 2012, respectively, Doug earned the Certified Fund Specialist and Certified 401(k) Professional certifications after completing approved educational programs, passing rigorous examinations, and meeting stringent experience requirements.

Sean founded Bjork Asset Management to provide disciplined, independent fiduciary guidance to institutions sponsoring retirement plans and their employees. As president, Sean’s goal is to deliver a process that simplifies the complex and creates fearless, confident investors.

He is driven to make a difference in the lives of thousands of American workers who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to save for retirement by providing advice and guidance to educate them on their financial journey. For more than 20 years of working with qualified retirement savings plans and participants, the aspect of his career which has given him the most joy is knowing that the individuals who the financial services industry has traditionally overlooked were provided guidance towards meaningful retirement savings.

Sean holds AIF, CIMA and CPWA designations and earned his MBA from the University of Chicago. He graduated with a BA from St. Lawrence University, where he was captain of the NCAA Division I Alpine Ski Racing Team. 

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

Erin began her career in public accounting in 2004 and has extensive experience helping companies with their benefit plans, including their 401(k), 403(b), ESOP, SEC 11-K reporting, defined benefit, 409A, and defined contribution plans. She works closely with her clients to help them navigate complex issues, including service provider changes, plan mergers, spinoffs, terminations, and plan compliance issues and reporting requirements.

Erin regularly assists her nonprofit clients in navigating the complex and changing reporting requirements. She helps her clients by using her extensive experience to provide value-add services beyond the financial statements.   

Erin speaks at events such as the AICPA Employee Benefit Plan Annual Conference, Finance Executives International (FEI), and has led various webinars on benefit plan and nonprofit topics.

Bradford Campbell is a nationally recognized figure in employer-sponsored retirement plans who leverages his prior experience as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employee Benefits to advise clients across a broad range of issues related to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Brad advises financial service providers and plan sponsors, particularly in relation to ERISA Title I issues, such as fiduciary conduct and prohibited transactions as well as developing policy issues. He also helps clients develop products and compliance systems that meet the requirements for qualified retirement plans and IRAs, as well as fiduciary training programs for plan officials. Brad assists clients in requesting prohibited transaction exemptions and advisory opinions for activities related to employee benefits plans. He has a track record of successfully resolving Department of Labor (DOL) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigations and audits for large service providers and plan sponsors, and serves as an expert witness in ERISA litigation.

Christopher Ceder is a senior retirement strategist in the Asset Management Division with over 20 years of experience in the retirement industry. Chris was the plan sponsor leading Goldman Sachs employees’ retirement plans for 15 years with responsibilities covering plan strategy, design and operations as well as the secretary to the investment committee. Chris led various innovation projects focused on holistic financial advice and digital retirement income solutions. Chris currently works with plan sponsors and retirement advisors to evaluate forward-thinking DC strategies. He leads the firm’s defined contribution research and thought-leadership initiatives to drive client engagement and product innovation. Chris received his MBA from Columbia University and received a BS in Business & Economics from Villanova University.

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

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

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

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

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

Kyle Cotrufello is the Financial Benefits Program Manager at Google, where he leads strategy for retirement, financial wellness and financial benefits programs. With over 17 years of experience in financial services, financial wellness, and benefits technology, his focus areas include innovative plan design, personalized engagement, hire-to-retire experiences, and the thoughtful use of AI to improve how employees navigate and experience their benefits.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

Joseph has been working in the industry since 2003 in various roles including: 401(k), defined benefit, non‐qualified call center, plan administration, new plan onboarding and implementation, and relationship management/plan consulting. His areas of experience include: 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), 457(f), 457 governmental, defined benefit, ESOP and nonqualified retirement plans; plan design analysis; retirement readiness best practices and strategic benefit design; financial wellness program evaluation, implementation and ongoing oversight, investment benchmarking and analysis; employee education; fiduciary liability considerations and plan governance best practices; and vendor oversight, evaluation and benchmarking.
Joe holds the Series 7 securities registration with LPL Financial and the Series 66 with LPL Financial and Henderson Brothers Financial Partners.

Molly Cunningham is part of the Strategy, Planning, and Advice (SP&A) organization within Workplace Investing and is a Product Area Leader for Lifetime Financial Help (LFH). The Lifetime Financial Help team oversees Workplace Investing’s holistic suite of solutions and support designed to improve the financial confidence and well-being of the participant base, including Financial Wellness, Retirement Income, and Goal Booster product offerings.
Prior to this role, Molly served as the Head of Human Resources for Fidelity Wealth, a division of Fidelity Investments. Molly was responsible for leading the support and empowerment of Fidelity Wealth’s 20K+ associates through end-to-end talent management and organizational evolution and creating a diverse and inclusive culture through all elements of the Fidelity Wealth associate experience.
Before the Fidelity Wealth business unit was created in September 2024, Molly joined Fidelity in February 2021 as the Head of Human Resources, Personal Investing (PI). She successfully led PI associates through several critical efforts designed to enhance the associate experience including the development and implementation of PI’s accelerated growth strategy, multi-region re-entry planning, and the transformation of talent analytics.
Prior to her role at Fidelity, Molly served as Managing Director and Partner at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) from 2019 to 2021, where she focused on people practices and organizational design and agile transformation for companies in the financial services industry. At BCG, she worked with clients on broad-based organizational strategies, including operating model design, digital capability building, performance management, leadership development, talent mobility and more.
Molly resides in the greater Boston area with her husband, Patrick, and three daughters, Ellie, Margaret, and Beth, and their yellow lab, Sydney. She is a graduate of Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University.

Brea is a Retirement Plan Consultant at Shepherd Financial. Prior to joining Shepherd Financial in 2025, Brea was a Retirement Plan Advisor at MJ Retirement, where she advised retirement plan committees and oversaw the department’s operations.

Brea is listed as a PLANADVISER Top 100 Retirement Plan Adviser. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from University of Evansville.

Monica De Agostino is an HR Leader with nearly two decades of experience leading Benefits and Total Rewards. She has worked in industries where people and innovation are the keys to success. Monica believes in empowering individuals and fostering a sense of humanity and connection in the workplace. She has led MRIGlobal to win PLANSPONSOR’s 2022 Nonprofit DC Plan Sponsor of the Year award and be a finalist in 2020 and 2021 for Business Journal’s Healthiest Employer recognition.

Growing up in South America, raised in multiple countries, and comfortable everywhere, Monica believes education transforms generations. Monica has a Bachelor’s in International Business and an MBA in Management. She holds Senior HR Professional Certifications from SHRM and HRCI Institutes.

Barbara Delaney currently serves as Principal of StoneStreet Benefit Advisors. Barbara is a seasoned ERISA fiduciary advisor, specializing in defined benefit, defined contribution and most recently health and welfare plans. Based out of Tarrytown, NY, Barbara has over 40 years of experience. Many Plan Sponsors have not held the same standards with respect
to their Health and Welfare Plans as they do with their retirement plans. With the spiraling costs of healthcare and the need for increased transparency Stonestreet has broadened their scope of services to provide the same standard of care with respect to healthcare.
 Highly recognized and nationally acclaimed, Barbara was the recipient of the National Association of Plan Advisors’ (NAPA) 401(k) Summit Leadership Award and two-time recipient of Plan Sponsor Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year Award. Barbara has received numerous industry recognitions from both peers and Plan Sponsors.
In further recognition of Barbara’s leadership within the retirement plan consulting community, she has been selected to serve on the Defined Contribution Institutional Investors Association (DCIAA) RIA Advisory Council, Empower Advisory Board, Nuveen Retirement Leadership Council, Franklin
Tempelton Retirement Income Council, JP Morgan DC Advisor Council, and the Retirement Advisory Council. She is also a Government Affairs Committee Member of the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (NAPA) and the Government Advisory Council of NAPA.
Barbara earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and Economics from St. Thomas Aquinas College and attended the New York University’s Stern School of Business. She is a licensed life & health insurance broker and holds Series 7, 24 and 63 securities registration through LPL.

John Doyle is a senior retirement strategist at Capital Group. He has 39 years of investment industry experience and has been with Capital Group for 12 years. Prior to joining Capital, John was a senior consultant with The BridgePoint Group, where he
developed retirement plan product and service strategies. He also 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. 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
Baltimore

Julia Fearn is a seasoned relationship manager with over 15 years of experience supporting HR and benefits professionals in complex ecosystems. After nearly a decade in HR advisory sales, she joined SoFi at Work to lead large enterprise accounts, successfully managing programs like student loan retirement matches and tuition reimbursement. Since late 2023, Julia has overseen channel and distribution partnerships, enabling key partners—recordkeepers, brokers, and consultants—with the tools to support HR leaders. In 2026, she was tapped as Team Lead for the Partnership Success team, bringing her back to her account management roots to help the team drive results for both employer and strategic partners. As a mother of two, avid swimmer, and CFO of the Fearn Household, she brings both professional insight and personal experience to her role, making her a vital contributor to SoFi at Work’s success.

Robin Flaharty is an Associate Director at Commonwealth primarily operating as a project manager focusing on BlackRock Emergency Savings Initiative partnership projects. Prior to working at Commonwealth, Robin was a global resource manager and campaigner on Greenpeace’s Plastic Free Future Global Campaign, leading the team’s international delegation to UNEA 5.2 towards a Global Plastics Treaty. Robin has a bachelor’s degree from Richmond, The American International University in London where she studied international relations and political communications, and two associate degrees from Cottey College, a women’s college. In her spare time Robin loves to garden and teach workshops on foraging and herbal crafts.

George Fraser is Founder and Chief Revenue Officer at GIGMATCH. This new mobile application will address the 96% of Americans currently feeling financial stress on a daily basis. Developed with his partner Tom Kmak, GIGMATCH will provide hope through opportunities to enhance income and lifestyle both today and in retirement.

Prior to GIGMATCH Fraser spent 34 years partnering with employers to craft exemplary retirement plans, execute their fiduciary responsibilities and change the dynamic for retirement plan participants with a simple and easy to understand model. Shlomo Benartzi and his team at UCLA, Carnegie Mellon, and Cornell conducted extensive research based on Fraser’s “Pennies on the Dollar®” educational concept.

In 2022, Fraser was named PLANADVISER Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year in the Community Impact and Giving Back category. He is a Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist (CRPS), Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF), Professional Plan Consultant (PPC) and Certified Behavioral Financial Analyst (CBFA).

Lisa is the founding member of LMG Collaborative Consulting Solutions, a firm providing comprehensive public policy and other consulting services in all aspects of employee benefits, including compliance, plan administration, plan design, advocacy, communications, government agency engagement and strategic planning. In this new chapter, Lisa seeks to partner with employers and other plan sponsors and administrators, labor organizations, service providers and worker advocates and use her experience and voice to help them successfully achieve their goals. Lisa can also serve as a professional trustee or independent fiduciary, expert witness, arbitrator or mediator.
Lisa was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employee Benefits Security for the U.S. Department of Labor in July 2021 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in September 2022. She was sworn in by Secretary of Labor Martin J. Walsh on October 11, 2022, and served in that position until January 20, 2025. Previously, Lisa was a long-standing partner with the law firm Cohen, Weiss and Simon LLP, representing labor organizations and employee benefit plan sponsors and administrators, and the chair of the firm’s management committee.

Robert R. Gower, Director at Trucker Huss, concentrates his practice in fiduciary responsibility as well as tax-qualified retirement plan design, compliance and administration. He routinely works with plan sponsors and fiduciaries to 401(k), defined benefit, cash balance and profit sharing plans.

Robert has wide-ranging experience in plan drafting, including plan documents, amendments, resolutions, and summary plan descriptions. He also assists plan sponsors in preparing committee charters and bylaws to establish strong plan governance.

Robert routinely works with clients to assist with compliance efforts, including all aspects of the Internal Revenue Service Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System. He has significant experience helping clients navigate through the voluntary compliance program and plan audits.

Robert has been recognized as a 2016–2019 Rising Star, and as a Super Lawyer by the Northern California Super Lawyers publication since 2020. He was also awarded “Outstanding Volunteer” for his work from 2016 through 2018 with the Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) by the Bar Association of San Francisco.

With more than 20 years in the financial services industry, Gray has broad experience in guaranteed solutions that can help consumers protect and improve their retirement outcomes. Since 2019, Gray has led the company’s expansion into employer markets to serve a broader range of consumers.

Over 20 years with Allianz Life, focused on creating customer-centric life and annuity products to serve consumers who are preparing for retirement.
Currently leading the entry of Allianz Life into the employer market through partnerships with industry leaders and organizations focused on helping in-plan customers achieve improved retirement outcomes.
Led the Allianz Life Product Innovation team responsible for life and annuity product launches, portfolio management, and strategy for eight years.
Previously worked on the actuarial team designing and pricing fixed index and variable annuity products.
Serviced on the Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association (LINRA) Annuity Committee for seven years.

Education, certifications, and memberships
B.S. in mathematics from University of Minnesota, Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, FINRA Series 7 securities registrations

Jamie Greenleaf is the Co-Founder of Fiduciary In A Box (FIAB) and a recognized expert in fiduciary governance. With a career dedicated to helping employers design and implement retirement programs, she has consistently focused on driving better financial outcomes for employees.
In response to the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2021, Jamie co-founded Fiduciary In A Box to equip employers and their partners with the tools and framework needed to establish a strong fiduciary process for their health care plans, ensuring compliance and reducing risk for plan sponsors.

Ben Grosz, a partner at Ivins, Phillips & Barker, 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.

He regularly advises clients regarding their fiduciary duties, handles day-to-day compliance issues, assists with implementation of new laws and regulations, and helps 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 service agreements, and represents clients in audits and before the IRS & DOL.

He has been retained as outside legal counsel to implement many investment fund changes; to assist with the implementation of de-risking initiatives and plan redesigns (including a pension annuity lift-out of about a billion dollars); to establish numerous new qualified retirement plans; in connection with complex transactions; to advise on executive compensation, executive employment agreements, and tax matters; and to lead fee disclosure diligence and reporting.

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, and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.  He has been frequently quoted in national publications (including Forbes, US News & World Report, CNBC) on benefits and tax matters, and he speaks regularly at national conferences.

Eric H. Hansen is the founder of Hartmann Astor Investment Consulting, a boutique firm providing concierge consulting services to ERISA fiduciaries and retirement plan participants. He advises small- to mid-sized corporations, nonprofits, and school districts on defined contribution, pension, and non-qualified plans, with a focus on vendor selection, fiduciary governance, investment manager selection, and participant education. He serves as a 3(21) co-fiduciary and is known for his practical, results-driven approach—preferring “proof over posturing.”
Mr. Hansen holds three specialized designations aligned with the core components of retirement plans:
• CIMA® (Investments) – Wharton School of Business
• AIF® (Fiduciary Oversight)
• C(k)P® (ERISA & Plan Expertise) – UCLA Anderson School of Business
He has received multiple industry recognitions, including:
• NAPA Top DC Advisor (2025 & 2026)
• FT Top 401(k) Advisor (2018–2020)
• Plan Sponsor of the Year (2021)
Mr. Hansen serves on several industry councils, including Fidelity Investments Advisor Council, LPL Retirement Partners Council, and Nuveen Leaders in Lifetime Income.
He earned a B.S. in Marketing from Boston University and began his career in investment analysis and retirement consulting with firms including State Street Bank, NationsBank, Northern Trust Retirement Consulting, and Smith Barney. He later held senior roles with Lincoln Financial Group, Veritas Consulting Group, and Arista Investment Advisors before founding Hartmann Astor.

Hudson is a consulting actuary in the Times Square office of First Actuarial Consulting Inc. (FACT). He has more than 30 years of experience with retirement programs, helping clients address design, funding, risk mitigation, compliance, administration and communication issues. He has extensive experience developing and implementing new plan designs to help mitigate funding volatility.

Most recently he has been focused on risk mitigation and developing plan design strategies to address the risks faced by boards of trustees and plan sponsors. He has developed simulation programs to assess the level of risk in a pension plan and the effect of alternative plan design strategies in reducing the overall level of risk.

Hudson is a frequent speaker at trustee- and professional-education conferences for actuaries and attorneys and has written several articles regarding alternative plan design strategies.

He is a fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a fellow of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries, a member of the American Academy of Actuaries, and an enrolled actuary under ERISA. Hudson holds a B.S. in applied mathematics and a B.E. in electrical engineering from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Brad Huss, Director at Trucker Huss, has been practicing in the employee benefits field for over forty years, and his practice is primarily in the areas of ERISA litigation, fiduciary responsibility matters, Department of Labor investigations, and qualified pension and profit sharing plans.

He serves as a private mediator in ERISA litigation matters and has been appointed as an Alternative Dispute Resolution Neutral in over eighty ERISA cases by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Brad has also been appointed as a Special Master in an ERISA case by the United States District Court for the District of Idaho.

He has testified before the Senate Finance Committee of the United States Congress on retirement income security issues.

Brad is a Charter Fellow in the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, the highest level of recognition for an ERISA attorney. Selection as a Fellow reflects the College’s judgment that a nominee has made significant contributions to the advancement of the employee benefits field. Brad has also been ranked by Chambers and Partners continually since 2009 and by Best Lawyers in America for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law and ERISA Litigation continually since 1995. Brad has been listed as a Top-Rated Employee Benefits Attorney in San Francisco by Super Lawyers since 2004. Brad has also been selected by Super Lawyers Magazine as one of the “Top 100 Attorneys” in Northern California since 2007.

Ryan Igleheart is Director of Associate Benefits at Humana, where he has been serving Humana associates for 17 years. Throughout his tenure, Ryan has developed, tested, and scaled a variety of innovative benefits and programs designed to enhance physical, social, and financial well-being for employees. He has a particular passion for financial well-being solutions that effectively support a diverse and complex workforce. He holds both undergraduate and MBA degrees from Vanderbilt University and resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tom Irvin is a Nashville native and a seasoned financial executive with more than four decades of experience in accounting, finance, and corporate operations. A Certified Public Accountant, Tom began his career with the “Big 8” accounting firm Touche Ross & Co., now known as Deloitte, where he built a strong foundation in financial reporting, auditing, and advisory services.

For over the past 30 years, Tom has been a key leader at The Buntin Group, a prominent regional marketing and communications firm, serving as Executive Vice President, Director of Financial Services. In this role, he has overseen the firm’s financial systems and strategy while also managing legal matters and select human resources functions, including the administration of employee benefit programs, including retirement plans, ensuring compliance and operational efficiency across the organization.

Known for his steady leadership and broad expertise, Tom has played an integral role in supporting the firm’s growth and operational excellence. Outside of his professional life, he enjoys running, photography, and playing pickleball.

Kendra is a Principal with Mindset, an advocacy and advisory firm. Prior to joining Mindset, she served as the Pensions Policy Director and Senior Tax Counsel for Senator Patty Murray and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. In these positions, she advised then-Chair Patty Murray on all pension-related issues and managed all aspects of the committee’s retirement agenda. Kendra also advised Senator Murray on all tax-related matters.
Kendra also served as a Department of Labor detailee to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce as well as an Employee Benefits Law Specialist for the Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration. Kendra’s private sector career includes positions at the HR Policy Association, the law firms Slevin & Hart, P.C. and Venable LLP, as well as at Washington Council Ernst & Young.
Kendra has been an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, and Stetson University College of Law, and is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center (LLM, Tax), The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law (JD), and Dartmouth College.

Kiley Jones is the Director of Human Resources at Prestage Farms, Inc. where she oversees retirement plan and employee benefits for more than 3,100 employees across nine entities. With experience in both the public and private sectors, she specializes in benefits administration, compliance and plan oversight. Kiley holds a business degree from Meredith College and is a member of SHRM.

Kathleen Kelly is a Founding and Managing Partner of Compass Financial Partners, a Division of MMA Securities LLC, and a 30-year veteran of the financial services industry, specializing in the areas of retirement plan consulting & investment advisory services for qualified retirement plans and executive benefit planning. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Wake Forest University. Kelly has achieved the Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist (CRPS) designation, and the Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst (AIFA).

In recognition of Kathleen’s leadership within the retirement plan consulting community, she has been selected to serve on the Defined Contribution Institutional Investor Association (DCIIA) RIA Advisory Council, Empower Advisory Board, Nuveen Retirement Leadership Council, Principal Financial Professional Advisor Council, the Prudential Advisor Council, the MassMutual Retirement Partners Council, the Transamerica Retirement Solutions RIA Advisory Board, the JP Morgan DC Advisor Council, the Fidelity Workplace Investing Advisor Council (inaugural member), the T. Rowe Price Retirement Client Advisory Board, the EY Innovation Studio and the Retirement Advisor Council. Most recently, Kathleen was named one of Pensions & Investments’ 2025 Influential Women in Institutional Investing. She is also a frequent speaker at industry conferences and regularly quoted in trade publications.

Sean Kelly serves as a financial adviser and holds the position of Vice President at Heffernan Financial Services. With a career spanning 17 years in the retirement plan investment advisory business, Sean has become a trusted expert in group retirement plans across private, public, and nonprofit sectors. His dedication lies in helping organizations craft and sustain robust retirement plan benefits for both the company and its employees.
Sean takes pride in delivering genuine independent investment advice and fostering a consultative relationship with each client. As a committed advocate, he guides them through every step of the process, ensuring the best outcomes. Together with his team, Sean manages a portfolio of just over $1 billion in assets, distributed among 47 valued clients.
Sean pursued his education at The University of California, Santa Barbara, earning a BA in Business Economics.

As Vice President, Nonqualified National Sales, Clay Kennedy is responsible for building and directing the activities of the NQDC and insurance sales team to grow the distribution of nonqualified recordkeeping services and institutional life insurance programs. He focuses on the continued demonstration of advisor value that executive benefits plans and proper funding offer to their practice and clients as part of a total benefits solution.
Clay has 26 years of sales and management experience in the financial services industry, with more than 15 years focused exclusively on the nonqualified and executive benefits markets. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas Tech University.

After spending more than 35 years in the retirement plan industry both on the recordkeeping and administrative side and as a fiduciary expert for CAPTRUST Financial Advisors, Klein is now retired and attempting to live up to all the advice that she gave or oversaw during her career. At CAPTRUST, Klein had responsibility for developing and leading the teams that provided investment and saving advice to its client’s employees. This role offered her insight into the real struggle that many people face in trying to balance work, home and savings. As a retiree, Klein has experienced first-hand not only the need to save adequately but the process of transitioning into the retirement chapter. Her background and knowledge prepared her for the financial piece of the puzzle, but she has learned there is much more to creating a successful retirement.

Surya Kolluri is Head of TIAA Institute and is recognized as a thought leader in retirement and healthy aging research. The TIAA Institute is a think-tank celebrating its 25th Anniversary within TIAA and conducts cutting-edge research in the areas of financial and longevity literacy, lifetime income, retirement plan design and behavioral finance for higher education and the broader nonprofit sector.
Surya sits on the board of the Wharton Pension Research Council, the advisory councils of Georgetown Center for Retirement Research, the Retirement Research Center of the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA), the National Center to Reframe Aging (GSA) and the MA/NH Chapter of the U.S. Alzheimer’s Association. In 2021, Surya received The President’s Volunteer Service Award via AmeriCorps for his commitment to strengthen communities.
Surya often speaks at high-level forum and is frequently cited in the media. They include the United Nations Silver Economy Forum, the World Economic Forum, Tokyo G20 Summit on Aging and Financial Inclusion, White House Conference on Aging, National Governors Association, Dementia Forum X in Stockholm, World Health Organization Convening on Healthy Aging in Geneva, and the OECD roundtable at Oxford University. He also serves on the World
Economic Forum Longevity Economy Initiative and has spoken on these topics at Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Brown, Yale and the University of Pennsylvania.
Surya joined the TIAA Institute from Bank of America, where he spent 16 years, most recently as managing director of the Retirement Research and Insights team. Prior to that, he spent 14 years in corporate strategy consulting, first at
A.T. Kearney and then at Bain & Co.
Surya holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of
Pennsylvania and a master’s in mechanical engineering from Drexel
University. He lives with his family in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Michael Kozemchak, C(k)P, is Managing Director at Institutional Investment Consulting. Michael is the practice leader of IIC. He has 26 years of experience consulting on retirement plans, 20 of which has been with IIC.

Michael and IIC are regularly recognized by PLANSPONSOR and PLANADVISER as one of the nation’s leading retirement plan consulting firms having consulting engagements representing in excess of $150 billion dollars of plan assets. 

Michael has been a regular speaker at numerous industry conferences over the years, including those of PLANSPONSOR, PLANADVISER, SHRM and SPARK.

Michael Kushner currently serves as a retirement plan consultant in the Mid-Atlantic region. In his role, he is responsible for all aspects of the planning cycle, including new business development, participant education and engagement, and annual plan reviews.

Michael was also the director of Participant Services for a boutique consulting firm in New Jersey, and he also worked as an adviser for two international financial consulting firms.

He is a veteran of the United States Air Force and studied economics and psychology at Penn State University. Michael has also attained the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) designation from the Center for Fiduciary Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. He recently earned the NQPA and CPFA designations.

David Levine, Principal and Employers & Sponsors Co-Chair at Groom Law Group

Levine advises plan sponsors, advisers and other service providers on a wide range of employee benefits matters, from retirement and executive compensation to health and welfare plan matters.

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 and serves in a number of leadership roles in the American Bar Association Tax Section’s Employee Benefits Committee.

Levine has a BA from Johns Hopkins University and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Steve Lilienthal is a benefits leader in the Chicago area with a strong focus on health and financial well-being, delivering compliant, competitive, and employee-centered benefits programs. He oversees holistic health & wellness and retirement benefits administration while collaborating closely with HR leadership to align benefits strategy with organizational goals.  Recognized for his impact and leadership, Steve represented True Value Corporation to win the 2022 Plan Sponsor of the Year Winner award in the Corporate DC category by focusing on the importance of financial education and the impact of personal finances on the mental health and well-being of employees and families.   

John Lowell is a Partner and Consulting Actuary with October Three Consulting LLC. He was President of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries in 2018 and has represented the U.S. profession globally. Based in Atlanta, he has spent nearly the last 40 years assisting employers of all sizes and in most industries with the design, funding, administration, and compliance aspects of nearly all aspects of their employee rewards programs. In recent years, his focus has been on rebuilding employer-sponsored retirement programs so that employees are able to deal with our impending retirement crisis. In particular, his focus is on building programs that cater to the workforce of 2025 and beyond by making them flexible, personalized, and adaptable to an evolving diverse workforce while keeping the program costs stable and affordable during challenging times. His clients seek to attract and retain great employees by offering them what they are asking for today.

As Managing Director and Regional Growth Leader, Jim sets the strategic direction of the practice, leads regional growth initiatives, and oversees the delivery of advisory services across the platform. He ensures alignment across client strategy, team execution, and the continued growth of the practice. In addition to his leadership role, Jim advises corporations, non-profits, individuals, and trusts on the design and oversight of retirement and wealth strategies. His experience spans all aspects of defined Contribution, defined benefit, ESOP, and non-qualified plans. Jim’s perspective is shaped by experience working with several of the nation’s largest institutional retirement plan providers and advising on some of the most complex retirement plans in the market. He has been recognized nationally for his expertise in retirement and income planning, has been quoted in leading industry publications, and is a frequent speaker at conferences, corporate events, and industry forums. Additionally, he serves on multiple industry advisory boards, contributing to the development of retirement and investment strategies at a broader institutional level.

For nearly 30 years, Marcia Mantell has helped the country’s foremost financial services firms and advisors increase their knowledge of complex retirement concepts and regulations, then turn the technical into the tangible. Her remarkable ability to translate challenging retirement concepts into everyday language educates and motivates real people to take the right steps to achieve the retirement they desire.

Through her small business, Mantell Retirement Consulting, Inc., (est. 2005) Marcia develops innovative retirement income planning workshops and programs, fun and engaging retirement education programs and seminars, and writes extensively as a guest columnist and content creator and curator. She is considered a retirement industry go-to-person for Social Security and Medicare expert-level information.

Marcia Mantell earned the RMA, Retirement Management Advisor, designation with the first class of financial professionals in 2008.  She re-certified in 2015. Marcia also holds the NSSA, National Social Security Advisor, professional designation. She earned this accredited certification in 2017 to formalize her Social Security knowledge. In 2022, Marcia added a Health Insurance License to her professional development certifications.

Robert Massa is the Managing Director of Retirement in Houston, Texas, for Qualified Plan Advisors (QPA). Rob is a retirement professional with more than 25 years of retirement industry experience. His career has been focused in the investment management and administration of qualified retirement plans in a diverse series of roles. Rob has a Bachelor of Arts in public administration and a minor in mathematics from the College of New Jersey. He is a licensed life/health representative, has passed the Series 7, 24, 63 and 65 securities exams, is a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS), an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF), and Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA).

Jacob M. Mattinson is a partner in McDermott Will & Emery’s Chicago office. His practice focuses on employee benefits matters related to health and welfare plans, retirement plans, and executive compensation issues. He frequently counsels privately and publicly held corporations and tax-exempt entities on a variety of benefits and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) issues, including ERISA fiduciary issues, compliance with the Affordable Care Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), ERISA implications in corporate transactions, ERISA administrative claims and appeals, and executive compensation matters.

Brian M. Miller, CFA, CFP®, is the Head of Multi-Asset Product Management and Senior Client Portfolio Manager in Vanguard’s Investment Management Group. He leads the oversight and product management for the Vanguard Target Retirement suites, Vanguard LifeStrategy Funds, and other multi-asset solutions. He also partners with Vanguard’s Investment Strategy Group on portfolio construction, asset allocation, and implementation research and is a member of the Multi-Asset Investment Council. Before joining Vanguard, Mr. Miller spent 13 years at BlackRock, most recently acting as a senior portfolio strategist for the BlackRock Global Allocation Fund.

Mr. Miller earned a B.S. in information sciences and technology from The Pennsylvania State University. He is a CFA® charterholder and holds FINRA Series 7 and 63 licenses. He also holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification.

As a Managing Director – Enhanced Plan Design, I work with defined contribution plans, defined benefit plans, equity compensation programs, non-qualified plans, student loan programs, retention bonus plans, and more. I have experience designing, and redesigned programs for plan sponsors, to better achieve the goals they have for both their employees and their businesses.

 I will work with you and your financial professionals to provide input on program design that helps ensure the overall program delivers the best possible benefits for your employees, while also delivering benefits to your business, focusing on groups of employees who may be more difficult to recruit and retain.

I regularly speak on retirement plan design, data analytics and employee benefits, and retirement income adequacy. I serve on the Retirement Section council of the Society of Actuaries with a focus on Defined Contribution plans, and most recently served on the board of directors for the Conference of Consulting Actuaries

With over 20 years of experience, Mark Olsen is the Managing Director of PlanPILOT, advising 401(k), 403(b), and defined benefit plans. He specializes in plan governance, investment searches, monitoring, and oversight, working with clients in higher education, government, energy, and manufacturing. A respected industry leader, Mark frequently speaks at national conferences such as the Institutional Investor Adviser Summit and CUPA-HR. Before founding PlanPILOT, he held senior roles at Mercer and Willis Towers Watson. Outside of his industry leadership, he’s a passionate sailboat racer, regularly competing in the renowned Chicago Mac race.

Nate is a Managing Director and heads Wilshire’s Multi-Asset Portfolio Management group. He has over 25 years of industry experience and is responsible for creating multi-asset class, multi-manager investment solutions for institutional and financial intermediary clients. He is the Chairman of Wilshire’s Retirement Oversight Committee and Vice Chairman of the Wilshire Investment Committee.
Before joining Wilshire, Nate provided investment advice to clients at Convergent Wealth Advisors. Previously, he managed the public market investment portfolios for the endowment at the California Institute of Technology and for the defined benefit and defined contribution retirement assets at Intel Corporation. Nate began his career as a securities analyst in New York.
Nate graduated Phi Beta Kappa and cum laude from the University of Washington with a BA in business administration. He holds an MBA with High Distinction from the Stern School of Business, New York University. Nate holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is an active member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Los Angeles.

Bryan Peebles is a Managing Director with Strategic Retirement Partners in the Nashville region and an Investment Advisor Representative with WELLth Advisory Services. He works with plan sponsors to design, implement, and maintain their firm’s retirement plans and educates participants on how to maximize those plans to help meet their retirement goals.

A graduate of the Financial Planning program at Western Kentucky University, Bryan has earned his Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) and Non-Qualified Plan Consultant designations via the National Association of Plan Advisors.

As the Sr Director, Partner Development, Jason leads the execution of priority partnership opportunities to help grow and scale ADP Retirement Services. Prior to this role, Jason was responsible for the leadership of the Participant Success Organization and participant experience strategy at ADP Retirement Services. The team is responsible for helping to increase plan health and participant outcomes by educating ADP 401(k) plan participants on the benefits of saving for retirement, financial literacy, and financial wellness through a variety of live virtual and digital platforms. Additionally, the team creates and manages the ongoing communications strategy that deploys personalized education campaigns to our retirement plan participants and plan sponsors.

Jason joined ADP in 2002 and has held a variety of roles in sales, leadership, and sales operations across multiple ADP business units. He has a track record of success driving growth leveraging key partnerships, critical problem solving and execution of strategic initiatives.

Jason has a BA from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. He currently holds FINRA series 6, 63, and 26 registrations.

Nikki Pirrello is a visionary senior executive connecting thought leaders in retirement, institutional investing, global asset management and financial services. Most recently she served as the President and Publisher of Pensions & Investments, a Crain family brand. Nikki led P&I’s business operations and strategy globally, overseeing the newspaper, digital, conferences, custom publishing and data and research products.

Previously Nikki served in senior marketing and leadership roles at Lebhar-Friedman, Inc., and Scholastic, Inc., and prior to that was on the agency side of the business producing corporate communications materials, videos, commercials, digital content and live events for a variety of clients in the finance and transportation industries.

Nikki has a bachelor’s degree from Drury University.

Travis Power currently serves as a Senior Consultant of the Retirement division of OneDigital and brings more than 14 years of experience working with Retirement Plans. As a consultant, he manages vendor relationships, and conversion teams, plan design initiatives, investment analytics, and legislative regulation for his clients. Travis also educates on fiduciary services in an effort to help clients stay compliant with various fiduciary standards and best practices including the development of investment policy statements, ongoing investment analysis, and demographics analysis.
He has a vast knowledge of retirement plans from the start-up phase to ongoing day-to-day operations. His strengths include employee communication, plan design education, and assisting participants with the education process.
Travis graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in Economics, is series 65 licensed, and holds both the CPFA and ESG(k) designations.

Douglas “Doug” Prince is a retirement plan adviser and CEO of MJ Retirement. Doug has been advising institutional retirement plan sponsors since 1990. His team was formed in 1998, specializing in servicing 401(k), 403(b), and other corporate retirement plans, supporting employers in their efforts to improve the financial outcomes of their workforce. Now a part of The MJ Companies, Doug and his team manage retirement plans and financial wellbeing programs—working with employers to make strategic decisions to improve financial outcomes.
Doug has led his team to be recognized as a PLANADVISER Top Retirement Plan Adviser Team in 2010 and has consistently been recognized as one of the top Defined Contribution Plan Advisors in the country by the National Association of Plan Advisors.

With a passion for assisting clients in all things benefits and Health & Welfare, Greg is a key player on Sentinel’s leadership team. Having called Sentinel home for more than 13 years, he is driven by a desire to help people day in and day out.

Greg brings a unique view of benefits to the table, having curated a diverse background in health and welfare, insurance consulting and retirement. By helping firms create strong education game plans, his expertise enhances the value of their offerings and empowers employees to feel confident in what is offered to them. Greg has a Bachelor of Science – Business Administration, Finance from the University of Connecticut; has Life, Accident and Health Insurance licenses in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and is PPACA Certified.

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

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

As a Managing Director for Strategic Retirement Partners, Phil Senderowitz is responsible for servicing clients, as well as growing the firm’s practice in the Central Florida market. He is a specialist in investment due diligence processes, fiduciary best practices, and provider benchmarking. Phil also provides extensive experience in delivering customized employee education services to help promote more positive retirement outcomes. Phil is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a Certified Financial Planner professional.

George Sepsakos is a principal at Groom Law Group, Chartered, who 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. 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.

Brandon Shea is a defined contribution strategist for the Global Retirement Strategy team. The team leads an enterprise retirement strategy, advises on the development of new products and services, and helps amplify the firm’s voice in retirement security-related public policy initiatives. Brandon is a vice president of T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.

Brandon’s investment experience began in 2000, and he has been with T. Rowe Price since 2017, beginning as a defined contribution investment only regional consultant. Prior to this, Brandon held multiple sales leadership roles with RidgeWorth Investments, Pioneer Investments, Salomon Brothers Asset Management, and Transamerica Capital.

Brandon earned a B.A. in political science, with minors in economics and management informational systems, from Miami University of Ohio. He is a Series 6, 7, and 63 registered representative.

Idan is a Partner and Retirement Solutions Practice Leader at October Three, where he spearheads the firm’s Prime initiative—a groundbreaking approach to retirement plan design that combines the strengths of defined benefit and defined contribution models. His work reinvents how employers and individuals achieve sustainable, flexible, and secure retirement outcomes.

Before joining October Three, Idan spent 15 years with one of Canada’s largest pension firms, where he built and led both the defined benefit and defined contribution businesses. During this time, he provided strategic and operational leadership to national pension consulting and administration practices, driving innovation across the retirement landscape through new plan designs and business models that enhanced efficiency, flexibility and financial wellness.

A frequent speaker and writer on retirement income and financial well-being, Idan brings an international perspective to U.S. pension design, shaped by his early years in South Africa and professional growth in Canada. He began his actuarial studies at the University of the Witwatersrand and completed them at the University of Toronto. Idan is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries.

Spencer X Smith is the founder of emerging technology consultancy AmpliPhi, and an instructor at the University of Wisconsin and Rutgers University. He was formerly a VP of Sales for two Fortune 100 companies.
Spencer is deemed an “Emerging Technology Expert” by Forbes, and AmpliPhi is the winner of five consecutive InBusiness Magazine Executive Choice Awards for Emerging Technology Consulting Company. Spencer has spoken at over 400 events since 2015, including a presentation at the New York Stock Exchange in 2017.
His book “ROTOMA: The ROI of Social Media Top of Mind” was featured in Forbes and is an Amazon Bestseller.

Marianne Sullivan was previously a Senior Vice President and Head of Investment Services at Voya Financial. The Investment Services Group was responsible for monitoring investments and providing investment information to existing and prospective clients across all Retirement Markets. The group also served as a liaison to the proprietary investment arm and as such played an important role in the development of products and services for the defined contribution space.
She also previously headed the Company Stock Management area at State Street Global Advisors which managed more than $75 billion in company stock assets for ERISA plans of both public and private companies. The group also served as Trustee of leveraged and non-leveraged ESOPs.
Marianne received a Master’s of Science in Finance with High Distinction from Bentley University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts cum laude from the University of New Hampshire. Marianne is a graduate of Williams College Trust School. She has held Series 7, 24 and 63 FINRA licenses.

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

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

Elise is a Vice President of State Street Investment Management and Head of Investment Strategy within the Defined Contribution team. In this role, she leads a team of subject matter experts who represent State Street’s DC investment strategies in the marketplace. In addition to supporting DC sales efforts, she also collaborates across the DC and investment teams to improve upon and expand State Street’s DC investment offerings through ongoing product innovation. As a member of the Defined Contribution team, she also serves as an internal expert on DC plan design, architecture, and key regulatory and legislative topics. Additionally, she is a member of the Defined Contribution Investment Group (DCIG), the committee that oversees the construction and glidepath of the State Street Target Retirement Funds. She joined the DCIG in September of 2023.

Prior to her current role, Elise was the Co-Head of DC Investment Strategy at Willis Towers Watson. In this role, she worked as a strategist for the firm’s largest DC clients and also served as the Head of the Target Date Fund Research Team and Head of the Managed Account Research Team.

Elise earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree, with a concentration in Finance and Spanish, from the University of Notre Dame. She earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the Chicago CFA Society and the CFA Institute.

Brian J. Tiemann is a partner in McDermott Will & Emery’s Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group. Brian focuses his practice on providing counsel to public and private companies on a broad range of employee benefit matters, including matters related to pension plans and 401(k) plans, as well as executive and incentive compensation, particularly with respect to global incentive compensation plans. He also frequently advises plan fiduciaries with respect to their fiduciary duties, investment policies and alternative investments, and has extensive experience helping clients negotiate investment management agreements and service provider agreements.

Joe is one of the founding members of the group that originally formed Francis in 2004. He currently leads the firm’s marketing and business development efforts and is continually looking for ways to create value for organizations and their employees. Before his time at Francis, he served as chief financial officer of a Wisconsin printing operation, allowing him to bring a valuable perspective to his plan sponsors and prospective development efforts. Joe is a member of both the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Metro Milwaukee Society for Human Resource Management and serves on the board of directors of Wisconsin Retirement Plan Professionals.

Joshua Ulmer leads the Graystone Consulting – Pacific Mountain team at Morgan Stanley, where he oversees all aspects of the fiduciary consulting process and client experience. Joshua is dedicated to providing his clients with tailored strategies to help support their financial goals. He holds the title of Managing Director at the firm and serves as an Institutional Consulting Director.
Joshua earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business & Economics from Lewis and Clark College in 2001. He furthered his education by completing the Certified Investment Management Analyst program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 2005. In 2010, he achieved the Chartered Financial Analyst designation after three years of rigorous study and examination. He continued to expand his knowledge by obtaining the Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist designation from the College for Financial Planning in 2012 and completing the Risk Management Professional Certificate program at the New York Institute of Finance in 2014. In March 2020, Joshua enrolled in the flagship online business program at The Stanford Graduate School of Business, completing the Mini MBA program (LEAD) and receiving his certificate in June 2021.
Active within the financial industry, Joshua regularly contributes to news articles, events, panels, and product evaluation committees. He is a member of the CFA Institute, the National Association of Plan Advisors, and the Investment Management Consultant Association.
Outside of his professional commitments, Joshua serves on the Advisory Board at the Center for Entrepreneurship at Lewis and Clark College and oversees his family’s charitable fund.

Julie Varga is a senior vice president, product and investment specialist for Morningstar Retirement. She works with a team of investment, client service, and sales professionals to develop business and client strategy in the defined-contribution plan sponsor marketplace. Julie acts as a subject matter expert for the managed accounts and target-date offerings. In her previous role as vice president of client solutions, Julie was responsible for managing strategic client relationships within the retirement group of Morningstar Investment Management. She focused on broadening key relationships, developing customized offerings, and strategic planning for clients based on the needs of the marketplace. Julie earned her bachelor of science degree in mathematical economics from the University of Michigan.

Spencer’s practice covers all aspects of employee benefits and executive compensation law, including the development and maintenance of qualified and nonqualified plans; plan compliance with the Code, ERISA, and Affordable Care Act; the treatment of employee benefits plans in connection with corporate mergers and acquisitions; and executive employment agreements and compensation arrangements, including Code section 409A. Spencer enjoys working with in-house counsel, tax and payroll personnel, and human resources professionals to attend to day-to-day administrative challenges and respond to new challenges. Spencer also actively engages in the federal rulemaking process, offering key comments to proposed regulations including under Section 162(m) and Section 7508A.

As a 25-year industry veteran, Chuck has devoted his professional life to enhancing the financial well-being of institutional and individual clients. As the Finspire, LLC Chief Executive Officer and Senior Consultant, Chuck provides oversight of the firm and is a lead consultant for many of the firm’s corporate retirement plans and high-net worth individual clients. Chuck is also an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern’s School of Continuing Studies where he has been teaching the Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits course since 2005.

Prior to co-founding Finspire, LLC, Chuck served as a Managing Director and Senior Lead Consultant with Sheridan Road Advisors, LLC for 10 years, and with Bank Leumi for the 8 years prior. Chuck is continually working to strengthen his industry knowledge and expertise. Chuck is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist (CRPS), A Certified 401(k) Specialist (C(k)P), an Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS) and an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF). He earned his B.S. in Finance from DePaul University and his Masters in Business Administration from the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University.

Rosie Zaklad is a principal at Groom Law Group, Chartered and co-leader of the firm’s tax practice. Her day-to-day practice involves the design, implementation and ongoing administration of retirement plans, including defined benefit, defined contribution, and tax-deferred annuity plans. She focuses on tax-qualified plan compliance issues, including Internal Revenue Service audits, rulings, and corrections. Rosie has extensive experience assisting plan sponsors in navigating the plan termination process, including preparing employee communications, obtaining agency approvals, and responding to post-termination audits. She has also represented clients in responding to Department of Labor and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation inquiries, investigations, and audits.

During her tenure at Groom, Rosie has counseled clients on a wide range of retirement plan issues in connection with corporate transactions and spinoffs, including distributions, plan loans, company stock, record retention, and treatment of transferring employees. She has also advised on tax and ERISA issues in connection with the post-merger integration of retirement plans.