Francisco is a bilingual educational specialist with a demonstrated track record working in the financial services industry. He passionately assists clients of all backgrounds to help them seek to understand their financial opportunities, secure their future, and protect their loved ones.

As Vice President, Financial Wellness and Employee Engagement, Francisco is responsible for managing relationships with our retirement plan participants and providing the support to deliver customized financial planning and retirement educational programs.

Named 2024’s Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year for Efforts in DEI, Liz serves as Director of DEI and Servicios en Español and Financial Planner at Francis LLC. She uses her extensive experience as an international, bilingual educator to help advise participants through the often-confusing world of personal finance. In addition, Liz leads the firm’s DEI Committee and works to create a more inclusive, collaborative, and just workplace; one that supports minoritized individuals and offers opportunities for learning and growth that positively impact the Francis team and their clients.

Thea Ammon, Sr Benefits & Wellness Administrator, has 30+ years’ experience in Human Resources and benefits administration. During that time, Thea has been instrumental in driving plan engagement with defined metrics within OneAZ Credit Union’s retirement, health, and wellness plans/initiatives.  As a result, OneAZ has enjoyed near flat medical plan renewals for over 10 years, retirement plan enrollment over 97% for 10+ years, as well as national retirement and wellness program recognition. As a people-first administrator, Ms. Ammon’s approach to employee engagement focuses on assisting employees to overcome participation obstacles, determining needs, designing and updating programs, and personalizing solutions. Her mission in life is to champion health longevity with quality and financial independence to support individual retirement dreams.

Jon Anderson is the Head of Workplace & Retirement at Cetera Financial Group. In this role, Jon is responsible for the strategic expansion of Cetera’s existing retirement offerings as well as establishing the firm’s comprehensive workplace initiatives. Prior to this role, Jon served in a variety of leadership positions at Cetera including Head of Advisor Growth Solutions, where he led development, launch, and expansion of the firm’s Growth360 initiatives and Head of Retirement, where he led the strategic expansion of the group’s retirement plan offerings.

Jason Andrade leads The Mahoney Group’s Employee Benefits Practice, bringing more than 20 years of experience in the benefits industry. He works closely with C-suite executives nationwide to deliver transformative health care benefit solutions that maximize insurance budgets and improve outcomes—all with a strong emphasis on compliance and a deep commitment to health care transparency.

Known for bringing a fresh perspective to the industry, Jason specializes in guiding organizations through the transition to self-funded plans. His focus includes reference-based pricing, direct contracting, and pharmacy optimization—strategies that help eliminate waste and give employers greater control over their health care spend.

Elected to The Mahoney Group Board of Directors in the summer of 2022, Jason previously built a successful entrepreneurial career in the self-funded health care space. His background spans operations, strategic planning, corporate and business development and marketing.

A graduate of Boston University with degrees in business and physiology. In his downtime, he enjoys fly fishing in some of the world’s premier fishing destinations.

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.

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.

Crista is the Senior Relationship Manager for Brio Retirement Solutions. Crista’s enthusiasm and extensive experience in the corporate retirement plan market serve as the building block in a process that results in customized solutions for plan sponsors and participants. Crista was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. She graduated from George Fox University in Newberg, O.R. with a B.S and M.B.A. Crista has over 15 years of experience in the industry.

Gina Buchholz brings over 25 years of retirement plan experience to the 401k Plan Professionals team. After graduating from the University of Iowa with a B.S. in Finance, Gina began her career as a 401(k) sales and service representative and later worked at an advisory firm. She joined 401k Plan Professionals in September 2017. Gina is Series 7, 65 and 63 licensed (registration held through LPL Financial) and holds the AIF and CPFA designations. Gina works closely with plan sponsor clients to provide fiduciary and investment due diligence, plan consultation and participation education and financial wellness. The 401k Plan Professionals team was awarded the 2023 Plan Adviser of the Year for Plan Participant Services by PLANADVISER.

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.

Jeff Cullen specializes in helping corporations and non-profits design, implement and monitor successful retirement plans.

Over the past 16 years, Jeff has built a national practice by helping organizations align HR strategy & total rewards with participant goals through innovative plan design and fiduciary best practices. As a member of the national SRP Investment Committee, he is a specialist in investment due diligence processes and innovative QDIA strategies. Beginning with his very first client, designing customized employee education services that seek to improve participant outcomes has been a hallmark offering.

Jeff received his MBA from DePaul University. He is an investment advisor representative and has passed the Series 7, Series 66 and Series 65 exams.

Barbara Delaney currently serves as Principal of StoneStreet Benefit Advisors. Barbara is a seasoned ERISA fiduciary adviser, specializing in defined benefit, defined contribution and most recently health and welfare plans. Based out of Tarrytown, New York, Barbara has 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 health care and the need for increased transparency Stonestreet has broadened its scope of services to provide the same standard of care with respect to health care.

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.

Joe is the President of Retirement & Private Wealth (RPW) at HUB International, where he leads HUB’s mission to offer comprehensive client services at the retirement plan sponsor, participant and individual levels. Since 1990, he has maintained a commitment to building an organization centered on client needs that seeks to provide unsurpassed service and independent advice for professionals, entrepreneurs, businesses and their employees.

Joe was honored to receive a 2022 WealthManagement.com Industry Award for Aggregator CEO of the Year. The Wealthies recognize the best companies, people, and organizations that support financial adviser success.

Prior to joining HUB in 2019, Joe spent his entire career as the CEO of Washington Financial Group, which was named a 2023 PLANADVISER Top Retirement Plan Adviser, a 2022 NAPA Top DC Advisor Team as well as the 2017 PLANSPONSOR Retirement Plan Adviser Small Team of the Year. The 2017 PLANSPONSOR Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year winners have demonstrated leadership and a commitment to excellence for their retirement plan sponsor clients and participants.

Joe is the President of the American Retirement Association as well as the Past President of the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA). He was recently named to the 2020 Financial Times Top 401 Retirement Plan Advisors list.

Joe is a strong advocate of financial education for himself and his clients. He is a Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA), Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist (CRPS), Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) and a Certified 401(k) Professional (C(k)P). He is also a Founding Lecturer at The Retirement Advisor University (TRAU) in collaboration with UCLA Anderson School of Management Executive Education, where he educates qualified retirement plan advisers enrolled in the two-year C(k)P certification program.

Jennifer Doss is a senior director and defined contribution practice leader based out of Raleigh, NC.

Jennifer joined CAPTRUST in 2007 and is currently a senior director of the firm’s defined contribution practice, responsible for the development of defined contribution services to address the needs of CAPTRUST’s clients. Prior to joining the firm, Jennifer worked as a financial adviser at Ameriprise.

Jennifer received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting with a concentration in finance from North Carolina State University and holds the Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist, Qualified 401(k) Administrator, and Tax-Exempt and Governmental Plan Consultant designations.

Derek Fiorenza co-founded Summit Group Retirement Planners, Inc. SGRP is a Registered Investment Advisory Firm registered with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). Derek serves as an Investment Advisor Representative (IAR) of the RIA. He is the COO/CCO of the corporation and is focused on expanding the brand by providing an extremely high level of service to all its qualified corporate retirement plan clients and the industry. Additionally, Derek founded the non-profit organization, Fiorenza’s Food For Friends (F4) as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2011. F4’s Vision is to create a world without hunger! F4’s Mission is to connect sources of food to recipients in need.

To survive the disruptive sea change that’s happening across the financial services industry, you need to uncover and emotionally articulate the life transformations you deliver each day to your clients. Sheri not only believes that ideas and empathy are an adviser’s true currency — she’s been advocating it for 30+ years. An internationally recognized financial services speaker, success coach, social media expert (Deconstructing Digital), and visionary pioneer of digital emotional intelligence (digitalEQ), she’s helped financial services and fintech firms build brands, deepen client relationships, and drive sales and revenue growth.

Jamie Fleckner is a partner at Goodwin and is chair of its ERISA Litigation practice. Ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA in ERISA Litigation, and “among the top ERISA litigators in the country,” Jamie represents providers and plan sponsors in class actions, appeals, regulatory investigations, bet-the-firm litigation as well as arbitrations regarding the discharge of ERISA duties. He is currently representing some of the country’s largest companies in ERISA litigation, and a wide range of other ERISA litigation challenging the discharge of fiduciary obligations.

Known for being “creative, quick on his feet, and excellent in oral and written arguments,” Jamie regularly litigates class and derivative actions under ERISA, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and related federal and state laws. His practice also focuses on regulatory investigations and governmental proceedings, and has represented clients before the US Department of Labor, Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Justice, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, and state authorities.

Jared is an experienced Vice President of Growth and Product. In his 10 years in the technology space, he has helped Forbes Cloud 100 companies Qualtrics, Sprinklr, and ServiceTitan grow to a $5B+ valuations and successful IPOs. Born and raised in Utah, he graduated from the University of Utah and enjoys snowboarding and camping in his free time.

At Human Interest since 2022, Jared focuses on customer experience initiatives that intersect product and company strategy, including the launch of new products and services.

Benjamin (aka Benny) Goodman is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA).

He is a Vice President at the TIAA Institute, with over 30 years of financial industry experience.

He earned a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Touro College. Benny has been a featured speaker at college and university seminars and events across the country.

Benny is married to Yvette (a retired actuary currently teaching high school mathematics), and is the proud father of four, and grandfather to the ten most adorable grandchildren in the world (pictures upon request).

Benny has been with TIAA since 1988, and has served in a variety of actuarial positions, including life insurance pricing, pension plan pricing, product development and dividend setting. For a number of years, he managed the Actuarial Consulting Services area with a focus on pension plan design and meeting individual retirement income needs. Benny also has spent time in non-actuarial roles, including Operations and Institutional Sales.

Benny currently works at the TIAA Institute where he researches longevity and lifetime income solutions. 

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.

Rebecca is the founder and CMO of 401(k) Marketing, LLC in San Diego, California. The firm specializes in empowering retirement plan advisers to showcase their expertise and establish a strong brand presence. The company was founded on the idea that retirement plan advisers are specialists and should promote their unique skillset.
With nearly 20 years of retirement plan experience and an addiction to marketing, Rebecca is skilled at developing clear paths that are simple for plan sponsors, advisers and participants to understand. She is committed to company growth, adviser development and collaborative improvement. Her personality is naturally enthusiastic, and she attracts fun, hard-working and ethical professionals. 
Rebecca is a keynote speaker and author. She has spoken at Broadridge/Fi360, Advisor2X, NAPA Summit, ASPPA, PLANADVISER National Conference, TRAU Master Class, Retirement Symposiums and many additional retirement plan conferences. She is a guest columnist for 401(k) Specialist, NAPA.net and PLANADVISER. She has been featured on Retireholics, 401(k) Specialist, InvestmentNews, NIPA, Employee Benefit News, PLANADVISER, Plan Consultant Magazine, The Advisor’s Newsletter and the Journal of Financial Planning. 
She lives in San Diego with her family.  Her hobbies include cooking, eating, drinking wine, traveling and yoga.

Spending his entire career in the corporate retirement advisory industry, James has dedicated his professional life to enhancing financial outcomes of institutional and individual clients for over 20 years. As a process-driven individual, James believes in providing objective, process-oriented and holistic advice to clients. James’ goal in working with clients is to have each client see him as partner and an extension of the Human Resources and Benefits departments.

As Co-founder and Director of Relationships at Finspire, James is responsible for managing client and business relationships across the firm’s institutional retirement business. James works closely with clients and the Finspire team to develop relationships, understand the unique needs for each client and enhance operational efficiencies throughout. James has a deep understanding of institutional retirement plan design, specializes in plan merger and acquisition transitions and is skilled in structuring strong corporate plan governance programs.

Prior to co-founding Finspire, LLC, James served as a Senior Vice President at Sheridan Road Advisors, LLC for 7 years and previously co-founded Rothschild Consulting Group, an independent investment advisory firm where James was the Managing Principal of the firm. James is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) and FINRA Series 7, 24, 63 and 65 registered. He is a graduate of Marquette University with a B.S. in Finance and Economics where he was also a member of Marquette’s Wrestling team.

Greg leads Newfront’s award-winning Retirement Services Practice. Spending much of his career in finance and strategic operations, Greg is known for blazing trails and disrupting the status quo. Spending nearly a decade on the finance team at Microsoft, Greg developed deep financial market expertise managing multi-billion-dollar investment and hedging portfolios. While at Microsoft, Greg was responsible for managing multi-billion-dollar portfolios, running complex hedging programs, and finding ways to successfully navigate the business climate in challenging markets/environments and was involved in some of the largest M&A transactions on record. He then joined Specialized as Treasurer, where he built global cash management and hedging programs to support global worldwide distribution, overseeing all 401k, EB, and P&C operations.

Greg holds a BBA from University of Michigan and is a CFA.

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.

John is a registered representative with LPL Financial where he is recognized as a leader in retirement plan consulting through his position in the firm’s Retirement Partners Group. John entered the retirement planning business in 1984 as a consultant with a major insurance company. As a member of the Retirement Partners Group, his expertise includes retirement plan design, plan operations, investment monitoring and employee education. John is committed to helping employers and employees develop and manage the process of directing their retirement plans.

John is a graduate of Iowa State University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture business finance. He is a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF), and holds the Certified Retirement Plan Specialists designation (CRPS). John is also a member of the Global Leadership Council.

Robert Massa is the Managing Director of Retirement in Houston, Texas, for Prime Capital Financial. 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).

With over 40 years in the financial services industry, Deane Mayerhofer is a seasoned executive known for driving operational excellence, strategic growth, and cultural innovation. As co-founder and COO of Strategic Retirement Partners (SRP) and President of Glove, Inc., she leads one of the industry’s top operational teams, enabling advisors to deliver exceptional service across retirement and wealth management.

Deane’s expertise spans corporate strategy, M&A, talent development, and technology enablement. Her leadership has earned SRP national recognition as a top workplace and Inc. 5000 finalist. She’s a frequent speaker and advocate for inclusive leadership, mentoring rising professionals and championing remote-friendly, people-first cultures.

Her accolades include Crain’s Notable Women in Finance, NAPA Top Women of Excellence, as well as PLANADVISER’s Plan Adviser of the Year – Mentorship and Excellence in Operations Award. Deane is the Co-Chair of the 2025 and 2026 NAPA Summit. Outside of work, she enjoys boating, cooking, and cheering on the Green Bay Packers with her family.

Brittany McChristian is a passionate and seasoned expert in the retirement industry, bringing over 15 years of hands-on experience and insight. Her journey began in third-party payroll support, and over the years, she’s carved out a dynamic career path through recordkeeping and advisor services. For the past decade, Brittany has honed her skills in conversion and project management, where she thrives on leading complex retirement plan transitions with precision, empathy, and a client-first mindset.

At Newfront Retirement Services, Brittany is more than just a team member – she’s a trusted collaborator, strategic thinker, and resident “hype-queen!” Her deep industry knowledge, paired with her natural ability to connect with clients and colleagues alike, makes her a standout voice in conversations around operational excellence and innovative retirement plan solutions. Whether she’s navigating the intricacies of a plan conversion or brainstorming ways to elevate service delivery, Brittany brings energy, expertise, and heart to everything she does.

Ethan brings 10 years of regulatory compliance experience to his position as Senior Compliance Consultant in Lockton’s Midwest Series. Ethan has expertise in benefits compliance regulation, including the Affordable Care Act, COBRA, HIPAA, Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, Service Contract Act, the tax code, and other associated areas of employee welfare and fringe benefits law. Ethan works with Lockton clients and internal Associates to troubleshoot complex ERISA compliance scenarios, and supports the national Compliance Services practice with ongoing, compliance-related education through publications, presentations, webcasts, and other mediums.

Before joining Lockton, Ethan worked as an investigator for the U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). At EBSA, Ethan conducted a variety of employee benefit plan investigations on both the retirement and health/welfare sides of ERISA, running the gamut from complex defined benefit pension plans and 401(k)/403(b) defined contribution plans, to multi-option medical, dental, and life insurance plans.

Bill Ryan leads NEPC’s Defined Contribution (DC) Team, bringing over 25 years of experience in the DC industry. He focuses on creating tailored, innovative solutions that help plan sponsors meet their unique objectives and improve participant outcomes.

Bill has advised over 30% of the top 100 DC plan sponsors, representing $800 billion in assets and 60 million participants. He currently serves on the U.S. Department of Labor’s ERISA Advisory Council and the PSCA Investment Committee and has held leadership roles with the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA).

Bill has the privilege of being acknowledged with awards in his roles as both a plan sponsor and an investment consultant. He has been named a P&I Eddy Award Winner in 2013, a Power Broker within Employee Benefits by Risk & Insurance magazine in 2020, and a Knowledge Broker by Chief Investment Officer magazine in 2023[1]. He has also been a Finalist for PLANSPONSOR magazine’s Plan Sponsor of the Year in 2013 and a DC Innovator of the Year Finalist for aiCIO magazine in 2013.

Previously, Bill managed the University of California’s $20 billion DC program, including custom target-date funds and private equity investments. He holds a B.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an M.B.A. from UC Irvine, and the CAIA and SPHR designations.

Jennifer Sahady is a TEDx speaker, Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF), Certified Plan Financial Advisor (CPFA) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) who specializes in financial wellness. Jennifer has worked with a diverse array of industries and organizations of all sizes to provide best in class financial wellness solutions through keynote speeches, group workshops, and individual client conversations. Jennifer is known for engaging, energetic and relatable presentations making personal finance fun and approachable. Connect with Jennifer at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-sahady/.

With more than 20 years of experience in accounting and a decade of retirement plan administration, Niki helps organizations optimize and administer employee benefit plans. Throughout her career, she has guided employers through the complexities of compliance, plan operations, and participant engagement—ensuring that retirement programs not only meet regulatory standards but also support employees’ long-term financial wellbeing. Niki’s extensive background and hands-on approach make her a trusted partner to plan sponsors and advisors alike.

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.

Phil Sherman, CFP, is the Senior Retirement Plan Consultant of Deschutes Investment Consulting in Portland, OR. He was originally drawn to the retirement plan industry after years of working in the wealth management field, where his interactions shed light on the lack of financial literacy. This inspired him to shift his focus to retirement plans and their participants. By working with retirement plans, he realized he could have a direct impact on education through workplace benefits and help employees better handle their money and make choices today that will have a lasting impact for tomorrow.

Paul Sommerstad is a Partner in Cerity Partners’ Retirement Plan Advisory practice. He has more than 20 years of experience in the retirement plan industry and specializes in helping organizations understand how plan design can dramatically improve their employees’ ability to successfully retire and how proper governance can limit personal fiduciary liability. Paul has served a variety of publicly traded, private and nonprofit organizations during his career. Paul and his team have improved retirement and financial outcomes for thousands of retirement plan participants. He is an ardent researcher of behavioral psychology, and he strives to use plain language to help translate complex topics into simple, positive actions.

Prior to joining Cerity Partners, Paul was a Senior ERISA Consultant with Blue Prairie Group where his expertise in vendor negotiations resulted in lower total plan and administrative costs and improved service levels for institutional clients of all sizes. Paul earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Financial Management from the University of St. Thomas – Opus School of Business. He also holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) and Qualified Plan Financial Consultant (QPFC) designations.

Leah Sylvester (CPC, QKA, QPA) is an Executive Partner and the President of Retirement Plans at Shepherd Financial. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics in 2007. Prior to joining Shepherd Financial in 2015, Leah was a senior client consultant for two third party administration firms and a consulting actuarial student for an international benefits consulting firm. Aside from spending time with her husband, Aaron, and their kids, Cameron and Claire, Leah loves a great glass of wine, a snazzy pair of heels, and cheering for her beloved Notre Dame Fighting Irish!

Dave Tippets manages non-qualified deferred compensation retirement plans (NQDC) and executive benefit plan opportunities by developing relationships with advisors, helping them identify market opportunities, and offering their clients effective, efficient, and contemporary NQDC or executive benefit plans.
Dave has 29 years of industry experience working with NQ plans, 401(k) plans, DB plans, and institutional investors. He has helped thousands of organizations, from small business owners to Fortune 500 companies, with
their retirement plan needs. Dave currently manages the Western region for the Newport Nonqualified Retirement Plan.
Prior to joining Newport, Dave was Chief Growth Officer & Senior Vice President for Soltis, based in Utah. Before that, he served as Vice President and a regional leader for 10 years at Principal Financial Group, based in Texas. He has also worked as a Vice President and Retirement Plan Specialist with Fidelity and American Funds over the course of his career.
Dave earned his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University (BYU). He currently lives in Heber, Utah, with his spouse Christi and their five children.

Nate currently serves as Senior Vice President of Retirement + Wealth division of OneDigital developing strategic plans for plan health/retirement readiness, plan benchmarking, investment analysis, and fiduciary governance. With over 20 years of experience in retirement plan consulting, organizations have counted on his knowledge & innovation in creating the most effective ways to drive employees towards retirement readiness while managing the employer’s fiduciary responsibilities in doing so.

Nate holds his Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFATM) through the NAPA, the Certified 401(k) Professional (C(k)P®) Designation through The Retirement Advisor University in collaboration with UCLA Anderson School of Management and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) Designation from the Center for Fiduciary Studies.