2026 Excellence In Operations

Recognizing the retirement plan advisory firm leaders that "make the practices run."
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PLANADVISER’s Excellence in Operations award recognizes the retirement plan advisory firm leaders that “make the practices run” and support the advisers who are the faces at the forefront of the industry.

The award is for more senior non-adviser operations staff. It complements the PLANADVISER awards that honor advisers, to recognize the vital personnel of an advisory practice—whether focusing on operations, data, investment analytics, provider management, or some other piece of the business. After all, the Retirement Plan Advisers of the Year and the Top Retirement Plan Advisers don’t get to the top all by themselves!

The nomination period for Excellence in Operations opens in May. PLANADVISER vets the nominees in July, and the list makers are announced in August. Anyone working with a person who shows Excellence in Operations qualities may nominate that person, and self-nomination is allowed.

The 2026 PLANADVISER Excellence in Operations award recipients will be recognized at the PLANADVISER 360 event in November. Additionally, the conference will host opportunities for networking and educational opportunities specifically for this group of people.

Click on the images above to learn more about Excellence in Operations award recipients.

2026 PLANADVISER Excellence In Operations

Melissa Black
Lead Client Service Consultant, CBIZ, Inc.

Christopher Donnelly
Director, Retirement Operations, Creative Planning Institutional Advisors

Kayla Huff
Education and Brand Specialist, Oswald Financial

Anna Huniak
Manager, Retirement Services, Focus Partners Wealth

Chris Janowski
Director, IT Development, Strategic Retirement Partners

John Kirkpatrick
Senior Institutional Investment Strategist, Henderson Brothers Financial Partners

Katie Marino
Director, Defined Contribution Consulting Analytics, Fiducient Advisors

Valerie McKellar
Investment Operations, Creative Planning

Susan Salmon
Director of Operations, Francis LLC

Kim Smith
Senior Client Service Associate, Northwestern Mutual – Summit Financial Group

Celeste Thompson
Legal Counsel, Contracts, SageView Advisory Group, a Creative Planning Company


No one pays or is paid a fee to participate in the Excellence in Operations program. In 2026, there were 27 nominations, and 11 made the final list.

If you have any questions, please email awards@issmediasolutions.com.


PLANADVISER Excellence In Operations

Nominations Open: May
List Makers Announced: August

List makers are recognized at PLANADVISER 360 in November.

To receive invitations and reminders for the PLANADVISER Excellence In Operations Listing, click here.