2019 National Speaker Profiles
Michael Aronin
Comedian, Actor, and Motivational Speaker
Rising Above
Michael Aronin born with cerebral palsy is a veteran comedian. actor, and motivational speaker of 24 years. Michael has worked with Kevin James and Brian Regan to name a few.
He is a lead actor in Special Unit with Christopher Titus and Billy Gardell.
Peter Brady
Senior Economist
Investment Company Institute
Peter J. Brady, is a Senior Economist in the Retirement and Investor Research Division at the Investment Company Institute (ICI). At the Institute, Mr. Brady focuses on pensions, retirement savings, and the taxation of capital income. Peter’s current research is focused on the on using administrative tax data to measure changes in income near retirement and the prevalence of income from pensions, annuities, and IRAs.
His prior research includes work on the tax treatment of retirement savings, retirement adequacy, replacement rates, pension coverage and participation, and trends in pension income. Mr. Brady is a past president of the National Tax Association and is a member of the SOI Consultants Panel (for the Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division).
Prior to joining the Institute, Mr. Brady worked as a financial economist in the Office of Tax Analysis at the U.S. Department of Treasury and, prior to working at the Treasury Department, as a staff economist in the Research Division at the Federal Reserve Board. Mr. Brady is a graduate of St. Lawrence University and holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin.
Marc Caras
Chief Relationship Officer
Pension Resource Institute, LLC
Marc Caras is the Chief Relationship Officer (CRO) of Pension Resource Institute (PRI), a firm that delivers strategic consulting, compliance, training and technology-based solutions to financial institutions and plan fiduciaries serving retirement investors.
Marc has over 20 years of experience focused on sales, relationship management, product management and operational leadership within the registered investment advisor, broker-dealer, retirement plan and wealth management marketplace. As a Director for BNY Mellon Pershing, Marc served as the head of the Retirement Plan Network and was responsible for the overall strategy and management of Pershingʼs retirement plan business, including launch, market penetration and client adoption.
Prior to BNY Mellon Pershing, Marc served as an Executive Vice President and operating committee member at Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group, where he led fiduciary governance services, institutional relationship management and investment management for Sentinelʼs retirement plan investment advisory and wealth management business. Before that, Marc was President of independent broker-dealer Sentinel Securities Inc., a Vice President at LPL Financial and spent over 11 years in various positions at Fidelity Investments. He was also a former board member of the SPARK Institute. Marc earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Northeastern University and is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF). He has previously held the series 24, 7, 6 and 63 FINRA licenses.
Wendy Young Carter
VP & DC Director, Public Sector
Segal Group
Ms. Carter is a Vice President and Defined Contribution Director in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office and has over 30 years of retirement plan consulting and financial services experience with special expertise in public sector defined contribution plans.
Ms. Carter received a BA in Political Science from the College of William and Mary. She is a Certified Retirement Administrator and a Certified Retirement Counselor, as well as a member of the International Foundation for Retirement Education. Ms. Carter is a member of the National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators (NAGDCA) and a member of its Best Practices Task Force. She has also published numerous articles on defined contribution plan topics in professional journals and speaks regularly at professional and industry conferences.
Chris Catanese
Vice President
Ascensus
Chris serves as Vice President of Relationship Management and is responsible for management and oversight of a number of key 529 plan and ABLE clients. Prior to becoming a Relationship Manager, Chris held positions within the Client Services department overseeing Processing Services, Call Center Operations, Mail Operations, Sales Desk, Dealer Services and Resolution Services.
Chris has been with the organization for over 15 years, starting in 2003, and is a graduate of Green Mountain College where he received a B.S. in Business. Chris holds FINRA Series 24, 53, 7 & 66 licenses.
Philip Chao
Principal and CIO
Chao & Company, Ltd.
Philip Chao founded Chao & Company, Ltd in 1990. As the Chief investment Officer of the firm, Philip sets portfolio construction and investment policies to manage individual and institutional assets in the best interest of the clients. By emphasizing risk as well as return, each portfolio is calibrated in an attempt to align the long-term investment outcome with clients’ criteria and expectations.
Philip serves as an ERISA fiduciary under ERISA Sec 3(21) – a consultant, or under ERISA 3(38) – a manager with discretionary investment authority.
Joseph DeNoyior
Managing Partner
Washington Financial Group
Joe is the CEO at Washington Financial Group (WFG) and leads the charge of WFG’s retirement plan group which services over 150 qualified plans. Since 1990, he has maintained a commitment to building an organization centered on client needs that seeks to provide unsurpassed service and independent advice.Joe is proud to lead the team at Washington Financial Group that was recently named the 2017 PLANSPONSOR Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year in the Small Team category.
Joe is the Past President of the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) as well as a Founding Lecturer at The Retirement University for Advisors at UCLA and a member of the Retirement Advisor Council (RAC). He was recently named to the Financial Times Top 401 Retirement Plan Advisors list as well as one of PLANADVISER’s 2018 Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisers. He serves on the board of The American Retirement Association. Joe is a strong advocate of financial education for himself and his clients. He is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF), Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist (CRPS), Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) and Certified 401(k) Professional — C(k)P. He is also an instructor for The Retirement Advisor University (TRAU) in Collaboration with UCLA Anderson School of Management Executive Education, where he educates qualified retirement plan advisors enrolled in the two-year C(k)P certification program. He is a graduate of The George Washington University in Washington, DC and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Finance.
Joe, his wife Stacy and son Anthony live in Vienna, Virginia. He is active in the hockey community as both a coach and a player. Joe is also on a consent quest for the best slice of pizza.
Tara Fung
Vice President, CommonBond for Business
CommonBond
Tara Fung leads CommonBond’s Enterprise business, which is focused on providing student loan benefits to employers. Prior to CommonBond, Tara worked for German automotive giant, Daimler AG, in international strategy and project management roles. Tara has a B.S. in Economics from the University of South Carolina, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
While completing her MBA at Harvard Business School, Tara saw firsthand how classmates were making job decisions based on their student debt. She heard time and time again people saying they were accepting jobs they did not want in order to pay off their loans as quickly as possible. It was this experience that changed Tara’s career trajectory. She decided to join CommonBond and be part of the solution to the student debt crisis.
Chris Gaston
Senior Policy Director
Davis & Harman LLP
Chris Gaston is Senior Policy Director of Davis & Harman LLP. Chris has more than a dozen years of Capitol Hill experience and he represents clients on a wide range of issues before Congress, particularly retirement and savings policy.
Prior to joining Davis & Harman LLP, Chris served as Chief of Staff for U.S. Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ) who was a senior member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
After growing up in Central New Jersey, Chris initially started with Rep. Holt as an intern and over the next twelve years, worked for Rep. Holt in a number of congressional and political positions. For more than five years Chris served as Rep. Holt’s Legislative Director where he helped establish an ambitious legislative agenda and advised him on a diverse range of legislative issues. In that capacity, Chris was responsible for all of Rep. Holt’s work on the Education and the Workforce Committee, including his legislative initiatives to promote retirement savings. Chris also led Rep. Holt’s efforts to raise concerns about the Department of Labor’s fiduciary proposal.
Chris graduated with a B.A. in Political Science with a Public Policy Focus from The George Washington University and received a M.A. in International Law and Politics from Georgetown University. He and his wife, Molly, have two active kids, Max and Clare, and one hyper active Border collie, Ace.
Jamie Greenleaf
Partner / Principal
Cafaro Greenleaf
A recognized expert in the retirement plan industry, Jamie has been with Cafaro Greenleaf since 1993 and a principal since 1997. She has been a recognized vice president and retirement plan advisor with UBS Financial and with Prudential Securities, consistently ranking among the top retirement advisors nationally at both firms.
Jamie is regularly invited to speak at industry conferences and is a sought after presenter for many other advisor and plan sponsor continuing education sources such as Pensions and Investments, HR.com, and SHRM University Conference Services. Jamie serves on the Advisory Boards of Prudential, and John Hancock, as well as the Leadership Council for the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA), where she regularly provides her retirement plan expertise and experience to our nation’s regulators and policymakers in Washington DC.
Jamie has spent her entire professional career helping retirement programs and public funds. She has provided consulting services in all areas of plan management and oversight, including plan design, fees and services benchmarking, investment management selection and monitoring, fiduciary and regulatory compliance, investment policy design, and financial education to many Fortune 500 and publicly traded companies, nonprofit entities and public agencies.
She is an adjunct lecturer in the Plan Sponsor University certification program for UCLA’s Anderson School of Business-Executive Education. Greenleaf holds a BA in Business Administration from Delaware Valley College, is a Registered Financial Advisor and is Life insurance licensed. Jamie is also is a Registered Investment Advisor representative and holds series 7, 26, and 63 licenses.
Jamie is known for her extensive and unparalleled knowledge, expertise and passion for the industry. She has a keen ability to guide, support and educate plan trustees, plan sponsors and plan participants alike. Leading from our headquarter office in Red Bank, New Jersey, Jamie advises throughout the New York Metropolitan and Tri State areas, traveling to other regions of the country when the opportunity to serve arises. She is an IMPACT 100 Jersey Coast member, an organization that funds transformational grants to Monmouth County, NJ nonprofits yearly. Jamie currently resides in Rumson, NJ with her husband and two sons.
Wayne Gutridge
Director, Workplace Products & Solutions
Transamerica
Wayne Gutridge is Director of Workplace Products & Solutions for Transamerica.
Gutridge has held various senior management positions throughout his 25+ years in the insurance industry with many of those developing worksite, corporate markets, affinity and mass consumer strategies. A product innovator with particular focus on emerging or underserved markets with the development of unique strategies for specific industry segments.
Prior to joining Transamerica, Mr. Gutridge served as the North American Head of Accident & Health for The Starr Companies. He has also held senior management positions with global carriers including AIG and Zurich.
Mike Hadley
Partner
Davis & Harman LLP
Mike Hadley is a partner in the law firm Davis & Harman LLP. He practices in the area of employee benefits, advising clients on the full range of tax, ERISA, and other laws affecting benefit plans. He has a particular focus on helping financial institutions that sell products to defined contribution and defined benefit plans, IRAs and similar plans navigate the special rules that govern those plans. He also provides clients with strategic advice, plan design, counseling, and compliance assistance for qualified plans, 403(b) and 457 plans, non-qualified executive compensation, employment agreements, and health and other welfare plans.
Mike was formerly Associate Counsel for Pension Regulation at the Investment Company Institute, the national association of U.S. investment companies. His responsibilities included advocating for the Institute’s membership before Congress, the Department of Labor, the Department of the Treasury, and the Securities Exchange Commission on retirement security issues and assisting ICI members and staff in understanding tax and ERISA rules. Among other duties he managed ICI’s work implementing the Pension Protection Act and responding to 401(k) fee, investment advice, and fiduciary developments in Congress, DOL, and the courts.
Prior to joining ICI, Mike was an associate with Covington & Burling LLP, where he advised clients on employee benefit plans and executive compensation arrangements, provided advice on ERISA litigation, and assisted with pension and benefits issues in mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate transactions.
Mike is a frequent speaker on the latest retirement savings policy developments coming out of Congress and the regulatory agencies and has testified before Treasury, IRS, and Department of Labor. A sampling of articles he has authored or co-authored: ERISA Compliance for Investment Advisers: A Q&A Guide To DOL’s 408(b)(2) Disclosure Regulation, Investment Lawyer, Vol. 20, No. 7 (July 2013); The Economics of Providing 401(k) Plans: Services, Fees, and Expenses, 2010 ICI Research Perspective, Vol. 17, No. 4 (June 2011); and 401 (k) Plans: A 25-Year Retrospective, ICI Research Perspective, Vol. 12, No. 2 (Nov. 2006).
Mike was a law clerk for the Honorable Gerald Tjoflat, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He received his J.D. from the University of Virginia, where he was Notes Editor of the Virginia Law Review and elected to the Order of the Coif. He received his B.A., cum laude, from the College of William and Mary.
JJ Hanley
Director
Illinois ABLE
JJ Hanley is Director of Illinois ABLE for the Illinois State Treasurer’s office, which leads a 16-state, bi-partisan alliance that offers “A Better Life Experience” ABLE accounts to people with disabilities in Illinois and across the country.
JJ founded JJsList.com, a yelp.com-style site for businesses to reach the disability marketplace, whose blog ranks in the top 25 disability blogs. She has also developed and implemented an innovative program to build best practices for the inclusion of employees and customers with disabilities, used by corporations and nonprofits. JJ produced an award-winning PBS documentary about autism.
JJ co-chairs the Banking Committee of the Chicago Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities Financial Advisory Council for the Empowerment of People with Disabilities (FACED) She serves on the steering committee for Equip for Equality’s Illinois ADA Project and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities.
Alicia Hartjen
Head of Product Development – Financial Education & Communication Solutions
SS&C
Alicia Hartjen is Head of Product Development for SS&C’s participant education and communication solutions. These solutions are targeted towards educating consumers on a range of financial topics — from budgeting to debt to planning and retirement. All of the Learning Center solutions are mobile-friendly and designed to engage and educate viewers, while providing detailed metrics to our clients on their overall usage and success metrics.
Alicia has a background in user-interface design — with a focus on how to design solutions that drive user behavior. Alicia has a B.A. from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, MO and an M.B.A. from Babson College/F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business.
Louis Hyman
Associate Professor
ILR School, Cornell University
Louis Hyman is a historian of work and business at the ILR School of Cornell University, where he also directs the Institute for Workplace Studies in New York City, which focuses on issues surrounding the future of work.
He has published two books on the history of personal debt (Debtor Nation and Borrow). His most recent book is Temp: How American Work, American Business, and the American Dream Became Temporary which traces the rise and fall of secure work. A former Fulbright scholar and McKinsey associate, Hyman received his PhD in American history from Harvard University.
Kendra Kosko Isaacson
Senior Pensions Counsel, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions For U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Ranking Member
Rachel Letters
Deputy Director, Programs and Operations
Best Buddies
Rachel Letters is the Deputy Director of Operations and Programs for Best Buddies Capital Region. Rachel works with individual with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities to provide opportunities for friendship, leadership and integrated employment.
As an experienced non-profit leader, Rachel manages the day-to-day operations of the DC and Virginia Best Buddies programs. Rachel holds a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, and is currently working towards her MBA at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech).
David Levine
Principal
Groom Law Group, Chartered
David N. Levine is a principal at Groom Law Group, Chartered. Mr. Levine advises plan sponsors, advisors, and other service providers on a wide range of employee benefits matters, from health and welfare to retirement and executive compensation matters.
Mr. 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. Mr. Levine regularly speaks on plan design, fiduciary governance, and legislative issues. He is recognized in the Chambers USA guide for Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation. Mr. Levine received his J.D., from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and his B.A., with general and departmental honors, from Johns Hopkins University.
Eric S. Levy
Executive Vice President
AIG Retirement Services
Eric S. Levy serves as Executive Vice President, Group Retirement for AIG Life & Retirement. In his role, Mr. Levy is responsible for the development and execution of broad-based, market-driven strategies, product management and development, market management, market research and government affairs strategy for Group Retirement.
In this, he leads efforts to develop and manage a strategic approach and economic framework for retirement plan acquisition and retention; customer-focused product design that provides retirement solutions for multiple market segments; investment platforms, portfolio analysis and selection; investment advisory services; comprehensive competitive and market analysis; ongoing liaison with Distribution, Institutional Plan Management, Marketing and Operations and Government Affairs on retirement related issues; and collaboration with the Life & Retirement team on broader, cross-market opportunities. Mr. Levy represents AIG on the ACLI Retirement Plans Committee and the boards of SPARK and DCIIA.
Also in his capacity, Mr. Levy serves as a Director/Trustee of the VALIC Company funds, a $30+ Billion mutual fund complex. Mr. Levy previously served as Senior Vice President, Head of Product and Solutions Management for Lincoln Financial Group’s Retirement Plan Services business, where he was responsible for the development, management, market positioning and pricing of the entire suite of retirement products Lincoln offered across the small, mid-large and individual/IRA market spaces.
Prior to joining Lincoln in 2010, he served as Worldwide Partner and Defined Contribution Business Leader for Mercer’s Outsourcing business in the U.S. From 1995-2004, he served as Managing Director of Strategic Relationship Development at Putnam Investments, promoting business growth by leading the development and expansion of the variable annuity, sub-advisory, private equity and retail 401(k) businesses. Mr. Levy began his career at Fidelity Investments and Allmerica Financial, serving in a variety of business development, marketing, product and finance roles. Mr. Levy graduated magna cum laude and Commonwealth Scholar from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where he received a bachelor’s degree in finance, and earned a master’s of business administration from the Boston University School of Management.
He holds Series 6, 7, 24 and 63 licenses with FINRA. Mr. Levy is active in the community by having served on the boards of a number of community non-profit organizations over the years including having served as Chairman of the Board of Aviv Centers for Living and is currently a board member of Rebuilding Together Houston. He is married and has two adult children.
Rich Linton
EVP of Group Distribution and Operations
Empower Retirement
Rich Linton is Executive Vice President of Group Distribution and Operations for Empower Retirement. In his role, he oversees Empower’s segment distribution, which includes core, government, large, mega and not-for-profit markets. He also manages all aspects of recordkeeping and plan administration operations, including the Plan Service Center, the participant services center, compliance, conversion and implementation services, client services, processing operations, and financial controls. Additionally, he has responsibility for Great West Global operations in India.
Rich joined the organization in 2016 and has 28 years of industry experience, managing all aspects of the defined contribution business. Before joining Empower, he served as President of large corporate markets and retail wealth management for Voya Financial. There, he oversaw sales and marketing, relationship management, product development, platform management, field representative service, brokerage operations and strategic planning. Rich has also served at Bank of America, where he was Managing Director of the business retirement solutions group, and at Fidelity Investments, where he gained deep experience running a major part of the operations organization. At Fidelity he served in a variety of leadership roles in operations, sales, product, marketing and client services before becoming Executive Vice President in the advisor retirement business.
Rich holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics from Boston University. He is board chairman and president of the Society of Professional Asset-Managers and Recordkeepers (SPARK), and he serves on the board of trustees of Colorado Succeeds, an organization of business leaders who are working to improve Colorado’s schools.
Daniel (Dan) Madrid
Director of Performance and Planning
Delaware Office of the State Treasurer
Daniel (Dan) Madrid is the Director of Performance and Planning with the Delaware Office of the State Treasurer. Dan’s career has spanned multiple roles and areas of focus within Delaware State Government. He dedicated the first eleven years of his career to serving individuals with disabilities as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, then program administrator for the Delaware Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, followed by serving as the Director of the Division for the Visually Impaired.
In October 2016, Dan founded the Office of Performance Innovation within Delaware Health and Social Services, which drew both on his background in behavioral science and certification in lean six sigma to create an internal process improvement unit for the State’s largest department. Dan is a proud University of Delaware and Virginia Commonwealth University graduate, and currently resides in Wilmington, DE with his wife and two children.
Brendan McCarthy
DCIO National Sales Director
Nuveen
Brendan McCarthy is the National Sales Director, Defined Contribution(Investment Only) for Nuveen. He leads a team of more than 15 dedicated DCIO professionals focused on meeting the growing advisor, consultant, and plan sponsor demand for Nuveen investment solutions in the 401(k), 403(b) and 457 marketplaces. Mr. McCarthy joined the organization in 2015.
Mr. McCarthy has more than 20 years of defined contribution leadership experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining TIAA, he was Chief Operating Officer of F-Squared Retirement Solutions, a subsidiary of F-Squared Investments. Previously, he was a Senior Vice President at Putnam Investments responsible for Defined Contribution Investment Only Business Development. In addition, he held other leadership roles at Putnam Investments including 401k product development, DCIO relationship management and institutional trust services.
Mr. McCarthy earned a B.S. in business administration from St. Joseph’s College and an MBA from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.
David Murray
Financial Lines Head of Product Innovation
AIG
David J. Murray is Financial Lines Head of Product Innovation at AIG, where he leads product enhancement and development efforts in response to new and emerging risks. Prior to assuming this role, Mr. Murray served as Head of Financial and Professional Lines Claims at another carrier. He also spent more than 10 years at AIG managing complex D&O claims in positions of increasing responsibility.
Before joining the insurance industry, Mr. Murray practiced law for a number of years at Davis Polk & Wardwell and Schulte Roth & Zabel, focusing on securities and commercial litigation. Mr. Murray holds a J.D. from New York Law School, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review, an M.S. in Computer Science from Lehigh University, where he served as an adjunct faculty member, and a B.A. in Politics from Saint Joseph’s University.
Tim Pitney
Managing Director, Institutional Investment and Endowment Distribution
TIAA
As Managing Director, Institutional Investment and Endowment Distribution, Tim brings his knowledge and skills to plan sponsors and consultants as they design their retirement plans that seek to deliver the best possible outcomes for their plan participants. Driving innovation in the increasingly important default and QDIA space, Tim leads our custom default and QDIA strategies team. He works closely with consultants and plan sponsors to create default options unique to their plan that focus on generating lifetime income for participants.
Tim and his team are also responsible for helping our clients and consultants understand the value of TIAA and CREF annuities and the importance of generating a lifetime of income – TIAA’s focus for over 100 years.
Jason Remillard
CEO & Founder
Data443
Jason Remillard is a real-life security and technology expert with more than 25 years of experience pioneering technology solutions for startups and Fortune 500 companies. Building on the development of the industry-leading ClassiDocs™ structured and unstructured data classification and governance platform Remillard launched Data443 to address further gaps identified in data security.
Previously, Remillard served as VP of Security Architecture at Deutsche Bank, where he was responsible for Big Data, Security Architecture, Engineering and Analytics. Prior to his work at Deutsche Bank, he was a product manager with Dell Software (formerly Quest Software) leading the development of the Enterprise Identity and Access Management portfolio. Under his leadership at Dell Software, the portfolio grew at a compound annual growth rate of 20 – 90 percent over time. His career has included stints at IBM, Novell, Merrill Lynch, Royal Bank of Canada, TD Bank, Tucows and Ellacoya Networks. Remillard is also a founding member of the Blockchain Executive Group and holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business – University of Western Ontario, Canada.
Adrienne Robertson
Senior Director, Client Compliance & Consulting Services
Transamerica
Adrienne Robertson is Senior Director, Client Compliance & Consulting Services, for Transamerica’s retirement services business, based in their Denver office. She has over 30 years of experience in the retirement services industry, with expertise in ERISA and tax-qualified plans, including fiduciary concerns; operational compliance; plan design strategy; merger, acquisition and controlled group issues; and recordkeeping and administrative considerations. Adrienne is an active ASPPA member, and currently serves on ASPPA’s Government Affairs Committee. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Widener University School of Law, and a Bachelor of Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Mike Robinson
Sr Director – Employee Benefit Sales
LifeLock with Norton (Symantec)
Mike has been involved in the employee benefits business since the 1980’s including time with large insurance carriers as well as starting and running an independent general agency. The highlights:
- Held various positions with Principal Financial Group over a 23-year career. Responsibilities included managing retirement customer service operations, product development and sales management
- Sales management at Old Northwest Agents in Minneapolis. Sales development for both retirement and group insurance products
- Managing Partner for Excelsior Benefits and Excelsior Companies. Excelsior Benefits was a nationwide general agency focused on group insurance products in the small and mid-market segments
- Excelsior Companies was developed to bring LifeLock products to the employee benefits industry. Excelsior Companies started working with LifeLock in 2009 and was acquired by LifeLock (Symantec) in 2018
- Currently Sr Director for employee benefit sales at Symantec/LifeLock.
Tim Rouse
Executive Director
SPARK Institute
Tim has over thirty years of experience in the financial services industry mainly within retirement services of large mutual fund companies. For the past twenty-five years Tim has worked with major plan sponsors in state and local governments, corporations, Taft-Hartley plans, nonprofit hospitals, colleges and universities. Over his career Tim has worked with Voya Financial, Fidelity Investments, ICMA Retirement Corporation and The Vanguard Group.
Tim is a former President of the National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators’ Industry Board and a graduate of Villanova University.
Dr. Amlan Roy
Global Chief Retirement Strategist and Senior Managing Director
State Street Global Advisors
Dr. Amlan Roy is the Global Chief Retirement Strategist and Senior Managing Director at SSGA since April 2017. He is an experienced Global Macro Researcher specializing in Demographics & Pensions related to Economics, Investments and Public Policy. He highlights structural issues related to gender disparity, youth unemployment, systemic risks due to policy interactions with ALM & SAA. He is a Senior Research Associate at LSE and Guest Finance Professor at LBS.
Prior to joining SSGA, he was Head of Global Demographics & Pensions Research and Managing Director at Credit Suisse having joined there in 1998. At Credit Suisse, Amlan was a client facing Researcher presenting to clients in 25+ countries and speaking at 60+ global conferences/events. In a prior role he developed global risk and asset allocation models serving as an international expert on Financial System Architecture.
His big-picture macro strategic research in Global Demographics & Pensions is used by policy makers and investors and draws on the fields of Macroeconomics, Portfolio Theory, Behavioral Economics, Statistics, Derivatives and Econometrics.
Prior to joining Credit Suisse, he spent over a decade in academia with a distinguished teaching career in the US and the UK. He was UK ESRC Research Fellow, Ponders Fellow, a Boston University Doctoral Scholar and a Government of India National Scholar. Amlan has a PhD and an MA in Financial Economics from the University of Iowa, an MBA from Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and a BA Honours in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi.
John Scott
Director, Retirement Savings
Pew Charitable Trusts
John Scott directs the retirement savings project at the Pew Charitable Trusts. The project conducts original research and works with key experts and policy makers to understand the barriers to retirement savings in the United States, how specific policy initiatives might increase retirement savings, and whether enhanced disclosures of fees within retirement plans and IRAs can help both employers and employees make better decisions about their retirement savings accounts.
Prior to joining Pew, Scott taught and conducted research on public policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a particular focus on aging issues, tax policy, and the policy making process. He continues to hold a research associate professorship in UNC’s Department of Public Policy. He also has extensive experience in retirement policy, having worked in policy advocacy on retirement and compensation issues in Washington. Scott began his career as a tax attorney and consultant in the financial services industry with a focus on pension plan design and legal compliance issues.
Scott earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Cornell University, an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Maryland, College Park, a law degree from the Pennsylvania State University, and a bachelors in Economics from Swarthmore College.
Michael Shafer
Director, Relationship Management
SS&C
Michael Shafer is currently Director of Relationship Management for SS&C, responsible for ensuring the best possible client experience for several complex relationships. Previously, Michael led both Relationship Management and Business Development for the technology & servicing platforms of Wealth Management Systems Inc. (WMSI), a firm which was acquired by DST in August 2015.
Prior to joining WMSI, Michael served as a Corporate Vice President of New York Life Insurance Company and was the head of the Retirement Market unit for New York Life’s Agency Department. In this role, Michael was responsible for the sales and marketing of IRA rollover and retirement income products, as well as life insurance and long term care insurance products for pre-retirees and retirees for New York Life’s career agency channel. Prior to joining New York Life, Michael was with Prudential Retirement Services, where he was instrumental in creating their asset retention strategy for their DB and DC plans in addition to creating and leading their IRA rollover sales desk.
Michael currently holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) designation, as well as Series 7, 24 and 63 designations from FINRA, and had previously earned the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designations from the American College.
Adam Sokolic
Chief Operating Officer
HUB International
Adam is Chief Operating Officer, Financial Services for HUB International. He has spent the last 20+ years leading both small and large organizations through transformative product & platform development.
Prior to joining HUB International, Adam was the COO and a Founding Partner of the Wise Rhino Group where he focused on the operational aspects of mergers and acquisitions for retirement plan consultants and the surrounding eco system. This was after leaving American Century Investments, where he served as Senior Vice President of Retirement and Head of Client Marketing and was a senior member of the Americas Distribution Team where he lead retirement strategy and client marketing.
Adam has a long history of delivering unique product and platforms that have changed the way his clients interact with their customers. As the Senior Vice President of Retirement Partners for LPL Financial, Mr. Sokolic lead the creation and day to day management of the LPL Financial Worksite Solutions program. Worksite Financial Solutions is a suite of services specifically developed to address the financial wellness of employees and assist them in their effort to create confidence in their financial lives.
Prior to joining LPL Financial, Mr. Sokolic was Senior Vice President of Operations for National Retirement Partners. In that role, he led all operational functions at the firm including the development of NRPs integrated tool suite platform. Adam is a recognized industry leader on the topics of technology, marketing and data and often can be found speaking at industry conferences and writing on these topics. Themes/areas Mr. Sokolic holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the Pennsylvania State University. He also holds the NASD Series 7, Series 6 and Series 63 licenses along with the AIF® and PPC® designations
Danny Streiff
VP of Strategic Partner Sales
HealthEquity
Danny Streiff founded Matrix Communications Technologies in 2003 and grew the organization to become the second largest provider of communication materials and internet based applications in the Retirement Plan and Health Plan industries. Matrix is now part of the Broadridge family of companies. In recent years Streiff has held positions as National Sales Manager for Reliance Trust Company as well as Head of National Core Market Sales for vWISE.
Streiff entered the Health Savings Account space in 2017 as director of National Platform Development for HealthSavings Administrators. He was responsible for expanding the distribution of their Health Care Savings Account Investment Programs into the platforms of Banks, Credit Unions, Record-Keepers, TPA’s and Wealth Management Firms.
Today, Streiff is Vice President of Strategic Partner Sales for HealthEquity. HealthEquity is the nation’s fastest growing HSA provider and one the countries largest with over 45,000 plans. Streiff is responsible for spreading the health and wealth massage nationwide. His primary role at HealthEquity is to create integrated HSA and retirement plan partnerships with nations largest retirement plan providers. Danny is a proud member of the Board of Trustees of the NASCAR Speedway Children’s Charities.
Laurel Taylor
CEO
FutureFuel.io
Laurel Taylor is the founder and driving force behind FutureFuel.io. Laurel’s mission is to reduce student debt by $1.5B by 2021, in partnership with the private sector.
Laurel has lived the problem we solve for both of our customers – as a leader seeking innovative incentives to retain top talent and as a student funding her education. When presented with a 9% interest rate on a student loan to fund her stint at MIT, with a credit score north of 800, she knew there was both an arbitrage opportunity and a serious need to innovate our way out of the mess that is student loan indebtedness and inappropriate risk profiling.
Laurel previously held a Head of Industry leadership position within Google’s Global Business Unit within the Large Customer Sales division, where she was responsible for meeting and exceeding eight-figure revenue targets. During this time, she also served as a super connector and cross-functional bridge within Google: Google Ventures, Partnerships, X, and Enterprise. Prior to Laurel’s role at Google, she served as the Chief Revenue Officer and Executive Vice President of a technology and engineering firm in the San Francisco Bay Area, TEECOM. Her 15+ years at the intersection of technology and humanity enabled Laurel to internalize strong user preferences for all-things-mobile, efficiency, simplicity, instant access and engagement. Laurel holds a Master of Business Administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management. She holds an undergraduate degree from Texas State University where she majored in Organizational Communication, graduating summa cum laude.
Kevin Walsh
Principal
Groom Law Group, Chartered
Kevin L. Walsh is a principal at Groom Law Group, Chartered. Mr. Walsh advises clients on a wide range of fiduciary matters and other issues involving benefit plans. His practice ranges from helping plan service providers comply with Department of Labor (DOL) guidance, to helping them navigate developing data privacy rules, to the intersection of retirement and securities law.
Mr. Walsh regularly speaks on fiduciary matters, data privacy, and legislative issues and has been quoted in media including the Wall Street Journal, InvestmentNews, and BenefitsPro. Mr. Walsh clerked for Judge D. Michael Fisher of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, received his J.D. from the University of Virginia, and received his B.A. from Georgetown University, where he was captain of the men’s swimming team.
Jeanne Klinefelter Wilson
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy
DOL
Jeanne Klinefelter Wilson is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). As Deputy Assistant Secretary, Ms. Wilson directs the policy, legislative, and research functions of EBSA. She serves as liaison to other government agencies and the private sector on a variety of issues relating to ERISA.
Before her appointment as Deputy Assistant Secretary, Ms. Wilson served as counsel to plan sponsors and fiduciaries for over fifteen years. Prior to her graduation from law school, Ms. Wilson worked for seven years at a national accounting firm where she audited employee benefit plans and provided employee benefit plan compliance advice.
Ms. Wilson graduated magna cum laude from University of Houston Law Center in 1994. She is also a graduate of Auburn University.
Josephine Wolff
Assistant Professor
Rochester Institute of Technology
Josephine Wolff is an assistant professor of public policy and computing security at the Rochester Institute of Technology. In the fall of 2019, she will join the faculty of Tufts’ Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy as assistant professor of cybersecurity policy.
She recently published the book “You’ll See This Message When It Is Too Late: The Legal and Economic Aftermath of Cybersecurity Breaches” (MIT Press, 2018).
Her writing on cybersecurity has also appeared in Slate, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Wired.
Snezana Zlatar
SVP, Full Service Solutions Product & Business Development
Prudential Retirement
Snezana Zlatar is senior vice president at Prudential Retirement, a business unit of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), and a leading provider of defined contribution, defined benefit, nonqualified deferred compensation plan administration, and institutional investment and risk management services.
Snezana joined Prudential in 2015 and she leads the Product & Business Management organization. Her responsibilities include Defined Contribution, Defined Benefits, Nonqualified and Individual Business Segment Management, Digital Strategy, Investment Solutions and Platform Management, and New Business Underwriting. She is the Chairwoman and CEO of Prudential Bank & Trust Company. Her responsibilities include Prudential Trust Company and Global Portfolio Solutions RIA.
Prior to joining Prudential, Snezana was managing director in the Global Wealth & Investment Management division at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. During her tenure there, she had a variety of executive responsibilities leading global business management, business analysis, performance measurement and business intelligence, analytics and data strategy and CRM, as well as guiding distribution support, growth and risk management, and platform and business model innovation.
Snezana was also senior vice president at Fidelity Investments. During her tenure there, she led product development and product management organization for Fidelity’s institutional retirement business. She also had executive roles in consulting and strategic new business development. Earlier in her career, Snezana was principal in a Massachusetts-based strategy consulting firm. She consulted for large financial services clients, focusing on retirement, asset management, brokerage and insurance sectors. Her areas of expertise included business strategy, distribution effectiveness, client experience, product management and business transformation.
Snezana has a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and a Master’s degree in Business Administration. She currently serves on the Governing Board of the SPARK Institute as Vice Chair.