speakers

Derek Ashworth is an Associate Director in FINRA’s Advertising Regulation Department. The department protects investors by ensuring broker-dealer members of FINRA use communications that are fair, balanced and not misleading. Mr. Ashworth’s primary responsibility is managing staff members dedicated to the routine review of member firm communications. Mr. Ashworth also participates in the Department’s outreach efforts including serving as a panelist in prior FINRA conferences and presenting during selected FINRA Compliance Boot Camps. He has been with the Advertising Regulation Department for 24 years. Prior to joining FINRA, Mr. Ashworth was a program manager for a business and education partnership at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Previous to this role, he was a specialty banker and registered representative with First Union in West Palm Beach, FL. Mr. Ashworth received his Bachelor’s degree from Stetson University and completed his M.B.A. at Johns Hopkins University.

Callum Bedos is the Founder and CEO of Backpack Payments, a payments technology company that specializes in complex, third-party payment verticals with the higher education industry. This includes payments from 529 plans, prepaid tuition plans, scholarship foundations, private businesses, state and federal government agencies, as well as international organizations. Prior to founding Backpack, Callum was spent nearly a decade building SoFi, leading a number of teams including Capital Markets, Corporate Development and International Expansion. Callum also spent time as CFO of a consumer Fintech company, and began his career in Investment Banking in his home town of Sydney, Australia.

David Bell is Vice President of Vestwell and leads the 529 and ABLE programs.  Vestwell’s mission is to close the nation’s savings gap.

Prior to joining Vestwell, David was the Deputy Director of the Oregon Treasury Savings Network, a division of the Oregon State Treasury. The Network oversees the Oregon College Savings Plan, Oregon ABLE Savings Plan and OregonSaves.

In addition to working for Vestwell, David is an adjunct professor at Portland State University in the School of Business Administration. David received his bachelor’s degree in Business Communications at Point Loma University in San Diego and his MBA from Concordia University in Portland.

David is the chair of the Oregon Jump$tart Coalition and a founding board member of Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network.  David has lived and worked in Africa, Asia and Europe, but calls Oregon home with his wife and two daughters.

Jeff Bennett is a Senior Portfolio Manager and Head of Manager Selection for the Invesco
Solutions team, which develops and manages asset allocation strategies and comprehensive
portfolio solutions across institutional and private client channels. In this role, he leads portfolio
management responsibilities for manager selection across the platform, which leverages
Invesco’s fundamental, systematic, and alternative strategies to deliver precise, tailored
outcomes to unique investor needs.
Mr. Bennett joined Invesco when the firm combined with OppenheimerFunds in 2019. Prior to
joining the firm, he was a senior portfolio manager and manager due diligence specialist in the
OppenheimerFunds Global Multi-Asset Group (GMAG). Before joining OppenheimerFunds in
2016, he was with Alliance Bernstein as a managing director on the alternative investment
management team, focusing on asset allocation and portfolio construction, as well as manager
identification and due diligence. He was also director of research for Fischer & Co. Prior to
that, he was the primary analyst at Summit Private Investments, a fund of hedge funds that
focuses on long/short and event-driven strategies.
Mr. Bennett earned a BS degree in chemical engineering from the University of California, Los
Angeles and an MBA in analytic finance and econometrics from the University of Chicago. He
is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) charterholder.

Michele is Sr. Director, Relationship Management responsible for key clients and the retail direct strategy.  In her previous role she was responsible for the U.S. Digital Strategy including customer experiences, fraud prevention programs and fit-for-purpose data and integration products.  Michele has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry of which 20 are in product development.  She is passionate about the advancement of the customer experience resulting in a positive impact on people’s lives.

Michele is a member of the Expect Miracle Foundation’s Board of Directors. She is a graduate of the Henry W. Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and holds a Bachelors of Business Administration with a Marketing emphasis. She has also earned her CERT certificate from Carnegie Mellon University in Cybersecurity Oversight. 

Travis Brickfield serves as the Director of the Mutual Fund, ETF, and 529 Product Specialists. In this role, Travis and his team are responsible for providing timely, product related guidance to Raymond James advisors. The team serve as generalists, cover all asset classes across the multiple product types, and strive to provide world class service. Travis has been with Raymond James since October of 2018 and has previously served as the Senior 529 Product Specialist.  He holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Central Florida. Travis was born and raised in the Tampa Bay area and is an Eagle Scout.

Mark Cain is currently serving as the Executive Director for my529, Utah’s educational
savings program. In this role, he leads the organization in strategic priorities and
administration. Including operations, investments, information technology, internal audit,
compliance and communications.
Prior to his role with my529, Mark served as Deputy Executive Director for Utah retirement
systems, where he was involved in all aspects of administration, pension systems, savings
plans, Investments, employer services, retirement planning, communications, project
management, human resources, internal audit & legal.
Mark has nearly 25 years of experience in leadership, public policy, and finance. He earned
a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Utah and an MBA from
Westminster College.
Mark is a dynamic leader and dedicated advocate in the world of educational savings. As
Executive Director of my529, he is committed to making education accessible for all.

www.chapleaulawgroup.com is a recognized expert in the field of Section 529 college savings plans and Section 529A disability savings plans.

Mr. Chapleau provides consulting, counseling, representation, and training services to program managers, State agencies, non-profits, law firms, and individuals on a wide range of matters. His goal is to make the laws and regulations surrounding tax-advantaged college savings understandable so that stakeholders may take full advantage of these powerful financial tools.

Mr. Chapleau has advised clients for more than 20 years in connection with more than 50 State-run Investment Programs across 28 States. Mr. Chapleau is an active member of the Legal and Regulatory Affairs Committees of the College Savings Foundation and the College Savings Plans Network, which each educate the public on college savings plans. In addition, he is a speaker on, and moderator of, panel discussions at 529 and ABLE program conferences.

Mr. Chapleau leverages his extensive experience to (i) navigate clients through applicable tax, securities regulatory, and other legal issues; (ii) draft and negotiate required contracts; and (iii) prepare program descriptions and other marketing disclosures. He is the former President and General Counsel of Upromise Investments, one of the nation’s leading Section 529 college savings program managers. Upromise Investments was subsequently sold to Ascensus. Prior to Upromise Investments, Mark was a Senior Legal Counsel at Fidelity Investments.

Mr. Chapleau received a merit scholarship and graduated from Brooklyn Law School, and graduated from the University of Connecticut (BA in Political Science). Previously, he was a FINRA-licensed General Securities Representative (Series 7) and a General Securities Principal (Series 24). He is also a member of the Bar in both Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Paul Curley, CFA, joined ISS Market Intelligence (formerly Strategic Insight and Financial Research Corporation) as a research analyst in 2008 and currently oversees 529 plan and ABLE market data, research, events and media products, and services for institutional clients. He is the primary contact for proprietary data aggregation and analysis of 529 savings plans, 529 prepaid plans, and ABLE accounts, and authors ISS MI’s weekly, quarterly and annual business intelligence publications on the 529 and ABLE market. He also serves as the editor in chief of the 529 Dash e-newsletter and the 529 Insiders website for institutions, financial advisers, and the media. The website also provides marketing services for product providers and distributors.

Paul oversees the strategy and content for the annual 529 Conference and speaks frequently on topics concerning the education savings and ABLE market at industry conferences, over webinars, in seminars and to major news publications and media outlets. He is also the principal contact for ISS MI’s membership with the College Savings Foundation, the College Savings Plan Network, and the National Association of State Treasurers. In addition, he was a member of the Municipal Fund Securities Advisory Group created by the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) in FY 2019, FY 2020, FY 2021, FY 2022, FY 2024, and FY 2025. Finally, he conducts ad hoc custom proprietary research, consulting, advisory and presentation roles with leading product providers and distributors on market issues.

Before joining ISS Market Intelligence, Paul worked at Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P. as a fixed income operations analyst for retail, institutional and high-net-worth investment products. He has also worked in the global treasury and custody fund accounting departments of Investors Bank & Trust (which was acquired by State Street Corporation in 2007).

Paul received his MBA from Boston College, where he was awarded the Anne Murphy Award for outstanding contribution to the program and was accepted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Honorary Society. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Political Science from Emory University.

He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the CFA Institute. As a member of the CFA Society Boston, he contributed to the organization as a CFA review instructor, a practice exam writer, and as a program committee organizer from 2005 to 2013.

Kim DeDominicis is a portfolio manager of the target date strategies in the Multi-Asset Division. She also leads the U.S. College Savings Plan investment efforts. Kim is a vice president of T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., T. Rowe Price Trust Company, and T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. 

Kim’s investment experience began in 1998. She was with T. Rowe Price from 1998 to 2001, beginning in the Equity Division, and returned in 2003. Prior to returning to T. Rowe Price, Kim was employed by Merrill Lynch as a summer M.B.A. intern in the equity derivatives strategy group. She also was employed by MetLife Investments in the corporate bond strategy group. 

Kim earned a B.S., magna cum laude, in mathematics, with a concentration in statistics, from Bucknell University and an M.B.A. from New York University, Stern School of Business.

Cassandra DiBenedetto is the Executive Director of California’s ScholarShare Investment Board (SIB). In this role, she oversees the state’s 529 college savings plan, ScholarShare 529, with $16.5 billion in assets and 450,000 accounts as of December 31, 2024. She also leads the California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program (CalKIDS), the nation’s largest children’s savings account initiative, as well as the California Memorial Scholarship Program.

Before joining SIB, Cassandra served as Executive Director of the CalAccount Blue Ribbon Commission. There, she successfully launched a state-wide feasibility study on banking unbanked Californians, meeting critical legislative mandates.

With a solid foundation in public outreach, communications, and financial services, Cassandra is deeply motivated by her personal experiences with the challenges of affording higher education. Her passion drives her commitment to expanding opportunities for families to save for college and build financial security. Cassandra holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Sacramento State University.

Will works with clients to educate and help them navigate a variety of investment topics. He approaches each relationship with a focus on custom advice and client service to help clients achieve their investment goals.
Education: BA, Tufts University, MSRB’s Municipal Advisor Series 50 licensed

Steve originally joined Edward Jones in 2017 as a Financial Advisor and is now part of the Managed Investments team, with responsibilities including onboarding of Mutual Fund and ETF strategies, leading and facilitating the Managed Investments
FA Council, data analysis, product partner relationships, interfacing with branch teams around product-related inquiries, and acting as a SME for 529 plans and Education Savings.
Steve was born in Lapeer, MI and graduated from Spring Arbor University with a degree in Secondary Education (Social Studies, French, and Economics). Prior to joining Edward Jones, Steve was a middle school and high school history teacher.
In the community, Steve serves by coaching youth football, basketball, and baseball. He lives in Lapeer, MI with his wife, Katie and four boys. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, hiking, kayaking, and fishing.

Andrea Feirstein founded AKF Consulting Group in 2002 to address the growing need in the college savings marketplace for unbiased, expert advice on all aspects of 529 plan design and administration. Since then, she has expanded the firm’s focus to include ABLE plans as well as State-run Retirement Programs, and today she oversees the firm’s engagements on all these initiatives.  Bringing a multi-dimensional perspective to public administrators of tax-advantaged investment programs, Ms. Feirstein has advised upon a wide range of program development and operational issues, including fiduciary training, investment option design, administrative policies, marketing strategies and analysis, and consumer outreach.

In all, Ms. Feirstein has over 37 years’ experience in the municipal finance industry, including managing the proprietary 529 business for Citigroup Asset Management (now Legg Mason, an affiliate of Franklin Templeton). Previously she was an investment banker with Salomon Smith Barney’s Municipal Securities Division (1987 to 1999, now Citigroup), and she was a bond lawyer with Brown & Wood (1984 to 1987, now Sidley Austin LLP). 

Ms. Feirstein is active in the National Association of State Treasurers (“NAST”), where she currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Institute of Public Finance, a joint venture between the NAST Foundation and Pepperdine University, and for which she chairs the Executive Treasury Management Track. She is a current member of the NAST Corporate Affiliate Advisory Board, which she also chaired in 2013 and 2014. Ms. Feirstein has been a member of the MSRB Advisory Group on Municipal Fund Securities since its creation in 2018 through its suspension on September 30, 2022.  Additionally, she serves on the Boards of Directors of the New York City Industrial Development Agency and Build New York City, for which she chairs each entity’s Finance Committee.  Finally, she is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Randall’s Island Park Alliance, for which she serves as Treasurer and chairs the Finance Committee, having previously chaired the Audit Committee.

Ms. Feirstein graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and the University of Virginia School of Law, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Virginia Tax Review.  She is an SEC-registered, MSRB-licensed Municipal Advisor Principal (Series 54) and a Municipal Advisor Representative (Series 50), and previously was a FINRA-licensed Registered Representative (Series 7), Municipal Securities Principal (Series 53), Municipal Securities Representative (Series 52), and Uniform Securities Agent (Series 63).   She is also a member of the New York Bar (retired).

Rob Forshee is a product manager at Capital Group, with responsibility for management of American Funds’ education and disability savings products, CollegeAmerica® and ABLEAmerica®. He drives product strategy and collaborates with service and technology teams to deliver new capabilities. Rob serves as a board member for the College Savings Foundation, a leading nonprofit helping American families save for higher education. He holds the Series 7 and 66 licenses with FINRA and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Rob lives in San Antonio, Texas with his wife, and has a daughter at Texas Tech University and son at the University of Texas at Austin.

Eitan Gazit, Vice President of Institutional Markets at Prudential, has driven innovation in the institutional retirement business since 2016. Initially focusing on pension risk transfer, he led major transactions through collaboration with plan sponsors and consultants. Eitan’s subsequent initiatives included developing reinsurance offerings for international pension risk transfer providers and pioneering lifetime income solutions for the defined contribution space. Now, he is responsible for broadening access to stable value solutions across new and existing markets. With a background in actuarial consulting and a degree in applied mathematics from York University, Eitan is well-credentialed as a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and Canadian Institute of Actuaries, CFA® Charterholder, and Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Zach Gieske is the President of the Stable Value Investment Association (SVIA), a non-profit trade association dedicated to advancing retirement security through education, advocacy, and industry leadership. Under his direction, SVIA has undertaken a comprehensive strategic review resulting in enhanced member engagement, streamlined operations, and a modernized digital infrastructure. Zach has played a central role in raising the profile of stable value as a key component of retirement plan design, working closely with policymakers, plan sponsors, and industry stakeholders to ensure the asset class is well understood and appropriately positioned in the retirement landscape.
With a background in information sciences and strategic communications, Zach brings a multidisciplinary approach to association leadership. His work has helped SVIA more effectively serve its members and respond to the evolving needs of the retirement investment community.
He lives in Baltimore, Maryland with his wife, Amelia, and their daughter, Clementine. Outside of work, Zach can often be found cooking elevated toddler cuisine and exploring Baltimore’s best playgrounds.

Brandon Goeke is the Director of Operations for the Florida Prepaid College Board where he oversees business and operational policy, product development, and customer service. He has played key roles in the advancement of Florida’s 529 and 529A Programs including the implementation of Florida’s ABLE Program and, most recently, a records administration platform transition that centralized records administration, user experience, and contact center services for Florida’s college savings programs. Brandon is a graduate of Florida State University; he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Management and Human Resource Management and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.

Matt Golden, head of Vestwell’s State Savings Team, oversees the program
management and administration of ABLE, 529, and state-sponsored auto-IRA
programs. He brings over 30 years of financial services experience, with a focus on
retirement savings, investment product management, and college savings

As executive director of the Ohio Tuition Trust Authority (OTTA), Trisha Good is responsible for leading the agency and its 35 employees, recommending and implementing the investment strategy as approved by an 11-member OTTA investment board, and managing the overall operations of the Ohio 529, CollegeAdvantage.

Ms. Good served as the Chief Financial Officer/Chief Investment Officer from 2010 – 2023. Prior service with OTTA includes Investment Officer from 2000-2010 and Comptroller from 1996-2000. She also served as OTTA Interim Executive Director during 2015 and again in 2023. Ms. Good has previous work experience with Ohio Student Aid Commission, MPW Industrial Services, Inc., a CPA firm and Savings and Loans in Ohio.

She is a native of Milan, Ohio and graduated from Tiffin University, with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She also holds a Certified Public Accountant license (inactive) in Ohio.

She resides near Hebron with her family.

Jeannette is the Education Planning Consultant for Baird, where she has worked in the 529 and education planning space since 2007. She has been with Baird since 2004. Jeannette leverages her expertise in client and prospect meetings discussing different strategies for saving for education. She supports Baird’s financial advisors and branch support in understanding the tax benefits of 529s and how to utilize 529s in their book of business. She also develops 529 marketing campaigns for Baird and education planning content for Baird’s clients. Jeannette stays current with the industry regulations as it relates to 529s to further assist Baird’s branches with their client inquiries. She is the 529 product manager and maintains relationships with the 529 program managers and industry peers to continue to streamline the 529 business and to provide further tools, products and resources related to education planning. Jeannette is an active member of the Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association’s (SIFMA) 529 Working Group and attends the 529 Conference to share best practices and network with other industry experts. Jeannette earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She holds the FINRA Series 7 and 63 licenses. Jeannette, her husband Scott and two sons Connor and Camden reside in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

Jori Horn is head of 529 Marketing and Relationship Management at Principal Asset Management. As a strategic marketing executive, she is focused on providing brand awareness and product education to help create strategic, data-driven solutions. Jori has over 20 years’ experience in financial services, working across a variety of financial institutions and products. She started her career at Bank One as an analyst in derivative collateral, and then moved within a year to help launch the total return swap product. Jori gained her Series 7 and 63 licenses while working on the Fixed Income desk at JP Morgan. At Northern Trust, Jori led marketing and communications for Global Securities Lending and was also named head of the Crisis Communication Team in 2008. After moving to Invesco, Jori worked as head of marketing for the Broker Dealer channel and then shifted roles to oversee marketing for the 529 business as well as Investment Solutions Models. Jori moved to Principal in 2019 to help launch the 529 business. She has a degree in Finance from Indiana University and is on the executive board of the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago.

Ariel Huguet is on the Lead Portfolio Manager team in the Multi-Asset Solutions Group (MAS) based in NYC, covering multi-asset portfolios for U.S. wealth clients.  Ariel joined Goldman Sachs in 2022 from Raymond James where he worked within the Structured Products desk and the Private Institutional Client team which advised institutional clients on structured investment products and direct private investing. Ariel graduated from the University of Miami with a Msc in finance with a concentration in quantitative finance and a BBA in finance from Florida International University.

Kevin Johnson is CEO of Secure Ideas, a consulting company dedicated to security testing and training. Kevin passionately advocates for cybersecurity through his work with Secure Ideas, and as a faculty member at IANS. During his over 30 years in the industry, Kevin acted as an instructor and author for the SANS institute. He also contributed to a number of open-source projects, including OWASP SamuraiWTF (a web pen-testing training environment), Laudanum (a collection of injectable web payloads) and Yokoso (an infrastructure fingerprinting project) and was the founder and lead of the BASE project for Snort. Kevin has also served as an expert witness in court cases involving cybersecurity. 

Steven Johnson was born and raised on a cattle and grain farm near Assaria, Kansas.

After graduating from Southeast Saline High School, Steven went on to study Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University, where he was elected Student Body President and graduated with honors. Steven began his career in the financial services sector while remaining involved in the family farm. He continued his education at the University of Chicago where he received a Masters in Business Administration with an emphasis in finance and business policy.

Steven’s financially-focused education was a valued tool in the financial services sector when he led the development of an asset allocation software program that calculated the highest return of investment for a particular need. His interest and expertise in financial issues during the economic downturn of 2008-09 was a catalyst in his decision to enter public service. Steven ran for the state legislature and was elected in 2010. His financial and agricultural background led to committee appointments including Chairman of the Tax Committee, Chairman of Insurance and Pensions Committee, and a member of committees including Appropriations and Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Steven continues to farm wheat, soybeans, corn and milo on the family farm. He is an active member of the Assaria Lutheran Church where he serves on the finance committee. Steven enjoys volunteering his time by offering investment advice to non-profit organizations.

Steven was elected the state’s 42nd state treasurer in 2022. He assumed office on January 9, 2023 and is committed to serving Kansas as both a reliable banker for state funds and a responsible fiduciary of invested dollars.

Ed joined New York Life in December of 2018 and is responsible for developing the strategy and corresponding initiatives within business channels such as 529, HSA and sub-advisory partnerships.  He is also responsible for the top Key Consultant, Key Account, OCIO, and Broker/Dealer relationships. Additionally, as a part of his product benchmarking and enhancement responsibilities, Ed works with internal groups such as Contracts, Legal and Product Management to track and identify areas where New York Life can enhance and/or introduce new products and features to its Stable Value product suite.  

Ed has served as a member of the College Savings Foundation Board since 2019 and is an affiliate member of the National Association of State Treasurers. In addition, Ed serves as the Co-Chair of New York Life’s ENABLE disability employee resource group.  He has over 25 years in the investment and retirement business.

Previously, Ed was a Key Account Relationship and Product Manager within the Investment Product Group for ADP Retirement Services. He was responsible for assisting in the development, enhancement and management of the institutional retirement investment platforms and products, as well as managing the relationships with asset managers. Ed was also responsible for ADP Retirement Services’ largest alliance product with Merrill Lynch.

Prior to joining ADP, Ed spent 11 years at Prudential Financial and held several positions, with the most recent being a Mutual Fund Product Manager within the Product Management group of Prudential Investments.

Ed has a BS in Business Management from Fairleigh Dickinson University and an MBA in Investment & Portfolio Management from the Lubin Business School at Pace University.  Ed also holds the CIMA^®, CFS^®, CMFC^®, AIF^®, ARPC^® and Certified 401(k) Specialist designations.  He maintains FINRA Series 7 and 63 registrations and is nationally licensed for life insurance in all 50 states.

Jason Kephart, CFA, is a senior principal, multi-asset strategy ratings, for Morningstar.* He is responsible for Morningstar’s multi-asset ratings methodology and shares responsibility for research priorities. Kephart leads the firm’s global and North American multi-asset ratings committees. Kephart regularly contributes to Morningstar’s thought leadership on target-date strategies, 60/40 portfolios, model portfolios, and other multi-asset outcome-based products. He has been the lead analyst for multi-asset strategies from firms such as Vanguard, BlackRock, T. Rowe Price, and Dodge & Cox.

Before joining Morningstar in 2014, Kephart spent seven years as a journalist for InvestmentNews, Fund Action, and SmartMoney, reporting primarily on the mutual fund and exchange-traded fund industries.

Kephart holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Florida State University. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Viraaj Kumar is an Associate Director at ISS Market Intelligence. Viraaj is an industry expert with over 15 years of diverse experience providing research and consulting services for the asset management, wealth management, and financial advisor markets. His coverage includes the retirement marketplace, investment product distribution, the independent advisor/RIA market, retirement income, advisor recruiting, and the transition to advice/planning. He has formerly held senior roles at LPL Financial and Nuveen Investments, as well as at Financial Technology companies focused on advisor distribution in the mutual fund and insurance space.

Viraaj holds bachelor’s degrees from the University of California, Irvine in Economics and Political Science and a MBA from the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management

Jordan Lee is CEO of Saving For College (savingforcollege.com), the top online resource for saving and paying for education, and its parent Backer (backer.com), the leading fintech company focused on 529 plans. Prior to founding Backer in 2015, Jordan was a senior product leader at an enterprise software company, founded a Y Combinator-backed productivity startup, pursued a PhD in political science at Princeton, and was a public policy researcher at the Brookings Institution. He is the lead investment adviser representative at Backer, holds a Series 65 license, and has a BA from Harvard and MAs from Yale and Princeton.

Stacey MacPhetres is Senior Director of Education Finance at Bright Horizons, the nation’s leading provider of educational advisory services to organizations and families. At Bright Horizons, Ms. MacPhetres works with the team of experts developing, delivery and providing support in all aspect of education finance, financial wellness and student loan coaching. Stacey has devoted her 30+  year career to education finance. With extensive experience in financial aid administration at Emerson College and Elms College and as a consultant at Mt. Holyoke College, she has counseled thousands students and families through the college finance process. In addition, she spent more than a decade working as a vice president in education finance at JPMorgan Chase, where she was responsible for managing federal and private loan portfolios and financial literacy programs.

MacPhetres holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Marist College and a master’s degree in political communication and marketing from Emerson College. MacPhetres has been featured as an education finance and student loan expert in numerous news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, NBC News, NerdWallet, Money, CNBC, Fortune, US News and World Report, USA Today, and Associated Press (AP) News. She is a frequent guest on the podcast, Getting In: A College Coach Conversation and presenter at national student loan and education finance industry conferences.

Ben leads Amazon’s employee financial health strategy for the Americas and is responsible for initiatives that drive measurable impact for more than 1.2M employees. He currently manages a portfolio of financial benefits that include emergency savings, education savings, charitable giving, and Amazon Prime for employees. He also serves as a consulting partner for Amazon’s retirement and equity compensation teams.

Prior to his current position, Ben held roles in Employee Relations, Corporate Development, and HR Operations at Amazon. He also spearheaded a financial education program focused on upskilling young professionals, parents, and expats in basic and intermediate topics in personal finance.

Stan Marshall is a Product Manager for Ascensus.  He is responsible for Advisor Strategy, CDA/CSA development and growth, as well a key client point person.  Stan has nearly 30 years of financial industry experience, mainly in Custodian Banks, before moving to the 529 space in May 2022.  He previously was a Senior Product Manager for Custody, Head of Projects and Product, and various operational positions with a focus on industry standardization.  Stan is based in Massachusetts with his wife and 2 children (a freshman in college and senior in high school).

Chris McGee serves as Virginia529 General Counsel and head of its Policy Division. Chris joined Virginia529 in July 2008 as Deputy General Counsel.

Prior to joining Virginia 529, Chris was in private practice for 14 years with a focus on commercial litigation and commercial transactions and served in the Office of the Attorney General. He is a graduate of the University of Richmond School of Law where he was the Executive Editor of the University of Richmond Law Review.

Before attending law school, Chris was an Associate Vice President at Sovran Investment Corporation. He was also selected for and completed Sovran Bank’s commercial lending program, a full-time, year long program with an emphasis on quantitative analysis, credit policies, and loan structuring.

He regularly serves as a speaker, moderator, and panelist at national legal, 529, and ABLE industry conferences and has co-authored articles on both 529 and ABLE issues.  Chris currently serves as the vice-chair of the College Savings Foundation.

John Mitchell is the Director of College Savings and Deputy Chief Financial Product Officer at the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office. He and his team administer Bright Start and Bright Directions, the two Illinois 529 plans; Illinois First Steps, the Illinois statewide CSA program; and a range of statewide financial education programs. He lives in Chicago with his wife and son and is a tortured fan of the Chicago White Sox.

Abha Mohla is a Director in the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s (MSRB) Market Regulation department where she supervises attorneys in the department and advises the Chief Regulatory and Policy Officer on legal and policy matters relating to the MSRB’s rulemaking, compliance support, and regulatory coordination initiatives. Abha also leads compliance and education initiatives at the MSRB, including serving as staff liaison on MSRB’s Compliance Advisory Group and Municipal Fund Securities Advisory Group. As staff liaison, she helps facilitate stakeholder engagement by steering both groups in providing input to MSRB and its Board of Directors on municipal market rules, market practices, and education related to municipal securities, including municipal fund securities.

Prior to joining MSRB, Abha spent seven years at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). During her tenure at FINRA, Abha served as an Enforcement Counsel advising examination staff and analysts and handling disposition of matters involving a wide range of securities industry violations. Abha also held the position of Associate Principal Analyst in FINRA’s Market Regulation Department where she focused on cross-market surveillance reviews and investigations for the U.S. equity market regulated by FINRA. Prior to joining FINRA, Abha practiced securities law at Snyder Kearney, LLC where she focused on the representation of broker-dealers in connection with their due diligence of public and private securities offerings, with a concentration on non-exchange traded real estate investment trusts.

Abha earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and a J.D.

Lael serves as the Executive Director of the Education Trust of Alaska, which offers Alaska’s three highly rated 529 plans, Alaska 529, T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan, and John Hancock Freedom 529.

Originally from New England, Oldmixon settled in Alaska in 2006 after moving to work for the University of Alaska system as a Residence Hall Director at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In 2007, she joined the Office of Admissions and the Registrar as its Associate Director. She then served as Director of Undergraduate Recruitment from 2008-2013 before moving to the Department of Finance in the University of Alaska system office. Since 2013, in addition to the 529 education savings programs, she has directed the University of Alaska Scholars and President’s Scholarship programs. Oldmixon holds a B.A. in American Studies from Saint Michael’s College (2000) and an M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs (HESA) from the University of Vermont (2005).

LaKesha Page is the Director of College Savings and ABLE TN for the State of Tennessee Treasury Department. 
The TNStars College Savings 529 Program was launched in 2012, and ABLE TN was launched in 2016 under the leadership of Treasurer David H. Lillard, Jr.  TNStars is designed to give Tennessee families high quality investment options at a low cost to help them put aside money for qualified higher education expenses. One of the nation’s first Achieving a Better Life Experience programs to launch, ABLE TN has provided a valuable resource to help individuals with disabilities save to pay for qualified expenses.

As the Deputy State Treasurer for Consumer Programs, Julie leads Pennsylvania Treasury’s Bureaus of Savings Programs and Unclaimed Property. Savings programs include PA ABLE, PA 529 College and Career Savings Program, and Keystone Scholars, a leading state-wide children’s savings account (CSA) program which automatically invests $100 at birth for every Pennsylvania child’s postsecondary education. Julie also serves as an advisor to the State Treasurer on financial wellness and inclusion.

Prior to her current role, Julie spent more than 15 years in international development, focused on financial inclusion and impact measurement. She is passionate about building financial security and economic opportunity, believing that appropriately designed financial services have the ability to change lives by providing dignity, opportunity and financial empowerment. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southern Methodist University, Julie started her career as a CPA at KPMG in Chicago, IL and subsequently received her MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliepeachey/

Maya has over 16 years of experience in the Stable Value industry. She has served as Head of Stable Value Wrap at Pacific Life since 2022 and was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Stable Value Investment Association in 2023. In her current role, Maya leads Pacific Life’s Stable Value team, overseeing go-to-market strategy, product and market development, and distribution. She collaborates closely with Stable Value Investment Managers to deliver Stable Value solutions for retirement plan participants and education savings account holders.

Since entering the industry in 2009, Maya has held a range of positions at firms including Galliard Capital Management and Prudential Financial. She joined Pacific Life in 2018.

Douglas H. Polak, CFA, CAIA, executive director, is an investment specialist in J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s Multi-Asset Solutions, based in New York, focusing on institutional, mutual fund and 529 portfolio solutions. Doug began his career with J.P. Morgan in the Global Markets and Investment Management divisions after ​completing a 3-year Financial Analyst program with Merrill Lynch & Co. in their investment banking division. Prior to rejoining J.P. Morgan, Douglas served as Chief Operating Officer and head of business development at Third Wave Global Investors, LLC., a global macro hedge fund. Prior to Third Wave, he developed and headed Columbia Management Group’s strategic advisory services department, providing asset allocation and advisory services to institutional investors. Douglas earned a B.A. in Economics from Davidson College and an M.B.A. in Finance from Duke University. He is a CFA charterholder, CAIA charterholder, and is Series 3, 7 and 63 licensed.​

Richard Polimeni is Head of Education Savings Programs for Bank of America. Bank of America is one of the largest distributors of advised 529 plans to consumers with $19 billion in 529 college savings assets. Bank of America, through its Merrill Financial Advisors, offers 21 advisor-sold 529 programs and Maine’s NextGen 529 direct plan through its Merrill Edge online investing platform.
Richard serves on the MSRB’s Advisory Group for 529 and ABLE plans and he is a former Chair of the College Savings Foundation (CSF), a leading nonprofit helping American families save for higher education. Previously, he served in several leadership roles on the CSF Executive Committee, including Vice Chair and Secretary. Additionally, Richard has contributed to the organization over the years as Co-Chair of the Membership Committee, the Conference Committee, and the Media Committee.
Richard has frequently been quoted in articles related to education savings and legislative issues. He has also appeared on various TV and radio programs, including such programs as Fox Business Radio (Saving Your Money), Yahoo! Finance TV, Money Sense Radio, Business for Breakfast, Real Wealth Radio, and CBS (Mottek on Money), among others.
During his almost 40-year career in the financial services industry, Richard has held various sales, marketing, operational, and management positions supporting retirement and education savings products.
Prior to joining Bank of America in 2002, Richard spent 15 years with Smith Barney/Citigroup where he launched two of the country’s first 529 college savings programs for the states of Colorado (Scholars Choice in 1999) and Illinois (Bright Start in 2000). He also spent several years managing various retirement investment products.
Richard is Series 7, 63, 66 and 53 registered (Municipal Securities Principal) and earned a degree in Business Management from Brookdale College.

Chuck Ranney is Vice President of Mutual Funds, CEFs & 529 Plans within the Wealth Management Solutions organization at Ameriprise Financial.  He oversees the product offering, distribution strategy and relationship management of asset managers with a focus on developing and implementing sales strategies for partner firms to drive business results.

Chuck has been with Ameriprise Financial for 24 years, spending the first four years working in the Service Delivery organization before joining the Products team in 2004 working with mutual fund providers. He has had oversight of all mutual fund and 529 plan product/relationship management since 2009. 

Chuck graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.S. in Economics and is a charter member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum.  He is also on the board of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation and served as Committee Chairman in 2020.

Risa Schulz joined Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in June 2023 to manage the 529 Business. In this role, Risa is responsible for product and platform development for the Firm’s $17 billion 529 Plan business including the Morgan Stanley National Advisory 529 Plan. Risa co-chairs the SIFMA 529 Working Group, and her background includes over 25 years of brokerage firm, asset management, and financial services industry experience.

Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Risa held various business development, product strategy, program management, and financial analyst roles at Franklin Templeton, Legg Mason, and Citigroup. She has a proven track record executing strategies that drive new business opportunities to deliver results and growth.

Risa holds several FINRA securities licenses (Series 53, 26, 7, and 63) and earned her MBA from Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, with a concentration in Finance and minors in Public Administration and Philosophy, from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. In 2022, she completed the three-year Securities Industry Institute (SII) executive leadership development program hosted by SIFMA and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Julie has been with MEFA since 2007 and is a nationally recognized subject matter expert on planning, saving, and paying for college. She leads the College Planning Team providing assistance to families, colleges, K-12 schools, and community-based organizations. Prior to joining MEFA, Julie worked for the College Board, Nellie Mae, and American Express, and was the Director of Financial Aid at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She holds degrees from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Cambridge.

Luis Sierra is a vice president for Marquette Associates with 14 years of investment experience and works from Marquette’s Baltimore office. He joined the firm in 2017 and is a member of the diversity, equity, and inclusion committee, sustainable investing group, and nonprofit services group. Luis serves as the investment consultant on several client relationships with a focus on public funds and nonprofit clients.

Prior to joining Marquette, Luis worked as an investment counselor at Fisher Investments. Previously, he worked as an operations administrator at Efficient Advisors.

Luis holds a B.S. in finance and international business from Drexel University and an M.B.A. in international business and an M.S. in finance from Temple University’s Fox School of Business. Luis is a CFA^® charterholder and a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Baltimore. He serves as treasurer and board member of JANE (Jewels Advancing, Nurturing, and Empowering), Inc.

Ben is a Vice President and Stable Value Portfolio Manager at GSAM, responsible for construction and management of stable value portfolios. He is tasked with being the Stable Value Strategy Lead for the business, providing oversight for the stable value and wrapped fixed income platform, coordination of external manager and wrap credit review, and collaboration on new business strategy. He is a member of the Stable Value Wrap Contract Strategy team. Previously, Ben was a member of the Client Middle Office team within Goldman Sachs from 2010-2013. Prior to joining the firm, Ben was an Assistant Manager within the Alternative Investment Services team at BNY Mellon, and part of the Business Development team within DerivSERV at the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation. Ben earned his BBA from Baruch College in 2006.

Tiffany is a Principal and Chief Investment Officer at Capital Cities, L.L.C. Her primary responsibilities involve developing and overseeing investment strategies and policies for the firm’s participant-directed plan clients, including defined contribution and 529 plans. In her role, she provides customized solutions for each client’s unique initiatives. Tiffany also serves as an advocate for Capital Cities’ clients, quarterbacking their relationships with recordkeepers, program managers and investment managers. Likewise, she leads the firm’s recordkeeper and program manager due diligence efforts. As a member of Capital Cities’ Investment Committee, she actively conducts investment manager research, along with ongoing reviews of clients’ investment managers. Tiffany authors insightful white papers for the firm’s clients and prospects. She is a member of the Executive Women in Finance of Indiana, Women Investors Network, and Women in Pensions Network. Tiffany is a long-standing veteran of the firm, having joined Capital Cities in 2002. B.S., Business, Indiana University; M.B.A., University of Indianapolis.

Chris Stack, Esq. Managing Consultant, Saving For College, is a nationally recognized 529 authority and experienced in educational finance. An attorney for over 30 years, licensed in New York & Pennsylvania, Chris has experience in finance, investments and law relating to tax- advantaged products, including Section 529, since it became federal law in 1996.
As a partner at a major New York law firm, he advocated to his state clients the benefits of 529 programs and beginning in 1997 served as the principal or participating author for a number of states’ legislation establishing 529 programs, as well as amending various state statutes. He has been credited for actively and successfully initiating, advocating and assisting in the 2022 federal tax law changes allowing for “leftover” 529 funds to be transferred to a Roth IRA. He’s also assisted several states and plan managers implement their 529 investment plans that now service over $20B in assets.
Since 2001, Chris has been providing consulting and educational services while affiliated with SavingforCollege.com. He is intimately familiar with the provisions of Section 529 itself, as well as the various state laws and programs. Currently, Chris advises and consults with sponsoring state agencies, program managers and investment companies, and presents nationally to financial advisors, accountants, attorneys and actual investors on 529 plans.
Chris is a graduate of Fordham College and Fordham University School of Law, located in New York City. He has participated as an investor in various 529 plans since 1997 as owner of several 529 accounts.
Savingforcollege.com is widely acknowledged as the leading independent authority and resource on Section 529 and the various 529 programs and hosts a website that is the most often cited source of comprehensive information on 529 plans and developments concerning the industry.

I am a seasoned financial services professional with 20+ years of team leadership and advisor support experience for leading investment banks, broker-dealers, and consultant firms. Recognized for demonstrating a natural aptitude for effectively supporting clients with their retirement, wealth, and financial needs, as well as for providing data-driven and research-backed product recommendations and collaborating with stakeholders to quickly apply lasting resolutions to arising issues. Delivering superior administration on the latter areas of expertise requires utilization of effective communication skills, analytical skills, as well as industry acumen, trends analysis, project management and account management to support efficiency and maximum returns.

Currently, I am the Senior Product Analyst with LPL Financial. Under my leadership, I collaborate with fellow members of investment product team to manage and support existing business, relationships, maintenance, and ongoing developments of two of company’s off-platform programs– Education Savings Plans (529s) and Turnkey Asset Management Providers (TAMPs). For 529s, I manage over $13B of assets to support internal and external stakeholders, including meeting with stakeholders to discuss needs and develop products accordingly. Meanwhile, for TAMPs, I manage over a dozen TAMP sponsor relationships that, collectively, consist of over $17B in assets; additionally, I liaise directly with internal stakeholders to effectively prepare for Atria acquisition and resultant business growth of more than 60%.

William Thompson is an experienced executive and strategic advisor with deep expertise in 529 plan administration, fintech transformation, and digital modernization. As Deputy Executive Director of the Florida Prepaid College Board, he led the development of, and $15B transition to, a scalable, AI-enabled SaaS records administration platform built on Salesforce. His work bridges the public and private sectors, with a focus on enhancing customer experience, streamlining operations, and fostering value-driven decision-making. William brings a forward-looking perspective to the intersection of education savings, technology, and policy, with a focus on how platforms, financial behavior, and AI are reshaping the future of 529 programs.

Ryan White is senior director of 529 product management and subject matter expert for IRC Section 529 products at Columbia Threadneedle Investments. In this role, he is responsible for product management, development and oversight, as well as sales and marketing support for the Future Scholar 529 Advisor-sold, and Direct-sold plans. He joined one of Columbia Threadneedle Investments’ legacy firms in 2012 and has been worked in the financial services community since 2010, having previously held various positions with Fifth Third Bank and Fifth Third Securities. Ryan received a B.A. in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He holds the Series 7, 6, 52, 53 and 63 licenses with FINRA. In addition, he is a CFPTM professional, and holds the Certified Investment Management Analyst designation, administered by the Investments & Wealth Institute®, and taught in association with the Yale School of Management.

Kimberly Yee is the State Treasurer of Arizona. She is Arizona’s chief banking and investment officer and oversees the cash management of Arizona’s $64.7 billion state budget and payments to agencies, local governments, and schools. Upon taking office in January 2019, assets under management were at $15.4 billion. Today, assets under management have more than doubled to $32.2 billion.

Treasurer Yee is also the Administrator of the AZ529 Education Savings Plan. Since the Fall of 2020, Kimberly has grown assets to $2.67 billion with 57,390 new accounts opened to help families save for higher education and workforce development.

Treasurer Yee also led the effort to pass a state law requiring students to have financial education in high school before graduation and was the first State Treasurer to have visited all 15 counties in Arizona during the first year of her administration.

Treasurer Yee is the Chairman of the Arizona Board of Investment and State Loan Commission and is a member of the State Land Selection Board.  She also serves as Chairman of the Financial Literacy Task Force, Arizona’s first-ever statewide body dedicated to advancing personal money management and financial awareness for students, senior citizens, military families and vulnerable populations.

 ​Born and raised in Arizona, Treasurer Kimberly Yee is the first Asian American elected to a statewide office in Arizona’s history. She is also the first Chinese American Republican woman to win a major statewide office in the history of the United States.  In 2010, she became the first Asian American woman elected to the Arizona Legislature and served for eight years, both in the House and the Senate.

​Kimberly Yee served as Senate Majority Leader and became the second woman elected to this position in Arizona’s history, following U.S. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor who served the position in 1973, forty-four years earlier.

​Prior to elected office, she worked in the administrations of two past governors and in the administration of former State Treasurer Dean Martin. Kimberly Yee comes from a family line of small business owners.   

Treasurer Yee is a graduate of Pepperdine University where she earned degrees in English and Political Science and she holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Arizona State University.

Stephen Jagard, Vice President, is a 529 Distribution and Sales Specialist on the Strategic Accounts team within BlackRock’s US Wealth Advisory business. In his current role, he is responsible for business development, sales distribution and platform strategy for BlackRock’s 529 college savings platform. Stephen partners with BlackRock’s Wire, Independent, RIA and state clients, focusing on 529 education, state plan insights and the financial practice benefits of the platform. Prior to working at BlackRock, Stephen was a 529 Sales Director and Specialist at John Hancock Investment Management, where he was responsible for growing 529 sales across 15 states and managing relationships with financial advisors utilizing the plan. He has been working in the 529 space dating back to 2019. Stephen also has a couple of years of financial advisor experience during his time at Edward Jones Investments while living in Phoenix, Arizona. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, majoring in finance and minoring in economics.