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.

Rachel Biar serves as the Deputy State Treasurer for Savings Programs administering the Nebraska 529 Education Savings Program and providing oversight for the Enable Savings Program. She has had the privilege of serving in her position for over 21 years and is directly responsible for the administration, marketing, and oversight of the four NEST 529 Education Savings Plans — NEST Direct College Savings Plan, NEST Advisor College Savings Plan, Bloomwell 529 Education Savings, and the State Farm 529 Savings Plan. In addition, she oversees and provides guidance for the Enable Savings Plan. The Nebraska State Treasurer serves as Program Trustee for both NEST 529 and Enable.
Rachel works directly with Union Bank & Trust which serves as Program Manager for NEST 529 and with Ascensus as Program Manager of Enable. She also collaborates with the Nebraska Investment Council in reviewing the investments within the plans. In 2025, she earned a Credential in Executive Treasury Management from the National Institute of Public Finance at Pepperdine University.
As a resolute advocate for 529 plans, Rachel is a Past Chair of the College Savings Plans Network (CSPN), is a member of the College Savings Foundation (CSF) and has served on the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) Municipal Fund Securities Advisory Group. She is the recipient of the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST) 2024 Public Finance Employee of the Year Award, the 2024 CSPN Distinguished Service Award, and the NAST 2024 Chris Allen Memorial Award for Outstanding Advocacy in Public Finance.

David Bell is the Senior Vice President in charge of Education Savings at Vestwell.  This includes 529 plans and Child Savings Accounts. 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.

Travis Brickfield serves as the Director of the Mutual Fund, ETF, and 529 Product Specialists and 529 Platform at Raymond James. In this role, Travis and his team are responsible for providing timely, product related guidance to Raymond James advisors and their clients. His team covers education savings plans from start to finish – from opening an account for newborns to providing FAFSA guidance prior to enrollment. Travis has been with Raymond James since October of 2018 and 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. In his free time, he enjoys creating memories with his wife and two daughters.

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, is an Executive Director at ISS Market Intelligence, where he oversees the firm’s 529 and ABLE market data, research, events, and media products and services for institutional clients. He leads ISS MI’s proprietary data aggregation and analysis, authors the firm’s weekly, quarterly, and annual publications on the 529 and ABLE markets, serves as editor-in-chief of the 529 Dash e-newsletter, and is chair of the annual 529 Conference. Mr. Curley previously served on the Municipal Fund Securities Advisory Group of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (FY 2019–2025) and collaborates with leading providers on custom research, market analysis, and presentations.

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 their education and disability savings programs, CollegeAmerica® and ABLEAmerica®. He leads product strategy and partners 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 is based in San Antonio, Texas, and has a daughter at Texas Tech University and son at the University of Texas at Austin.

Since 1996, Ben Gibbons has promoted, advocated for, and shared the story of the Ohio Tuition Trust Authority and Ohio 529 CollegeAdvantage. Ben currently serves as the Director of Marketing, overseeing marketing, brand awareness, digital and strategic communications, and community outreach, for one of the oldest, largest and best regarded 529 college savings plans in the country. Previously he led agency efforts on government relations, digital communications and employer outreach. He also represents Ohio’s 529 Plan to the 529 Industry at the national level, through leadership and service with the College Savings Plan Network.

During his time with the Ohio Tuition Trust Authority, Ohio’s 529 Plan has grown from approximately 50,000 customers with $250 million invested in 1996, to over 690,000 customers with assets under management of over $26 billion today.

Ben is a native of Dayton, Ohio and received a Bachelor of Philosophy (Interdisciplinary Studies), with a focus on public policy and higher education, from Miami University.

He and his wife reside in Columbus, Ohio and are the parents of two daughters.

Brandon Goeke is the Chief Operating Officer for the Florida Prepaid College Board, where he provides executive leadership for enterprise operations across Florida’s 529 and 529A programs, including the Florida Prepaid College Plan, the Florida 529 Investment Plan, ABLE United, and the Florida Prepaid College Foundation. In this role, he oversees operational execution, service delivery, vendor performance, accounting operations, operational controls, and enterprise risk management, with a focus on ensuring the organization can deliver on its commitments at scale while maintaining trust, quality, and sustainability. His work spans policy, operations, product development, customer experience, and enterprise transformation.

Brandon is a graduate of Florida State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Management and Human Resource Management and a Master of Business Administration.

Jeannette Haen serves as an Education Planning Consultant within Investment Products for Baird, bringing over 20 years of experience as a firmwide subject matter expert in education funding strategies.

She partners with Baird advisors and clients to provide guidance on 529 college savings plans, broader education planning, financial aid considerations, and complementary solutions such as UTMAs, Coverdell ESAs, and federal student loans.

Jeannette also collaborates across the firm to support 529 platform initiatives, sales and marketing efforts, and the resolution of compliance and legal inquiries. In addition, she delivers advisor education and training to help integrate education savings into comprehensive wealth planning strategies.

She plays a key role in ensuring Baird’s 529 platform operates efficiently, adheres to regulatory standards, and aligns with client needs. As a member of SIFMA’s 529 Working Committee and a frequent industry conference panelist, Jeannette represents Baird by sharing best practices, learning from peers, and advocating for enhancements that benefit clients.

Jonathan has worked at MEFA for over 20 years helping families in Massachusetts prepare for college.

As Associate Director of College Planning and Content Creation, he provides guidance on planning, saving, and paying for college to students and their families and serves as host of the MEFA Podcast.

As a Capitol Hill staffer, investment banker, EVP/CFO of a NYSE company and entrepreneur, John has focused on demystifying the process of saving, planning and paying for college. Invite Education’s mission-dedicated team of software engineers, business and product development experts deliver data rich, best in class, simple, intuitive tools and content to financial institutions, 529 Plans and others to white label for their customers, prospect and advisors.

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 the Head of Retirement Product & Strategy at ISS Market Intelligence, where he leads the development and commercialization of data-driven solutions across the U.S. retirement ecosystem. With over 20 years of experience, Viraaj brings deep expertise in defined contribution markets, investment product distribution, and the evolving financial advisor landscape, including the growth of independent and RIA channels, retirement income strategies, and the industry’s shift toward holistic advice and planning.

In his role, Viraaj partners closely with asset managers, recordkeepers, and financial intermediaries to translate market insights into actionable product, distribution, and engagement strategies. He plays a key role in shaping innovative platforms such as MarketPro Retirement and Nexus, helping firms uncover opportunities, strengthen advisor relationships, and drive more effective go-to-market execution.

Viraaj is a frequent speaker at leading industry conferences, where he shares perspectives on market trends, advisor behavior, and the intersection of data, distribution, and product innovation within retirement.

Prior to joining ISS Market Intelligence, Viraaj held senior roles at LPL Financial and Nuveen Investments, as well as at financial technology firms focused on advisor distribution across mutual fund and insurance platforms.

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

Jordan Lee is the founder and CEO of Backer (backer.com), the leading fintech focused on 529 plans, which owns Saving For College (savingforcollege.com), America’s top education savings resource since 1999 (reaching >5M families per year), and TrumpAccounts.com. 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. Profitable since 2023, Backer has helped American families save more than $100M for education.

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.

Dave has served the education industry for 20+ years, working within bursar offices, financial aid, loan servicing, FinTech, and more. He now helps lead growth at Backpack, a purpose-built platform designed to modernize how 529 savings and scholarship dollars reach students and educational institutions.

Having worked across both nonprofit and for-profit sectors, Dave believes the most meaningful progress toward access, affordability, and education attainment happens when both sectors work together to leverage the right data, security, and technology to elevate experience and optimize outcomes. That shared conviction drives how he builds partnerships and why he remains a vocal advocate for modernizing the aid and funding ecosystem at a time when the rules, priorities, and landscape are changing faster than ever.

As the Executive Director of the Education Trust of Alaska at the University of Alaska (UA), Lael Oldmixon oversees the state’s 529 education savings plans and the UA Scholars Program, which provides scholarships to high-achieving Alaska high school graduates. Since 2013, Lael has developed and implemented innovative strategies to increase the participation, awareness, and impact of these initiatives, ultimately benefiting thousands of families and students. Her broader career spans over two decades in higher education administration and enrollment management, during which she has used her skills in communication, marketing, and planning to advocate for college access, champion youth voice, and foster local philanthropy.

Driven by a mission to empower Alaskans to achieve their educational and career goals, she works to advance the state’s social and economic development. Lael holds a BA in American Studies from Saint Michael’s College and an M.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of Vermont. She has been recognized for her contributions to the 529 industry and her local community. Her work has been honored with multiple accolades, including the Alaska Journal of Commerce Top 40 Under 40 award, the CSPN Chair’s Achievement Award, the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce’s Family Friendly Workplace Award, and a nomination for the Athena Award. 

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.​

Chuck Ranney is Vice President of Product Solutions within the Wealth Management organization at Ameriprise Financial. He oversees the firm’s product offering and distribution strategy across mutual funds, active ETFs, and 529 plans.  He is also responsible for asset manager relationship management, with a focus on developing and executing sales strategies that enhance partner firm performance and drive business results.

Chuck has been with Ameriprise Financial for 25 years. He began his career in the Service Delivery organization, where he spent four years before joining the Products team in 2004, focusing on mutual fund providers. Since 2009, he has led product and relationship management across mutual funds and 529 plans.

Chuck graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a B.S. in Economics. He is a charter member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum and serves on the board of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation, where he was Committee Chairman in 2020.

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.

Joey served as Mayor of Fremont from 2020-2025. Having never run for an elected office before, Joey led an aggressive campaign focused on growing Fremont together. His decisive victory in 2020 at the age of 30, made him one of the youngest mayors in Nebraska history to lead a city the size of Fremont.
As Mayor, Joey focused on growth, fiscal responsibility, and public safety. He led efforts to reduce the city’s property tax levy, moving Fremont to one of the lowest municipal levy rates in Nebraska—all while overseeing record growth in housing, business, and downtown development. He also helped establish the Fremont Inland Port Authority, one of Nebraska’s most significant economic development opportunities.
As Treasurer, Joey will work tirelessly to bring fiscal responsibility and transparency to the office. He will work to improve financial literacy, return unclaimed property, and be the best steward of the resources entrusted to the office.
Treasurer Spellerberg will also serve as Trustee of the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST529), Nebraska’s state-sponsored 529 college savings plan, and the Enable Savings Plan, a tax-advantage savings program for individuals with qualifying disabilities. He will also administer the dispersal of unclaimed property received by the state and will oversee the receipt and dispersal of child support payments. As Treasurer he will serve as a member of the Board of State Canvassers, the Nebraska Investment Council, and the State Records Board.
He and his wife, Ashley, have four children—Sarah, Hannah, Ava, and Joseph. Grounded in faith, family, and service, Treasurer Spellerberg is committed to growing Nebraska into the best place to live, work, and raise a family.

Chris Solimine is a Managing Director/Stable Value Solutions at Transamerica, where he leads strategy and distribution for the firm’s investment-only stable value platform. In this role, he partners with consultants, advisors, and recordkeepers to deliver flexible capital preservation solutions across a wide range of retirement plans.

Chris brings extensive experience in institutional investment solutions and capital preservation strategies, with deep expertise across all major stable value structures, including pooled funds, separate accounts,  synthetic GICs, and general account products. He has led the development and positioning of stable value offerings for large retirement platforms and works closely with plan sponsors and advisors to navigate market environments and optimize participant outcomes.

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.

Michael Starensier is a Senior Product Analyst with over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. He focuses on tax-advantaged products and cryptocurrency solutions, supporting the development and distribution of innovative investment offerings for advisors and clients. Michael partners closely with cross-functional teams to evaluate product performance, uncover growth opportunities, and deliver insights that enable informed, strategic decision-making.

Jeff started his run with the 529 in October last year after over three decades at the marketing and enrollment director at St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque. He is a life-long runner, who ran in college and was a hall of fame coach for 37 years.   Since Jeff’s start at the Education Trust Board, all time monthly records have been set each month, all while cutting advertising spending.  It’s all about outreach, and with the more versatile 529, truly REACHING OUT is the key to success.

Ryan White is vice president and leader of multi-asset, alternatives, & 529 product management at Columbia Threadneedle Investments. In this role, he is responsible for leading product management efforts across mutli-asset and alternatives investment products, and for administration of the Future Scholar Advisor- and Direct-sold 529 programs. He joined Columbia Threadneedle Investments in 2012 and has been worked in the financial services industry since 2010, having previously held various roles 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 6, 7, 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.