Nevin E. Adams

Editor in Chief

PLANSPONSOR

Nevin is Editor-in-Chief of  PLANSPONSOR magazine, its Web counterpart, PLANSPONSOR.com, the nation’s leading authority on pension and retirement issues, as well as PLANADVISER magazine, launched in the fall of 2006.  He is also the creator, writer and publisher of PLANSPONSOR.com’s NewsDash, the industry’s leading daily source for information focused on the critical issues impacting benefits industry professionals – currently read each business day by more than 51,000 readers worldwide.     

In 2004, he oversaw the introduction of PLANSPONSOR’s Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year, and continues to serve as a judge for this prestigious award, which was expanded to include adviser teams in 2007. 
  
In 2005 he launched the PLANSPONSOR Institute (PSI), the education arm of PLANSPONSOR.  He currently serves as Dean of the PSI, which oversees the PLANSPONSOR Retirement Professional (PRP) designation, currently held by nearly 350 financial advisers. 

He joined PLANSPONSOR in 1999 as Executive Editor, and was promoted to his current position the next year.  A frequent and popular speaker at industry and trade conferences, he graduated magna cum laude with a BS in Finance from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.  In 1988 he received his JD, also from DePaul University. 

He has twice been awarded (2002 and 2004) NAGDCA’s (National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators) Media Recognition Award for outstanding coverage of pension and retirement issues, and has been named one of the 401(k) Industry’s 50 Most Influential by readers of the 401(k) Wire for three years in a row.

Ken Baker

Director Human Resources

Applied Extrusion Technologies

Work AET, Inc. PO Box 5038 / US 41 North Terre Haute, IN 47805 812-462-5144(Office) 812-841-1166 (Cell) kbaker@aetinc.com Home 4979 East Brentview Ave. Terre Haute, IN 47805 812-466-6698 (Home) bakerkandk@aol.com Family: Wife, Karen, a Nurse Educator. Four grown children and four grandchildren. Located in Terre Haute, IN since 1982. Current Employment Director of Human Resources with Applied Extrusion Technologies, Inc. Current Community. Secretary / Treasurer of the Wabash Valley Advanced Manufacturing Cluster. Chair of the Wabash Valley Advanced Manufacturing Cluster's Healthcare Coalition. Past Chair the Indiana Regional Workforce Board, Region 7. Chair of the Ivy Tech Community College Regional Board of Directors, Region 7. Previous BS in Engineering, West Virginia University. Two years in US Army. Engineer with FMC and Hercules Incorporated. Manager of Information Systems with Hercules Incorporated. Head Boys Soccer Coach at Terre Haute North High school (7 years)

Rod Bare

Director Asset Allocation Strategies

Morningstar Inc

Rod Bare is the director of asset allocation strategies for Morningstar Indexes. His responsibilities include product and business development for strategy indexes that utilize multiple asset classes to achieve investment objectives. Prior to joining the Indexes group, Bare was associate director of stock research for Morningstar’s generalist coverage teams based in Chicago, London, Toronto, and Shenzhen. He was also an investment banker at Deutsche Bank Securities before joining Morningstar in 2003. Bare has a master’s degree in business administration, with concentrations in finance and statistics, from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

Michael Barry

President

PlanAdvisoryServices

Michael Barry is President of the Plan Advisory Services Group, a consulting group that helps financial services corporations with the regulatory issues facing their plan sponsor clients. He has had over 30 years experience in the benefits field, in law and consulting firms. Plan Advisory Services provides information concerning regulatory developments affecting defined benefit and defined contribution plans, focusing on the challenges, opportunities and consequences for sponsors regulatory changes present. Before founding Plan Advisory Services, Mike was a Managing Director at Bankers Trust and, before that, the New York benefits partner at LeBeouf, Lamb, Greene & McRae. You can reach Mike at (773) 665-4050. His email is michaelpbarry@rcn.com.

Jason K. Bortz

Partner

Davis Harman LLP

Jason Bortz is a partner in the Washington, DC law firm of Davis & Harman LLP. Jason advises clients on tax and ERISA aspects of retirement plans and executive compensation arrangements. Jason is well-versed in the intricacies of representing clients before the IRS, and the Department of Labor. He has handled ruling requests, advisory opinions, prohibited transaction exemptions and controversy matters. He has also written numerous comment letters on regulatory matters, authored amicus curiae briefs on employee benefits matters in the federal courts of appeal, and testified on behalf of clients at hearings before the IRS and the Labor Department.

Rick Canipe

President

Presidium Retirement Advisers

Forming one of the first ERISA unconflicted independent fiduciary firms, Rick's firm Presidium and its sister company MillenniuM began to assume liability and duties from CEO's, CFO's and HR directors in the early 2000's. With clients such as Hitachi Metals, Inc. and Greenville Hospital Systems, Rick's role as an IRS Enrolled Agent has helped clients navigate the murky waters of the ever-changing IRS and Labor Department Regulations. Recommending passive, institutional no load funds has enabled the firm to beat median funds while reducing risks and costs.

Jason Chepenik

Managing Partner

Chepenik Financial

Jason Chepenik oversees the executive compensation and retirement plan consulting for organizations spanning a wide range of industries, including several Fortune 1000 companies and encompassing more than 35,000 employees. A Certified Financial Planner (CFP^®) since 2002, Jason became an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF^®) in 2007. This designation signifies his ability to manage investment processes in accordance with guidelines set forth by the Center for Fiduciary Studies. He has since emerged as a leading strategist and speaker on fiduciary best practices, as well as a key proponent of fee transparency for corporate retirement plans.

Susan C. Czochara

Senior Product Manager-Defined Contribution S

Northern Trust

Susan Czochara is a Vice President at The Northern Trust Company, Chicago. She is Senior Product Manager for Defined Contribution Solutions in Northern Trust Global Investments. She is responsible for the development and positioning of all investment solutions designed for defined contribution plans including Target Date funds. Susan has been in Product Management since 2000 and prior to moving into her current role, she was the Product Manager for the Quantitative Management products and subsequently the Taxable Fixed Income products. Her responsibilities include the coordination of marketing, reporting and compliance issues related to these products. Her first position at Northern Trust was as Audit Team Leader in the Treasury Investment Management Group. She supervised audit teams of varying sizes in the execution of investment related audits. Prior to joining Northern Trust in 1998, Susan was a Senior Auditor with National City. Susan received a B.A. degree from Miami University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. She is a Certified Public Accountant.

Richard Davies

Head Product Strategy

AllianceBernstein Defined Cont

Mr. Davies is responsible for AllianceBernstein's defined contribution product solutions globally. He took on his current responsibilities in June 2008 after leading institutional defined contribution efforts. Previously Mr. Davies headed retirement and college savings businesses for AllianceBernstein's mutual funds organization. He joined Alliance in 1995 from First Chicago Corporation, where he served as President of retail investment services. Prior to joining First Chicago in 1989, Mr. Davies was with The Boston Consulting Group and Procter & Gamble. He received a7 BA in Economics, with Honors, from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Mark Davis

Vice President

CAPTRUST Financial Advisors

Vice President, Financial Advisor Mark joined CAPTRUST in 2009 after an 18-year career in the defined contribution industry. Mark focuses on providing investment advisory services to fiduciaries of corporate retirement plans. Mark is frequently quoted in national media and regularly speaks at events on retirement, investment, and educational issues. Mark also recently testified before the House Education and Labor Committee and is on the founding Committee of NAIRPA, the National Association of Independent Retirement Plan Advisors. Earlier in his career Mark was with Fidelity, Schwab and GE Capital. Mark lives in Thousand Oaks, CA with his wife Tricia and their daughters.

Barbara Delaney

Principal

StoneStreetEquity LLC

An innovative entrepreneur and respected business leader, Barbara J. Delaney has been navigating the financial world for more than twenty-five years. She joined E.F. Hutton in 1980 and rose quickly to be become Senior Vice President of Personal Financial Planning. She then progressed to The Tribus Companies, one of New Jersey's largest employee benefit consulting firms, where she formed and ran the Investment Management Services Division. In 2001, Delaney drew on her intuitive business sense to launch her own firm, FFOA. This successful company gained national recognition in 2007 when it was named "Advisor Team of The Year." In 2008, Delaney's company merged with Avenir Equity and Madison Pension Services to become Stone Street Equity, Inc.

Mike DiCenso

Gallagher Retirement Services

National Practice Leader

Mr. DiCenso serves as the National Practice Leader-Gallagher Retirement Services, and President of GBS Investment Consulting, LLC. His responsibilities include: Vision/Strategy Creation and Implementation, Compliance Process Development and Implementation, Sales and Marketing Management, Product Development, Technology Development, Service Delivery and Acquisitions. Mr. DiCenso has served at the executive management level for more than 14 years with product providers, banks, and consulting firms concentrating in financial services with a focus in the retirement plan industry, both in the U.S. and Internationally. His experience includes retirement plans, life and disability insurance, non-qualified deferred compensation, mutual funds, worksite marketing, registered investment advisory services, wealth management and broker dealer operations. Mr. DiCenso has been recognized as a 2008 nominee for one of the top influencers in the 401(k) industry by 401k Wire magazine.

John Dixon

Manager Employee Benefits

Joy Global Inc.

John is the Manager of Global Retirement Benefits for Joy Global Inc., an international manufacturer of mining equipment, where he is responsible for the design and administration of both qualified and non-qualified retirement programs. John began his career in the retirement plan industry 18 years ago on the plan provider side of the business with M&I Trust's recordkeeping unit. Following a stint in New Business with Strong Funds, he jumped across the table 11 years ago and has held positions of increasing responsibility with Johnson Controls and Joy Global. John earned his degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin.

Shirley Dwyer

Director Employee Benefits

WellSpan Health

Shirley Dwyer, CEBS has been in the Human Resources field for over 30 years in a wide variety of companies including manufacturing, high tech, insurance and health care and in locations across the country. This background has given her the opportunity to develop a broad understanding in the field which has included both union and nonunion companies. She has served on the boards of several different professional organizations as well as community businesses. She has taught Certified Employee Benefit classes in conjunction with the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans. She currently serves as the Director of Employee Benefits for WellSpan Health, an integrated healthcare delivery systemhttp://www.planadviser.com/conferences/imageupload/pd09/Edwards_Marina2.JPG with over 8000 employees. WellSpan Health recently won Plan Sponsor of the Year in the non-profit sector as awarded by Plan Sponsor Magazine.

Marina Edwards

Senior Consultant

Towers Perrin

Marina Edwards is a Senior Consultant in Towers Perrin's Retirement Practice and serves as a national lead for vendor search and fee benchmarking projects. She has nineteen years of 401(k), 403(b) and pension plan expertise and has worked extensively with Fortune 500 companies to lead her clients in vendor search projects for qualified and nonqualified defined contribution plans, trustee and independent fiduciary searches, fee analysis and benchmark studies. Marina is a recognized guest speaker for numerous national defined contribution conferences and has been quoted in a number of publications including: Pensions & Investments, U.S. News & World Report, and Workforce Management.

Janet Ganong

Financial Consultant

RBC Wealth Management

Janet uses her extensive knowledge and experience in the 401(k) industry to assist plan sponsors in meeting their fiduciary responsibility by utilizing a comprehensive approach to plan design, investment selection, and participant education. She assists participants in reaching their retirement goals through planning and education. Janet has obtained the Accredited Investment Fiduciary^® (AIF) and PLANSPONSOR Retirement Professional (PRP) designations. These designations help keep her current on trends in the retirement plan industry. Janet holds a MBA from the University of Dallas, and a BBA in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Geoff Gottlieb

Sr. Managing Director

EWM

Since co-founding EWM in 2001, Mr. Gottlieb has had overall responsibility for the company’s business development, capital financing and investment activities. He is directly responsible for pursuing large financial services clients for EWM’s Deferred Compensation business and supervises its related marketing effort. Mr. Gottlieb also has overall responsibility for all of the firm’s current deferred compensation clients. In addition, he supervises EWM’s Third Party Fund Marketing activity business globally. Previously, Mr. Gottlieb spent ten years at UBS (London) and its predecessors Swiss Bank Corporation (London) and O’Connor & Associates (Chicago). During this time he helped launch and grow Swiss Bank’s internal alternative investment business (hedge funds and funds of hedge funds). Mr. Gottlieb became Head of Marketing for that division, renamed UBS O’Connor, leading a global team that raised in excess of USD 5 billion across all of the firm’s alternative investment programs. Before joining O’Connor in Chicago, Mr. Gottlieb was a management consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton in New York, serving a wide range of financial services firms and industrial companies. Mr. Gottlieb holds B.S. and Master of Engineering degrees in Operations Research, and an MBA, from Cornell University.

Jeb Graham

Retirement Plan Consultant

CapTrust Advisors LLC

Jeb has been with CapTrust for 4 years, providing investment consulting and fiduciary services to committees of private sector and non-profit retirement plans. Prior to joining CapTrust, Jeb spent 12 years with Raymond James, serving for many years as National Director, Retirement Plan Consulting Group at Raymond James. Jeb earned his MBA from the University of Tampa. He completed the Certified Investment Management Analyst® program offered by the Investment Management Consultant Association (IMCA). Other professional designations include: Certified Employee Benefits Specialist® (CEBS®), Accredited Investment Fiduciary® the PLANSPONSOR Retirement Professional (PRP). Jeb is past Chair of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA) Govt. Affairs – Investment Regulations Committee, and is a former member of the Securities Industry Association’s Savings/Retirement Committee.

Bridget Hagan

Associate Vice President Government Relations

Nationwide

Bridget Hagan is the head of Government Relations for Nationwide Financial. In that capacity, she represents Nationwide Financial in Washington, DC on all legislative issues affecting the company, with a particular focus on retirement policy. Before joining the company in June 2002, Bridget was with the American Academy of Actuaries as a pension policy analyst. Prior to that, she worked as a legislative aide for Congressman Earl Pomeroy, who is a member of the House tax-writing Committee.

Michael Hall

VP Western US Corp Distribution

Prudential Retirement

Michael is the VP of Western US Corporate Distribution for Prudential Retirement. Michael's team distributes DB, DC, and NQ retirement solutions through financial advisors. Michael is a Finance graduate of Northern Illinois University and holds FINRA 7, 24, and 63 licences in addition state insurance licenses.

Bill Heestand

PRP CLU

The Heestand Company

Bill brings over 24 years of experience in helping companies create competitive benefits packages. Over the years he has fine-tuned a unique holistic perspective when assisting employers with benefits analysis, design, and funding alternatives.

David S. Hinderstein

Sr. Managing Director

Strategic Retirement Group

David Hinderstein leads National Retirement Partners (NRP Financial) consulting practice which assists plan sponsors in responding to the many challenges in managing their retirement programs. David has extensive background and significant expertise in helping employers meet their fiduciary responsibilities and in managing their investment provider relationships. Keynote speaker at several industry conferences. Prior to joining NRP Financial, David spent almost 12 years in various management and consulting positions with Arthur J. Gallagher & Co... Most recently, he was President of GBS Retirement Services, Inc, (the retirement division of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.) with responsibility for consulting and servicing large defined contribution and defined benefit plans and overseeing all facets of Gallagher's regional retirement services practices. Previously, David held multiple positions with CitiStreet (formally the Copeland Companies), where his emphasis was consulting and servicing large defined contribution plans for healthcare and higher educational institutions. David earned his BS degree in Finance from The American University in Washington, D.C... He also is a Registered Representative and a Registered Principal with the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD).

Stace Hilbrant

Managing Director

401k Advisors LLC NRP Member

Stace Hilbrant graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Finance in 1980. He joined one of the leading providers in the retirement plan industry upon graduation and enjoyed a twenty one year career there. The last eleven years of his tenure there Stace served as Vice President of the provider's pension operations in the Chicago Region. His broad industry experience in the 401k, 403b and defined benefit plan business prepared him very well for his position as Managing Director of 401k Advisors LLC (NRP Member Firm) office in Chicago. Stace has been active in Chicago area organizations such as the Chicago Chapter of the American Heart Association. Stace is also currently Chairman of the Board for the Hadley School for the Blind in Winnetka, Illinois. Stace holds Series 6, 63, 24, 7 and 65 Licenses, is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF), a Certified Fiduciary Advisor (DALBAR) and a PRP (Plansponsor Retirement Professional). He is also a member of the Profit Sharing/401(k) Council of America (PSCA).

Kurt Hollar

Director - Benefits

CocaCola Bottling Co. Consolidated

Kurt Hollar is the Director - Benefits for Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, the second largest bottler in the Coca-Cola system, based in Charlotte, NC. In this role he is responsible for all qualified plans for the company's 5700 employees. He has 32 years of experience in Human Resources and Employee Benefits and holds the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) designation. He is a 1977 graduate of Furman University and a 1995 graduate of the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. He also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Charlotte Firefighters' Retirement System.

Robert Kieckhefer

The Kieckhefer Group

RBC Wealth Management

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Phyllis Klein

Director

CAPTRUST Financial Advisors

As the Director of Professional Services, Phyllis has oversight and responsibility for ERISA plan design and technical issues as well as retirement plan industry trends and initiatives. Phyllis works strategically with the vendor community to insure that CAPTRUST continues to be abreast of changes and developments within the retirement plan arena. Phyllis has a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse, and holds the PRP and AIF designations.

Kamila Kowalke

Director Institutional Markets

Dow Jones Indexes

Kamila Kowalke is responsible for institutional business development and client management and at Dow Jones Indexes. In these roles she works with institutional investors to help them meet their product development and performance measurement needs through the use of Dow Jones Indexes' products and services. She focuses on educating investors on the benefits of proper selection and use of indexes as both benchmarks and passive investments during the portfolio construction, manager selection, monitoring, and evaluation processes. She works directly with trustees, plan sponsors, and consultants to promote the importance of benchmark education in the assessment of portfolio risk and return.

Michael Kozemchak

Managing Director

IIC a NRP Member Firm

Michael Kozemchak AIF, PRP - Managing Director Institutional Investment Consulting - a NRP Member Firm. Mr. Kozemchak is a practice leader at IIC and was individually recognized in September 2007 by Institutional Investor receiving their prestigious Rising Star award. Mr. Kozemchak and his team at IIC was also recognized in 2006, 2007 and 2008 by PLANSPONSOR Magazine as one top ten Retirement Plan Consulting teams in the US. Michael Kozemchak possesses the AIF (Accredited Investment Fiduciary) designation and the PRP (PLANSPONOR Retirement Plan Professional) Designation. Institutional Investment Consulting Inc. (IIC) is a national, objective, single-source provider of qualified and nonqualified institutional investment consulting services. IIC has conducted the most PLANSPONSOR Pathfinder searches of any team in the US since the Pathfinder tool was introduced to the marketplace.

John Kutz

Managing Director

Victory Capital Management

Mr. Kutz is a Managing Director for Victory Capital Management's Retirement Plan Services Team. He and his team work closely with Financial Advisors and Third Party Administrators who focus on the Retirement Plan business to deliver timely business support and assist them in growing and retaining retirement plan assets. He also is responsible for expanding and maintaining key relationships between Victory Capital Management and the various third-party retirement plan programs. Prior to leading Victory Capital Management's Retirement Sales Team,he was the National Sales Manager for the Victory Funds. Mr. Kutz has been with Victory Capital Management or a KeyCorp affiliate since 1993. Prior to joining KeyCorp, he held various sales management and product management positions with PNC Bank and Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh, PA. Mr. Kutz graduated from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, with degrees in Economics and German and earned a Masters in Business Administration from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. He has the following professional designations: ARPC, CMFC, AIF and CTP. He holds the following licenses: Series 7, 24 and 63.

David Levine

Principal

Groom Law Group Chartered

David practices in the employee benefits and tax areas, with a primary focus on matters involving qualified retirement plans, non-qualified retirement plans, and tax-exempt retirement programs. David received his J.D. from University of Pennsylvania School of Law in 1997 and graduated with honors from Johns Hopkins University in 1994. He is listed as a leading lawyer in The Legal 500 directory for Employee Benefits Tax work and in the USA Chambers guide for Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation. David is admitted to practice in District of Columbia and New York.

Eric Levy

Retirement Business Leader

Mercer

Eric Levy Retirement Business Leader Mercer's outsourcing business As Business Leader for the Retirement Outsourcing Business at Mercer, Eric is responsible for the general management, strategic direction, product and business development efforts of Mercer's Defined Contribution, Defined Benefit and Individual Retirement (Mercer Wealth SolutionsTM) business lines. In this role, Eric also serves as Division Head for Mercer Securities.* Previously, Eric served as Director of Business Development for Mercer's outsourcing business and as Managing Director of Strategic Relationship Development at Putnam Investments, promoting business growth in spearheading the expansion of the variable annuity, subadvisory private equity, and retail 401(k) business. Prior to joining the firm, Eric worked as a consultant on several strategy development projects for major investment management and insurance companies. Eric graduated magna cum laude and Commonwealth Scholar from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where he received a BBA in Finance, and earned an MBA from the Boston University School of Management. He holds Series 6, 7, 24, 27 and 63 licenses with FINRA. *Mercer Securities is a division of MMC Securities Corp., Member FINRA/SIPC

Randall Long

Managing Principal

SageView Advisory Group

Financial services industry veteran Randall C. Long is the founder and Managing Principal of SageView Advisory Group, a consulting firm specializing in services for retirement plan sponsors and personal wealth management clients. Headquartered in Irvine, California, SageView delivers customized solutions to retirement plan sponsors and participants, as well as personal wealth management services to individuals, throughout the United States. Randy has over 25 years of experience in retirement plans and has provided consulting and fiduciary advisory services to over 200 major corporations in the area of plan design, investment consulting, record keeping, compliance, employee education and communication. He has extensive experience in the oversight and operations of retirement plans advising and assisting plan fiduciaries in their fiduciary responsibilities.

Michael Maresh

Financial Adviser

Merrill Lynch

Michael is a partner in The Maresh-Yoshida Group with Merrill Lynch. His team specializes in advising companies with plan provider analyses, plan design, investment selection and participant education. They have been nominated as "one of the most successful retirement plan advisers in America" for 2006, 2007 and 2008 from PLANSPONSOR Magazine. Michael has obtained the following designations: Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF^®), Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist (CRPS^®), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC^®), PlanSponsor Retirement Professional (PRP^®). He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.

Peter Margiotta

National Sales Director

GreatWest Retirement Services

Mr. Margiotta has more than 21 years of experience in the pension industry, specializing in retirement plans for healthcare and not-for-profit organizations. Currently, his responsibilities range from the marketing of our products to overseeing the transition and integration of new clients to Great-West. Prior to joining Great-West in 2005, Mr. Margiotta worked for Diversified Investment Advisors where his responsibilities included client servicing and marketing. He has a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Iona College and is FINRA Series 6 and 63 registered.

Doug Morris

VP- Retirement Services

Lockton Investment Advisors

Mr. Morris is the Retirement Plans Practice Leader for Lockton Investment Advisors in Chicago. He is responsible for retirement plan consulting for Lockton's large and mid market clients and focuses on providing services to 401k, 403b and defined benefit pension plans. Doug has more than twenty years of experience providing retirement and employee benefits consulting for companies from a wide variety of industries.

Claiborne Morton III AIF PRP

Retirement Plan Consultant

Raymond James

Chip Morton assists corporations by helping them manage their fiduciary responsibilities as retirement plan sponsors. Chip brings more than 18 years' experience to his position as retirement plan consultant for an independent benefits consulting group, the Corporate Advisors Group.* Corporate benefits are offered through Raymond James Financial Services. After earning a bachelor's degree from Hamden-Sydney College in Virginia, Chip attended graduate schools at the University of Virginia and the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Following service with the United States Air Force, he gained financial services industry experience with Shearson Lehman Brothers/Smith Barney, Prudential Securities and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter before joining Raymond James in 1997. While Chip is involved in offering retirement plan consulting services based on the plan sponsor's unique needs, he is passionate about offering the highest levels of personalized consulting, whether the plan sponsor client is engaged at the plan level, the participant level or in a rollover assistance program. He wants to put his frontline experience in the industry to its best use and has spent considerable time pushing for high industry standards. He has made a point of advocating that the Department of Labor establish minimum qualifications for advisors who work with retirement plans. Chip has been honored to have spoken at several national industry conferences and to have testified about best practices during the Department of Labor's participant advice hearings. Featured speaker or panel discussion appearances include those at the Plansponsor Institute's Plan Adviser Conference, fall 2006 (discussing advice in retirement plans); the Plansponsor National Web Broadcast, summer 2007 (speaking on managed accounts and participant advice); and the Plansponsor Institute Symposium on Participant Rollovers (speaking on participant rollovers and employer relations). He also served as an advisor to Dalbar regarding the role and supervision of fiduciary advisors under the Pension Protection Act of 2006. He has been recognized several times as one of the Plansponsor Institute's most successful advisors and was one of five finalists for the 2008 Advisor of the Year honor.** Chip is a member of the American Society of Pension Providers and Actuaries (ASPPA) and has earned both Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) and Plansponsor Retirement Professional (PRP) designations. Chip says one of his most important roles is developing programs to educate participants on how to save for their retirement needs. His mission is to achieve retirement with dignity for all plan participants.

Jennifer Flodin

Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder

Plan Sponsor Advisors

For almost twenty years, Jennifer has been involved in the investment and retirement plan industry. As a co-founder of PSA, Jennifer is charged with a broad range of duties including: acquiring new clients, managing client relationships, managing the firm’s compliance oversight program as well as serving on the firm’s Investment Committee that is responsible for selection, de-selection and oversight of all client assets. Jennifer is a frequent speaker on issues involving the retirement plan market and has spoken on a variety of retirement plan topics such as the Pension Protection Act (PPA), retirement plan operational compliance, investment selection, de-selection and monitoring, fiduciary best practices, as well as the ever evolving issue of fee disclosure. As recognition for her accomplishments in the industry, Jennifer was named on the inaugural list of “The 20 Rising Stars of the Retirement Plan Advisors” by Institutional Investor. In addition, Jennifer has been interviewed by the General Accountability Office (GAO), as well as quoted in Institutional Investor, Crain’s, Investment News, and PLANSPONSOR, to name a few. Jennifer holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary™ (AIF) designation from the Center for Fiduciary Studies, affiliated with the Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh; PLANSPONSOR Retirement Professional (PRP) designation from PLANSPONSOR, FINRA Series 7, 24, 51, 63 and 65 licenses as well as Life and Health licenses. Jennifer is an active volunteer for the March of Dimes and is a member of the Profit Sharing/401(k) Council of America (PSCA). Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.

Annette Grabow

Manager of Retirement Benefits

M. A. Mortenson Company

As the Manager of Retirement Benefits for M. A. Mortenson Company, an international construction firm, Annette Grabow is responsible for the design, implementation and administration of all qualified and non-qualified retirement plans and chairs the Retirement Plan Committee at Mortenson. Ms. Grabow has been with Mortenson for over 25 years and has 20 years experience in the retirement industry, and currently serves on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for the Profit Sharing Council of America. Ms. Grabow has designed and implemented education/communication campaigns that have earned Mortenson dozens of awards, many of which have been recognized in numerous industry publications, as well as in the Wall Street Journal, USAToday, and the Minneapolis/St. Paul Star Tribune.

Petr Kocourek

Executive Director Global Portfolio Solutions

Van Kampen Investments

Petr is a member of the Global Portfolio Solutions team and is responsible for quantitative techniques and asset allocation. The team’s experience includes designing lifestyle frameworks for global insurers to doing numerous full Asset-Liability Management studies for large corporations and central banks in the U.S. and internationally. Petr joined Van Kampen in 1997 and has 11 years of investment experience. Prior to joining the firm, he worked as a freelance scientific programmer at Delft University of Technology and before that, at the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (the TNO). Petr received a B.S. in physics from Delft University of Technology.

Douglas Prince

Managing Director

Stifel Nicolaus

Doug is a Managing Director with Stifel Nicolaus & Company, Inc. He has been working with retirement programs since 1990. Doug currently advises over $1.5 Billion in assets. Doug received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Northern Kentucky University and is a member of the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. In addition to his securities and insurance licenses Doug is a CPA, AIFA, PRP. Doug is a board member of BehaviorCorp in Indianapolis, Indiana Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company and a member of the Profit Sharing Council of America’s Research Committee.

Jason Roberts

Esq.

Reish Luftman Reicher & Cohen

Jason C. Roberts, Esq., AIFA^® is a partner of the law firm of Reish Luftman Reicher & Cohen, specializing in employee benefits and securities regulation. He counsels broker-dealers, registered investment advisers (RIAs), hedge funds, private equity funds, retirement plan sponsors and plan providers in ERISA and investment-related matters. Jason represents clients in federal and state court at the trial and appellate level (including the United States Supreme Court) and in arbitrations before FINRA. He also counsels clients involved in government enforcement proceedings and employment disputes. Jason has published numerous articles on fiduciary best practices, ERISA compliance and securities regulation. He is a nationally recognized speaker on issues such as fiduciary concerns, the efficacy of retirement savings programs and service provider due diligence and disclosure requirements. Jason is frequently quoted by both professional and public publications, including The Wall Street Journal, InvestmentNews, Dow Jones News, Ignites, PLANSPONSOR Magazine, PlanAdviser Magazine, Institutional Investor, Fund Action, and FSI Voice. He received his B.S.B.A. in Finance & Banking from the University of Missouri and his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

John Rowe

National Director - Strategic Alliances

MetLife

John is responsible for developing and supporting strategic partnerships with institutional asset managers and 401(k) recordkeepers. He works within MetLife's Institutional Income Annuity product development team whose focus is bringing 'Lifelong Income' to 401(k) programs. John has served in a variety of client-facing functions throughout his distinguished 26-year career. These roles included sales management, product development, client management, strategic planning, corporate development and executive leadership while at The Hartford, American Express, Merrill Lynch and Genworth Financial. John received his Bachelor of Science with dual majors in Finance and Economics from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Today he lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife and two children. John currently serves as Board Chairman for the Minnesota Zoo Foundation, and is actively involved in preparations for the PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in August 2009.

Charles Ruffel

CEO

PLANSPONSOR

Charlie is the founder of Asset International, the parent company of PLANSPONSOR Magazine, PLANSPONSOR.com, the PLANSPONSOR Institute and Global Custodian Magazine. He is an authority on global pension issues. He previously held posts at Institutional Investor and McCann-Erickson. He has Masters degrees from Cambridge University and Columbia University.

Jim Sampson

Managing Principal

Cornerstone Retirement Advisor

Jim is the Managing Principal of Cornerstone Retirement Advisors, an NRP Member Firm, and is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary. Jim has worked in the retirement plan industry for over 13 years and was a 2008 PLANSPONSOR Retirement Adviser of the Year Finalist. Jim has also appeared on the FOX 25 Morning News in Boston as a retirement expert. Cornerstone Retirement Advisors assists plan sponsors with provider review and negotiations, cost control, plan design, investment monitoring and employee education strategies, as well as educates and motivates employees to take control of their retirement.

Michael Smith

Senior Vice President

Avatar Associates LLC

Smith is responsible for QDIA strategies Avatar Associates, a tactical ETF allocator founded in 1970. He began his career with TCW in London and briefly joined spin-off GuidedChoice.com, an investment advice tool under the direction of Nobel Laurite Harry Markowitz. In 2000, Smith and TCW colleagues designed the fully discretionary 401(k) business methods that became the basis for the SunAmerica Advisory, elements of which were codified in the PPA. The group developed the QDIA programs for AIG, NYLIM, Great West, J.P. Morgan, TD Ameritrade, and now Avatar. Smith attended UCLA, the London School of Economics, and Notre Dame.

Steve Smith

VP of Corporate Plans and Product Management

Diversified Investment Advisor

Stephen J. Smith - Mr. Smith is Vice President of Corporate Plans Product Management and Sales for Diversified Investment Advisors. His responsibilities include 401(k) product development as well as management of Diversified's sales staff in the Midwest, South and Southeast. A featured speaker at many industry events, he has also authored industry related articles appearing in such publications as Employee Benefit News. With over 26 years of retirement plan experience, he has worked for Diversified Investment Advisors since 1990. Mr. Smith is a FINRA Supervisory Registered Representative with series 26, 6 and 63 licenses.

Bill Van Ess

Financial Advisor

The Vincent Group Inc.

Bill Van Ess, PRP,CLU, ChFC, CFP has been in the financial services field for 20 years, and wrote his first 401(k) plan 15 years ago...and still services that plan! Bill is also actively involved in the individual estate and retirement planning process.

Heidi L. Walsh

Vice President and Director of Consultant and Advisor Relations

T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc.

Heidi is currently Vice President and Director of Consultant and Advisor Relations for T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc. and Vice President for T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. a publicly traded financial services firm based in Baltimore, Maryland. In this capacity, Heidi is responsible for business development and supporting consultant and advisors with business acquisitions and client support. She has extensive experience in the defined contribution and pension business working with Fortune 500 companies, state and local government and small business clients. Heidi's former roles within T. Rowe Price included Communications Manager supporting defined contribution plans as well as Vice President and Director of Strategic Marketing and Business Development. Prior to joining T. Rowe Price, Heidi was a Senior Account Executive for Gray, Kirk/Van Sant, where she managed a national retail account. Prior to the advertising agency, Heidi was the Director of Marketing for Sylvan Learning Systems and was involved with the company's IPO. Heidi graduated from Hood College with BA in Economics and Management. She received her MBA from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

Dan Weber

Director-Investment Strategies

Lincoln Financial Group

Responsibilities Design retirement plan investment portfolios using mutual funds, separate accounts and collective trusts with the objective of maximizing investment performance, asset diversification and financial profitability. Another primary responsibility is to provide specialized investment and economic analysis and research advice and counseling to pension plan fiduciaries and field sales representatives during the initial and post retirement plan design process. Credentials Education: B.S., Business Administration (Accounting) – magna cum laude, Tri-State University M.B.A. (Finance), Indiana University Professional Designations: Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Chartered Market Technician (CMT) Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) FINRA Registrations: Series 4, 7, 24, 27, 53, 63, 65