Chris Bailey

Director, Retirement
Cerulli Associates

Chris is a Director in Cerulli’s Retirement practice. He leads research and analysis that covers key aspects of the retirement industry, including defined contribution (DC) plan recordkeeping, DC plan investments, and the individual retirement account (IRA) market. His research examines market sizing, product adoption and utilization, the influence of advisors and consultants, participant behavior, and more. In this capacity, he regularly engages with key players in the retirement industry, including executives within recordkeepers and asset managers, investment consultants, and financial advisory firms. In addition, his team collects data and perspectives from plan sponsors and participants annually.

Chris brings 20+ years of DC market experience to Cerulli, having spent time at Fidelity and external research firms leading retirement and wealth-focused research programs. Before joining Cerulli, he led the U.S. market insights practice of a global financial services consulting firm, where he helped recordkeeping and insurance clients advance strategic decision-making and thought leadership. At Fidelity, he led the competitive and industry intelligence function for its Workplace Investing business and held several internal consulting and analysis roles prior to that.

Neil Bathon

Managing Partner
FUSE Research Network

Neil Bathon founded FUSE Research Network (FUSE) in 2008 to provide investment firms with tactical guidance that enhances the effectiveness of intermediary distribution. FUSE specializes in the four critical areas that drive distribution success—product management, sales management, marketing, and national accounts—delivering personalized, fact-based insights that lead to measurable improvements. With a team of 21 professionals, FUSE leverages a unique business intelligence model that integrates competitor analysis, financial advisor feedback, distributor platform insights, industry-leading data sources, and direct input from a carefully curated network of experts. This powerful intelligence ecosystem enables FUSE to provide ongoing decision support to nearly 50 investment firms of all sizes -- covering all product structures, and distribution channels.

Mike Dembro

Lead Investment Strategist
MFS

Michael Dembro is a lead strategist of investment solutions at MFS Investment Management® (MFS®). In this role, he plays a key role in translating the challenges and opportunities facing advisors and intermediaries into insights and sales ideas and coordinating the curation and delivery of thought leadership, with the ultimate goal of creating product opportunities. Mike joined MFS in 2024 in his current role. Prior to joining the firm, he worked for nine years as a portfolio consultant at Natixis Global Asset Management and, most recently, for three years as chief investment officer at Professional Planning Group. Mike earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Brandeis University. He also earned a Master of Science in Finance degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from Boston College

Jeremy France

Head of Institutional Consulting Solutions and Co-Head
Morgan Stanley

Jeremy France is a Managing Director and the Head of Institutional Consulting Solutions. He leads the institutional client businesses of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, consisting of Graystone Consulting, Fiduciary Consulting Group, Corporate Cash, Government Entities, Retirement and Institutional Infrastructure Solutions.

Under Jeremy’s direction, highly skilled and experienced consulting teams across the U.S. provide customized investment advice and solutions to institutional clients, including foundations, endowments, corporations. Taft-Hartley funds, healthcare organizations, nonprofits, insurance companies, and educational institutions. All teams have access to the global resources of Morgan Stanley, while delivering the personalized service of an investment boutique.

Before joining Morgan Stanley in 2020, Jeremy spent 15 years at Mercer, where he held numerous roles and committee appointments, culminating as Chief Operating Officer of Mercer US Wealth. In this position, he supported the acquisition, operational, strategic planning, and financial requirements of the division, which included actuarial and specialty consulting teams as well as OCIO Solutions. One of the honors of which he is proudest is having been the most-requested mentor during his time at Mercer.

Jeremy earned a B.S. in actuarial mathematics from Bryant University. He lives in Boston and sits on the board of the Graystone Foundation, which makes charitable contributions on behalf of the business to important causes.

Don Friedman

CEO
Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals (DACFP)

Don has 23 years’ experience educating financial professionals on emerging asset classes and investment vehicles, including private equity, hedge funds, liquid alternatives, fixed income, MLPs, Smart Beta, digital assets and ETFs.
He was Co-Founder of Inside ETFs, the industry’s largest and most successful conference, and Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President and Board Member of ETF.com. Don also created Inside ETFs Europe (that continent’s largest ETF event), Inside Commodities (the largest institutional-focused US-based commodities event) and Inside Fixed Income (the world’s largest independently run fixed-income event).

After leaving ETF.com, he founded JV Events Group (JVEG) where he created “institutional investor only” events including the Liquid Alternative Strategy Summit, MLP Strategy Summit, Smart Beta Strategy Summit, ETF Strategy Summit and the Digital Asset Strategy Summit. He sold JVEG to DACFP in 2020 and is the CEO of both DACFP and its sister company, The Truth About Your Future with Ric Edelman.

Todd Kading

CEO
Leafhouse

Todd Kading is a visionary leader with over 20 years of experience driving innovation in the retirement plan industry. He leads strategy, distribution, investments, and product design, establishing LeafHouse as a premier, technology-driven investment manager and fiduciary for retirement plans nationwide.

Todd launched one of the the first retirement-ready Collective Investment Trusts (CIT) featuring private investments — a milestone that opened the door for alternatives in retirement portfolios.

He also founded InvestGrade IQ, a tech enabled platform delivering advanced analytics, data aggregation, investment scoring, benchmarking, and practice management tools to streamline communication, provide data-driven insights, and increase automation for the retirement plan network.

Todd’s entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to creative disruption drives LeafHouse’s mission to elevate American workers’ financial well-being and address U.S. economic challenges through strategic partnerships.

Tyler Mathisen

Tyler Mathisen formerly co-anchored CNBC's "Power Lunch" (M-F, 1PM-3PM ET) one of the network's longest running program franchises, as well as "Nightly Business Report," an award-winning evening business news program produced by CNBC for U.S. public television. In 2014, NBR was named best radio/TV show by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW).

Previously, Mathisen was managing editor of "CNBC Business News," responsible for directing the network's daily content and coverage. He had been the co-anchor of CNBC's "Closing Bell."

Mathisen has reported one-hour documentaries for the network including "Best Buy: The Big Box Fights Back," "Supermarkets Inc: Inside a $500 Billion Money Machine" and "Death: It's a Living." Mathisen was also host of the CNBC series "How I Made My Millions."

Before joining CNBC in 1997, Mathisen spent 15 years as a writer, senior editor and top editor for Money magazine. Among other duties, he supervised the magazine's mutual funds coverage, its annual investment forecast issue and its expansion into electronic journalism, for which it won the first-ever National Magazine Award for New Media in 1997.

In 1993, Mathisen won the American University-Investment Company Institute Award for Personal Finance Journalism for a televised series on "Caring for Aging Parents," which aired on ABC's "Good Morning America." Mathisen served as money editor of "GMA" from 1991 to 1997. He also won an Emmy Award for a report on the 1987 stock market crash that aired on New York's WCBS-TV.

A native of Arlington, Va., Mathisen graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia.

Vincent Manning

Executive Vice President, Chief Development Officer
GTC – Global Trust Company | BPAS Institutional Trust Services

Vincent Manning serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer for GTC – Global Trust Company, the fiduciary trust division of Northeast Retirement Services (NRS) and a key subsidiary of BPAS. In this capacity, Vincent leads the firm’s national growth strategy, deepens strategic relationships with asset managers and recordkeepers, and drives the design of innovative investment structures that enhance access, scalability, and fiduciary alignment across institutional markets.

GTC specializes in third-party fiduciary trust services for non-registered commingled investment structures, including collective investment trusts (CITs), limited liability business trusts (LLCs), and synthetic investment pools. As a trusted partner to some of the industry's most sophisticated asset managers, GTC sponsors more than $130 billion in non-registered investment funds, serving defined contribution, defined benefit, and endowment and foundation clients. Vincent and his team are at the forefront of building innovative, scalable, platform-ready investment solutions — including co-manufactured private market strategies.

Through its NRS platform, GTC also delivers end-to-end trust administration, including institutional transfer agency, plan accounting, unitization, participant recordkeeping, and fiduciary oversight. NRS’s proprietary technology stack and deep ERISA expertise support customized solutions for asset managers and asset owners navigating complex operational and compliance requirements.

Vincent brings over 30 years of leadership and consulting experience in institutional product development, fiduciary innovation, and investment operations. Prior to joining GTC, he served as President of Old Mutual Trust Company, overseeing product strategy and delivery for more than $34 billion in assets under administration. His previous roles include senior leadership positions at BrightSphere Investment Group, Manulife Asset Management, Fidelity Investments, Mercer, and Venture Financial.

Widely recognized as a thought leader in the retirement and investment industry, Vincent is a frequent speaker at leading conferences including DCALTA, DCIIA, and NICSA events. He is known for advancing the role of fiduciary trust platforms in democratizing access to private markets within DC plans.

Vincent holds an MBA in Strategic Management from Boston College and a BA in Economics from Brown University.

Ken Munro

Senior Vice President, National Sales
Empower

Ken Munro is Senior Vice President for National Sales with Empower. In his role, he is responsible for distribution for the $0-$150M market segment. He is also the Executive Sponsor for Empower’s custom product solutions, which include all advisor managed accounts (AMA) initiatives. His direct reports include all Divisional Sales Managers, as well as the Head of Assets Under Management and the Head of Internal Sales. 

Ken joined the organization in 1992 and has over 30 years of experience in financial services. 

Ken holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and statistics from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in finance from Emory University. He currently maintains FINRA Series 6 and 26 securities registrations and the Series 63 state securities license.

Ed Murphy

President and Chief Executive Officer
Empower

Edmund F. Murphy III is President and Chief Executive Officer of Empower, a leading provider of retirement services and wealth management relied upon by more than 19 million Americans. Mr. Murphy has provided leadership and strategic direction to the firm which has seen a period of strong and sustained growth since its formation in 2014. He previously served as Managing Director at Putnam Investments and held executive leadership roles at Fidelity Investments. Mr. Murphy holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and is a graduate of the General Manager Program at Harvard Business School.

Judy Nelson

Head of Strategy – GIDS and US Retirement Services
SS&C Technologies Retirement Services

Judy brings over 30 years of experience in the Financial Services Industry with a focused concentration on Brokerage, Banking, Retirement, and Insurance. Judy has worked with many fortune 500 financial services companies providing expertise in strategy, business transformation, and revenue generation. The majority of her career was spent with Merrill Lynch where she led the Operations, Services and Technology Organization for US Private Client Businesses. Prior to joining SS&C, Judy served as the Head of the US Retirement Business for TCS Consultancy Services where she was responsible for bringing solutions and consultancy services to US Retirement market. Judy has also worked with organizations such as Lincoln Financial, PNC Bank, Morgan Stanley, T. Rowe Price where she has led large organizational transformation initiatives.

Joe Olivier

General Manager, Head of Business Transformation
SS&C Technologies

Joe Olivier is a General Manager within SS&C’s Retirement Solutions organization and is the Head of Business Transformation for the U.S. GIDS (Global Investor and Distribution Solutions) financial services teams. He oversees initiatives that improve operations and client engagement through automation and AI, helping asset managers and insurers streamline workflows and operating models, delivering better experiences for their end customers. With more than 30 years in financial services, Joe combines deep operational expertise with a practical approach to transformation, guiding firms toward efficiency and sustainable growth.

Morgan Page

Partner, Digital Transformation and Automation Services
Weaver

Morgan has 13 years of public accounting and industry experience in executing business process improvement engagements, working with organizations to define and monitor critical risk attributes, and operating as a subject matter expert on multiple application implementation teams to ensure organizational risks are identified and addressed. 

He plans and executes many different types of engagements, including internal audits, reporting and tool development engagements, business impact analyses, disaster recovery / business continuity planning evaluations and engagements, and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance. In addition, he’s conducted engagements for both small and large corporate environments, including Fortune 500 companies. 

A Certified Internal Auditor and Certified Talent Optimization Consultant (The Predictive Index), Morgan is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA). He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Texas at Dallas, and recently completed Harvard’s Professional Development Program, Leading Your Organization’s Digital Transformation.

Stephen Patrickakos

Head of Managed Investments
Bank of America / Merrill Lynch

Stephen L. Patrickakos, CFA, CIMA® is a Managing Director and Head of Traditional Investments. In this capacity Stephen leads the delivery of the firm’s investment product offerings across all channels, including Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Merrill Private Wealth Management, Bank of America Private Bank, Merrill Edge Self-directed and Merrill Guided Investing.

Stephen’s team includes product management professionals who are responsible for product development, management and ongoing governance and investment oversight for domestic and offshore mutual funds, global exchange traded products, separately managed accounts, model portfolio solutions and money market funds. Before taking this role, Stephen was Head of Model Portfolio Solutions. In that role, Stephen oversaw the review and approval of Bank of America CIO, BofA Research-based and third party model strategies on the platform.

Previously, Stephen was Head of Investment Strategy and oversight for advisor discretion strategies in ISG. Stephen began his Career with Morgan Stanley and held various positions, including Associate Director of the Separately Managed Account Platform and Program Manager of the Graystone/Institutional Consulting Platform. Stephen was also the lead due diligence analyst at Ryan Beck and Company, providing investment research coverage on separately managed accounts, mutual funds and alternative investment vehicles. Most recently, Stephen was the Director of Investment Advisory Platforms in Morgan Stanley’s Private Wealth Management Division, serving the ultra high net worth and non-profit segments.

Stephen graduated from Providence College with a B.S. in Business Management, holds a Culinary Arts Degree from the French Culinary Institute, is a CFA Charterholder and holds the CIMA designation.

Michelle Rappa

Managing Director and Client Advisor
Neuberger Berman

Michelle Rappa, Managing Director and Client Advisor, joined the firm in 2014. Michelle is focused on formulating and executing the firm’s overall defined contribution (DC) strategy and promoting its institutional DC investment capabilities. Prior to joining Neuberger Berman, Michelle was the director of DC product and strategy at Russell Investments where she was responsible for the strategic product and marketing direction of the firm’s institutional DC business. Before that, she was the director of marketing at Seligman Advisors, Inc., where she was responsible for positioning the firm’s asset management and retirement plan products. Early in her career she was involved in building retirement plan products and marketing strategies at OppenheimerFunds and Oppenheimer Capital. Michelle is a FINRA licensed Registered Representative (Series 7), a Registered Principal (Series 24) and a member of the New York Bar. She is a founding board member and current Chair of DCALTA, member of the DCIIA Executive Committee, and serves as Co-President on the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester. Michelle earned a BS from the State University of New York at Albany and a JD from Fordham University School of Law.

Lindsay Shookus

Legendary Saturday Night Live Producer, Keynote Speaker

A legendary presence behind one of America’s most beloved television shows, Lindsay Shookus is a seven-time Emmy award-winning producer who, for 20 years, worked as a veteran producer for Saturday Night Live. During her tenure, as both producer and head of the talent department, Shookus helped engineer the show’s success from booking and managing celebrity hosts and musical guests, to scouting rising stars to join the show’s ranks. She played a pivotal role in launching the careers of household names, including Kristin Wiig and Kate McKinnon — cementing her reputation for having a sharp eye for talent within the entertainment industry. Shookus speaks to her own experiences to lead an on-stage masterclass on personal transformation, building connections, and embracing life’s obstacles on the road to overcoming them.

Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Shookus takes audiences behind the scenes of Saturday Night Live as she shares thoroughly entertaining and never-before-heard stories from two decades as one of the show’s key figures. She masterfully weaves in thought-provoking lessons and actionable takeaways for becoming the best version of yourself, building lasting relationships, and becoming a great problem solver, while keeping the audience hooked as she reflects on unforgettable moments from her career featuring star-studded, up close and personal interactions with the likes of Kanye West, Jason Sudeikis, Betty White, and more. She’s unafraid of being vulnerable and opening up about her own experiences overcoming failure and adversity in her career as a means of demonstrating to groups how they can focus on solving tough challenges and navigating through the obstacles of their own professional and personal endeavors. Shookus brings a unique blend of inspirational insight and authenticity to share relatable stories with messages that will spark action and remain with audience members for the long term.

Shookus also executive produced Miley Cyrus’ New Year’s Eve Party, was an associate producer on the critically acclaimed show 30 Rock, and produced NBC’s Adele: Live in New York City special. Her remarkable work has been recognized with seven Emmy awards and two Peabody awards. Previously, she was named one of The Hollywood Reporter’s “Rising Executives 35 and Under” and has appeared on Billboard’s “Women in Music” list three times. Beyond her work, Shookus is passionate about supporting the causes close to her heart. She is the co-founder of Women Work F#cking Hard, a women’s community focused on empowering female founders and helping businesswomen develop their careers and advocate for one another. She is also a member of the 2022 Class of Henry Crown Fellows with Aspen Global Leadership Network at the Aspen Institute.

A master at winning audiences over and connecting with them from the jump, Shookus has been described as a speaker who can “light up a room” and whose talks are “powerful, electric, and memorable.”

Joseph Smolen

Executive Vice President, Core & Institutional Markets
Empower

Joe Smolen is Executive Vice President of Core and Institutional Markets for Empower. In his role, he oversees the core market, which consists of retirement plans in the micro, small, and mid markets, as well as the team that partners with Empower’s institutional recordkeeping clients. Joe is responsible for strategy and development as well as all new business acquisitions plus client satisfaction, retention, and financial results for both business segments.

Joe joined the organization in 1999. During his 25-year tenure, he has held numerous sales and leadership positions. As Vice President of Sales Strategy, he led an initiative to recast the core market’s internal sales strategy, and as Regional Vice President for the western territory, he grew sales 24% a year over 10 years. He has also served as a Pension Consultant and was named National Salesperson of the Year twice.

Joe holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Kansas State University. He is the Vice Chair on the board of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation and the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes and also serves on the SPARK Advisory Board and as Chairman of the SPARK Governing Board. In addition, he is involved with the Tim Tebow Foundation and Habitat for Humanity.

Russ Tipper

Principal
Edward Jones

Edward Jones Principal Russ Tipper leads the Products & Solutions area which includes the firms Trading, Trust, Investment Advisory, Managed Investments, Protection, Retirement, and Banking products and capabilities. He's responsible for leading and coordinating the firm's product strategy and the ongoing product management of these capabilities to enable branch teams can deliver tailored solutions that help clients work toward achieving their financial goals and enhancing the value they provide clients in the future.

Russ began his Edward Jones career in 2023 leading Investment Advisory, the department responsible for the development of the firm’s Investment Advisory Strategy as well as the teams responsible for Platform Construction and Platform Management. These teams are focused on enabling branch teams to deliver tailored Investment Advisory solutions to help clients work toward achieving their financial goals and enhancing the value they provide clients in the future.

Prior to joining Edward Jones in 2023, Russ’s career began in 1997 as a financial advisory for PaineWebber, now UBS, in Chicago. Over the next seven years, he held Product Management and Marketing roles at Putnam investments and Nationwide Financial before joining Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. In his 11 years with Merrill, he was a Managing Director responsible for leading the Third Party Discretionary and Client Discretionary Investment Advisory Programs as well as building and transitioning clients to Merrill One, the firms consolidated Investment Advisory program. In 2016, Russ joined Capital Group as a SVP leading Product Management and Strategy for the Wealth Management Client Group. He led several initiatives to build out Capital's investment capabilities to support clients and advisor's transition to investment advisory including building out the firms SMA and Model Portfolio capabilities. Russ's team was also responsible for the Mutual Fund, 529 and ABLE investment capabilities.

Russ earned his bachelor's degree in Economics from Denison University before achieving his Master of Science in Finance from Northeastern University. He also holds a CIMA designation and Series 7, 66, 24 and 51 licenses.

Cathie Wood

CEO and CIO
ARK Investment Management

Cathie registered ARK Investment Management LLC (“ARK”) as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in January 2014. With over 40 years of experience identifying and investing in innovation, Cathie founded ARK to focus solely on disruptive innovation while adding new dimensions to research. Through an open approach that cuts across sectors, market capitalizations, and geographies, Cathie believes that ARK can identify large-scale investment opportunities in the public markets resulting from technological innovations centered around multiomic sequencing, robotics, artificial intelligence, energy storage, and blockchain technology. As Chief Investment Officer (“CIO”) and Portfolio Manager, Cathie led the development of ARK’s philosophy and investment approach and has ultimate responsibility for investment decisions.


Prior to ARK, Cathie spent twelve years at AllianceBernstein as CIO of Global Thematic Strategies where she managed over $5 billion. Cathie joined Alliance Capital from Tupelo Capital Management, a hedge fund she co-founded, which in 2000, managed approximately $800 million in global thematic strategies. Prior to her tenure at Tupelo Capital, she worked for 18 years with Jennison Associates LLC as Chief Economist, Equity Research Analyst, Portfolio Manager and Director. She started her career in Los Angeles, California at The Capital Group as an Assistant Economist. Cathie received her Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, in Finance and Economics from the University of Southern California in 1981.


Cathie has been recognized as an influential fund manager across various outlets. In 2018, editors at Bloomberg acknowledged Cathie by selecting her to its second annual Bloomberg 50 list of people across business, entertainment, finance, politics, technology, and science who have defined global business. Additionally, Fortune named Cathie to its exclusive roundtable of experts in the annual Fortune Investors Guide: The Best Investing Advice for 2019 From Fortune’s Experts. In 2016, Cathie received the “Women in Finance – Outstanding Contribution Award” from Market Media. Cathie also has been a featured speaker at the World Economic Forum (China) in 2016 & 2017, the World Strategic Forum (Miami) in 2017, The Sohn Hearts and Minds Investment Leaders Conference (Australia) in 2018 and 2019, and Singularity University’s Exponential Finance in 2017 and Global Summit in 2019.


In 2018, Cathie launched the Duddy Innovation Institute at her alma mater, Notre Dame Academy in Los Angeles. The institute offers a challenging educational experience for young women eager to stretch their learning beyond the boundaries of traditional acquisition of knowledge, while influencing a new way of thinking and learning throughout campus.

Elad Roisman

Partner, Corporate
Cravath

Elad Roisman is partner in Cravath’s Corporate department and a member of the Corporate Governance and Board Advisory Practice and the Financial Institutions Group (FIG) Practice and Co-Head of the Digital Assets Practice. Prior to joining Cravath, Mr. Roisman was a Commissioner and Acting Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Mr. Roisman represents clients on a broad range of complex regulatory and strategic matters. His practice includes advising public and private companies and other SEC registrants on disclosure, compliance, ESG and general corporate law matters. He counsels clients on mergers and acquisitions, capital market transactions and strategic initiatives, as well as on SEC and congressional investigations, exams and inquiries. In addition, Mr. Roisman applies his deep knowledge of market structure regulation to advise fintech companies, exchanges, trading intermediaries and other financial institutions. Mr. Roisman was appointed to the SEC after serving as Chief Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, where he helped shepherd major legislation, conducted congressional oversight and investigations, and helped set committee agenda. Previously, he served as Counsel to then SEC Commissioner Daniel M. Gallagher, Chief Counsel at NYSE Euronext and as a corporate lawyer in private practice in New York.