Prospera, Independent Advisor Alliance announce C-suite promotions

Prospera Financial Services and Independent Advisor Alliance are promoting internal leaders into new roles aimed at tightening investment oversight and deepening support for affiliated advisors.

Prospera elevates Paul Keeton to CIO role

Dallas-based Prospera has officially named longtime investment executive Paul Keeton as chief investment officer, expanding his remit across the firm’s investment lineup and research platform.

Keeton, who joined Prospera in 2017 and previously served as managing director of investments and advisory solutions, will oversee alternatives, fixed income and annuity offerings, as well as the firm’s proprietary research and model portfolios.

Keeton is expected to maintain his hands-on approach with advisors, working directly with them to tailor strategies to client needs rather than relying solely on off-the-shelf models. He will continue to lead Prospera’s equity and fixed income desks while developing custom models and product strategies that fit the firm’s network of independent practices.

“Paul has played a key role in shaping our product platform and advisory offerings,” Tarah Williams, president and chief operating officer at Prospera, said in a statement. “His deep industry experience has helped our advisors deliver the investment solutions their clients need.”

Before joining Prospera, Keeton spent about two decades at Dorsey, Wright & Associates, where he rose to senior vice president and helped build a range of investment solutions, including guided models, ETFs, structured products and managed account strategies. He has co-authored several investing books and has taught risk management best practices to financial professionals for more than 20 years.

Prospera, founded in 1982, supports a nationwide network of independent advisors and reports more than $28 billion in assets under management.

New chief experience officer, custodian and platform manager at IAA

In Charlotte, North Carolina, Independent Advisor Alliance has elevated two internal leaders in a move the firm says is meant to tighten the advisor experience from onboarding to daily operations.

The hybrid RIA has promoted Jamie Summerlin to chief experience officer and Devin Stamp to custodian and platform manager. 

Summerlin, who has been central to building and scaling the firm’s relationship management team, will now oversee relationship management, trading and operations, and technology. The goal is to bring those functions under a single umbrella to create a more seamless and proactive experience for advisors as they navigate growth, independence and platform decisions.

Prior to IAA, Summerlin's 23 years of industry expereince included key positions at TIAA and Vanguard.

Stamp’s new role formalizes his work across trading, operations, and client account services. As custodian and platform manager, he will be responsible for IAA’s custodial relationships, investment platform, and trading and compensation infrastructure, acting as a connector between custodians, internal teams and external investment partners to help translate platform capabilities into tools that advisors can use with clients.

Before joining IAA in 2025, Stamp served for two years at Vanguard.

“Jamie and Devin have both been instrumental in shaping how we support and engage our advisors,” said Robert Russo, founder and chief executive at Independent Advisor Alliance. “Their promotions reflect not only their impact, but our belief that experience is a true differentiator.”