Speaker Profiles

Kelli Cruz leads IN Adviser Solutions and oversees our studies and consulting engagements. She brings more than 20 years of financial services industry experience. She is a highly-rated speaker at national industry conferences and a regular columnist for InvestmentNews on practice management related topics. Prior to joining IN Adviser Solutions, Ms. Cruz was a director in Advisor Services at Charles Schwab where she focused on Business Consulting Services, Schwab’s practice management solution for advisors. She was responsible for developing and managing practice management programs including Marketing & Business Development, Transition/Succession Planning Services, Compliance Resources, and Human Capital. As the Director of Business Consulting for Schwab Advisor Services, Ms. Cruz led the effort to develop and implement a comprehensive human capital program to cover issues from organizational strategy and design, recruiting, compensation design, talent management, and succession planning for RIA advisory firms. In this role Ms. Cruz consulted directly to advisory firms on human capital related issues including incentive compensation plan review and design.

Before Schwab, Ms. Cruz was with Wells Fargo for 15 years where she was responsible for managing human resources for Private Client Services. She led the development of several investment products for the Institutional Investment Group. As the Director of Human Resources for Wells Fargo’s Private Client Services, Ms. Cruz served as the chair of the Sales Incentive Compensation Committee leading the efforts to create a comprehensive sales incentive compensation plan for private bankers, financial consultants, portfolio managers, and trust officers.

David DeVoe is the founder and managing partner of DeVoe & Company. Previously he served as Managing Director of Strategic Business Development at Charles Schwab Advisor Services. In this role, he developed and led Schwab’s Transition Planning platform, which provides comprehensive M&A and succession planning services to registered investment advisors. During this eight-year period, he provided strategic counsel to over 300 advisors.

As part of this role, David also oversaw the Strategic Business Development sales team, which manages relationships with Schwab’s large, complex clients. The group’s segments included large national clients, consolidators, independent broker-dealers and TAMPs, custodying over $130B in assets at Schwab.

Previously, David was Director of Practice Management Programs at Schwab Advisor Services. He was responsible for developing and managing a suite of programs to help advisors with business-critical issues, including transition planning, compliance and human capital. Prior to this role, he led product strategy for Schwab Private Client, the company’s high net worth group focused on clients with $1 million or more in investible assets.

Before joining Schwab, David worked in the Strategy and Business Development Group at American Express, where he focused on business strategy and evaluating acquisition opportunities. Early in his career, he founded and managed several small businesses.

David holds a BA degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA from Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Gabriel Garcia is Director for Pershing Advisor Solutions, a BNY Mellon company, in the Relationship Management group. Mr. Garcia works with registered investment advisors (RIAs) interested in developing and growing their practices, helping them to manage business issues they face. He engages advisors to help them make informed decisions around maximizing Pershing’s resources and evolving their firms to become more scalable, profitable and productive. Mr. Garcia spent his previous 15 years with Charles Schwab & Co., where he held several leadership positions in sales, training and consulting. The last six years were spent working directly with RIAs. Mr. Garcia has consulted with more than 100 firms ranging in AUM from $50M to $3B. He also is a frequent speaker at industry and national conferences. Mr. Garcia has 20 years of experience in financial services. Mr. Garcia earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Business Administration from Radford University.

Mark Tibergien is Chief Executive Officer of Pershing Advisor Solutions, a BNY Mellon company. Pershing Advisor Solutions is one of the country’s leading custodians for registered investment advisors and family offices. Mr. Tibergien is also a Managing Director, a member of Pershing’s Executive Committee and recently he has been appointed to the Operating Committee of BNY Mellon. Mr. Tibergien joined Pershing in 2007.

Prior to joining Pershing, Mr. Tibergien was a nationally recognized expert on management and transition issues within the financial services industry. He was a principal at the accounting and consulting firm, Moss Adams LLP, where he was partner-in-charge of the Business Consulting group, chairman of the Financial Services Industry group and partner-in-charge of the Business Valuation group. Previously, he was president of a nationally recognized bank and business training and consulting firm, a principal in an investment management and business valuation firm, a writer for a financial trade magazine and a general assignment newspaper and radio reporter.

Mr. Tibergien has been working with public and private companies on matters related to business management, transition planning and strategy formulation since 1976. He has worked closely with hundreds of independent registered investment advisors, broker-dealers, investment managers, insurance companies and other financial services organizations in the United States, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and Canada.

For eight consecutive years, Accounting Today recognized Mr. Tibergien as one of the “100 Most Influential” people in the accounting profession. In 2003 and 2008, Financial Planning magazine recognized him as a “Mover and Shaker” in its annual review of industry professionals; and, in 2012, Investment Advisor magazine recognized him for the tenth consecutive year as one of the “25 Most Influential” people in the financial services industry.
Practice Made Perfect, How to Value, Buy or Sell a Financial Advisory Practice and Practice Made (More) Perfect. He has also been a regular columnist for Investment Advisor magazine on management issues since 2005.