CFP Board names K. Dane Snowden as next CEO

CFP Board has tapped K. Dane Snowden as its next chief executive, closing a monthslong search to replace longtime leader Kevin Keller and setting up a pivotal transition for advisors who lean on the CFP mark as a core planning credential.

The credential-granting body said Snowden will take over on March 16 as Keller steps down after nearly two decades in the role.

Board chair Terri Kallsen, who officially took on the chair role earlier this month, said the search process considered internal and external candidates from financial services, wealth management and the association world before directors settled on Snowden.

The search for Keller's successor officially began in July last year, several months after his retirement was first revealed in February.

Kallsen said the board concluded Snowden “was best positioned to lead CFP Board forward,” citing his fit with the organization’s mission and the timing of the handoff as the profession continues to expand.

Snowden joined CFP Board in 2023 as chief operating officer, overseeing certification, marketing, communications, public relations, public awareness, project management and human resources. In that role, he has worked closely with Keller and the board on strategy and execution, giving him a front-row view of the group’s push to raise the CFP profile with both firms and investors.

“It is an honor to be selected to lead CFP Board, serve the public and work alongside the incredibly talented and dedicated staff who advance and support the CFP professional community,” Snowden said in the Wednesday announcement. He said he plans to build on the existing strategy, refine areas that need improvement and look for new ways to increase the mark’s impact with the public and within the advice industry.

Before joining CFP Board, Snowden led the Internet Association and spent a decade as chief operating officer at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at CTIA and served as chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission, where he helped launch the National Do-Not-Call registry. He also served as a public member of CFP Board’s board from 2017 to 2020.

The leadership shift comes just as CFP Board reported another year of record numbers. The organization revealed last week that the total number of CFP professionals reached 107,529 at the end of 2025, up 4.3% from 2024 and nearly double the count when Keller took the job in 2007. Last year also saw the largest-ever exam cohort, with 11,037 candidates sitting for the test, alongside 6,709 new certificants and continued gains among younger, women and racially and ethnically diverse advisors.

“This unprecedented growth indicates that CFP certification is more valuable than ever,” Keller said , framing the mark as the clear standard as financial planning spreads across academia, public policy, and technology.

Keller’s lengthy tenure also included moving the organization’s headquarters from Denver to Washington, establishing the Center for Financial Planning and tightening fiduciary standards in the name of serving the public interest.

“It has been the privilege of my career to serve the CFP professional community as CFP Board’s CEO,” he said, adding that he is confident Snowden will build on the group’s current momentum.