CFP Board names Kathryn Berkenpas as chief operating officer

The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards has appointed Kathryn Berkenpas as its new chief operating officer.

Berkenpas, who joined the Washington, D.C.-based organization just over a year ago, is stepping into the role effective May 4 following a national search. She's becomes the first CFP professional to hold the role.

Berkenpas most recently served as managing director of corporate growth at CFP Board, a position she took on in April last year. In that capacity, she concentrated on deepening ties with financial services firms and building out strategies to expand CFP certification uptake among firm employees.

She is filling a void left by by K. Dane Snowden, who vacated the COO position as he was elevated to chief executive in March.

Read more: CFP Board names K. Dane Snowden as next CEO

Before joining CFP Board, Berkenpas worked at Morgan Stanley's The Chesapeake Capitol Group as group director, overseeing client relationships and a $2 billion assets-under-management practice. Earlier, she spent nearly 16 years at MissionSquare Retirement, where she rose to vice president of client enablement.

She earned her CFP certification in 2004, holds a master of public administration from George Mason University and completed her undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech, which operates a CFP Board-registered program.

In the new role, Berkenpas will oversee CFP Board's core business operations – spanning certification, marketing, communications, public relations and the organization's public awareness campaign – along with internal administrative functions.

In a statement, Snowden pointed to Berkenpas' "sharp strategic instincts, deep experience leading high-performing teams," and the fact that she "knows this profession, she knows the people in it and she cares deeply about the Americans they serve."

Berkenpas said in a statement that this is "a pivotal time for the profession," and that she is "committed to supporting the important work of the more than 109,000 CFP professionals who serve the public interest."

The appointment comes during a busy stretch for CFP Board. Earlier this month, the organization reported record exam turnout for the March 2026 testing window, with 4,391 candidates sitting for the certification exam – the highest single-administration figure since the board's first recorded exam in 1991. Women and racially and ethnically diverse candidates also reached all-time highs in that cohort.

The organization is also rolling out a phased set of competency standard changes announced in January, including raising continuing education requirements from 30 to 40 hours per two-year cycle, beginning with reporting periods starting in the first quarter of 2027.

In an apparent effort to expand its membership, the board is also broadening what qualifies as hands-on planning experience and is separately reviewing its longstanding bachelor's degree requirement for certification.