Choreo hires another Edelman alum to newly created C-suite role

Choreo has drafted yet another leader from Edelman for its C-suite, this time welcoming an experienced leader to a newly created position for the Chicago-based RIA.

The firm announced it has named Kelly O'Donnell as its first-ever chief people and transformation officer, marking the fourth time in roughly a year that the firm has tapped an Edelman leader to fill a C-level role.

O'Donnell joins chief executive Jason Van de Loo, chief growth officer Keith Kotfica and chief wealth advisory officer Erik Merkau as alumni of the giant workplace-advice firm now steering Choreo's growth.

She will report to Van de Loo and take charge of human resources, brand and communications, and the integration management office that coordinates how newly acquired firms are folded into Choreo, along with broader work on strategic alignment and enterprise transformation.

"Kelly brings the experience and perspective we need as Choreo enters its next phase," Van de Loo said. "She has led teams across strategy, operations, client experience and human resources, and she understands how those capabilities need to come together to support growth."

He also highlighted O'Donnell's accounting and financial services background, which he said "gives her a strong appreciation for Choreo's CPA roots and our vision for delivering more coordinated advice at the intersection of tax and wealth."

O'Donnell spent 21 years at Financial Engines and its post-acquisition successor entity, Edelman Financial Engines, most recently serving as president of workplace, where she oversaw distribution, marketing and strategy for the firm's workplace advisory business. Earlier in her tenure there, she also held the titles of chief administrative officer and chief risk officer, spanning corporate strategy, legal and compliance, human resources and risk management. She began her career at Coopers & Lybrand, later served as director of consulting at Cerulli Associates.

"What attracted me to Choreo was the opportunity to help shape a growing organization at an important point in its development," she said. "My role is to help bring its people together around that direction, preserve what makes the firm distinctive and make growth feel coherent rather than disruptive."

Van de Loo joined as CEO from Edelman in July last year, and was quickly followed by Kotfica that same month as his first leadership hire. Merkau came to Choreo earlier this year in January as part of the firm's broader effort to cater to "builders," Van de Loo said at the time. Beyond Edelman, the company this summer announced the internal promotion of senior wealth advisor Ray Morrill to chief wealth officer, a role overseeing advisor development, client experience and the firm's technology-enabled wealth management model.

The firm's latest C-level hire lands as Choreo, which is majority owned by private equity firm Parthenon Capital, extends an acquisition-driven expansion that's pushed its assets under management and advisement to roughly $28.6 billion as of the end of 2025. This year, that effort has included its January purchase of Northeast Financial Group and Herbein Financial Group, which had $1.3 billion in combined assets when the transaction was announced, and a more recent summer deal for Resource Financial Group in its home state of Illinois.

The firm has also been courting wealthy employees from pre-IPO companies including SpaceX as a growth segment it intends to keep building.