Speaker Profiles

Dan Barry is the Director of Government Relations for the Financial Planning Association (“FPA”), which is the largest organization in the US representing financial planners and affiliated firms, with approximately 28,000 individual members. Dan joined FPA in 2007 and manages its federal and state government relations program.

Prior to joining FPA, Dan was Director of Regulatory Policy for Fannie Mae, where he managed day-to-day interactions with policy office the company’s principal regulator, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight. He had come to Fannie Mae from private law practice in New York.

Dan has previous trade association experience having headed up the government relations program for the Risk and Insurance Management Society in New York. He also managed the State Government Relations department at the Securities Industry Association, where he worked through most of the 1990s.

Dan holds a law degree, and bachelors and masters degrees in government and politics, all from St. John’s University in New York.

Mr. Blanchett was born and raised in Lexington, KY. Lexington is also the place he currently calls home. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Kentucky with BBA in Finance and a BS in Economics and a Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS) from the American College.

He currently works for a trust company in Lexington, KY. He has published multiple pieces in the Journal of Financial Planning, the Journal of Indexes, and the Journal of Pension Benefits. He won the Journal of Financial Planning‘s Call for Papers (called the Financial Frontiers Award) in 2007 for a piece titled Determining the Optimal Distribution Glidepath.

Mr. Blanchett is currently the President of the Lexington Employee Benefits Council and is a member of the Financial Planning Association of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati CFA Society.

Evan Cooper is Senior Managing Editor and Online Editorial Director of Investment News. Before coming to Crain, he was with Thomson Financial as Director of Wealth Management News and Editor-in-Chief of On Wall Street and Bank Investment Consultant magazines. He also was Assistant Managing Editor of Institutional Investor magazine. He began his career as a reporter at Fairchild Publications and The Miami Herald, and has contributed to Advertising Age, Worth, Entrepreneur of the Year and Financial Planning.

In addition to having held senior public relations positions at the Securities Industry Association and the New York Stock Exchange, Evan is co-author of Attract and Retain the Affluent Investor: Winning Tactics for Today’s Financial Advisor, published in 2001 by Kaplan Publishing.

He holds a BBA degree from Baruch College of the City University of New York and an MS in Journalism from The Medill School of Northwestern University.

Jamey Delaplane is a partner in the law firm of Davis & Harman LLP, where he represents financial institutions, employers and public policy organizations on employee benefits, financial services and tax matters before the U.S. Congress and the federal executive branch agencies.

Mr. Delaplane previously was Vice President, Retirement Policy for the American Benefits Council (ABC), which is the national association representing the employee benefits interests of major U.S. employers. At ABC, Mr. Delaplane oversaw the development of Council policy concerning retirement, equity compensation and investment issues and served as chief lobbyist and media spokesperson. He now serves as Special Counsel to ABC and has testified before Congress on its behalf. In March 2002, Influence magazine called Mr. Delaplane one of Washington’s “youngest lobbying stars,” and in October 2002, Business Insurance named him one of “35 Rising Stars” in the commercial insurance and benefits management industry.

Mr. Delaplane was legislative counsel to U.S. Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-North Dakota) from 1996 to 1998, and was the chief staff person on retirement, health and related tax matters. In October 1998, Pensions & Investments recognized Mr. Delaplane as one of the “25 People to Watch” in the pension and investment community — the only federal government official among those named.

Prior to his work on Capitol Hill, Mr. Delaplane was in private law practice in Washington, D.C. In July 1997, he was part of the transition team for the incoming Executive Director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

In 1995, Mr. Delaplane earned his J.D., cum laude, from the Harvard Law School, where he was an Editor of the Journal on Legislation. Mr. Delaplane received his B.A., cum laude, from Harvard University in 1989.

Mr. Delaplane is a member of the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania Bar Associations. He is a frequent speaker on retirement policy matters and is often quoted in the Washington Post, New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Mr. Delaplane has appeared on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Special Report with Brit Hume, and CNBC.

Robert “Bob” C. Doll is a Vice Chairman and Director of BlackRock, a premier provider of global investment management, risk management, and advisory services. Prior to joining BlackRock, Mr. Doll was President and Chief Investment Officer of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, which was merged with BlackRock on September 29, 2006. At BlackRock, Mr. Doll is the Global Chief Investment Officer for Equities, Chairman of the BlackRock Private Client Operating Committee, and member of the BlackRock Executive. He is also a portfolio manager, responsible for managing over $30 billion in large cap U.S. equities.

Mr. Doll joined Merrill Lynch in June 1999 and was named President and Chief Investment Officer in 2001. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, Mr. Doll was Chief Investment Officer of OppenheimerFunds, Inc., and was also a member of that firm’s Executive Committee.

Mr. Doll graduated from Lehigh University in 1976 with bachelor’s degrees in both Accounting and Economics. He received his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1980. He is a CFA charter holder and a Certified Public Accountant.

Robert Ellis is a senior analyst in Celent’s wealth management group and is based in the firm’s New York office. His research focuses on wealth management technology and initiatives throughout the financial services industry.

Prior to joining Celent, Mr. Ellis was a principal at Fast Track Advisors, LLC, a financial services consulting firm, where he advised commercial banks, investment banks, insurance companies, and brokerage firms on strategy, technology, marketing and sales development. Prior to that, he was a Director of Trust & Investment Services at Alliance Bank NA and the Executive Vice President and Private Client Group Manager at Hibernia National Bank (now Capital One Bank). At both institutions, he headed the brokerage, trust, asset management, life insurance and financial planning arenas, responsible for over $14 billion in client assets and as many as 320 employees. Prior to managing the Private Client Group at Hibernia, he ran the bank’s non-branch delivery channels (call centers, ATM’s, card products and internet offerings).

Mr. Ellis has an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a degree in accounting from the University of Michigan. He has earned his CPA, securities principal’s (Series 24, 7 & 63) and NYS LA insurance designations.

Charles J. Farrell, J.D., LL.M. is an investment advisor and senior portfolio manager with Northstar Investment Advisors, LLC in Denver, Colorado. Mr. Farrell’s practice focuses on building tax efficient, sustainable income portfolios for retired investors. He also provides advice on estate planning and personal insurance management.

Mr. Farrell is a former tax attorney. He received his law degree, summa cum laude, from The American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C., and his LL.M. in taxation from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio.

He is the developer of a series of personal financial ratios, which The Wall Street Journal called “some of the best tools we have seen for gauging where you stand” in retirement planning. His research on personal finance and investments has been cited in numerous national publications including The Wall Street Journal, Journal of Financial Planning, American Association of Individual Investors Journal, Money Magazine, and Smart Money. He is also a monthly columnist for Investment News writing on retirement and wealth management strategies for advisors.

Dan Fuss began his investment career in 1958 and has been with Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P. since 1976. He is Vice Chairman of the firm and co-manager of numerous institutional accounts for the $58 billion fixed income group.

Mr. Fuss also manages and co-manages a variety of mutual funds with assets over $10 billion – including the flagship Loomis Sayles Bond Fund, Loomis Sayles Strategic Income Fund, Loomis Sayles Institutional High Income Fund, Loomis Sayles Global Markets Fund and Loomis Sayles Investment Grade Bond Fund.

In 2000, he was named to the Fixed Income Analysts Society’s Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions and lifetime achievements in the advancement of the analysis of fixed income securities and portfolios. He is past president of the Boston Security Analysts Society.

Mr. Fuss earned a Bachelor of Science and Masters in Business Administration from Marquette University. He served in the US Navy from 1955 to 1958 and held the rank of Lieutenant.

Bob is the President of Mintz Levin Financial Advisors, LLC, which was founded in October 1998 to provide wealth management and investment advisory services to individuals and families. Mintz Levin Financial Advisors counsels clients on asset allocation and investment strategies and offers comprehensive, customized investment advisory and financial planning services. In 2004, 2005 and 2006, Bloomberg magazine chose Mintz Levin Financial Advisors, LLC as one of the nation’s top wealth management firms.

Bob is a practicing financial planner with more than 20 years of experience. Before forming Mintz Levin Financial Advisors, he was a Principal of one of New England’s largest fee-only financial planning practices.

Bob is the Director of Boston University’s Program for Financial Planners, the largest CFP Board- Registered Program in New England and one of the largest in the country. He also served as Chair of the Board of Examiners of the Certified Financial Planners Board of Standards, which sets standards for professionals worldwide, and currently serves on the CFP Board of Governors.

Bob received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and both his J.D. and a Master’s degree in Taxation from Boston University School of Law. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM practitioner, Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU).

Dr. P. Brett Hammond is head of the Investment Strategy and Client Solutions Group and Chief Investment Strategist at TIAA-CREF. He is responsible for investment strategy research and development and performance analysis and reporting. Previously, he was responsible for pension and economic research. He has worked recently on the creation of inflation-indexed bonds, domestic and foreign asset allocation in taxable and tax-deferred settings, Social Security reform, defined contribution pensions, and executive compensation.

Prior to joining TIAA-CREF in 1993, Dr. Hammond was Director of Academy Studies at the National Academy of Public Administration, where he was responsible for developing a program of Academy-initiated projects on topics such as changing relationships between Congress and the executive and new directions in American governance. In addition, he directed projects on public trust and confidence in radioactive waste management and federal Medicaid management.

From 1984 to 1991, Dr. Hammond was Acting Executive Director and Associate Executive Director of the Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education at the National Academy of Sciences. During that period he was responsible for program development and management of one of the major operating units of the National Academy of Sciences, with studies on topics ranging from the changing status of black Americans to public perceptions of technological risk. He also directed or staffed major studies of the consequences for higher education of ending mandatory retirement, site selection for the superconducting supercollider, and balancing costs and risks in promoting environmental health.

Dr. Hammond was also a member of the faculty of the University of California (Berkeley and Los Angeles) and consultant to the Office of Technology Assessment and Multinational Strategies, Inc. His research publications are in the areas of finance, public and private pensions, higher education, science and technology, and health policy.

Sara covers the Securities and Exchange Commission, Congress, and regulatory and legislative issues for InvestmentNews. She is based in the Washington DC office.

Vern has been a CFP (Certified Financial Planner) since 1978. Active in financial planning circles for 39 years he has been a board member of the CFP Board of Standards and has chaired the National Endowment for Financial Education, former parent organization of the College for Financial Planning, which created the CFP™ (Certified Financial Planner) designation. He was president of the North Bay California Chapter of the International Association of Financial Planners (IAFP) in 1975 and Founding President of the Westchester/Rockland Chapter IAFP in 1987.

He also conducts financial education programs on behalf of many companies and charities. He has spoken at several financial and industry conventions. Hayden regularly appears on leading national news and financial television programs such as CNBC, NBC, Fox News and Bloomberg. CNBC branded Vern as “Mr. Mutual Fund”. He has been a regular contributor to the financial press, including CNBC.com and TheStreet.com, where he has about 100 columns. He is also a contributing writer for the Journal of Financial Planning and the American Association of Individual Investors Journal. His latest book is entitled “Getting An Investing Game Plan…Creating It…Working It…Winning It” published by John Wiley and Sons. He is working on a new book, tentatively entitled, “Free Markets and Funny Marketing”. Vern has been active in training financial planners in South Africa and Japan. The President of the Japanese Association of Financial Planners labeled him as the “Father of the Independent Financial Planner in Japan”.

Vern has a B.A. in Philosophy from Wheaton College with extensive graduate work from University of Southern California, American University, University of Oregon and New York University. He was also a Major in the U.S. Air Force.

Consuelo Mack has a long and distinguished career in business journalism. Before developing Wealthtrack, Ms Mack has had a long and distinguished career working in business journalism including over a decade at The Wall Street Journal as the Anchor and Managing Editor of its weekly syndicated business program "The Wall Street Journal Report", as a Senior Correspondent on CNBC as well as anchor on Louis Rukeyser’s Wall Street Week.

Mack played a critical role in CNBC’s strategic alliance with Dow Jones. As Senior Correspondent of CNBC she provided viewers with a daily “Strategy Session” during the business day as well as a series of VIP interviews including investment legends such as Sir John Templeton, Vanguard’s Jack Bogle, Pimco’s Bill Gross and Legg Mason’s Bill Miller.

She also anchored Louis Rukeyser’s Wall Street in its final months on both CNBC and PBS, covering the week’s top market news.

Mack’s international experience includes being the Anchor and Editor of “The Asian Wall Street Journal Report”, a weekly business program syndicated throughout Asia, and hosting the 1996 PBS documentary series “Emerging Powers” and the 1994 PBS special "Pacific Rift".

Mack is a pioneer in business television. She was one of the founding partners of “Today’s Business”, where she was Anchor and Executive Editor of television’s first daily, nationally syndicated business news program. She was founding news editor and co-anchor of Business Times, the first national morning business program. In its first year Business Times won the ACE award, cable television’s highest honor. Early in her television career she was a contributing reporter to NBC’s Today Show.

Prior to her television career, Mack worked for several prominent research and money management firms including Mitchell Hutchins and Merrill Lynch. She is a member of the Economics Club of New York, the Council on Foreign Relations and The Women’s Forum.

She has received several honors including the first Lifetime Achievement Award for Women in Print and Electronic Financial Journalism awarded by the Women’s Economic Roundtable. Mack graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a bachelors degree in English Literature, History and Political Science.

Moshe A. Milevsky is an Associate Professor of Finance at the Schulich School of Business, York University and the Executive Director of The IFID Centre in Toronto, Canada.

Prof. Milevsky has written five books and published over 45 peer-reviewed articles on the topic of insurance, annuities and pensions. He is currently the co-editor of the Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, published by Cambridge University Press and is a monthly columnist for Research Magazine.

He has a Ph.D. in Business Finance (1996) on the topic derivative security valuation and has lectured at Universities in the U.S., Europe and South America. He has consulted for global pension funds and insurance companies on the topic of retirement income planning and is currently a member of a number of corporate advisory councils. His writing on popular finance received two National Magazine (Canada) awards. In the summer of 2002 he was designated a Fellow of the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences and recently he received a Graham and Dodd scroll award for a 2006 article in the Financial Analysts Journal.

Jim Pavia is the editor of InvestmentNews. He joined InvestmentNews in June 2003 from VNU Business Media. Jim was at VNU (formerly Miller-Freeman Publishing) for eight years where he held positions as editor of both Bank Systems & Technology and Leisure Travel News.

His journalism career includes 12 years of daily newspaper experience as a copy desk (sports) editor at the New York Daily News, national editor of the National Sports Daily and reporting and editing positions at the Staten Island Advance. Jim has a BA in journalism from New York University and has served as an adjunct journalism professor at St. John’s University.

Eileen Sharkey is a nationally recognized advocate for the benefits of financial planning. She has been a leader in the development of the financial planning profession since 1978, when she became one of the first licensed Certified Financial PlannerTM practitioners. Ms. Sharkey is a Principal in the Denver-based, fee-only financial advisory firm of Sharkey, Howes & Javer, Inc. She has also served as Director or President on all her professional membership association boards, in addition to four years of service on the National Board of Governors for Certified Financial PlannersTM. Currently she serves as Chairman of the Board of the College of Financial Planning, on the Executive Committee of the Women’s Estate Planning Council of Colorado, is on the Board of the Centennial Estate Planning Council and is a Trustee of the Denver Ballet Guild Endowment Trust. She is regularly quoted in publications, such as Money Magazine, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, and various newspapers. Worth Magazine recently profiled her as one of the top Financial Planners in the USA. She has appeared on CBS This Morning, Oprah Winfrey, and many other network, cable TV, and radio programs as an expert on financial planning.

Sandeep Singh joined the faculty of SUNY Brockport in 1992. Previously he was an Administrative Officer for a major insurance company. He has a Ph.D. in Finance and an M.B.A., both from Kent State University. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Certified Treasury Professional.

Professor Singh teaches courses in investment analysis and corporate finance. His research interests include asset allocation, mutual funds, and financial education.

His research has appeared in Financial Analysts Journal, Education Economics, Journal of Financial Planning, Financial Services Review, American Business Review, TMA Journal, and many others. His research has been reviewed in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Arizona Republic and The Cleveland Plain Dealer. His expert opinions have appeared in The Rochester Business Journal and locally on PBS. Professor Singh serves on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Financial Planning.

In his spare time, Professor Singh enjoys traveling and golf.

Professor Singh may be reached at [email protected]

Ed Slott was named as "The Best" source for IRA advice by The Wall Street Journal and called “America’s IRA Expert” by Mutual Funds Magazine.

He is a nationally recognized IRA distribution expert and a professional speaker. Mr. Slott regularly presents continuing professional education seminars on IRA distribution planning and estate planning at major conferences for Financial Adviser firms, Mutual Fund Companies, Brokerage Firms, Insurance Professionals, Financial Planners, Trust Companies, Banks, CPAs and Attorneys.

Ed Slott has also the created The IRA Leadership Program™ (www.iraleadership.com) and Ed Slott’s Elite IRA Advisor Group™ developed specifically to help financial institutions and advisors, financial advisor firms and insurance companies become recognized leaders in the IRA marketplace.

Mr. Slott is the author of Parlay Your IRA Into a Family Fortune (Viking; 2005), The Retirement Savings Time Bomb and How to Defuse it (Viking; 2003) and Ed Slott’s IRA Advisor, a monthly IRA newsletter and he is a personal finance columnist for numerous financial publications.

He is a past Chairman of the New York State Society of CPAs Estate Planning Committee and editor of the IRA Planning section of The CPA Journal. Mr. Slott is the recipient of the prestigious "Excellence in Estate Planning" and "Outstanding Service" awards presented by The Foundation for Accounting Education. He is a former Board member of The Estate Planning Council of New York City.

Mr. Slott is often quoted in The New York Times, Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Time, Newsweek, Fortune Magazine, Forbes Magazine, Money Magazine, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, USA Today, Trusts & Estates, Bloomberg Personal, Medical Economics, Investor’s Business Daily, Smart Money and a host of additional national magazines and financial publications. He has appeared on NBC, ABC, CBS, CNBC, CNN, FOX, PBS, National Public Radio, Bloomberg TV and radio. Mr. Slott is also an internet consultant to financial information web sites.

Margaret Starner is widely recognized as a pioneer in the financial planning industry. For nearly three decades, she has led the Starner Group of Raymond James & Associates, an invitation-only wealth management practice with approximately $350 million in assets under management.

A graduate of Stanford University with a degree in economics, Margaret has been extensively quoted in various leading newspapers and publications, including Money, Fortune, and The Wall Street Journal. In 2007, Margaret was recognized as one of the Top 100 Women Financial Advisors by Barron’s magazine. In October 2001, Mutual Funds magazine recognized her as one of the “100 Great Financial Planners” in the United States. In January 2005, Margaret graced the cover of Financial Advisor magazine, which identified her as a “trailblazer” in the financial planning industry.

Throughout her career, Margaret has been a strong advocate for women in the financial services industry. In 1992, she helped found the Raymond James Women’s Advisory Board, an internal organization focused on fostering opportunities for women at Raymond James. In 2006, Margaret was recognized as the Raymond James Woman of Distinction.

Margaret is also a member of the Financial Planning Association, an executive board member of the John T. McDonald Foundation, and a 2001-2007 member of the board of Trustees for the Security Industry Institute. Prior to joining Raymond James in 1981, Margaret developed long-range plans for the Stanford Research Institute, the Ford Foundation and United Airlines.

Liz Varley is Managing Director at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. At SIFMA, she is responsible for legislative and regulatory issues relating to retirement, compensation, and education savings. Ms. Varley joined the legacy trade association, SIA, in 1999. Prior to joining the SIA, Ms. Varley held the position of Counsel at the Senate Special Committee on Aging from February of 1995 to April of 1999. While there, she covered pension, IRAs, Social Security, and Social Security disability issues. Before coming to the Aging committee, Ms. Varley was a staff attorney for the Bipartisan Commission on Entitlements and Tax Reform.

Ms. Varley graduated with a Juris Doctorate from the University Of Nebraska College Of Law in 1993 and a Bachelor of Arts from the University Of Nebraska in 1990.

Dr. Kathryn McCabe Votava an expert in health care reimbursement and outcomes, including Medicare, Medicaid and Long Term Care. Her expertise in these areas is informed by her rich experience as a Nurse Practitioner and health care administrator. A major focus of Dr. Votava’s research is health care costs and outcomes for individuals during their retirement years. She has also concentrated her research on the application of Telehealth and Internet based health care solutions in a variety of health care settings. Dr. Votava has published and spoken widely on these topics.

Dr. Votava is the President of GoodCare.com, a research, consulting and training firm. She is also an Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing at the University of Rochester. Dr. Votava holds a PhD in Health Economics and Nursing from the University of Rochester. She completed a Pre-doctoral Fellowship in Community and Preventive Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and a Post-doctoral Fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Votava has a Master of Science as a Nurse Practitioner from the University of Rochester and a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Georgetown University.

Mr. Walker is a past national president and chairman of The Institute for Certified Financial Planners, Denver, CO, and as well as past national president and chairman of The Institute of Certified Investment Management Consultants, Washington, DC.

Mr. Walker is a frequent lecturer and author of articles to local newspapers and industry associations regarding the benefits of financial planning and investment management techniques.