Please join us for three incredible days of collaboration, inspiration, and development. This year, we’re excited to host a lineup of high-profile keynote speakers bringing unique insights and perspectives to our Partners. The Symposium will feature a robust agenda filled with success story panels from our own partners and industry partners, networking opportunities, and a deep dive into a wide array of products and services designed to fuel your success. And of course, we’ll have some fun sprinkled in!
At Steward Partners, our culture is at the core of everything we do—building meaningful relationships, fostering innovation, and working together to evolve. We can’t wait to see you there for an unforgettable experience. This year’s Symposium will truly be UNSTOPPABLE!
Daniel (Danny) Sarnowski is a senior portfolio specialist for the Plus Fixed Income team at Allspring Global Investments. In this role, he serves as the primary investment contact on accounts and works closely with portfolio managers and sales team members. He joined Allspring from its predecessor firm, Wells Fargo Asset Management (WFAM). Prior to his current role, Danny served as a key accounts manager for WFAM’s Liquidity Solutions team. He was responsible for the distribution of institutional money market funds and ultra-short-term fixed income funds. Previous roles include managing sales and service teams within the retail intermediary and former direct-to-fund businesses for Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC, and serving as a preferred client specialist at Strong Capital Management. Danny began his investment industry career in 2002. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, and a master’s degree in business administration from the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
As a former Navy SEAL and CIA instructor, David brings 30 years of experience exploring human performance and team orientation. He delivers profound insight around training and operational mindsets that help individuals and teams deconstruct the critical aspects behind both success and failure in extreme environments. David will inspire your team to increase commitment, focus, and also increase a greater awareness of personal limitations and perceived potential. His content is suited for financial professional teams, clients, and financial professionals alone.
WisdomTree Senior Economist and Emeritus Professor of Finance at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Professor Siegel has written and lectured extensively about the economy and financial markets and is a regular contributor to the financial news media. In 1994, he received the highest teaching rating in a ranking of business school professors conducted by BusinessWeek magazine. His book Stocks for the Long Run was named by The Washington Post as one of the 10 best investment books of all time. His second book, The Future for Investors, was a bestseller, and his research on dividend investment strategies in that book coincided with WisdomTree’s development of its original family of dividend-weighted stock ETFs, the first of which launched in 2006. Currently, Professor Siegel and WisdomTree collaborate on a suite of Model Portfolios that incorporate Professor Siegel’s outlook for stock and bond returns and the latest research from the sixth edition of Stocks for the Long Run.
Dr. Marc Milstein specializes in presenting the latest scientific research on brain health in a way that entertains, educates, and empowers his audience to live better. His presentations provide science-based solutions to keep the brain healthy, lower the risk of dementia, boost productivity, and maximize longevity. He earned both his Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry and his Bachelor of Science in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from UCLA.
Dr. Milstein has researched topics including cancer biology and neuroscience, and his work has been published in multiple scientific journals. Dr. Milstein has been quoted breaking down and analyzing the latest research on television and in popular press such as USA Today, New York Post, and Oprah Daily. Dr. Milstein's new book, "The Age-Proof Brain," has been nominated for "The Next Big Idea Award" for best non-fiction work and has been a #1 best seller on Amazon in several categories, including Aging, Longevity, and Neuroscience.
Erkko Etula is CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Brooklyn Investment Group, and in partnership with Nuveen serves as portfolio manager specializing in direct indexing for Nuveen’s Tax Advantaged Large Cap and Tax Advantaged Balanced strategies.
Prior to co-founding Brooklyn Investment Group, Erkko was Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, where he gained over a decade of investment experience creating and managing systematic investment processes for Goldman Sachs clients.
Erkko began his career as an Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and has also served as an Adjunct Professor at NYU Stern School of Business. He has published in top finance journals, including the Journal of Finance and the Journal of Portfolio Management. He is winner of the 2015 Amundi Smith Breeden Prize for outstanding capital markets research and the 2016 Engle Prize in financial econometrics.
Erkko earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from Harvard University where he was a Presidential Scholar. He also holds a B.S., Phi Beta Kappa, from MIT.
Gabriela D. Santos, Managing Director, is the Chief Market Strategist for the Americas on the Global Market Insights Strategy Team at J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
In this role, Gabriela provides valuable insight and perspective on the global economy and markets to institutional and retail clients across the Americas. Gabriela’s research focuses on emerging markets, especially China. She is responsible for the team that develops the Guide to the Markets and Guide to the Markets – Latin America, amongst other publications, and is the creator of the Guide to China and Guide to Investing in Asia.
Gabriela is also a frequent guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox Business and other financial news outlets and is often quoted in the financial press.
Prior to joining J.P. Morgan in 2012, Gabriela worked at HSBC’s Private Bank, stationed in Singapore, Switzerland and Mexico. She held various roles including banker and structured products trader.
Gabriela graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, Political Science and Economics, as well as French. She is fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish and French. Gabriela is currently a Millenium Leadership Fellow at the Atlantic Council.
Izaak Mendelson is Head of Model Distribution for the Invesco Wealth Management Platforms group. In this role, he leads the firm's model portfolio distribution strategy and execution across client channels. Mr. Mendelson joined Invesco in 2015. Prior to his current role, he was director of RIA strategic accounts, responsible for managing client relationships across custodian, RIA aggregator, and wealth technology platforms. Before joining the firm, Mr. Mendelson was at Neuberger Berman, where he had responsibility for establishing and developing partnerships with RIAs, family offices, and bank trust companies. He began his career in 2010 at Heritage Wealth Advisors in Richmond, VA, as an investment associate and operations manager. Mr. Mendelson earned a BA degree in finance from West Virginia University. He is a Certified Financial Planner® (CFP) professional and holds the Series 7, 24, 31, and 63 registrations.
Jay Williams is CEO of Improbable Media, a next generation production and brand consulting company he co-founded in 2024 with NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Improbable harnesses the power of content and storytelling to support elite talent and brands in developing and expanding their ecosystem.
Jay’s versatility extends from business to broadcasting as one of ESPN’s top on-air talents. He is the host of the network’s award-winning College GameDay show and frequently contributes to ESPN’s signature shows First Take and Get Up.
On the court, Jay is one of the most decorated and prolific players in college basketball history, winning the National Championship at Duke University and being inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the second overall selection in the NBA Draft and played for the Chicago Bulls.
His autobiography - Life is Not an Accident : A Memoir of Reinvention - is a New York Times Bestseller.
Katie is Head of SMA Sales at Nuveen. In her role, she works closely with Nuveen’s RIA, Family Office, Wires, and Institutional clients to deliver personalized SMA solutions.
Prior to joining Nuveen, Katie spent 16 years at Aperio (now part of BlackRock) in various roles, most recently heading up Aperio’s West Region Client Relationship Management team.
Katie received her BA in International Studies and Spanish from the State University of New York (SUNY) Brockport and her MBA in International Management from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
Kevin Simpson is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Capital Wealth Planning (CWP). CWP is a SEC-registered fee-only investment advisory firm based in Naples, Florida. The company has approximately $12 billion of assets under management and has been building and managing equity income-oriented portfolios since 2005. Originally from Philadelphia, Kevin has invested in options since beginning his career in 1992. Kevin practices the strategies in his book Walk Toward Wealth, applying institutional investment management to diversified equity and option portfolios. His methodologies are designed to enhance risk-adjusted returns and offer portfolio protection while delivering monthly cash flow. CWP specializes in implementing covered call strategies with their Enhanced Dividend Income Portfolio, Catholic Values Enhanced Dividend Income Portfolio, Tactical Transition Service, and complementary Hedged ETF Portfolio. A frequent contributor on CNBC Halftime Report and Closing Bell, Kevin also hosts a podcast, CoveredCalls, where he interviews some of the financial industry’s top investment professionals to provide expert insight and analysis for a deeper understanding of today’s markets. He graduated from George Washington University, where he majored in finance. Kevin lives in Naples, Florida, with his wife JoAnna. They have one son, Jack, and Harrington their dog. To learn more, visit www.capitalwealthplanning.com.
Laetitia Boyle joined Raymond James Investment Banking within the Business Development Group in 2024 as a director. The group supports advisors and business owner clients through an industry-leading collaboration between the Investment Bankand Private Client Group. Leveraging a network of key transaction professionals – legal and accounting firms, mezzanine finance, private equity,and boutique investment banking firms – the team takes pride in helping advisors differentiate and add value to their client relationships.
Previously, she built the Raymond James Securities Based Lending platform and led strategic sales and education for Private Client Banking products, supporting over 8,000 financial advisors. Mrs. Boyle joined Raymond James in 2006, starting in the Options Rotational Development Program, then moved to Corporate & Commercial Real Estate Banking covering the Energy and Real Estate sectors.
She holds a BA in International Business from Eckerd College, is a member of its National Advisory Council, and a graduate of the Securities Industry Institute at Wharton. Mrs. Boyle received the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 40 under 40 award in 2021. She serves as Treasurer and board member for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay and trustee for the Securities Industry Institute.
Lauren Zappia is an Divisional Retirement Plan Counselor at Capital Group, home of American Funds, responsible for relationship management and sales development covering the Mid Atlantic Region. She has six years of industry experience and has been with Capital Group for five years. Earlier in her career at Capital, Lauren was an internal wholesaler covering New York City. Before that, she was a division associate at Oppenheimer Funds. She holds a bachelor's degree in economics and accounting from Fordham University. She also holds the Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist® designation. Lauren is based in Hoboken NJ.
Bob joined Raymond James in 1993 and brings 30 years of experience working with Raymond James Financial Advisors and clients. Bob is the Vice President of Financial Planning Consulting and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and a Retirement Income Certified Professional. He holds Series 4, 7, 24, 63 and 65 licenses, as well as variable life and health licenses.
He is author of the book “Social Security Maximized; Show me the Money!”.
Mark Cintolo is Vice President and a part of the Portfolio Analysis & Consulting team that provides portfolio construction consultation to institutional and wealth advisory clients. He has over 20 years of investment industry experience, spent primarily modeling and communicating quantitative concepts impacting asset allocation and portfolio risk management. Prior to joining Natixis, Mark was a senior research consultant in NEPC’s Asset Allocation group. He served previously as an associate in Towers Perrin’s retirement practice and as a structured finance analyst for US Bank.
Mark has a master’s degree in finance and bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and economics from Boston College. He is a CFA® charterholder and holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA®) designation.
As a Partner at CAZ, Mark is responsible for cultivating the firm’s strategic capital partnerships and developing pools of capital to support investments. He also helps guide the overall direction of the business, playing a key role in shaping the firm’s strategy and long-term vision. As a member of the Investment Committee, Mark also plays an active and critical role in the investment decision-making process. He ensures that all decisions align with the firm’s interests and those of it’s investors, reinforcing CAZ’s commitment to investing it’s own capital first in every opportunity.
As Head of Digital Assets Research and Portfolio Manager for the VanEck Smart Contract Leaders Fund, Mr. Sigel helps guide VanEck’s digital assets strategy and sits on the investment committee of the firm’s private funds. He produces frequent research on Bitcoin, smart contract platforms, and emerging markets adoption of digital asset. Prior to VanEck, Mr. Sigel worked as a research analyst and portfolio strategist at CLSA, an analyst and portfolio manager at AllianceBernstein (where he covered technology and other sectors under Cathie Wood), and a journalist at Bloomberg, CNBC and NHK Japan Broadcasting, where he covered finance. Mr. Sigel is a CFA Charterholder and has a BA from Harvard University.
The Department of Advanced Programs and Designations oversees programs that provide students already in the financial services industry with deeper knowledge and greater expertise. These include the Accredited Wealth Management Advisor (AWMA®), Sports & Entertainment Accredited Wealth Management Advisor (SE-AWMA®), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC®), and Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist (CRPS®) programs. Additionally, the Department maintains courses in tax and estate planning for the Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning program and provides continuing education webinars and timely thought leadership programming on current tax and estate planning issues.
Michael Angell, MS, CFP®, EA, is an associate professor at the College for Financial Planning, where he serves primarily as the in-house income tax planning subject matter expert.
Michael began his financial services career in banking more than 20 years ago and eventually migrated into investment management and insurance planning. He has served clients in various capacities with independent, boutique-style firms and learned directly from seasoned CFP® practitioners in the field. Michael has also been an income tax professional for several years.
Michael obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics at Creighton University, and his Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning degree from the College for Financial Planning. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner and an Enrolled Agent authorized to practice before the IRS and is a proud member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) and the Financial Planning Association (FPA).
Mike Guirguis, CFA is the Head of Enterprise RIA at Allspring Global Investments. In this role, he is responsible for marshalling the resources of the firm to deliver solutions for the largest RIAs in the country along with their service providers. He is also responsible for setting the firm’s partnership strategy within the RIA ecosystem. Mike joined Allspring from Blackrock, where he spent 18 years managing relationships with wirehouses, BDs, TAMPs, custodians, and most recently, enterprise RIAs and wealthtech firms. He earned bachelor’s degrees in Marketing and Supply Chain Management from the University of Maryland, College Park. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and three children.
Quinton Alston-Spratt serves as the Head of Advisor Practice Management at Franklin Templeton. He has spent the past 16 years honing his expertise in coaching financial professionals, services teams, and leaders, focusing on communication skills that enhance internal team dynamics and client interactions. Since joining Franklin Templeton, Quinton has been at the forefront of transforming teams and individuals through his engaging speaking events and coaching sessions.
His dynamic presentations at major industry conferences have left a lasting impression on participants across the country. Quinton’s impact is not confined to the stage; he's a recognized thought leader featured in blogs, articles, and podcasts as well.
His driving force is helping people have better conversations. Quinton believes better conversations lead to better relationships, and better relationships lead to better outcomes.
Beyond the financial world, Quinton resides in Baltimore, Maryland. In his spare time, he channels his creativity into photography, working on his personal project to capture the beauty of all 63 U.S. National Parks.
Rick Genoni is the global head of Product Development and Innovation at Allspring Global Investments. He also leads Allspring’s exchange-traded fund (ETF) business. Rick joined Allspring from Franklin Templeton, where he served as the head of global ETF strategy and strategic partnerships. Before that, he was the global head of ETF product management at Legg Mason. Rick joined Legg Mason from Vanguard, where he held several roles, including serving as principal and global head of index and ETF product management, and earlier, he worked as a senior analyst with the firm’s corporate strategy team. Rick began his investment industry career in 2000. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from LaSalle University and an executive master’s degree in business administration from Villanova University.
Samuel Rines is a Macro Strategist at WisdomTree, where he extends the firm's custom model portfolio management capabilities. Before joining WisdomTree in 2024, he was the Managing Director at CORBU, LLC, leading the PolyMacro advisory product. With over a decade of experience in economics and finance, Samuel has held significant roles such as Chief Economist at Avalon Investment & Advisory and Economist and Portfolio Manager at Chilton Capital Management LLC. He is also the author of "After Normal: Making Sense of the Global Economy," and holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the UNH Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, as well as having studied Economics at the University of Oxford.
Sheridan Culhane is a senior business development strategist at MFS Fund Distributors, Inc., a subsidiary of MFS Investment Management® (MFS®). In this role, she is responsible for delivering practice management solutions to financial advisors, with a focus on branding, marketing and creating a consistent, five‐star client experience.
Sheridan joined the firm in 2012. She worked in operations before becoming an internal wholesaler in 2014. She was promoted to a regional advisor consultant two years later, covering the west coast, before assuming the role of business development associate in 2018. She was promoted to her current position in 2021. Prior to MFS, she worked as an assistant paralegal for a law office.
Sheridan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and political science from the College of the Holy Cross. She holds Series 6 and 63 licenses from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the CRPC® designation from the College for Financial Planning and is a member of the National Speakers Association.
Tina Downing, CPVA®, CPBA®, RCC® serves as Senior Director and lead of Russell Investments’ Advisor & Intermediary Solutions Business Consulting group. In this role, Tina’s team delivers strategic business planning and ongoing consulting to investment advisors and firm leaders across the U.S. and Canada.
Tina, who joined Russell Investments in 2018 with 34 years in the financial services industry, began her career as an advisor in 1989 at PaineWebber and Charles Schwab.She grew her business through building deep lasting relationships with her clients and managing the practice like a business owner. She focused on managing a business that was client centric, efficient, profitable and sustainable and now coaches other advisors as well. Tina transitioned her practice to Smith Barney/Morgan Stanley from Stifel Nicolaus in 2001 and rose through the ranks of Morgan Stanley, ultimately heading up organizational development and knowledge management for the firm, leading teaming and strategic partnering and advanced advisor development.
Tina has coached and consulted advisors and firm executives for many years in areas such as strategic planning, practice optimization, creating a disciplined product strategy and team leadership dynamics and productivity. Tina’s strengths in critical thinking, program management, content development, team building, and executive consulting, helps financial advisors and firm leaders build more successful advisory practices.
