Meagan Polidoro is a Compliance Associate at Calamos Investments. As a member of the firm’s DEI Committee, Meagan is heavily involved in the firm’s DEI initiatives. In addition to FINRA Series 7 & 24 licenses, Meagan holds a B.S. from Illinois State University and has more than five years of finance industry experience. Meagan was recognized as a 2023 DPNA Rising Star Recipient.

Anthony joined State Street in 2015 as an Information Security Risk Analyst and more recently held a variety of roles in Identify & Access Management as a Business Analyst, Data Analyst, Solutions Analyst within Corporate Information Security and Business Risk Intelligence and Operations Manager for State Street Global Markets. Anthony is currently a Program Manager for SSGA Technology & Transformation. He is responsible for driving, planning, and governance of prioritized technology deliverables across multiple applications, in support of new commercial/business growth mandates.

Anthony is currently the Chair of the Latin American Professionals Group (LAPG) and represents State Street in various external engagements and professional conventions. He is currently an active workstream member of Action #8 from the 10 Actions Against Racial & Inequality. Anthony is an advisory board member for Fisher College and the Boston Chapter of TecHire. Additionally, Anthony is a recipient of the 2022 Young Hispanic Corporate Achievers Awards by the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR). In 2023 Anthony was appointed to be the Director of Financial Literacy for the Boston chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) and a committee member of the Diversity Project for Nicsa.

Rosa Licea-Mailloux is a vice president and head of compliance, Americas, at MFS Investment Management® (MFS®). She is also the chief compliance officer of the MFS Funds. In this role, she oversees all aspects of compliance for MFS investment products distributed throughout the Americas, collaborating with various groups across MFS to ensure all regulatory requirements are met and adhered to across the firm's various distribution channels. 

Rosa joined MFS in 2018 as a director of corporate compliance and was named to her current role in 2022. Previously, she worked at Natixis Investment Managers for over 14 years, holding several roles in the firm’s legal and compliance groups, including chief compliance officer for the Loomis Sayles Funds, Natixis Funds and Natixis ETFs and senior vice president and deputy general counsel for Natixis Investment Managers – US Distribution. She began her career in financial services in 2001 as a compliance specialist with Putnam Investments. 

Rosa earned a Bachelor of Arts degrees in biology and economics from Boston University, a Juris Doctor degree from the Northeastern University School of Law and an MBA from UNC KenanFlagler Business School. She is an adjunct professor of financial sector compliance and corporate counsel risk management at New England Law | Boston.

Susie Morris is a trusted and well-respected sales leader with decades of diverse financial services sales experience internally and externally. Skilled in all aspects of sales leadership including motivating staff, evaluating resources, and streamlining processes, Susie has been responsible for the performance and productivity of sales teams and new corporate initiatives.

Susie is currently Vice President, Co-Head of Internal Sales for American Century Investments. This role entails leading teams that focus on building relationships and partnering with wealth management clients. Previously, Susie was responsible for teams focused on innovation, new initiatives and helping to create efficient processes within the sales teams including ETF Sales Specialists, Division Strategists, and Investment Analysis Specialist roles. Susie was also on the Global Leadership team for Accelerate, our women’s BRG and also served a co-founder and co- leader of this group. She is also responsible for co-leading sponsorships for Women in ETFs and is a volunteer and member of the NICSA Diversity Project North America Next Practices Commtitee.

Susie earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Marketing Emphasis from Kansas State University. She holds securities licenses 7, 24, and 63. She earned her CIMA® from the University of Chicago and the C(k)P® from the UCLA Anderson School of Business. Susie is knowledgeable in investment solutions including ETFs, mutual funds, collective investment trusts, 529s, Retirement Plans, separate accounts, and alternative investments.

Naadia Burrows is Broadridge Financial Solutions’ newly appointed Chief Diversity Officer. Naadia has held various roles of increasing seniority over the course of her 25 years with Broadridge and its predecessor companies. She is now responsible for designing and implementing a holistic DEI strategy, and partnering with Broadridge's business units and Human Resources team to develop the resources and competencies needed to enhance the organization's culture of belonging and diversity. She is

joining Broadridge’s Executive Leadership Team and will serve as an advisor on global initiatives, such as Broadridge's Executive Diversity Council, Associate Networks, recruitment, and compliance efforts. Prior to being appointed Broadridge’s CDO, Naadia led the organization’s Mutual Fund Regulatory Communications business, which services more than 900 mutual fund complexes. In addition to her P&L ownership responsibilities, Naadia is credited with driving go-to-market strategies and product development efforts. She also actively met with the Securities and Exchange Commission and other industry constituents regarding regulatory matters to help ensure investor communication improve shareholder experiences and provide cost efficiencies. She began her career with the company in 1995, starting in client services and quickly assuming management responsibilities, becoming a Vice President in 2009 and a General Manager in 2017. Her experience in the financial services industry includes
expertise in executive management, client services, operations, and product development. Naadia is a dynamic leader, a supportive mentor and a trusted partner.  

Naadia earned her Bachelor of Science in Economics and a minor in Africana Studies from Stony Brook University, and has completed Columbia Executive Education and Wharton/Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association leadership and executive education programs.

Richard M.F. Ernesti is Managing Director, and a Senior Client Executive covering firmwide strategic relationships and is responsible for the cross-sale coordination of Custody, Fund Services, and Securities Lending service offerings.  Richard has developed a deep understanding his client needs and to deliver strategic organizational initiatives. He brings over 30 years of financial services expertise and has worked in many different cities across three continents including, London, New York, Singapore, Frankfurt , Tokyo, and Hong Kong.

During his tenure at Citi, Richard has taken on several key leadership roles including Asia Pacific Regional Head of Securities Services for Global Transaction Services business, Head of the Prime Finance Client Management team and prior to assuming his current position in early 2016, as the Senior Client Executive covering strategic relationships.

Prior to joining Citi in 2001, Richard was Managing Director, Head of Customer Management and Global Sales Head for Global Securities Services at Deutsche Bank. Richard began his career at State Street Trust and Banking in Tokyo, followed by a move to Chase Manhattan Bank, where he completed the Management Development Program and worked in Chase Private Banking.

Richard is an advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Citi and in the financial services industry. He leads the DEI initiatives for Securities Services in North America, is an active member of Citi’s Pride Network, and serves as a mentor for the LGBTQ+ community.

He is a frequent speaker on industry panels and sits on the CEO Advisory Council of the Nicsa Diversity Project North America and the Investment Company Institute’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. He is actively engaged with and provides thought leadership for LGBT Great, Out Leadership and Out and Equal as well as with the clients which he covers.  He also is an active volunteer as a mentor to young LGBT professionals and leaders in the finance industry.

George Wilbanks spent over 20 years building the asset and wealth management practice at Russell Reynolds Associates to an industry leading position before founding Wilbanks Partners LLC in 2011. Earlier he had worked with a venture capital and family office business Agtek International, and then The Dreyfus Corporation in business development as Assistant to the Chairman. A graduate of Williams College with a degree in Political Philosophy, he subsequently earned his MBA in Marketing at New York University’s graduate school of business.

Alicia Hartjen is Head of Product Development, Financial Education and Communication Solutions at SS&C.  Alicia joined the company through the acquisition of Wealth Management Systems Inc. (WMSI) in 2015, where she was the Vice President, Head of Product Development. Prior to that she was the Director of Product Design at S&P Capital IQ Financial Communications. Alicia has a background in user-interface design – with a focus on how to create solutions that improve user outcomes. Alicia has over 20 years experience developing personalized education solutions and supporting communication programs.

Alicia has a B.A. from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, MO and an M.B.A. from Babson College/F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business.

Stacy McDowell works directly with the Firm’s clients and internal software developers on the design, development, and implementation of new products, as well as enhancements to and maintenance of existing products. Prior to Income Discovery, Stacy spent 20 years at E*TRADE, where she worked in Operations and Product Management to increase the firm’s retirement business. She led a team of high-performing product managers concentrated on individual and employer-sponsored retirement plans that drove customer acquisition and deepened engagement. Stacy has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Managerial Economics from the University of California at Davis. Her credentials include Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC®), and Accredited Pension Administrator (APA).

Jamila Abston Mayfield is a Partner in the EY Financial Services Business Consulting practice where she provides risk, compliance, and regulatory consulting services to key wealth and asset management, private equity, hedge fund, and banking and capital markets clients. She is also the EY Financial Inclusion Leader, and she and her team assist financial services firms in developing strategies, products, and services that create access, equity, and inclusion opportunities for underserved communities.  Jamila rejoined EY from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where she served as the Assistant Regional Director for the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations. In this role, Jamila served as an expert advisor for the SEC Examinations program, specializing in compliance program effectiveness, risk analytics, enterprise risk management, and cybersecurity for the asset management industry. She led and participated in hundreds of SEC Examinations and Enforcement investigations of investment advisers, investment companies, broker-dealers, transfer agents, alternative funds, and other industry participants.

Prior to the SEC, Jamila was a Manager in the EY Fraud Investigations and Dispute Services practice where she led restatements, investigations, and litigation support matters for healthcare, manufacturing, government, and technology clients.  Jamila is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF). She has a BA in Accounting from Florida A&M University, a MS in Accountancy from the University of Virginia, and an MBA in Asset Management from Yale University.  She was recently appointed to the SEC Investor Advisory Committee – a group that advises the Commission on regulatory priorities, trading strategies, fee structures, the effectiveness of disclosure, and other initiatives to protect investor interests.

Jamila is on the leadership team of the EY Black Professional Network and the EY Anti-Racism Task Force focusing on the recruitment, retention, and advancement of minorities.  She is a Lifetime Member of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) and an active member of the American Institute for Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Association for Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). Jamila also serves on the Yale School of Management’s Council for Anti-Racism and Equity (CARE) and is on the Board of Directors of Sanctuary for Families, New York’s leading service provider for domestic violence survivors.  Jamila has received numerous accolades, including the Crain’s Notable Women in Accounting and Consulting Award, the Yale Alumni Association Leadership Award, and the SEC Community Service Award, among others.

Eli Gramajo is a first generation Guatemalan American. He received his B.A. in Economics at Princeton University in 2019. He currently works as an Equity Research Associate at MFS supporting their Energy Sector Team. Eli is also a co-Leader for their ERG subgroup: Mosaic Latinx. Eli is also a member of MFS’s  Impact Investment committee, dedicated to allocating capital to projects doing good for the world. Eli is passionate about his family, social equality, the environment, and being a role model to many underprivileged students.

Dan is a Second Vice President and Enterprise Program Manager in the Enterprise Resiliency Office at Northern Trust. Prior to his current role he led a team within Northern Trust Hedge Fund Services specializing in OTC Structured Products. Dan holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from St. Lawrence University. In 2021, Dan was recognized as the NICSA Rising Star, representing Northern Trust. Outside of his day to day role, Dan serves as the Executive Co-Chair on The Advancing Professionals Resource Council (APRC), an employee resource group at Northern Trust. In his free time, Dan enjoys playing and watching soccer, always cheering on his beloved Arsenal Football Club.

Paul Olschwanger is the Founder & Chief Inspiration Officer of Wendell Rhoads Consulting, a valuable partner to asset management firms and their people, offering industry experience, individual and team coaching, organizational strategy, and recruiting. Before founding Wendell Rhoads Consulting, he led Olschwanger Partners, with a focus on complex executive searches. Most recently, while at Aon, he provided senior-level support for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and human capital development. There he coached over 300 investment professionals globally. He also served on numerous internal and external boards, including the CEO Advisory Council of The Diversity Project North America, and North America Inclusion Council.

Paul earned a BBA in Finance degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He completed the first AIMSE Investment Institute, Investments, and Marketing at The Wharton School, and earned a graduate certification in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Purdue University.

A frequent conference and webinar panelist and moderator, Paul is a long-time board member of the CFA Society in Dallas-Ft. Worth, and hosts their flagship podcast Charterholder Chatter. He sits on the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board for the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA), Talent Pool Expansion Cohort for IDAC, previously served on the board of the Parkinson Voice Project and is a member of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, American Psychological Association, and CFA Institute.

Polly LeBarron joined National Quality Review (NQR) in 1995 and has senior leadership and relationship management responsibilities across NQR’s suite of services. She also serves as a principal consultant for NQR Institute and, since 2011, has been a key member in developing NQR’s services designed to assist with intermediary and service provider oversight. Polly continues to provide expertise in operations, shareholder communications, customer satisfaction, compliance, and data management and insight into industry objectives in supporting NQR’s clients.

Prior to joining NQR, Polly was a writer and editor for Wilson Business Abstracts, a publication of the H.W. Wilson Company, and an analyst at AIC Investment Advisors.

Polly received a B.A. in Political Economy from Williams College. She earned a Six Sigma Black Belt from the University of Michigan and holds the Quality Improvement Associate and Quality Auditor certifications from the American Society for Quality (ASQ). Polly currently serves on the ASQ Board of Directors.

Vernét Hatcher is a Vice President at Capital Group, American Funds Service Organization. As a Certified Public Accountant, Verne’t joined American Funds in 2000 in Norfolk, VA. During her tenure she has worked in several roles focused on risk management, compliance and Intermediary oversight. In 2019, Vernét joined Capital International Management Company Sarl to focus on Distribution Oversight for the Luxembourg Funds. 

Most recently, Vernét moved back to the US to assume the role of the Hampton Roads (HRO) Site Director with responsibility for offices in Norfolk, VA. She is responsible for the welfare and safety of over 500 associates locally. She also supports the Shareholder Services’ teams in HRO in developing and executing on service strategy and fostering a work  environment that empowers associates and creates a positive experience. 

Vernét is a graduate from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia with a degree in Accounting and holds a certified public accounting license. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Verne’t has one daughter, Alivia.

Steve Krueger serves as our head of the Transfer Agent and has been with U.S. Bank for more than 26 years. Steve was previously our manager of the Transfer Agent’s Technology and System Support team and had been our Information Security Officer, providing consultative services to our organization’s clients by sharing the U.S. Bank and specifically the U.S. Bank Global Fund Services cybersecurity and information security posture. Steve provided these services to both client boards and chief compliance officers. Steve began his career at U.S. Bank in 1991 within our Technology and Operations Services group, implementing and supporting the bank’s network infrastructure. Prior to Steve’s career with the bank he was an operations officer at an independent bank in one of our local communities.

Janet Bienkowski is a Vice President and Sr. Director of Client Services at the MFS Service Center. She leads the teams that are responsible for shareholder and intermediary servicing and oversight for the US and non-US retail Transfer Agent relationships. Janet has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry dedicated to shareholder servicing and Transfer Agency Operations. Prior to joining MFS in 2014, Janet was with John Hancock Signature Services where she was the Head of Transfer Agent Operations. Janet is a current member of the Nicsa Board of Directors and Executive Committee. She is also a co-chair for the Nicsa Content Committee. Janet earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Simmons College.

Maren Stadler-Tjan is a partner in the Investment Funds practice of Clifford Chance’s Luxembourg office.

She is a qualified lawyer in both Luxembourg and Germany and has over 10 years of experience in asset management. She is an expert in advising investment funds and institutional clients in relation to the setting-up, structuring and investment into alternative investment funds (with a strong knowledge of the D-A-CH markets). She has a special focus on Private Equity, Real Estate and debt funds. Her areas of expertise include general regulatory matters, carried interest and co-investment arrangements and general corporate law. Maren also leads the ESG initiative for the Luxembourg funds practice. Maren is a member of the Koblenz Bar (Germany) and the Luxembourg Bar. She is also a member of the German-Luxembourg Lawyers’ Association as well as the Fondsfrauen Association and is a regular speaker at international conferences and seminars.

Serra Ahmetrasit is part of the Structuring Solutions business unit, based in London. She focuses on regulatory and marketing matters and structuring private markets commingled fun offerings. She has been with Partners Group since 2010 and has 15 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Partners Group, she worked at Man Investments AG in Switzerland. She holds a masters degree in law from the London School of Economics, UK.

Veronica Aroutiunian, partner, is a member of the Investment Management practice group in our Luxembourg office. She focuses on structuring and formation of alternative investment funds, particularly within the real assets sector. She is also a member of the Real Estate Industry focus team and the Regional Team France.

Veronica specialises in fund structuring, with a special focus on private equity, real estate and infrastructure funds. She advises clients on the regulatory and corporate aspects of structuring, establishing, operating and marketing Luxembourg regulated investment vehicles (Part II UCIs, SIFs and SICARs) and unregulated investment vehicles (including RAIFs and Luxembourg partnerships).

Before joining Loyens & Loeff, Veronica served as an associate in the financial services and investment management departments of various top-ranked law firms in Luxembourg. In the early stages of her career, she gained a broad experience in funds with liquid strategies (hedge funds) and retail investors (such as UCITS).

Tarun Nagpal is the founder of S64 Capital Innovation, a fintech alternatives investment platform focussed on delivering innovative private markets access to private wealth and retail globally. Tarun has over 20 years experience in finance across asset management, wealth management and investment banking. Before founding S64, Tarun was the Global Head of Alternatives & Solutions at Deutsche Bank and a member of the Executive Committee of Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management and DWS where he oversaw over $65b of assets across Private Equity, Private Credit, Infrastructure, Hedge Funds and Multi-Asset Solutions with a team of over 250 professionals. Tarun holds a Master of Arts in Law from Pembroke College, Cambridge and is a Qualified Solicitor in England and Wales.

Meredith leads the firm’s syndicated research and evidence-based consulting focused on the financial advisor market and is the lead author of the Advisor Brandscape® report. She has close to 20 years experience managing research initiatives in the wealth management industry and has explored a wide range of business issues working on the client and supplier side. Prior to joining Escalent, Meredith worked for Chatham Partners, State Street, Charles Schwab and Synovate (now Ipsos). She holds an MBA with an emphasis on marketing and consulting from Thunderbird School of Global Management and a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University.

Bill Finnegan has extensive financial services experience in leadership roles within marketing and sales. His more than 30-year career encompasses working in and across the asset management, retirement, insurance, and banking industries. Most recently, Bill was leading global marketing for Seismic software’s financial services business, the firm’s largest vertical.

Before Seismic, Bill was the Chief Marketing Officer for AMG where he led the marketing efforts for a family of more than 100 funds and SMAs managed by more than 35 independent and autonomous sub-advisers. Prior to that, Bill was Senior Managing Director of Global Retail Marketing at MFS. There he was responsible for leading the marketing strategy, content marketing, digital marketing, and client engagement for MFS’ global retail marketing business, the firm’s largest.

As a company spokesperson, Bill has been quoted extensively across consumer and industry publications regarding investor behavior and the application of technology and data to improve outcomes. At Broadridge, Bill is leveraging his integrated digital, data, and technology experiences to guide asset management clients as they apply software and data to improve client engagement.

Bill earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and a minor in economics from the University of Massachusetts. He has held Series 7, Series 24, Series 51, and Series 63 securities licenses as well as state life insurance & annuity licenses.

Matthew Goulet is head of Asset Manager Services & Business Development at Fidelity Institutional® (FI), the Fidelity Investments business that offers financial professionals and institutions access to the investment, technology, and platform solutions they need to service their clients and grow their businesses. Fidelity Investments is a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing, and other financial products and services to institutions, financial intermediaries, and individuals. 

In this role, Mr. Goulet leads a team that manages relationships with third party asset managers who offer mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), collective investment trusts (CITs), alternative investments, and separately managed accounts (SMAs) to Fidelity platform clients. 

Prior to this role, Mr. Goulet held a number of executive positions leading Fidelity’s model, SMA, and portfolio construction solutions and driving business development efforts in support of Fidelity’s ETF offering. He has extensive experience building teams that consult, design, and execute strategies to support Fidelity’s institutional clients’ ability to optimize their portfolio construction strategy through custom solutions and integrations with industry fintech solutions. 

Before joining Fidelity in 2012, Mr. Goulet was vice president and product specialist for the iShares Product & Investment Consulting team at BlackRock. In this capacity, he focused on the iShares lineup of ETFs and was primarily responsible for working with financial advisors and RIAs to help them better understand the structural differences between various ETFs. Previously, Mr. Goulet worked in several sales and product roles within State Street Global Advisors’ North American Intermediary Business Group. He has been in the financial industry since 2006. 

Mr. Goulet received his bachelor of business administration degree in finance from the University of Notre Dame. He is also a CFA® charterholder.

Austin Lewis is the Director of Global Business Intelligence at Janus Henderson Investors, a position he has held since 2018. In this role, he is responsible for providing distribution enablement and advanced analytics to the global distribution division. Previously, he was the firm’s global CRM Support Manager and Business intelligence Manager since 2012. Austin is a member of the IMEA Data steering Committee and frequent speaker at other Industry events. Austin received his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Pepperdine University and received his Masters of Business specializing in International Business and Business Strategy from the University of Colorado.

Daniel Shannon is the Director, Advisor Solutions Group for Delaware Valley region. In this role, he consults directly with Janus Henderson-related products and the Knowledge Labs® curriculum, which offers high-impact business and life-enhancing programs. Prior to joining Janus in 2018, Mr. Shannon was a regional marketing director at Putnam Investments. 

Mr. Shannon attended Fairfield University. He holds FINRA Series 6, 7, 63 securities licenses. He has 15 years of financial industry experience.