Speakers

View the agenda.

The Future of Wealth:
Promise & Possibility
Tony Sirianni

Publisher & CEO

  • Tony Sirianni is a 35 year industry vet, the publisher of two of the most successful Financial Advisor magazines in the industry, and the force behind the AdvisorHub website, the number one news site for Financial Advisors. He is the host of the top rated Tony Sirianni podcast, which features the industry's best  CEOs, advisors, and thought leaders. He created an Advisor focused events business that gives thousands of advisors access and networking opportunities, along with national recognition in his annual 1,000 Advisors to Watch list.

    He is a consultant for Fortune 100 banks and Advisory firms, and a minority interest investor in a portfolio of RIAs. He is a founding partner in Steward Partners and Washington Wealth management, which later became Kestra Private Wealth, and a former Managing Director at 3 Wirehouse firms.

    Tony has a Law degree and a Masters Degree and lives in Virginia with his family.

Navigating the Evolving ETF Landscape
Lili Jiang

Head of ETF Specialists

  • Lili Jiang is Head of ETF Specialists for the US Wealth Management Intermediaries (WMI) team at Invesco. In this role, she is responsible for leading a team of ETF specialists who deliver Invesco's ETF capabilities and resources including insights, industry trends, and potential solutions across asset class and style, including traditional beta, smart beta, and active structures to the US retail wealth channel.

    Ms. Jiang joined Invesco in 2020. Prior to her current role, she served as director and senior ETF specialist for the Northeast Division. Before joining the firm, she held various sales roles at BlackRock, including iShares investment consultant and iShares leader, covering wirehouse clients in the Northeast. She also spent time on the National Accounts team at Lord Abbett, working with independent broker/dealer home offices. Ms. Jiang has been in the financial services industry since 2004.

    Ms. Jiang earned a BBA degree with dual majors in finance and marketing from Pace University. She is a Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA) professional and holds the Series 6, 7, 66, and 24 registrations.

Resilient Leadership
Emily Fletcher

COO & Managing Partner

  • Emily Fletcher is a founder and board member of OpenArc Corporate Advisory. She brings more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, with a career defined by operational excellence, strategic leadership, and a deep commitment to client service. Prior to co-founding OpenArc, Emily was a senior partner of the nationally recognized GCIAS team at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, where she oversaw the administrative and operational strategy for a team of 150 professionals serving corporate executives and their families.

    At OpenArc, Emily helps guide the firm’s strategic direction and culture, drawing on her extensive experience to support both individual and institutional clients. She believes that every day presents an opportunity to make a meaningful impact, a philosophy that continues to shape her leadership.

    Emily earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She and her husband, Andy, live in the metro Atlanta area and are proud parents of three adult children. A two-time breast cancer survivor and mother of a St. Jude’s survivor, Emily is a passionate advocate for pediatric cancer awareness. She actively supports organizations such as Thumbs UP! Mission and works to increase funding and visibility for families and warriors facing these battles.

Resilient Leadership
Samantha Sullivan

Director of Operations

  • Samantha Sullivan is the Director & Head of Investment Operations at Dynasty Financial Partners, where she leads a team of over 30 professionals across trading, billing, reconciliation, transitions, and project management. With 15 years of experience in investment operations, Samantha has helped develop Dynasty’s operational platform to support tens of billions in assets across over one hundred thousand client accounts.

    In her role, Samantha collaborates closely with Dynasty’s executive team, advisory network, and technology providers to drive innovation, elevate the advisor and client experience, and strengthen the firm’s multi-custodian platform. Since joining in 2017 she has contributed to expanding Dynasty’s TAMP capabilities, leading large-scale integrations, and advancing the firm’s investment solutions.

    Prior to joining Dynasty, Samantha served as Vice President of Research and Portfolio Management at Las Olas Capital Advisors, a registered investment advisor based in South Florida. She also held various wealth management roles at UBS and Morgan Stanley, working in offices across Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta, and New York.

    A native Floridian, Samantha earned her MBA with a concentration in Finance from Nova Southeastern University and holds a BS in Exercise Science from Florida State University.

The Growing Economic Power of Women
Amy Stern

Head of Transformation-UHNW Clients

  • Amy Stern is the Head of Transformation-Ultra-High-Net-Worth clients at RBC Wealth Management, where she leads the execution of UHNW client initiatives. One of her key focus areas is leading a strategic client segment that identifies ways to serve women with tailored solutions to meet their wealth planning needs. With over 25 years of wealth management expertise spanning transformation, strategy, and product leadership, Amy is passionate about empowering women in finance and beyond. Throughout her career, she has built world-class teams and platforms that drive meaningful client impact—from modernizing advisory programs to creating best-in-class service standards across the organization. A lifelong champion of development and growth, Amy believes in helping others discover and reach their full potential. She holds an MBA from the University of Minnesota.


Navigating 2026:
Turning Volatility into Client Value
Mona Mahajan
Head of Investment Strategy

  • Mona Mahajan is a Principal and the leader of the Investment Strategy team at Edward Jones. She helps develop and communicate the firm's macro-economic and financial market views, as well as create impactful thought leadership in order to help clients meet their long-term financial goals. She also is a voting member of the asset allocation team, supporting the firm's strategic and opportunistic portfolio allocation decisions.

    Mona’s experience in the financial services industry spans equity and fixed income analysis, global investment strategy and portfolio management. Prior to joining Edward Jones, she was the U.S. Investment Strategist at Allianz Global Investors for nearly five years.

    She appears regularly on financial media, including CNBC, Bloomberg TV, as well as print media like The Wall Street Journal and Barron’s.

    Mona holds bachelor's degrees in finance and computer science from the Wharton School and the School of Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. She also has an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

    Mona lives in New Jersey with her husband and two kids, Rishi and Riya. She enjoys traveling and being involved in her kids’ activities.

The Road Less Traveled:
Building a Practice with Meaning
Christy Gatien, CFP®

SVP, Financial Advisor, Portfolio Manager

  • Christy Gatien joined D.A. Davidson in 2005 after beginning her career at Everen Securities (now Wells Fargo Advisors). She is the creator of Life in Motion®, a proprietary financial planning process designed to help clients organize and understand their financial lives as they evolve. Through Life in Motion®, Christy integrates wealth management, risk and debt management, tax planning, and philanthropy into a cohesive, adaptable strategy that grows alongside her clients.

    Christy is actively involved in D.A. Davidson’s Women Financial Advisors’ Network and previously served on its committee, including two years as co-chair. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional. Passionate about financial education, for the past 25 years, Christy has been a speaker at retirement planning seminars for a local school district.

Fueling Your Growth Journey
Claire Fitz

Private Wealth Advisor, Managing Director

  • Claire Fitz is a Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisor and Kuttin Wealth Management’s youngest equity Partner located in Hauppauge, N.Y. After several years with UBS, Claire joined Ameriprise to pursue her mission to help as many people as possible maximize their financial opportunities.

    Claire’s motto is, “Money is just a tool to get what we want out of life – whatever that may be. Good Financial Planning is the practice of using that tool most effectively.” Claire specializes in serving individuals and families with financial resources that extend beyond their needs, towards their aspirations & legacies.

    A graduate of Tufts University, Claire lives in Oakdale, NY with her husband, Matt, a private charter captain, and their Boykin Spaniel, Bonnie.

Fueling Your Growth Journey
Devon McNamara

National Women’s Recruiting Director

  • Devon specializes in partnering with experienced women advisors who are considering a transition in the firm they affiliate with. Through the Women's Empowerment Network, she helps create clarity, confidence, and connection during pivotal career decisions.

    As a representative of all Ameriprise affiliation models, Devon delivers a consultative, personalized experience tailored to each advisor’s goals. She brings the Ultimate Advisor Partnership to life—highlighting the full spectrum of support, resources, and growth opportunities available across our territory.

Developing Leadership Roles on Established Teams
Liz Lenz

Managing Director, Practice Synergies &
Enterprise Consulting

  • Liz, Managing Director of Concurrent Practice Synergies & Enterprise Consulting is passionate about helping financial services firms maximize their business value and achieve their goals. At Concurrent, she oversees the practice and enterprise consulting offering, platform education programs, marketing, and PR teams. Liz is also the founder of Lenz Insights, a consultancy providing practice management and business consulting services for financial advisors, wealth management firms, and financial services institutions.

    Prior to starting her consulting firm, Liz was the VP of Advisor Productivity and Coaching at Raymond James Financial. In that position, she created and led the practice management coaching program focusing on content curation, thought leadership, conference planning, and experience advisor coaching serving over 8,300 financial advisors within the RIA, independent contractor, bank affiliate, and employee channels.

    Before becoming a leader in the practice management space, she was a Senior Succession & Acquisition Consultant working on over 300 transactions with advisors in planning for the future of their businesses. Liz has also held prior roles as a Sr. Internal Auditor at Raymond James and Finance Associate at various agencies.

Developing Leadership Roles on Established Teams
Sarah Mouser

EVP, Financial Planning

  • Sarah Mouser, CFP®, CDFA®, CES™, CTS™, CCFS®, ELA™ is Executive Director of Financial Planning at Merit Financial Advisors. A strategic leader with over 20 years of experience, Sarah drives the firm’s financial planning platform, enhancing infrastructure, scalability, and the overall client experience. Sarah also leads advisor training and mentorship programs, helping develop the next generation of financial professionals. Sarah serves on the advisory boards for Virginia Tech and George Mason University, supporting the future of the industry.

Developing Leadership Roles on Established Teams
Abby Salameh

Managing Partner

  • Abby is responsible for leading the New Jersey/Philadelphia team for Mercer Advisors, a leading national RIA. In this role, she is responsible for delivering client excellence, driving growth, and developing exceptional talent.

    Abby is a dynamic and visionary executive with over two decades of experience leading growth, marketing, and business transformation across the wealth management and financial services industries. She began her career as an advisor and has held national C-suite level roles at Hightower Advisors, CAIS and RFG Advisory, where she most recently served as Chief Growth Officer. Across these organizations, Abby has worked closely with advisors to grow their practices, expand access to institutional-grade investment solutions, and build strong team-oriented cultures.

    Her leadership philosophy centers on creating clarity of purpose, building high-performing teams, and aligning marketing, sales, strategy, technology and execution to accelerate results.

Developing Leadership Roles on Established Teams
Leah Schwarz

Managing Director, Wealth Manager

  • Leah Schwarz, CFP®, WMS™, CRPC®, MBA, Managing Director, Wealth Manager joined Steward Partners in July 2022. Leah’s financial services, planning and investment management experience began in 2006 at USAA and continued as a financial advisor with Edward Jones and then Raymond James.

    After growing up in Dallas, TX. Leah served more than 23 years in the United States Army (Active and National Guard) with more than 14 years as a commissioned Signal officer. Leah retired in 2015 with the rank of Major. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1996 from Texas A&M University (College Station) and an MBA in 2012 from the University of Texas San Antonio.

    Leah utilizes a strict process in determining her client’s needs, designing solutions and monitoring performance for opportunities to adapt to life changes and new goals. She truly enjoys helping clients reach their goals and implementing strategies for their future. Leah prides herself in building relationships with clients to assist them in strategizing their individual financial needs.

    Leah spends her spare time traveling, running and anything outdoors. Because of her love for travel, she has traveled to over 50 countries and all 7 continents. Lots of stories and pictures to share. In 2016, she completed her first Ironman Triathlon (Swim 2.4 miles, Bike 112 miles and Run 26.2 miles) in Tempe, Arizona. Since then, she has completed her second in The Woodlands, TX and third in Panama City Beach, Florida.

Developing Leadership Roles on Established Teams
Lissandra Wilmott

Head of Legal & Compliance

  • Lisandra Wilmott leads legal operations and compliance at Savvy Wealth, the AI-powered RIA platform built for independent advisors. She brings 20+ years of legal experience representing wealth management firms across regulatory enforcement, litigation, and M&A.

From ICU to CEO:
The Habits Behind the Hustle
Patti Brennan, CFP®, CFS®

CEO

  • From ICU nurse to nationally-ranked financial advisor, Amazon best-selling author, and host of "The Patti Brennan Show" podcast, Patti Brennan's career path has been anything but conventional. Over 30 years ago, Patti broke the ranks and created a unique financial advisory model; one that integrates wisdom and compassion with deep thinking and proactive service. What started as a bold vision in her laundry room has transformed into something that's caught the attention of many throughout the industry.

    As a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Certified Fund Specialist (CFS®), Certified Tax Specialist (CTSTM), Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®), and Certified Estate and Trust Specialist (CESTM) with a Georgetown University education, Patti brings more than just technical expertise to the table. She sees the impact of small details in the big picture and translates complex financial concepts into simple, meaningful terms.

    At Key Financial, Patti and her team use cutting-edge technology to help organize, clarify, and simplify their clients' financial lives. She believes wealth management represents the outcome of a well-executed financial plan that's constantly monitored and adjusted.

The Breakthrough Moment
Jennifer Taboada

Senior Director, Executive Consultant

  • Jennifer Taboada is an Executive Consultant and national speaker with Invesco Global Consulting. She partners with financial professionals with the goal of bringing structure and clarity to the client experience by transforming reactive, scattered activity into intentional, repeatable processes. Through her coaching, financial professional teams are shown ways to work more efficiently, scale sustainably, and deepen client trust by understanding the human side of guidance.

    With more than two decades of industry experience, Jennifer has held leadership roles at various firms. Prior to joining Invesco, she spent over a decade leading a team within BlackRock’s Business Consulting division and previously served as a financial consultant and national speaker. She has been featured in media outlets including Z100, iHeartRadio, and several financial podcasts.

    Jennifer holds a BS in International Economics and a BA in Modern Languages (Spanish and Italian) from Seton Hall University.

    A proud first-generation Cuban American, she lives in her hometown of Ocean Township, New Jersey with her husband, Michael, and daughter, Isabella. Outside of work, she enjoys skiing, rollerblading, baking custom cakes, and spending time with family and friends.

The Female Advantage
Beth Fitzgerald

Co-Founder

  • Beth Fitzgerald is a High- Performance consultant and coach specializing in working with females in finance.  Beth is a certified John Maxwell Coach and a member of the Forbes Coaches Council.  As a Master EFT Practitioner, Beth works with clients to transform their lives.

    Beth is an accomplished writer and author of The Wake up Call, a career and daily success guide which is like having a coach in your back pocket every day for a year.  She is also an international speaker and blogger where she offers eye opening motivation and tools for participants to live their best lives.

    Beth brings over 20 years of experience from her time working on Wall Street at a boutique hedge fund, at Prudential Financial, and at Oppenheimer Management. She has worked closely with large financial institutions as well as individual corporate clients. Her expertise lies in high performance,  sales,  leadership excellence , and personal and professional growth.

The Female Advantage
Holly Reimel

Co-Founder

  • As a High-Performance coach and consultant, Holly’s goal is to help women in financial services achieve their peak performance both in and out of the work space.  Holly has spent over 20 years partnering with Financial Advisers and Entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses and maintain a sustainable and happy lifestyle.  

    Holly has been a senior leader for major financial services companies where she has served as Head of Sales, and in National Account roles.  She has also enjoyed being a successful entrepreneur currently running two fun businesses!  Holly has presented internationally on topics including Women and Investing, The Mutual Fund Academy and Using What you Have. 

    The latter part of her career has been spent working with Performance Development companies including Franklin Covey where she honed her skills in helping her corporate and individual clients succeed.  Her expertise lies in helping others define and achieve their dream lives. Holly is a Master Energy Practitioner which is one tool she uses to help women achieve inner peace, outer success, and work-life harmony.  Her current and favorite role couples her experience and her passion to help change the narrative between the Financial Services industry and women.

The Dream Team Advantage:
How Women Advisors
Drive Scalable Growth
Chris Mone

EVP, Head of Wealth Management

  • Chris Mone is an Executive Vice President of Wedbush Securities. He serves as the Head of the Wealth Management division, and is a member of the Presidents’ Executive Committee and Management Committee of the firm. He has over 28 years of experience in the finance industry, formerly holding roles  with Wilmington Trust Wealth Advisory, BNY Mellon Wealth Management,  UBS. He was also a top Financial Advisor with Prudential Securities and Edward Jones.

Beyond Strategy: Transformational Power of Personal Connection
Brianna Perry, AIF®, CCC

Director, Conference Strategy & Partner Relations

  • Brianna Perry joined Raymond James in 2011 from Wachovia Securities to launch a new practice in Pinehurst, North Carolina. She spent a decade as a financial advisor with Raymond James & Associates before transitioning to the corporate side of 2019. Since then, she has held leadership roles including Supervision Liaison for the independent RIA Division and Division Supervision Manager for ICD Southeast, overseeing multiple states and territories. 

    Brianna is currently the Director of Conference Strategy & Partner Relations, where she shapes conference strategy while supporting advisor growth through aligned content, purposeful tools, and strong collaboration — partnering with coaches, colleagues, external partner firms, and internal teams to support advisors across the entire business lifecycle. She has also served as Co-Chair of the Women Inclusion Network’s Women Soaring Conference, championing initiatives that empower women across the firm. Passionate about enhancing associate and advisor engagement, Brianna is committed to building authentic connections, especially among military spouse families. 

    Brianna holds a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication and Marketing, with a focus in Business Management, from the University of Central Florida. Brianna lives in Ponte Vedra, Florida, with her husband, Vern Perry, a retired Army veteran (5th Special Forces Group), their two young children, and miniature dachshund. The family enjoys an active, beach-centered lifestyles and frequent trips to Disney World.

Personal & Professional:
Balancing Work & Life Pressures
Jennifer Teplin, LCSW

Founder & Clinical Director

  • Jennifer created Manhattan Wellness, a boutique psychotherapy practice, for young professionals to receive well-rounded care, and to support them in optimizing their life so it’s a life they LOVE - not just one that’s about checking off boxes and surface-level achievements. With mentions in Cosmopolitan and Oprah magazine, along with her master’s degree from Columbia University, Jennifer has not only created a space for therapeutic healing - she has created a movement that changes the landscape of therapy and counseling.

    Jennifer guides both her growing staff and her clients based on the concept of two individuals coming together and stripping away the labels of “Therapist” and “Client.” She has combined her clinical expertise, business savvy and highly impactful relationship building skills to transform what it means to go to therapy. Collaborative, holistic and client-focused care is revolutionary in the therapy world - and Manhattan Wellness is leading the way. Jennifer's practice is built on the belief that if you're willing to challenge your current way of life, anything is possible.

Owning My Power Through Change
Kelly DeMay

EVP, New England

  • Kelly DeMay is the Executive Vice President for Equitable Advisors' New England Northern Region. Since joining the firm in 2011, she has advanced through multiple leadership roles, including District Manager and Senior Vice President, before stepping into her current position. Under her leadership, her teams have consistently ranked among the top in the country, achieving the No. 2 position nationally and contributing to local offices that earned the prestigious No. 1 President's Trophy.

    A leader both on and off the field, Kelly was recognized as a Bronze Eagle-level advisor in 2025. She is a passionate advocate for the advancement of women in financial services, dedicating her time to organizing study groups, leading regional conferences, and creating development opportunities for advisors. Her leadership philosophy is rooted in integrity, high performance, and empowering those she leads.

    Growing up on a dairy farm in Palmyra, NY, Kelly credits her early experiences with shaping her strong work ethic and perseverance—qualities that continue to drive her success today.

Be Fearless in the Face of Volatility
Mary Ann Bartels

Chief Investment Strategist

  • Mary Ann Bartels is a recognized and an award winning strategist that spent 35-years on Wall Street analyzing and communicating trends in the economy, equities, bonds, commodities and exchange traded funds. Ms. Bartels held many roles at Merrill Lynch and Bank of America. She also held portfolio manager roles at Zweig-Avatar in New York and Batterymarch in Boston. For many years Mary Ann was responsible for contributing to the thought leadership for investment guidance and portfolio solutions for Merrill Lynch advisors and clients. Mary Ann’s name became synonymous with high-quality portfolio strategy and research, earning her the respect of clients and her peers in the industry. Mary Ann is an Institutional Investor All-American Research ranked analyst for six consecutive years for her work in Technical Analysis. She is also highly regarded for development of proprietary models for equity pairs trading and for her stock, sector and industry selections, as well as her extensive work on Hedge Funds. Ms. Bartels has pivoted her career to understanding and educating the cutting edge new technology in Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Cryptocurrency, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and the Metaverse. Mary Ann has appeared on CNBC, Bloomberg and Fox Business and has been often quoted in various publications including the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and Barron’s. Ms. Bartels earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees in Business and Economics from Fordham University. She is a graduate of the LondonReal DeFi Academy Accelerator program. She serves on several advisory boards including her Alma Mater Fordham University and We4C. Mary Ann has been invited into Marquis Who’s Who in 1998 as a Global Portfolio Manager and in 2019 as an Investment Strategist at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch. She is also a member of the LondonReal DeFi Academy Investment Club.

Authenticity: The Secret Weapon to Grow Your Business
Francesca Federico

Co-Founder & President

  • Hard work and family values are practically in Francesca’s DNA. Growing up, she worked at her family’s second-generation automotive business, where she had the opportunity to work with a financial advisor on the company’s retirement plan. This sparked her interest in finance and passion for taking care of the financial and personal needs of others.

    Francesca began her career with The Buckley Group, then built her own practice at Morgan Stanley. She co-founded Twelve Points to achieve the flexibility to help her clients with anything they need and change their lives for the better. Her belief is that everyone deserves a financial advisor who empowers them by putting their wants, goals, and needs first.

    Francesca works with families and individuals, especially women and business owners, to plan and manage their financial lives. In addition, she helps businesses and firms of all sizes with their corporate retirement plans. She is in her second decade of organizing people’s financial lives to help them make smart decisions and give them the freedom to do what they want to do.

    Over her career, Francesca has earned numerous industry recognitions and professional designations. She has been named a NAPA Top Women Advisor (2020 through 2022) and NAPA Top Women of Excellence (2024 through 2025), and was recognized as one of the Financial Times’ Top Retirement Plan Advisers in 2019. She has also received the Five Star Wealth Manager Award from Five Star Professional each year from 2021 through 2025. Even more than her financial expertise, Francesca’s clients value her as someone they can call about anything, anytime. She loves to use her many connections to enrich other people’s lives.

    Known for her warmth and enthusiasm, Francesca is always looking for ways to get involved in the community. She mentors college women and recent graduates, is on the boards for both Hale Reservation and the Light Foundation, and is active in many networking groups in Boston, including Tomorrow’s Women Today, the Boston Women’s Leadership Council and USA500 Clubs. She also co-founded and sits on the board of Marisa’s Mission, a non-profit founded on behalf of her cousin, who lost her battle with cancer in 2016.