Travis Brewer, CFP®

VP, Business Consulting, TD Ameritrade Institutional
Business Planning and Firm Strategy

As a business consultant with TD Ameritrade Institutional (TDAI), Travis consults with advisors on various practice management subjects including human capital, operational efficiency, client experience, and firm strategy.

Prior to joining TD Ameritrade Institutional in February of 2016, Travis worked at HD Vest Financial Services, an independent Broker/Dealer based in Irving, TX. During his 17 years at HD Vest he managed an advisor training program and consulted with advisors looking for guidance on planning and executing a succession strategy.

Travis grew up on, and is still involved with, a farm and ranch in southwest Oklahoma, and he is a graduate of Oklahoma City University. When he’s not working, he enjoys time with his wife, Catherine, and their three children: Rebekah (8), Mary Binns (5), and Bennett (3).

Caleb Brown, MBA, CFP®

Co-F ounder & Partner New Planner Recruiting

Caleb is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certificant, Kolbe CertifiedTM Consultant, and original creator of the FPA Career Day program, which began with the Dallas/ Ft. Worth chapter and subsequently, has been implemented by other FPA chapters across the nation. Throughout Brown’s career, he has mentored, hired, managed, and coached many career changers and college students seeking internships and full time positions in financial planning as well as the firm owners who hire them. Brown is a frequent speaker on career development topics pertaining to the hiring and successful integration of new planners into financial planning firms. He has been featured in Investment News, Dow Jones, NAPFA Advisor, Financial Planning, Financial Advisor, Virtual Office News, FPA Solutions, and the Journal of Financial Planning regarding his efforts to create a career path for up and coming planners. He is also an Adjunct Faculty member for the University of Georgia's Financial Planning Program.

He has been named the Next Generation Influencer by Financial Planning magazine, one of the top 25 most influential people in the industry by Investment Advisor, and Investment News 40 under 40. He is a member of NAPFA and FPA and completed three years of service on the FPA NexGen leadership committee. He is a graduate of the Texas Tech Personal Financial Planning Program and spent over five years in an RIA firm in North Texas helping a sole practitioner transition the firm to an ensemble model.

Joel Bruckenstein

Writer, Speaker, Consultant & Conference Producer
T3 Conferences and Technology Hub

Freelance magazine writer, book author, virtual office consultant and fee-only financial advisor Joel P. Bruckenstein, CFP®, is the Publisher of Technology Tools for Today newsletter. He frequently contributes articles to other financial planning publications including Financial Planning magazine, Inside Information, the Journal of Financial Planning, NAPFA Advisor magazine and Financial Advisor magazine. Earlier in his career he was the Senior Technology Editor at www.MorningstarAdvisor.com.

Mr. Bruckenstein's practice management and technology books, co-authored with David Drucker -- Technology Tools for Today's High-Margin Practice (Bloomberg Financial Series, 2013) and Virtual Office Tools for a High-Margin Practice (Bloomberg Press, 2002) -- have garnered universal praise from industry experts. An additional book by Drucker and Bruckenstein which was published by National Underwriter Company in 2004, has also received good reviews.

In addition to his writing duties, Mr. Bruckenstein is a practicing financial planner. He is the President of Global Financial Advisors, Inc., a fee-only financial planning and investment advisory firm located in Miramar, Florida. Mr. Bruckenstein is a CERTIFIED FINANICIAL PLANNER™ professional, a Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC), and a Certified Fund Specialist (CFS). He is a former President of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) of the Greater Hudson Valley and former Chair of the FPA Government Relations Tax Subcommittee. He is a member in good standing of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), the premier organization of fee-only financial planners and the Financial Planning Association (FPA).

Bruckenstein's expert opinions have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Business Week, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, Investment Advisor magazine, Investment News, Gannett newspapers, New York Daily News, Kiplinger's Retirement Report, Journal of Financial Planning and other publications.

Lisa Crafford

Vice President
Pershing Advisor Solutions, a BNY Mellon company

Lisa Crafford is a Vice President and Relationship Manager for Pershing Advisor Solutions, a BNY Mellon company. In this role, Lisa consults with Registered Investment Advisors to help them grow and strengthen their business. By providing insights, tools, and experience, Lisa helps advisors make informed decisions about how to evolve their firms.

Prior to joining Pershing Advisor Solutions in 2015, Lisa served as the Director of Business Management for 5 years with a well-known RIA in the DC Metro area. In this leadership role, Lisa was responsible for implementing business strategy, developing the firm’s human capital, and leading the teams for technology, operations, compliance, finance, and marketing.

Lisa founded Cogent Business Advisors, one of the first national study groups for COOs. In recognition of her leadership talent and insights into the management of advisory businesses, she has served as COO track coordinator for Bob Veres’ Insider’s Forum conference since 2014.

Lisa earned her MBA from The College of William and Mary as well as a Bachelor of Business with a concentration in Management and French from the University of Technology, Sydney (Australia). As a fluent French speaker, Lisa loves to add stamps to her passport and has been to over 35 countries – most recently Thailand, Greece, Spain, and China.

Luke Dean

Financial Planning Program Director & Associate Professor, Utah Valley University

Luke Dean is the Financial Planning Program Director and an Associate Professor at Utah Valley University in the Woodbury School of Business. The UVU PFP program is the largest undergrad financial planning program in the U.S. with approximately 350 students enrolled.

Luke has a PhD in Financial Planning from Texas Tech University and a Bachelors and Masters from Brigham Young University.

Luke 's research interests include compensation and conflicts of interest amongst financial advisers. His research also looks at how money and materialism impact marital relationships and families.

Michael Del Priore

Director, Legal & Compliance
Bronfman Rothschild

Michael Del Priore joined Bronfman Rothschild in 2018 with more than twelve years of experience as a Compliance and Regulation professional and over 18 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Bronfman Rothschild, he worked in the Compliance, Legal and Risk Department at LPL Financial, reviewing client and advisor activity, and conducting compliance exams of independent advisors and outside RIAs. Before transitioning to this position at LPL Financial, Michael worked as a compliance officer at Raymond James and Associates, held various positions as a regulator at the National Stock Exchange, and was a Specialist on the Chicago Stock Exchange. Originally from Chicago, IL, Michael currently resides in Milwaukee, WI.

Specific Experience

  • Examiner, Compliance, Legal and Risk at LPL Financial
  • Compliance Advisor, PCG Compliance at Raymond James and Associates
  • Senior Examiner at National Stock Exchange, Inc.
  • Market Analyst at National Stock Exchange, Inc.
  • Specialist at Rock Island Equity Market Services, Inc.

Education

  • Loyola University Chicago – BBA, Information Systems

Industry Involvement

  • Series 7, 24, 51, 63 and 66 licensed

Erica Farber

Chief Compliance Officer Balentine

Erica Farber is Balentine’s Chief Compliance Officer and a founding partner. In her role, Erica oversees all aspects of the firm’s trading, reporting, and client service functions. She has also been instrumental in the adoption and implementation of technologies to streamline processes and make Balentine more operationally efficient. Erica has more than two decades of experience in the wealth management industry and has been with Balentine since 1999. Erica is a panelist and guest speaker at industry conferences on topics relating to operations, process improvement, and compliance.

Lisa R. Featherngill, CFP®

Managing Director, Legacy and Wealth Planning
Abbot Downing

Lisa is the head of Legacy and Wealth Planning at Abbot Downing. She is responsible for a comprehensive suite of services, including the Abbot Downing Clarity signature service, customized financial and wealth transfer planning, and planning for business transitions. She leads a team of experienced and credentialed professionals who provide traditional planning in a unique way to align with family governance, history, and education programs that reflect clients’ values, priorities, and goals. Lisa’s team of professionals are integral members of the Abbot Downing client team, providing ongoing advice to clients and coordinating with their other trusted advisors to ensure planning goals and communication plans are incorporated into banking, asset management, and fiduciary services.

Lisa has provided tax and financial planning services to affluent clients and families for almost 30 years. She previously was regional managing director for Wachovia’s Financial Planning Group, a predecessor firm of Wells Fargo, and spent the first 11 years of her career with Arthur Andersen where she was a senior manager of the personal financial planning and family wealth planning group.

After receiving a bachelor's degree in accounting from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, Lisa became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) (not currently practicing) and a CFP® professional.

As a member of the American Institute of CPAs, Lisa has served on several committees and is currently a member of the Personal Financial Planning Executive and Advanced Estate Planning Conference committees. She is also a member of the Novant Health Foundation Clemmons Medical Center and Davie Community Foundation boards. Lisa was named to Private Asset Management’s “50 Most Influential Women in Private Wealth”* in 2016 and 2015 and George Mason University’s “Prominent Patriots” in 2015.

Shaun Kapusinski, MBA, HCS

Managing Director, Operations
Sequoia Financial Group

Shaun is highly involved in his firm’s overall processes and practices that help drive their client service. He approaches problems and solutions from an operational perspective, having spent the bulk of his Sequoia career managing the operations service team. Shaun is engaged in a variety of functions for the firm—from being integrally involved in managing Sequoia's CRM system, to overseeing office administration and engaging in talent development efforts.

Professional Accreditations & Education

  • Maintains the Human Capital Strategist (HCS) certification with the Human Capital Institute
  • The University of Akron, MBA (2010)
  • The University of Akron, B.A. in marketing with a minor in international business, summa cum laude (2001)

Industry Involvement

  • Founder, HIFON (High Impact Financial Operations Network), a group of over 130 financial planning firms from around the country that network regularly to share best practices on running an efficient and effective advisory practice
  • Current Committee Member, operations track at Bob Veres' Insider's Forum
  • Current Member, The University of Akron's Finance Advisory Board
  • Current Member, Wadsworth Young Professionals
  • Speaker, FPA DFW Annual Conference (2017)
  • Former Member, Schwab Advisor Services Technology, Operations & Service (TOS) Advisory Board (2012-2014)

Rebekah L. Kohmescher CFP®, CPA

CEO
Altair

A founding partner of Altair at just 25 years old, Rebekah (“Beka”) Kohmescher accepted the newly created position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on January 1, 2018, with responsibility for the overall management of the firm. Prior to becoming CEO, Beka spent her first eight years in a client service role, then shifted to an operational role, serving as Altair’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) since 2011. Under her leadership, the firm has redesigned entire aspects of the investment reporting processes, expanded online accessibility to account information for clients, and restructured internal workflows to best meet client needs and improve internal efficiencies.

Additionally, Beka serves as the head of compliance for the firm, assisting with creating policies and filing annual reports with the SEC. She is also the direct supervisor for managers of the consulting, investment operation, client reporting and office administration teams.

Beyond her work at Altair, Beka has been a mentor to young women pursuing finance and accounting majors and has been an industry advocate for bringing more women into the financial advisory field. In 2014 Beka was selected by Crain’s InvestmentNews as one of the top 40 advisers under age 40 in a nation-wide ranking based on individual contributions to the overall investment industry, leadership and promise for the future.

Prior to Altair’s formation, Beka was a consultant in Arthur Andersen’s Private Client Services practice.

Beka is on the Board of Directors and the Finance Committee of Community Health, a free clinic that provides high-quality health care to more than 9,000 uninsured people annually. She was the 2015 recipient of CommunityHealth’s Visionary Award, an annual honor that recognizes those that exemplify the importance of making quality health care available to Chicago’s most underserved residents. She is also on the Finance Committee and the School Board of St. Benedict’s on the north side of Chicago.

Beka graduated cum laude from Xavier University with honors in accounting. She and her husband Steve, along with their three children, reside in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood.

Tim Kochis

JD, MBA, CFP®, CEO
Kochis Global

Tim has 42 years of experience in financial planning in the US and overseas, in leadership at Kochis Global, Aspiriant, Kochis Fitz, Deloitte, and Bank of America. Tim received the P. Kemp Fain Award, the inaugural Charles R. Schwab Impact Award, the inaugural Insider’s Forum Leadership Award, and UC Berkeley has created an award for teaching excellence in his name. He has been inducted into the National Association of Estate Planning Councils’ Estate Planning Hall of Fame and Financial Planning Magazine has twice listed him as one of the profession’s “Movers and Shakers”.

Tim served two terms on the FPSB Board and as its Chair in 2005, as Chair of the Foundation for Financial Planning in 2004, and of the CFP Board in 1995. He has written several books including, most recently, co-authoring Success and Succession. Devoted to philanthropy and civic involvement, he serves on the Boards of the Asian Art Museum, the University of San Francisco, and The Asia Foundation. In the US Army in Vietnam, he received a Purple Heart for wounds received in action.

Christopher Lion

Chief Operating Officer Barnett Financial

Christopher is leveraging his background in corporate strategy and marketing to lead operations and compliance at Barnett Financial in Austin, TX. Christopher has worked as a marketing executive at Dell and at Samsung in Seoul, Korea, and as a Financial Analyst in Paris, France.

Christopher earned an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, an MPA from the University of Texas, and a BA, cum laudeand with honors from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA.

Prior to getting his MBA, Chris conducted international trade and investment negotiations for the US government in Washington, DC.

He is married to financial advisor Laura Lion, and has two children, ages 15 and 13.