Employee Owned 2022

Aaron Geibel

Senior ESOP Consultant, USI Consulting Group

Over 22 years of experience administering and consulting on ESOPs and other qualified plans. Aaron is a member of the ESOP Association and the ESOP Association's Advisory Committee on Administration. He is also a member of the National Center for Employee Ownership and a founding member of the ESOP Emerging Leaders group for young professionals in the industry. Aaron received his BS in accounting from the University of Dayton.

Aaron Moberger

Project Manager, Avid Products

Aaron is a Project Manager at AVID Products, a 100% employee-owned company that specializes in award-winning audio learning tools. Since 2016, Aaron has volunteered in the New England chapter of the ESOP Association, serving most recently as President. Aaron is also a member of the Association's committees on ownership culture and public policy. Within the employee ownership space, his interests include ownership culture, communications, structuring and operating committees, and continuous improvement.

Adrian R. Loud

Managing Director, Censeo Advisors

Adrian R. Loud is the founder and a Managing Director of Censeo Advisors, LLC, a professional services firm, dedicated to delivering proven business valuation, financial advisory, and forensic analysis services. Mr. Loud's professional experience includes valuation and advisory services for a variety of engagements, including employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). Mr. Loud's current professional leadership roles include Vice President of The ESOP Association's New South Chapter and membership in The ESOP Association's Valuation Advisory Committee, Employee-Owned S Corporations of America (ESCA), The Atlanta Estate Planning Council, and the Georgia State Chapter of the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts. He regularly speaks about valuation and litigation support topics at local, regional, and national events.

Alan Kandel

Partner, Husch Blackwell LLP

Alan is a Partner in the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation group at Husch Blackwell LLP. He advises clients on all phases of ESOPs, from formation to termination and everything in between, representing selling shareholders, plan sponsors, lenders, and fiduciaries. Alan has extensive experience with executive compensation, and with 401(k) and other retirement plans. He has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for his Employee Benefits expertise since 2010.

Alex Grasser

Director of ESOP Sustainability, SCJ Fiduciary Services

Alex has spent 10+ years partnering with business owners and senior corporate leadership. His expertise includes the administration and sustainability analysis of complex defined contribution plans with an emphasis in ESOPs.

Alex Moss

President, Praxis Consulting Group, Inc.

Alex Moss is a founder and president of Praxis Consulting Group, Inc., where he advises employee-owned, nonprofit, and mission-driven corporate clients in fully engaging employees to drive organizational performance. His expertise includes ownership culture, strategy, governance, leadership, and workforce education and engagement, and he is a frequent speaker and author on these matters. He is a Trustee of the Employee Ownership Foundation and a past member of the Board of Directors of both The ESOP Association and the National Center for Employee Ownership. He has chaired The ESOP Association's professional advisory committees on Fiduciary Issues and on Ownership Culture, and he has served the employee ownership community in numerous other capacities. Alex currently serves as a BoD member of three ESOP companies, and chairs two of those. He has served on the boards of a number of cooperative and nonprofit community organizations, and he previously managed the social enterprise initiatives of a nonprofit community organization. He holds a master's degree in Public and Private Management (MPPM) from the Yale School of Management and an AB from Brown University.

Ali Jamshidi

VP of Finance & CFO, CTL Engineering, Inc.

Ali is the current Chair of the Board of Directors for The ESOP Association.

Allison Wilkerson

Partner, McDermott Will & Emery

Allison Wilkerson focuses her practice on employee benefits matters. She has extensive experience handling issues pertaining to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). Allison focuses her ESOP practice on the design and implementation of ESOP transactions and provides ongoing legal counsel to ESOP-owned companies. She has been involved in hundreds of transactions, including leveraged buyouts, mergers, acquisitions, and the structuring and financing of ESOPs using private equity. She has advised employers on the implementation of nonqualified plans and executive compensation arrangements that complement the employee ownership structure and culture inherent in an ESOP-owned company. Allison also represents independent fiduciaries in their role as purchaser in an ESOP transaction as to their legal duties with respect to their representation of ESOP participants and beneficiaries. Allison writes and speaks frequently on ERISA and ESOP issues.

Amanda S. Rushing

Vice President, Events & Education, The ESOP Association

Andy Manchir

Partner, Katten Sapper & Miller

Andy Manchir is a Partner in the Valuation Services Group at Katz, Sapper & Miller (KSM) and is a co-chair of the firm's ESOP Services Group. KSM professionals combine the depth of ESOP valuation and financial advisory experience with the breadth that comes from the firm's position as a leader in the areas of audit, tax and consulting services. Andy is an active member of The ESOP Association (TEA) and currently serves as a Trustee of the Employee Ownership Foundation (EOF). He is also an emeritus member of TEA's Valuation Advisory Committee.

Angela Fisher

Director in ESOP Transaction Services Group, FORVIS

Angela's area of focus is employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) in privately held companies. She assists with the structuring and facilitation process of creating new ESOPs. Angela's experience with ESOPs also includes providing financing assistance, tax planning, record-keeping, repurchase planning, employee communication, and structuring of executive incentive plans. She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, The ESOP Association, and National Center for Employee Ownership. She currently serves on the Ownership & Culture Committee of The ESOP Association. Angela is a 2010 summa cum laude graduate of Missouri State University, Springfield, with a B.S. degree in accounting, and a 2011 graduate with an M.Acc. degree.

Ashleigh Newlin

Director, Chartwell

Ashleigh is a leader in Chartwell's consulting practice with a focus on ESOP-owned businesses. She has significant experience in executive incentive design, ESOP repurchase obligation planning, and financial modeling and analysis. She assists a diverse range of clients in developing successful compensation and ownership strategies tailored to their unique philosophies and objectives. Ashleigh serves on TEA Advisory Committee on Administration.

Avery Chenin

Shareholder, SES ESOP Strategies

Avery represents closely held businesses and their selling shareholders, ESOP sponsors and ESOP fiduciaries in transactions involving employer securities and has been doing so for over 15 years. He works with companies and their owners in the planning, development, implementation and ongoing maintenance of ESOPs, helps clients with IRS and Department of Labor examinations and audits, and in the resolution of plan defects, including the submission of plan corrections under both the IRS and Department of Labor correction programs, and is a frequent speaker on ESOP-related topics. Avery is a member of the Fiduciary Committee of The ESOP Association.

Barbara M. Clough

Senior Manager, Blue Ridge ESOP Associates

Barbara Clough is a Senior Manager in Crowe's ESOP administration and consulting practice. She leads Crowe's ESOP administration practice, advises clients on technical issues and assists with feasibility and plan design. Barbara has over twenty years of experience working with ESOP companies on tricky administration and compliance issues for C and S Corporation plans ranging in size from 20 to 30,000 employees. She is on the Executive Committee of the Public Policy Council, past Chairwoman and current member of the ESOP Association Administration's Advisory Committee, Government Relations Advocate, frequent speaker and author as well as a member of The ESOP Association and ASPPA. Barbara holds a Bachelor of Science degree from U Mass Dartmouth, is credentialed by ASPPA as QPA, QKC and QKA.

Barry Goodman

President, Advanced Valuation Analytics, Ltd.

Barry Goodman is a frequent lecturer on business valuation methods and investment theory, and has spoken on a wide variety of subjects. A few of these include capitalization rates, small stock multiples, and advanced ESOP valuation topics. He has spoken to many groups in the legal and financial professions. These groups include the American Society of Appraisers, the ESOP Association, the Virginia Bar Association, and the Securities Industry Association, among others. In addition, he has taught securities analysis for the Washington Society of Investment Analysts and has lectured on business valuation at the Georgetown Law Center. He taught employee benefits analysis for the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania).

Becky Streff

Vice President of People Operations, Holden Industries, Inc.

Becky provides executive-level leadership and guidance to the organization's People Operations and identifies ways to support the Company's mission through talent management and creating a culture of highly engaged employee-owners.

Prior to joining Holden in March 2022, she had a 15-year career at ESP International (a 100% employee-owned company) where she held a variety of management and executive roles in human resources, organizational development, accounting, and operations.

Honored as National Outstanding Chapter Officer 2020. She is currently serving as a member of the Executive Committee of the State and Regional Chapter Council.

Brian Ippensen

President, TI-TRUST

Brian Ippensen is the President of TI-TRUST, Inc. He serves on its Board and the Board of the ESOP Association and the Employee Ownership Foundation. He is past Chair of Chairs and the Chair of the Fiduciary Issues Committee.

Cara Benningfield

Partner / ESOP Transaction Services, FORVIS

Cara Benningfield is a partner at FORVIS. Cara's area of focus is employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) in privately held companies. She structures and facilitates the creation of new ESOPs and works with existing ESOPs in matters ranging from acquisition structuring to repurchase planning and analysis. Cara's experience with ESOPs also includes providing financing assistance, tax planning, ongoing plan administration, employee communication, and structuring of executive incentive plans. She is a 2001 graduate of Campbellsville University, Kentucky, with a B.S. degree in accounting, and a 2003 graduate of Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, with an M.B.A. degree.

Carla Klingler

Director-Southeast Regional Business Development, Blue Ridge ESOP Associates

Four decades of experience interpreting ERISA and developing ESOP compliance tools, Ms. Klingler is a pioneer for ESOP services. Her consulting expertise and TPA services cover broad corporate strategies including ownership transition, plan design/implementation, regulatory compliance, tax, benefits, and communications. She serves on the national Administration Advisory Committee for The ESOP Association and regional Officer for New South Chapter. She's a frequent author and speaker at TEA and NCEO conferences. Her degree is in Economics and Finance from UCSB with postgrad ERISA studies at Wharton School of Business and Golden Gate University

Chelsea McCarthy

Partner, Holland & Knight LLP

Chelsea Ashbrook McCarthy is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Chicago office and a member of the firm's Litigation and Dispute Resolution group. Ms. McCarthy focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation and litigation under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Ms. McCarthy's experience includes defending plan sponsors of employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), company boards of directors, selling shareholders, and fiduciaries in ERISA putative class actions involving claims of breach of fiduciary duty and engaging in prohibited transactions. She also represents clients in regulatory investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for alleged violations of ERISA.

Christel Jimenez

Director - ESOP Consulting, Principal

Christel Jimenez is a Director of ESOP Consulting at Principal(R). She has over 15 years of experience working with ESOPs, both from within the retirement industry and as an officer of an ESOP-owned company. She has extensive knowledge and experience in recordkeeping, ERISA plan compliance, and complex ESOP issues. She engages with business owners and companies to define their objectives and design, implement, and communicate ESOPs. Christel holds a Bachelor's degree in Finance from The Pennsylvania State University, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Central Michigan University.

Christopher K. Buch

Shareholder, Polsinelli

Christopher Buch is a Chicago business attorney with a multi-disciplinary practice that focuses on a variety of executive compensation, employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) and employee benefits matters. A significant portion of Chris' practice focuses on ESOPs, representing plan sponsors, ESOP trustees, selling shareholders, ESOP committees, lending institutions and other fiduciaries in connection compliance matters and with the use of ESOPs and ESOP strategies in numerous types of transactions including ownership succession transactions, going-private transactions, management buyouts, corporate conversions, releveragings, ESOP company sales and transactions involving private equity. Chris regularly writes for national publications and speaks at national conferences on ESOP, executive compensation and employee benefits matters.

Christopher McLean

Member, Kaufman & Canoles, P.C.

Christopher L. McLean is a Member at Kaufman & Canoles, and a Director of ESOP Strategies, LLC. He advises clients on issues relating to corporate law, corporate governance, Benefit Corporations, and M&A, which all complement his broad ESOP background. Christopher has worked with numerous corporations and shareholders in a wide range of corporate ownership succession and exit transactions, including leveraged buyouts, corporate stock repurchases, corporate reorganizations, and ESOP purchase and sale transactions. His ESOP practice focuses primarily on the design, implementation, maintenance, and compliance of ESOPs, while representing ESOP sponsors or trustees.

Cindy Turcot

CEO & President, Gardener's Supply Company

Cindy Turcot is CEO and President of Gardener's Supply Company, a 100% employee-owned company located in Burlington, VT. Cindy is a former Chair of the ESOP Association and current Chairwoman of the Employee Ownership Foundation. She also serves on the board of The ESOP Association as well as several ESOP company boards.

Clifford Canavera

President, Canavera Financial Group, LLC

Clifford Canavera, CFP(R), MBA, President of Canavera Financial Group, LLC, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER TM; practitioner who provides financial planning and investment advisory services as well as investment and insurance products to individuals, families, and businesses. He works with ESOP companies to manage and fund their Repurchase Obligation. In the employee ownership community, Cliff provides exit and legacy planning for business owners. He also provides executive benefit and Qualified Retirement Plans to ESOP companies. A major focus is the planning and implementation of Repurchase Obligation funding strategies with a vision of increasing the sustainability and profitability of employee-owned businesses. He is a frequent speaker at various TEA and NCEO meetings.

Dan Kaczmarek

Director, Chartwell Financial Advisory, Inc.

Dan is an investment banker in Chartwell's corporate finance practice. He supports senior members of the firm with business development and execution of debt/equity capital raising transactions and sales of privately-held businesses to strategic acquirers, private equity firms, and employee stock ownership plans. Dan has worked on a myriad of successful M&A, capital markets, and ESOP transactions within the industries of consumer products, food products, business services, healthcare, manufacturing, transportation/logistics, and technology.

Dan Marcue

Chapter Development Officer @ The ESOP Association

Daniel Cooper

Senior Manager, Empire Valuation Consultants, LLC

Daniel has more than 15 years of valuation experience and is an expert on appraisal issues related to Employee Stock Ownership Plans ("ESOPs"). He has been engaged by various ESOP trustees to work on transactions and projects ranging from $1 million to $500 million. In addition, he works with companies looking at the feasibility of an ESOP and how they can structure their plan to attract and retain talent.

Daniel Goldstein

President and CEO, Folience

Daniel Goldstein is President and CEO and Board Member of Folience, a 100% employee-owned diversified holding company located in Cedar Rapids, IA. Daniel is a passionate advocate for employee ownership and serves on the boards of the ESOP Association and the Employee Ownership Foundation. He also serves on many company boards.

Daniel M. Reser

President, Fiduciary Services, Inc.

Mr. Reser has been a corporate fiduciary for securities and reorganization transactions as well as trustee and custodian of retirement plans for over 40 years. Much of this time was as an officer of large national and international banks. Since 2003 he has served as the President of Fiduciary Services, Inc. ("FSI"), a registered investment advisor located in San Rafael, California. In December 2021 he joined forces with Fiduciary Services LLC as a consultant.

Danielle Montesano

Managing Director, JP Morgan Chase

Danielle is a Managing Director in the ESOP Advisory Group for JP Morgan Chase. Her practice focuses on advising ESOP companies on financing, structuring, capital strategy, board governance and fiduciary issues associated with ESOP owned companies.

Danielle Rapp

Marketing & Communications Manager, SRC Holdings

Danielle Rapp is the Marketing and Communications Manager at SRC Holdings Corp., an employee-owned remanufacturer headquartered in Springfield, Missouri. Danielle specializes in branding, recruitment, corporate communications, and event management. As a certified Great Game of Business Internal Coach, she leads education and engagement initiatives to advance SRC's open-book culture of ownership. Danielle settled in Springfield after receiving a dual undergraduate degree in agricultural business and communication from Missouri State University and is currently pursuing a master's degree in project management.

Dave Van Ness

Vice President, GreatBanc Trust Company

David Van Ness currently serves as Vice President in the Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) Client Services group, focusing on managing client relationships and ESOP transactions. Mr. Van Ness joined GreatBanc Trust Company in 2021. Prior to joining GreatBanc Trust, Mr. Van Ness served as Vice President for Horizon Trust & Investment Management ESOP Services. He has more than 30 years of experience with ESOPs and retirement plan services. He has participated in numerous ESOP transactions. Mr. Van Ness earned a bachelor of science in accounting from Indiana State University. He passed the CPA Exam in 1992. Mr Van Ness is a member of the ESOP Association Administrative Committee and also serves in an advisory role for the Indiana Chapter of the ESOP Association.

Davin R. Gustafson

Principal, Apple Growth Partners

Davin R. Gustafson, JD, is a Principal leading the ESOP team at Apple Growth Partners. He has completed thousands of valuation engagements in his 30 + year career in a wide variety of industries and serves as an advisor for many ESOPs. He is active with The ESOP Association serving on the Fiduciary Committee and previously on the Valuation Committee, Board of Governors, and as a Chapter Officer for many years (Chapter Officer of the Year). He also serves on the Advisory Board for the Ohio Employee Ownership Center and as a Trustee for the Employee Ownership Foundation. Dave earned a BS in Business Administration, from Bowling Green University and a Juris Doctor from Cleveland Marshall College of Law.

Deb Karlsrud

ESOP Consulting Director, Newport an Ascensus Company

Deb has over 25 years of experience in the qualified plan area specializing in Employee Stock Ownership Plans. Her experience has been focused on consulting, recordkeeping, compliance, and plan design.

Derrick Vick

CEO & President, Freedom Industries, Inc.,

Derrick Vick, MBA, serves as President & CEO of Freedom Industries. Vick led the transition from a privately held corporation to 100% S-Corp ESOP in 2014 and was instrumental in Freedom being chosen as the NC/SC COY. Derrick also serves on the Board of TEA & EOF. Derricks growth strategy has doubled the size of the organization over the last 12 months. Before joining Freedom Industries, Derrick functioned as a Senior Financial Analyst for the Fortune Global 100 organization Siemens, of which he was hired full time his Jr. Year at NCSU where he was a student athlete and mascot: "Mr. Wuf".

Dolores Lawrence

COO/Managing Director, Blue RIdge ESOP Associates

Dolores Lawrence is a Managing Director of Plan Administration at Blue Ridge ESOP Associates. She is a CPA, holds the QKA designation from the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA) and has over 30 years of experience in plan design, administration and consulting services for ESOPs and 401(k) plans. She is a member of NCEO, The ESOP Association and ASPPA, and is a speaker at various ESOP conferences. She is also a past chair for The ESOP Association's Advisory Committee on Administration.

Doug Bawel

Chief Executive Officer, Jasper Engines & Transmissions

-1976 Doug joined JASPER as a sales trainee, then advertising manager, sales manager, and vice president before partnering to purchase the company from founder, Alvin Ruxer, in 1987 and was elected president.
-1989 became involved with NASCAR, in 2001 teamed with Roger Penske to form Penske Jasper Engines and 2003, Penske Jasper Racing.
-2009 sold Penske Jasper Engines and Penske Jasper Racing and focused on building NASCAR Transmissions. 16+ Xfinity teams use them each week including premier teams: Joe Gibbs Racing, and Stewart Haas Racing.
-March 2, 2010, JASPER became 100% Employee Owned ESOP Company (Employee Stock Ownership Plan). Through 2020 they have distributed over $367 Million in stock to Associate-Owners.
-Today Doug serves as Chairman/CEO of Jasper Holdings with 3600+ Associates and over $960 Million in revenue.
- Past recipient of Indiana Business Leader of the Year award, Indiana Corporate Leadership award, and Entrepreneur of the Year for Manufacturing. Currently serves as President of Patoka Valley Health Care Cooperative (30,000 Member group), as well as board of OFS Brands.
-Seven children, twelve grandchildren, and Suellen.
-His motto is "Do It Right and Have Fun..."

Elyse Bluth

Managing Director, Kroll, LLC (Duff & Phelps Opinions Practice)

Elyse is a Managing Director in Kroll's Corporate Finance group. Elyse represents companies, selling shareholders, and trustees in transactions, opinions, and in valuation assignments involving ESOPs and other ERISA plans. Elyse has worked with companies in many industries including food processing, heavy and light manufacturing, retail, distribution, healthcare, consumer products, and technology. In addition to ESOP implementations and sales of ESOP companies or subsidiaries of ESOP companies, she has dealt with transactional issues such as proxy voting, ESOP loan restructuring, share repurchases, spin-offs, and other issues.

Emily Rickard

Attorney, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Emily Rickard is an associate in the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation group of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. Emily focuses on ERISA and employee benefits law. Emily represents companies, trustees, and selling shareholders in ESOP transactions as well as in ongoing compliance matters. Outside of the ESOP context, Emily advises clients-including employers, insurers, plan administrators, and consultants-on health and welfare programs, qualified retirement plans, nonqualified retirement plans, and executive compensation.

Eric Zaiman

Managing Director, J.P. Morgan

Eric Zaiman is a Managing Director in the ESOP Advisory Group, advising bankers and their clients on the benefits of executing ESOP transactions and understanding ESOP-related issues. Eric has a leadership role managing ESOP financing transactions, including evaluation, structuring, underwriting and execution. Eric also oversees the credit aspects of EAG's activities, serving as a liaison with the credit risk function within the Commercial Bank and advising on credit and structuring issues across EAG's geographic footprint. Eric is very active in the ESOP and finance communities and is a member of the ESOP Association (TEA), the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO), the Employee Owned S-Corporations of America (ESCA) and the Association for Corporate Growth. Eric serves on TEA's Valuation Advisory Committee. Eric joined J.P. Morgan in 2009 with 21 years of experience in the finance industry. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, Eric was with financial advisory firm Duff & Phelps for 11 years. Eric has structured ESOP transactions and raised financing for many companies and sellers. In addition, Eric has represented ESOP trustees, issuing transaction and valuation opinions. Eric began his career in banking, holding roles in relationship management and credit/risk management. Eric received a Bachelor degree in Economics from the Yeshiva University and holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance and International Business from New York University.

Erison Rodriguez

Vice President, Strategic Growth. ProAct

Greg Daugherty

Partner, Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur LLP

Greg's practice consists of executive compensation and employee benefit plan issues for public and private companies and not-for-profit entities. He has assisted companies in designing stock and non-stock based incentive programs as well as employment agreements, severance agreements, change-in-control and parachute agreements, and other nonqualified deferred compensation plans. Greg also has assisted companies, trustees, fiduciaries, and lenders with the formation of employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and ongoing ESOP compliance matters. Greg's employee benefits experience includes providing ERISA fiduciary training and compliance services for clients.

Hannah Lesch

Sales Director, ProActRx

Harvey Katz

Partner, Fox Rothschild, LLP

Harvey M. Katz is a partner in the New York office of Fox Rothschild LLP and serves as Co-Chair of the firm's Employee Benefits & Compensation Practice and Chair of the Employee Stock Ownership Plans Practice. He represents clients in all aspects of pension, executive compensation and employee benefits law. Harvey handles a broad array of sophisticated employee benefits issues for public and private companies, including the representation of employers and trustees in connection with Employee Stock Ownership Plans and compliance, fiduciary and transactional matters and use of ESOPs in business acquisitions.

Hillary Hughes

Director, Prairie Capital Advisors

Hillary Hughes joined Prairie Capital Advisors in 2011 and is a shareholder in the firm. She provides strategic insights to assist business owners and boards of directors to address long-term ownership transaction goals. Hillary has been highly involved in the structuring and valuation related to employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) on behalf of ESOP Trustees as well as business owners. Hillary provides financial advisory services to clients ranging from small family-owned businesses to large multi-national conglomerates. She specializes in the valuation of businesses and business interests for purposes of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), ESOPs, gift and estate planning and strategic planning. Hillary is also instrumental in developing Prairie's trust-side ESOP practice.

Holly E. Jones

Maselan & Jones, P.C.

Holly is an attorney with Maselan & Jones, P.C. She counsels clients on business succession planning, ESOPs and ESOP transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and a broad range of employee benefits issues, including issues involving qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, executive compensation plans, ERISA fiduciary duties and prohibited transactions, and health and welfare plans. Holly received her J.D. from Villanova University School of Law. Previously, Holly was a Director of Litigation and Disputes for a large management consulting firm in DC. Prior to law school, she was a Legal Assistant at a real estate and commercial lending firm in Boston. She received her B.A. from Wellesley College, where she was a member of the varsity rowing team, a student athlete advisory committee representative, and a coach for the dorm and class crew intermural programs.

Ian Lonsdale

Client Executive, Fred C. Church, Inc.

Ian joined the Fred C. Church team as an Employee Benefits Client Executive in June, 2019. Ian, who holds a Group Benefits Associate (GBA) certification, is an experienced professional with nearly a decade of sales, employee benefits, and insurance experience under his belt. Over the last eight years, Lonsdale has gained hands-on experience in the insurance and risk management industry working for a variety of brokerages across Greater Boston and Washington D.C., including such companies as Marsh & McLennan Agency, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., and Lockton Companies. At Fred C. Church, Lonsdale is responsible for developing and maintaining strong client relationships through superior customer service. Ian is an avid golfer and enjoys spending free time with his wife Jenni, son Owen, and Barksdale, their labradoodle.

Jack Veale

Founder, ESOPMarketplace.com

Over 30 years of Succession Planning experience to closely held, family or ESOP owned companies. Provide governance and leadership assessments, including fiduciary training and board development

Jade Palermo

Manager & Employee Owner, Empire Valuation Consultants

Jade is a Manager in the ESOP Advisory Practice at Empire Valuation Consultants, a 100% Employee Owned valuation firm. Jade focuses her efforts on the valuation of companies for annual ESOP administration purposes and for ESOP transactions. Jade is a graduate of the Beyster Institute's ESOP Professionals program and is an associate member of TEA's Valuation Advisory Committee.

Jake Cravens

Managing Director, Verit Advisors

Jake is a Managing Director at Verit Advisors where he leads execution on a wide range of transactions, restructuring, and advisory services including M&A, ESOPs, and strategic alternatives consulting. Jake specializes in the valuation of business enterprises and the structuring of complex ESOP transactions across numerous industries including business services, construction & engineering, grocery retail and financial services. He holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) of the CFA Institute and is licensed by FINRA with a Series 79. Jake received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

James F. Joyner III

Managing Member, Integra Benefits Consulting LLC

Jim has been a certified public accountant since 1981 He has been providing valuation services for small and medium businesses for more than 25 years Jim began serving as an ESOP fiduciary in 2005 and has served as an independent trustee for over 125 ESOPs Jim once taught a course at Wofford College on the ancient story of Gilgamesh

James Steiker

Chairman, SES ESOP Strategies LLC

Jim is Chairman of SES ESOP Strategies, a Stevens & Lee/Griffin Platform company. He is a corporate, pension and tax attorney and financial advisor with more than 35 years of experience in ESOPs and other employee ownership matters. He focuses his practice primarily on ESOP design, transactions and compliance in entrepreneurial companies. Jim has served on the ESOP Association Board of Governors and is a past Chair of the ESOP Association’s Advisory Committee on Finance. He is also a former Trustee of the Employee Ownership Foundation and a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Employee Ownership. He is a director of the Employee Ownership Expansion Network and also serves as a Director of seven ESOP companies.

Jamie Walrack

Senior Vice President, First American Bank

Jamie is a Senior Vice President and heads up the national ESOP practice at First American Bank where he works with a variety of businesses all over the United States in industries ranging from manufacturing to professional services companies. He specializes in ESOP financing and lending to closely held middle-market companies with an emphasis on cash flow lending.

Jason Wellman

Director of Ownership Culture Services, ESOP Partners

I am a Director of Ownership Culture with ESOP Partners. I help Employee Owned companies by developing a comprehensive Ownership Culture through proactive educational resources for all participants to improve their understanding of Employee Ownership's unique benefits. I am a current member and immediate past chair of the ESOP Association Advisory Committee on Ownership Culture. I also am the Vice President of Membership for the Wisconsin ESOP Chapter and a member of the Minnesota & Dakotas ESOP Chapter Membership Committee. I am also a contributing author for the ESOP Association's ESOP Report on Ownership Advantage topics to improve ESOP culture and communications for the Association's members.

Jeffrey Gelburd

Vice President, Murray Insurance

Jeffrey S. Gelburd is Vice President of Murray in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Murray in 2007, Jeff served as national Business Development Coordinator within the Program and Franchise Practice of Marsh USA. Jeff is recognized nationally for his expertise in Fiduciary Liability, Director’s and Officer’s Liability, Cyber Insurance and Employment Practices Liability for ESOP Companies. In 1989, Jeff launched a national program providing Fiduciary Liability Insurance to members of The ESOP Association. The program utilizes Great American Insurance Company as the exclusive insurer. Currently over 350 ESOP Companies throughout the country are enrolled in this program. He has spoken at various national conferences, authored articles for Pension World, CFO Magazine and The ESOP Report. He is Past President of the Pennsylvania/Delaware Chapter of The ESOP Association. Jeff is also a member of the Board of Governors of The ESOP Association and Trustee of the Employee Ownership Foundation. In 2015, Jeff was awarded the Outstanding Board of Governors’ Member.

Jennie Msall

Consultant, Praxis Consulting Group

Jennie Msall, MBA, is a Consultant at Praxis Consulting Group, where she provides ESOP communications, financial literacy training, facilitation, and other organization development services to employee-owned companies and nonprofits. Jennie has 11 years of experience as a facilitator, trainer, and consultant working with nonprofits and employee-owned companies, and she has assisted in the conversion, launch, and growth of dozens of employee-owned firms. Prior to joining Praxis, Jennie worked at the nonprofit organization the ICA Group, where she directed the organization's employee ownership transition program. Jennie holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Boston and a BA in Urban Studies from Vassar College.

Jennifer Edwards

Vice President, Membership @ The ESOP Association

Jim Bado

Consultant, Workplace Development

Workplace Development's founder,Jim Bado has provided successful, field-tested communications, training, and ownership-culture development to ESOP companies for more than thirty years. Bado has served in numerous volunteer positions for national and state ESOP organizations. He is also the inventor of three award-winning children's educational games (produced and distributed by Learning Resources), an award-winning artist and author of the first employee ownership comic-book tale, Mitchell's War.

Jim Bonham

President & CEO, The ESOP Association

From The ESOP Association's national headquarters in Washington, DC, James Bonham serves as President and CEO, leading The Association and its 18 state and regional chapters throughout the nation. Bonham also serves as President of the Employee Ownership Foundation, whose mission is to educate and expand employee ownership throughout the United States. Bonham is a recognized expert in public policy, government advocacy, and executive leadership. He brings more than 25 years of experience as a high level government official, advisor, and business leader with expertise in the fields of taxes, labor, financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, and government contracting. Before joining The Association, Bonham was Chairman for nearly eight years of the highly regarded Public Policy and Government Relations practice at Manatt, Phelps, & Phillips, LLP, a nationally recognized law and business consulting firm. In this role, Bonham led teams of lawyers, policy experts, and advocates representing clients as diverse as New York Life, The Recording Academy (Grammy's), StarKist, and the American Land Title Association. During a decade of public service, Bonham held multiple senior staff positions, including Chief of Staff in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, where he was frequently cited in the media as one of the 50 most influential aides of either political party. His passion for shared capitalism springs from a family commitment to employee ownership: His grandfather had a personal and professional relationship with James Cash (J.C.) Penney, based partly on a shared business philosophy. One of their beliefs was granting a form of ownership to employees in the small mercantile businesses they ran. Bonham is proud to carry on today his family tradition of expanding employee ownership.

Joe Theismann

Two-Time Super Bowl Champion & MVP, Former Washington Redskins Quarterback

Joe Theismann is an entrepreneur and the former star quarterback for the Washington Redskins. Most recently, he spent the last 2 decades working for ESPN and the NFL Network as an NFL analyst. Joe graduated in 1971 from the University of Notre Dame, where he received All-American honors in both Football and Academics. That same year, he was runner up to Jim Plunket for the Heismann Trophy balloting. Joe chose to begin his career with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League after being drafted by the Miami Dolphins and Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins. A 12-year NFL veteran, Joe played in 163 consecutive games from 1974-1985 for the Washington Redskins and holds Redskin records for passing yardage (25,206), completions (2,044) and attempts (3,602). He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and Pro Bowl MVP leading the Washington Redskins to a 27-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII. Joe was selected as the NFL's Man of the Year in 1982 for his community service and dedication to the health and welfare of children. In 1983, he won the league's Most Valuable Player Award, leading the Redskins to a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance. Joe Theismann's career ended abruptly in 1985 after sustaining a badly broken leg during a Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants on national television. In 2003, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and in 2013 received the Walter Camp Football Foundation "Distinguished American" Award. With every chapter of his life, Mr. Theismann evolved from athlete to the ultimate businessman. An Emmy award winning analyst, business man and athlete, he utilizes his gifts, talent and high energy to share his strategies for handling unforeseen change.

John P. Murphy

President, Atlantic Management Company, Inc.

As President, John coordinates the firm's Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), merger and acquisition, and ownership transition activities. John is instrumental in providing valuation and financial advisory services in connection with the implementation of ESOPs. He also represents buyers and sellers of middle market companies, and has negotiated and structured complex recapitalizations, leveraged and management buyouts, corporate acquisitions, and family business transfers, to include the placement of senior and subordinated debt. John conducts valuations in connection with business succession, ESOPs, estate and gift tax matters, marital dissolutions, purchase price allocations, goodwill impairment studies, and mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. John teaches courses for business owners, attorneys and accountants on business valuation and business succession issues and is a frequent panelist at seminars sponsored by the Vermont Employee Ownership Center, the ESOP Association and its New England Chapter.

John Williams

President/Founder, Elucidate Resources LLC

-Founder/President of Elucidate Resources LLC. A consulting firm that specializes in helping people and organizations be successful.
-35+ years experience in Manufacturing
-GGOB experience as practitioner and coach since 2006
-Retired from Central States Manufacturing, a 100% employee-owned company and Great Game of Business practitioner, as VP Sales & Marketing.
-Great Game of Business Certified Coach
-Provides Sales Coaching and ESOP communication training.
-Professional member of The ESOP Association and National Center for Employee Ownership
-Chair of the Ownership Culture Committee for the ESOP Association
-Frequent speaker at ESOP, NCEO, and other conferences on employee ownership and engagement
-Co-author of Building a Resilient ESOP Company (2020)

Joseph Marx

VP - ESOP Consulting, Principal

Joe Marx is Vice President- ESOP Consulting at Principal. He specializes in assisting companies in the analysis, design, implementation, and operation of ESOPs, repurchase liability planning, and ESOP administration. He is a frequent presenter at various national and regional conferences and workshops. He is a member of the New York State Society of CPAs, The ESOP Association, and the NCEO. He also serves on the Finance Committee of The ESOP Association, is active in the NJ/NY and New England Chapters and is on the strategic planning committee for the NY/NJ and PA Centers for Employee Ownership.

Karen Ellis

EVP, Human Resources, Superior Farms/ Transhumance Holding Company Inc.

Karen NG

Partner, Nixon Peabody

Karen Ng focuses in ERISA and employee benefits matters with an emphasis on employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). She has extensive experience with the design, implementation and administration of ESOPs, pension plans, profit sharing plans and 401(k) plans and advises clients with respect to the structuring of ESOP transactions involving both closely held and publicly traded companies.

Kjersti Cory

Trustee, SCJ Fiduciary Services

Kjersti joined SCJ Fiduciary Services in July of 2022. She has worked for over 26 years with employee-owned companies, providing ongoing trustee and ESOP transactional services to clients throughout the country. Ms. Cory's experience includes the implementation of new ESOPs, second-stage ESOP transactions, redemption and sale transactions, mergers and acquisitions, as well as refinancing, restructuring, and re-leveraging transactions.

Kyla Alterman

Consultant, Workplace Development, Inc.

Kyla Alterman, a consultant at Workplace Development Inc. (WDI), provides customized ESOP communication, business education and ownership culture services that maximize the impact of having an ESOP. She has helped dozens of companies to enhance ESOP appreciation and engagement. Kyla worked as an Associate Consultant at Ownership Associates where she specialized in leading diagnostic exercises that help clients establish training priorities and teaching workshops on ownership culture, rights and responsibilities, and participatory management. Kyla's early work with a worker cooperative and housing cooperatives have nurtured her passion for employee ownership. Her high-energy and interactive presentation style makes a topic come alive for the audience.

Kyle Spader

President, Acumen Advisory Services

Kyle Spader of Acumen Advisory Services provides external trustee services providing transactional support for both buy and sell side ESOP engagements and serving as an external ESOP trustee. Kyle has a CPA, CMA, CVA and tax background and has served in both CFO and Division President roles with a large 100% ESOP.

Kylie Jackson

Business Unit Leader- Community, Great Game of Business

Kylie Jackson head of the Great Game of Business TM. Community helping practitioners from all over the world unleash the potential of their workforce through transparent, financial and business education, creating line-of-sight and giving them a stake in the outcome. She started her career at GGOB as an account manager emphasizing on Employee Ownership and remains very active in the ESOP side of the business as well as in the Employee Owned Community. Prior to working at Great Game, Kylie ran the Theatre Department at Shirley Hamilton Talent, Inc., one of the longest running talent agencies in Chicago, IL. She currently serves on the Culture Committee of The ESOP Association and is on the Executive Board of The Historic Gillioz Theatre in Springfield, Missouri where she resides with her wonderful husband, Austin.

Leah Turnbull

Director & ESOP Practice Lead, BMO Corporate Advisory

Leah Turnbull is a Director and ESOP Practice Lead with BMO Corporate Advisory and advises corporate Boards and C-level executives on corporate finance, ESOPs, dividend recaps, acquisitions, stock redemptions and valuation issues. Leah has more than 15 years of experience advising and assisting companies on ownership transitions and acquisition structuring.

Lee Bloom

Managing Director, Aldine Advisors LLC

Lee Bloom is the Managing Director of Aldine Advisors LLC. Lee has an extensive background in business valuation and currently serves as a director for a number of ESOP owned companies.

Lindsay Shafer

Consultant, Praxis Consulting Group

Lindsay Shafer, MA is a consultant at Praxis Consulting Group. She currently provides ESOP communication; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); strategic planning; and other organization development services to nonprofits and employee-owned companies. Lindsay has over 15 years of experience as a facilitator and trainer and project manager, and has worked with for-profit, nonprofit, government, and education clients. She is passionate about helping clients enhance their understanding of the value of diversity in all levels of the organization, develop more inclusive policies and practices that contribute to an ownership culture, and communicate across differences. Lindsay holds a BA and MA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Linshuang Lu

Managing Principal, Praxis Consulting Group

Linshuang (pronounced "Lin-shang") Lu, MSOD, is an organization development consultant and Managing Principal at Praxis Consulting Group. She advises employee-owned companies and nonprofits on culture change, strategic planning, leadership development, and diversity, equity and inclusion. Linshuang currently serves on the board of the National Center for Employee Ownership. She is a Core Faculty member of the University of Pennsylvania ESOP CEO Program, co-sponsored by the Employee Ownership Foundation.

Lisa Reardon

CEO, OwnersEdge, Inc.

Lisa Reardon is CEO of OwnersEdge, Inc., a Waukesha-based, 100% ESOP-owned holding company that she established in 2015 to provide revenue stream diversity and greater returns for its employee owners. Since then, she has led OwnersEdge through seven acquisitions, growing the company more than 350% to $100 million in revenue and 300-plus employees. The OwnersEdge portfolio includes five 100% employee-owned businesses - Asche & Spencer, Baycom Inc., CC&N, Implecho and QComp Technologies. In addition to her executive career, Lisa is currently an active member of the board of directors for public, private, non-profit and ESOP structured organizations. She is Chairman of OwnersEdge and has board experience with HATCO, R&B Wagner, Empowered Ventures and Waukesha Business Alliance board. Lisa has spoken on various governance, financial, and business strategy topics at national ESOP conferences, M&A Forums and TEC special interest meetings throughout the Midwest. Lisa is a graduate of Marquette University where she obtained her B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. She has attended numerous executive post-graduate continuing education programs at both Marquette and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Lori Stuart

Senior Manager, Crowe LLP

Lori Stuart is a Senior Manager in the Benefit Plan Services Group of Crowe LLP. Lori has worked in the Group at Crowe for over 24 years and specializes in working with ESOPs. She consults with clients on plan design, implementation, compliance and administration; and works with both new ESOPs and mature ESOPs. She is the incoming Chair of the ESOP Association's Advisory Committee on Administration and serves on the Executive Committee of the Ohio/Kentucky Chapter of the ESOP Association. She is also a member of the Ohio Employee Ownership Center and is a Trustee for the Employee Ownership Foundation.

Luke Woerner

HR, Safety, & Quality Manager, AGI Industries, Inc & Subsidaries

Luke Woerner is the Human Resources, Safety, and Quality Manager of AGI Industries, Inc, an employee-owned company that specializes in industrial fluid handling solutions. Luke specializes in risk management, quality management system improvements, strategic planning, and people operations. Currently, Luke and his fellow employee-owners' efforts are focused towards achieving the goal of AGI Industries becoming 100% employee-owned. Prior to AGI Industries, Luke was the Owner and CEO of CSC Consulting. There, he had the opportunity to work with various stakeholders focusing on providing People Operations, Risk Management, and QMS solutions in a variety of industries such as civil and commercial construction, manufacturing, and oil and gas service. In his spare time, Luke can be found working on his small farm with his family where they raise goats, ducks, bees, and are actively experimenting with regenerative agriculture practices.

Lynn Archer

Senior Vice President, GreatBanc Trust Company

Lynn Archer joined GreatBank in 2018 & is Senior Vice President and Business Development Officer in the ESOP Client Services group, focusing on managing client relationships and ESOP transactions. Before GreatBanc, she was Of Counsel for the ESOP group at Lathrop Gage LLP, served as Director-ESOP Consulting at Principal Financial Group, and as Partner for Barnes & Thornburg LLP. Lynn is skilled in drafting transaction documents and addressing risk management and other fiduciary processes.

Marcus R. Piquet

Senior Managing Director, AmbroseAdvisors

Marcus is a co-founder of AmbroseAdvisors and leads its ESOP third-party administration and consulting division. He is a licensed CPA in California.

Maria Thiel

Director - ESOP Advisory, BDO Capital Advisors LLC

Maria is a Director in the ESOP Advisory practice at BDO Capital Advisors, LLC. She has over 12 years of experience in retirement plan consulting and administration. At BDO Capital Maria assists the ESOP Advisory team with business development and transaction execution. She also oversees the plan design, ERISA/IRS compliance, benefit level analysis, and repurchase obligation planning for each of the team's new ESOP formations. Prior to joining BDO, Maria spent several years managing the administration for ESOP-owned companies which included plan recordkeeping, IRS/ERISA compliance, and ESOP consulting services. Maria is a CPA and holds the QPA and QKA credentials through ASPPA. She is an active member of The ESOP Association, National Center for Employee Ownership, and TN Center for Employee Ownership. Maria earned a Bachelor's degree in Personal Finance from the University of Wisconsin and Master of Accountancy from Belmont University.

Mary McCooe

Attorney - Principal, Maselan & Jones, P.C.

Mary A. McCooe, principal at Maselan & Jones, P.C., is an ESOP attorney practicing in the area of ERISA and employee benefits. Mary has concentrated her practice on all matters related to employee stock ownership plans, and she routinely manages ESOP transactions from start to finish. Her ESOP practice is focused on helping companies assess and navigate all aspects of ESOPs, and she particularly enjoys advising business owners on how an ESOP may be implemented into their succession plan. Mary frequently represents companies, selling shareholders, and ESOP trustees in new ESOP transactions, releveraging and refinancing transactions, and sales of ESOP-owned companies to third-party buyers. Mary has been a recipient of the Super Lawyers "Rising Star" award each year since 2016, and she is frequently asked to speak regarding ESOPs and exit planning. Mary received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law where she was an Editor of the Boston University Law Review and a recipient of a Dean's Award in Employee Benefits.

Mary Sullivan Josephs

Founder and CEO, Verit Advisors

Mary Josephs is Founder & CEO of Verit Advisors (R), a specialized middle-market investment banking firm. Ms. Josephs is a nationally recognized leader with more than 30 years of experience with ESOPS as a specialized solution-oriented succession and liquidity transaction for middle-market companies. She has advised, structured and closed more than 300 financings and advisory projects. Ms. Josephs was selected as one of the Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A in 2017, 2018,2019, 2020 and 2021.

Matthew Goedert

Counsel, Nixon Peabody LLP

Matthew is counsel at Nixon Peabody. He has advised numerous corporations, trustees, and shareholders of closely held companies on a wide variety of ESOP transactions, including leveraged buyouts, corporate redemptions, ownership succession transactions, reorganizations, unwinding ESOP transactions, and sale of all or part of the ESOP employer securities. Matthew has also structured and worked on hundreds of transactions and helped companies find financing to fund their transactions. He continues to work with clients after transactions to navigate corporate governance, administration and fiduciary issues.

Meredith Fiocchi

Associate Vice President - Investments, McCarthy Friedman Wealth Management Group

Meredith Fiocchi began in the brokerage industry in 1990, as a Financial Advisor. She worked for several years in both retail brokerage and subsequently in futures and options trading for a proprietary firm at the Chicago Board of Trade. After staying home to start her family, Meredith re-entered the workforce and in 2009 joined Michael McCarthy at Wells Fargo Advisors. Meredith and Michael began their working relationship during the 1990's and she was excited to join his new team. Meredith is an educational resource for leveraged ESOP transactions, working with both internal and external partners to help clients, prospects and employee owners understand the ESOP opportunity. She remains supportive to the client and their representatives throughout an ESOP transaction and helps clients with structuring 1042 portfolios and securing qualified replacement properties (QRP). Her team also provides support and financial guidance to ESOP trustees and employee owners. She is a member of the ESOP Association, is Immediate Past President of the Illinois chapter, and is currently on the national advisory committee for Ownership Culture. She is also a member of the National Center for Employee Ownership, (NCEO), and was chosen to speak at their national conference this year. Meredith educates on a local, regional and national level for associations, Wells Fargo, and at client companies. She holds both Series 7 and 66 registrations, in addition to Life and Health insurance licenses. She attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, and lives in suburban Chicago.

Merri Ash

Owner, Internal Trustee, LLC

Merri has 45 years' experience in Employee Benefits, including Senior VP at TI-Trust; Senior Trust Officer at SunTrust; EB consultant with Wyatt Company; benefits manager at Jonathan Corp, an ESOP company; and senior benefits consultant and Team Leader with the NADA. She is a past chairperson for the Administrative Advisory Committee and past member of the Board of Governors of the ESOP Association and current Board of Trustees for the Employee Ownership Foundation. Merri recently retired from TI-Trust and is now helping Internally Trusted ESOP Companies.

Michael C. Bush

CEO, Great Place to Work®

Michael C. Bush is CEO of Great Place to Work (R), the global research and analytics firm that produces the annual Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, the World's Best Workplaces list, the 100 Best Workplaces for Women list, the Best Workplaces for Diversity list, and dozens of other distinguished workplace rankings around the world. Driven by a love of business and an unwavering commitment to fair and equitable treatment, Michael joined Great Place to Work (R) as CEO in 2015, bringing 30 years of experience leading and growing organizations. This includes serving as CEO of Tetra Tech Communications, which he grew from $40 million to $300 million in revenue. Michael serves on the board for Workday, a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance, HR, and planning. He is a former member of President Obama's White House Business Council and a founding board member of the private equity seed-fund, Fund Good Jobs, which invests in small inner-city businesses

Michael Harden

Senior Managing Director, Ambrose Advisors

Michael Harden is a senior managing director at AmbroseAdvisors TM. He leads Ambrose's Investment Banking division. Since 1993, he has had experience in practicing and completing accounting, mergers, acquisitions, financings, ESOP buyouts and valuations. He is a specialist in ESOP buyouts and therefore has experience in wide array of industries, including energy, technology, government contracting, breweries, manufacturing, distribution, business services and construction.

Michael Lazar

Chief Executive Officer, CyberLogic Security, LLC

Michael Lazar is a veteran of the telecom industry and has held senior level positions in professional services, solution design, engineering and software development for the last two decades. Prior to joining CLS, Mr. Lazar was the Senior Vice President of telecom services practice at DataArt Solutions and the Senior Vice President of Services and Optiva where he was responsible for the world-wide telecom practice which focused on infrastructure performance, NFV, SDN and telecom security. Prior to that he was the Chief Technology Officer of Veloxum/Ambicom Holdings where he was responsible for designing and developing system optimization software, and before that CTO of Network Physics, where he led the design and development of Voice over IP (VoIP) and Financial Information exchange (FIX) monitoring software. Prior to the CTO role, Michael was VP of Customer Advocacy at Network Physics, in charge of worldwide professional services, including pre-sales engineering, post-sales support, and custom engineering. Prior to Network Physics, Michael held senior roles at Datatec Systems, Spirian Technologies, Inc and was the Technical Director at C3/Telos for the Immigration and Naturalization Service Personal Workstation Acquisition Contract. Mr. Lazar holds a US patent for Systems and Methods of Tuning an Operating System, Application or Network Component.

Michael McGinley

Managing Director, Prairie Capital Advisors

Michael provides financial advisory services primarily to middle-market, privately-held businesses in a wide range of industries. Michael specializes in all aspects of ownership transition and financial advisory services to business owners, Boards of Directors and trustees, including employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), mergers and acquisitions (M&A), capital raising and the valuation of businesses and business interests for strategic planning, gift and estate tax planning, financial accounting and reporting, buy-sell agreements and dispute resolution. He is also instrumental in developing Prairie's ESOP sell-side and capital raise practice.

Michael T. Graham

Counsel, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Michael T. Graham is counsel in Willkie Farr & Gallagher's Chicago office. Michael has more than 25 years of experience counseling clients on substantive employee benefits matters and in litigating a wide-variety of Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) matters in state and federal courts across the country. Michael regularly advises ESOP companies, trustees and administrators on legal and regulatory issues before the U.S. Department of Labor and Internal Revenue Service, and litigates ESOP-related cases for fiduciaries, administrators and selling shareholders in all aspects of ERISA litigation.

Michael Zermeño

Shareholder, Accounting & Auditing, RP&B CPAs

Michael joined RP&B in 2012 and was admitted as shareholder in 2019. His experience with entrepreneurs along with his interest in working through accounting complexities, drew him to work with ESOP clients. Known for his keen attention to detail, Michael ensures that ESOP plans are accurately reported following GAAP and that processes are in place to maintain the recordkeeping required.

Mickey Maier

President, Professional Fiduciary Services, LLC

Mickey Maier is the President and founder of Professional Fiduciary Services LLC based in Milwaukee, WI. He serves as an independent transactional fiduciary, ongoing trustee, co-trustee or board member for a number of ESOP companies. He has been actively involved in retirement planning, trust banking, investment advising and financial services businesses for thirty years serving as a technical expert, business manager, business owner and fiduciary. Mickey is an active member of The ESOP Association and the National Center for Employee Ownership.

Miguel Paredes

Trustee, Prudent Fiduciary Services, LLC

Miguel Paredes is a professional ERISA fiduciary and founder of Prudent Fiduciary Services, LLC. Mr. Paredes provides independent fiduciary, ERISA compliance consulting, and expert witness services with a focus on ESOP Trustee services. Mr. Paredes has assembled an excellent team, including highly qualified business, legal, and ESOP professionals with many years of ESOP experience. Mr. Paredes and the Prudent Fiduciary Services team help execute successful and compliant ESOP transactions and ensure that ESOPs across the country are being administered prudently, effectively, and efficiently. Prior to establishing Prudent Fiduciary Services, Mr. Paredes spent 12 years as an investigator and supervisor with the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). During his time with EBSA, Mr. Paredes conducted and supervised several hundred investigations of ERISA-covered employee benefit plans, with a focus on ESOPs. Mr. Paredes is a frequent speaker on ERISA and ESOP matters.

Mike Lucas

Vice President, Fred C. Church, Inc.

Mike joined the Fred C. Church family in 2000 as an account executive. He graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelor's Degree in industrial engineering. Shortly after, he started working for the Kemper Insurance Company as a fire protection engineer. Mike's background is of great benefit to his clients as he specializes in risk management, employee-owned companies, charter schools, vocational and regional high schools. Mike is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, biking and soccer. He resides in Rindge, NH.

Miles Weis

AVP - ESOP Practice Leader, Holmes Murphy & Associates

Miles Weis leads the ESOP Practice at Holmes Murphy, which is focused on providing risk management and insurance solutions to employee-owned companies. In this role, Miles delivers educational sessions tailored to address the unique exposures and challenges faced by employee-owned companies. Miles is a member of The ESOP Association (Fiduciary Committee) and NCEO. Miles holds the following professional designations: RPLU, MLIS, and AFSB.

Nick Francia

Managing Director, UBS Financial Services Inc. - The Capital ESOP Group

As a partner of The Capital ESOP Group, Nick focuses on educating business owners on tax-efficient exit strategies. He is committed to helping clients recognize their options, understand the pros and cons of each strategy, and choose the best succession plan for themselves and their families. Nick also creates tailored cash flow models comparing the taxable sale of privately held businesses and a tax-deferred sale to an ESOP under 1042 of the Internal Revenue Code. Nick earns his clients' trust through open, transparent communication and by working with clients' tax and legal advisors to construct an overarching strategy.

Nickolas Sypniewski

Managing Director, ComStock Advisors

Nick is an Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) of the American Society of Appraisers and Managing Director of ComStock Advisors. He has over 30 years of experience in valuation and finance. Nick serves on the Valuation Advisory Committee of The ESOP Association and as an officer of the Ohio/Kentucky Chapter of the ESOP Association. He has been a presenter on valuation topics for The ESOP Association, the National Center for Employee Ownership, The Ohio Employee Ownership Center, and other organizations. Nick earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati and an MBA from Xavier University.

Patrice Radogna

Partner, Marcum, LLP

Patrice Radogna is the national ESOP co-practice leader for Marcum, LLP. Patrice has more than 20 years of experience specializing in the valuation of privately-held businesses. In addition, her prior experience includes providing fiduciary services for ESOP companies. Prior to providing trustee services for existing/new ESOPs, Patrice previously helped build a national valuation practice with a boutique firm in Boston, as well as additional experience as national ESOP practice leader of a leading national valuation firm. Prior to working in the valuation field, Patrice spent three years as a financial underwriter for a surety company, working with contractors in New York City.

Patrick Carpenter

President, Gritt Business Coaching

Patrick's 35+ year career includes senior management positions with two global fortune 100 companies. Patrick co-owned a medical business which he helped grow from $1 million in revenue to over $12 million in revenue in 4 years. He has worked with companies such as McKesson, SRC, Novartis, New Belgium. He has been a successful business coach for the last 15 years helping companies see the benefits of Open Book Management and employee engagement best practices. He is currently re-writing his late mother's book, The Power of Open Book Management. Patrick sits on several boards and is a member of the TEA ESOP Association culture committee. Patricks' aacademic love is applied positive psychology. Patrick is a veteran of the United States Air Force. He happily married to his wife Jen who is a trainer for GRITT and they have 7 children and 6 grandchildren. They are very active in the running, triathon and outdoors communities.

Patrick Dixon

Account Executive, Murray Insurance

Paul D. Trost

President, Equitable Edge Services LLC

Paul Trost is Founder and President of Equitable Edge Services with over 20 years of working with ESOP companies, their management teams and boards. Prior to forming Equitable Edge Services, he worked with the ESOP Advisory Group at J.P. Morgan, where he was dedicated to helping bankers and their clients evaluate and manage financing needs throughout the lifecycle of an ESOP. Paul's experience in the institutional ESOP trustee role also includes North Star Trust Company and the subsequent ESOP team which was acquired by GreatBanc Trust Company. Paul was also employed by Duff & Phelps, LLC where he focused on corporate valuation matters, ESOPs, fairness opinions and related corporate finance transactions.

Paul Dougherty

Tax Manager, Recology

Paul has been with Recology for 22 Years and handles all tax related issues for the company as well as the annual Repurchase Obligation Study for the ESOP. Paul is a member of Recology's Culture Committee and chairs the Fundraising Committee. Paul graduated from Arizona State University with a B.S. in Accounting and is a licensed CPA. Besides Taxes and ESOPs, Paul performs Improv, coaches little league baseball, and enjoys travel.

Paz Terry

Chief Operating Officer, CyberLogic Security, LLC

Paz has held most roles within IT from help desk to CIO. For the last 16 years, he has chiefly helped to grow several Managed Service Providers in Arizona, acting as a business unit leader, Manager on Duty, and CIO for clients with a wide array of compliance needs in every major vertical. Trained as a certified CISO and acting in that role for the past few years for a wide array of clients and working directly with executives at businesses of all sizes, he has been a proven catalyst to help organizations realize security, budget, and compliance goals.

Pete Shuler

VP / Senior Consultant, Blue Ridge ESOP Associates

Pete Shuler is a VP/Senior Consultant with Blue Ridge ESOP Associates and has over 25 years of experience assisting his clients by administering and consulting on ESOPs and other qualified retirement plans. His current responsibilities include managing the administration of over 525 ESOPs; consulting with companies considering ESOP-related transactions; performing feasibility studies; consulting on the termination and merger of ESOPs; forecasting the impact of new legislation on the compliance and operation of ESOPs; and coordinating and reviewing repurchase liability studies. Pete frequently speaks and writes on technical topics regarding ESOPs. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Notre Dame.

Peter Allport

Partner, Levin Schreder & Carey, Ltd.

Peter focuses his practice on representing fiduciaries in trust, ESOP, estate, and closely-held business disputes, as well as other types of fiduciary litigation. Peter is a graduate of Tulane University (B.A., M.A.) and the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law (J.D.). He is admitted to the bar of Illinois as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the trial bar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois. He is a professional member of the ESOP Association.

Peter Jones

Counsel, Tucker Ellis LLP

Peter advises business owners, companies, and fiduciaries on employee stock ownership plans, transition strategies, corporate governance, employee benefits, executive compensation, and mergers and acquisitions. Peter is a graduate of Bradley University (B.A.) and Capital University Law School (J.D.). He is admitted to the bar of Ohio as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio, and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio. He is a professional member of the ESOP Association and the Ohio Employee Ownership Center.

Peter Ney

Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Director, EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc., PBC

Peter leads EA's ESOP management function, also financial planning and corporate strategic development. He is a member of the EA Board of Directors and serves as EA's Corporate Secretary. Peter is a passionate ESOP advocate, and chairs The ESOP Association's Public Policy Council, also serving as a member of The ESOP Association's Board of Directors.

Phillip Chou

Sr. Managing Director, Ambrose Capital Partners, LLC

Phillip is a senior managing director at Ambrose Advisors. He has nearly 20 years of relevant experience in investment banking and corporate strategy/development. He has advised clients across a wide spectrum of industries in the structuring and execution of ESOP buyouts, mergers & acquisitions, capital raising and valuation projects. Phillip oversees capital raising engagements and executes corporate finance transactions for Ambrose Advisors' investment banking division.

Randy Shrake

Director, Blue Ridge ESOP Associates

Randy has over 26 years of experience in the employee benefits industry and has been focused on ESOPs for the past 22 years. He also has extensive experience with 401(k) and defined benefit plans. He is a member of: The ESOP Association; ASPPA; and the NCEO. Randy is a speaker on ESOP administration topics for both The ESOP Association and the NCEO. He is on the executive committee for the Northwest Chapter of The ESOP Association. He also holds the QKA designation from ASPPA. Mr. Shrake received his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Economics from Oregon State University.

Rebecca Glasgow

Managing Director, UBS Financial Services Inc. - The ESOP Group

Rebecca has spent her career advising business owners, wealthy families and institutions. She has always focused her practice on helping clients with long-term investment planning and wealth transfer solutions. However, upon joining UBS, Rebecca found her niche in ownership transition and specifically employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs).Today, as a partner of The ESOP Group, she works closely with business owners and their families. Rebecca and her team are uniquely qualified to assist on all aspects of clients' financial lives including asset management, tax, estate and retirement planning, insurance solutions, lending and strategic philanthropy. The team is nationally known for their ESOP Section 1042 deferral expertise and also provides advice to corporate clients on areas such as cash management, repurchase obligation objectives, executive compensation and captive insurance company asset management.

Renee Lewis

Partner, Holland & Knight LLP

Renee Lewis is a partner in Holland & Knight's Chicago office and the Co-Chair of Holland & Knight's ESOP Team. Her practice focuses on counsel for financial institutions, privately held companies and trustees in the structuring, negotiation and documentation of employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) transactions, which may entail leveraged buyouts, equity repurchases and corporate reorganizations. Renee is on the Executive Committee of the ESOP Association's Public Policy Council and is the Vice-President of Government Relations for the Illinois Chapter of the ESOP Association. She is also a member of the ESOP Association's Legislative & Regulatory Advisory Committee.

Renee Stadtmueller

Managing Director, Blue Ridge ESOP Associates

Renee Stadtmueller, Managing Director at Blue Ridge ESOP Associates, has over 22 years of experience providing administration and consulting advice to ESOP clients. She is a CPA and holds the QPA designation from ASPPA. Renee is a speaker on ESOP administration topics for both The ESOP Association and the NCEO. She works closely with Plan Sponsors, accountants, advisors and legal counsel to provide guidance on plan design, compliance and operation.

Richard (“Rick”) Mapp

Partner, Chairman of ESOPs, Executive Compensation Practice Group , Kaufman & Canoles, PC

Rick is the Chairman of the ESOPs & Employee Benefits Practice Group at Kaufman & Canoles and is also a member of the Mergers, Acquisitions & Strategic Alliances Group. Rick is also the President of ESOP Strategies, a consulting subsidiary of Kaufman & Canoles, established to provide ESOP Feasibility Studies and other services related to ESOP succession planning. Rick's employee benefits practice includes plan design, leveraged employee and/or management buy-outs, business succession planning, executive compensation, banking and finance, and tax planning.

Rita Tucker

Chapter Executive @ The ESOP Association

Robyn Pollina

CEO, Palmer Donavin

After graduating from Ohio State University in 1993, Robyn started her accounting career at Coopers & Lybrand as an auditor. She then served 2 years as Palmer-Donavin's controller, then 23 years as CFO, and was appointed CEO on August 1, 2020. Palmer-Donavin became a 100% ESOP in March of 2007, the same year the company celebrated its 100th year in business.

Ross Ingersoll

Executive Risk & Cyber Account Executive, Holmes Murphy & Associates

Ross is a part of Holmes Murphy's Executive Risk & Cyber Practice and ESOP Practice. He actively collaborates with clients and businesses in specialty areas of Risk Management and Insurance including Cyber Liability. He shares his expertise and knowledge to educate companies on emerging risk, how they can address unique exposures, and crafting robust risk transfer solutions.

Ryan Graham

Director, Chartwell

Ryan leads Chartwell's repurchase obligation and sustainability practice, providing ESOP-owned companies a holistic approach to corporate sustainability. Ryan has been assisting privately-held business owners and management teams in analyzing the financial impact of transactions and the ongoing repurchase obligation for ESOP companies since 2004. He is recognized nationally as a leader in ESOP sustainability and repurchase obligation forecasting. Throughout his career, Ryan has worked with companies of many different sizes in diverse industries across the country.

Ryan Kuchta

Director of Administration, ESOP Partners

Ryan Kuchta is the Director of Administration with ESOP Partners, providing quality control and consulting assistance as leader of the client services team. He assists ESOP companies by working through technical issues, reviewing ongoing ESOPs for inefficiencies, creating plan documents, and working directly with clients to maximize the potential of their ESOP. Ryan welcomes clients to ESOP Partners and advises new ESOPs in developing a framework for a successful plan. He also works with ESOP Partners management to develop ongoing training, keeping the team current in today's business environment. Ryan has over 20 years of experience specific to ESOP administration, specializing in quality control and education. He has been a speaker at ESOP Association conferences and provided webinars on multiple ESOP topics. Ryan enjoys life outside work with his amazing wife, Adrianne, and two children, Norah and Grant. They enjoy building LEGOs, playing board games together, and love watching movies. Ryan is a sports fan, cheering especially hard for the Milwaukee Brewers and Green Bay Packers.

Sandra Smith

Director, Atlantic Management Company, Inc.

Sandra specializes in financial analysis and valuation services. She works primarily with closely held companies across a diverse array of industries, including manufacturing, professional services, retail, and high technology. Prior to joining Atlantic Management Company, Sandra spent 15 years in public accounting, focusing almost exclusively on commercial enterprises, where she worked with clients on matters including financial reporting, understanding and implementing changes in accounting guidance, assessing and strengthening internal controls, and succession planning. Sandra also assists companies and business owners with the intricacies of ESOP transactions and related accounting, in which she works with management to understand the post-transaction impacts to financial statements, debt covenants, and forecasts. She also provides ongoing financial consulting for existing ESOPs. Sandra is a frequent author and presenter on topics including synthetic equity and deferred compensation, correcting retirement plan errors, ESOPs, business valuations, and updates to US GAAP.

Sandy Shoemaker

President, Shoemaker Consulting

Sandy has a passion working with companies in transition who are seeking to maintain their legacy and engage their workforce through ownership. She has worked for over 20 years advising and supporting companies looking to go employee owned or assisting them with their needs after the close of the transaction. After spending over 30 years in public accounting, she now is focused on serving on ESOP company boards, educating companies on the ESOP alternative, and leading them through a transition to employee ownership. She was appointed to the state of Colorado EO commission in 2019.

Scot Storjohann

Senior Vice President, GreatBanc Trust Company

Scot Storjohann is a Sr. V.P. at GreatBanc Trust and he has over 30 years of experience in the retirement plan and ESOP industry. He works with ESOP companies across the U.S. on transactions (initial, second-stage, redemptions, loan refinancing, M&A, etc.) and provides ongoing trust services once the ESOP is established. His clients range in size from the small to very large, and from very basic in structure to the most complex. He speaks regularly at local, regional and national ESOP events. He is a member of the ESOP Association, a committee member of the Fiduciary Advisory Committee, President of the IA/NE Chapter of the TEA.

Scott Adamson

Partner, ArentFox Schiff

Scott is a partner in the Corporate & Securities Group of ArentFox Schiff where he specializes in ESOP transactions and matters. He has structured, implemented, and executed many of the largest and most complex transactions involving ESOPs to create liquidity on a tax-advantaged basis; to facilitate management buyout of a subsidiary, division, or portfolio company; to engage in a roll-up transaction; or to permit private equity investment on a tax-advantaged basis. He also has led some of the most significant transactions undertaken involving the sale of ESOP-owned companies to equity sponsors and strategic buyers.

Scott Freund

Senior Managing Director, Blue Ridge ESOP Associates

Scott Freund has over 27 years of experience providing administration and consulting advice to ESOP clients. He is a member of The ESOP Association's Administration Advisory Committee and is a frequent speaker on ESOP administration topics for both The ESOP Association and the NCEO. He has extensive experience with ERISA law, Department of Labor Regulations and IRS code compliance. He has worked closely with Plan Sponsors, accountants, advisors and legal counsel to provide guidance on plan design and to resolve plan issues such as compliance matters and audit discrepancies.

Scott J. Stitt

Partner, Tucker Ellis LLP

Scott Stitt is a partner at Tucker Ellis LLP and chairs both the Tucker Ellis ERISA Litigation and ESOP practices. As lead trial counsel, Scott has represented corporations, ESOP and defined benefit plan trustees, Fortune 500 companies, and individuals in complex class-action litigation in Ohio, New York, Illinois, California, Delaware, Virginia, Colorado, Missouri, and other jurisdictions. Scott's extensive ESOP experience includes representing ESOP trustees, selling shareholders, ESOP companies and Boards of Directors, private equity firms that have purchased ESOP-owned companies, ESOP valuation firms, and other ESOP professionals as litigation counsel and sometimes special counsel in scenarios including ESOP purchases, ESOP sales, administrative disputes, litigation filed by the DOL, class-action litigation filed by participants, and special investigations.

Sean Oseran

CEO/President, Integrated Axis Technology Group, LLC

Sean attended the University of Arizona as an undergraduate and went on to study law at California Western School of Law. After working several years for the Pima County Superior Court in alternative dispute resolution, he switched career paths and moved into the information technology field. As a young IT professional, Sean created and sold two IT support businesses, the second of which was sold to Integrated Axis Technology in 2009, where he came on board as its Director of Sales and Account Management. In October of 2021, Integrated Axis Technology Group became an ESOP, and Sean became its Chief Executive Officer.

Stephen James

CEO, SCJ Fiduciary Services

Steve has been serving as an Independent Trustee since 2008. He currently provides Ongoing Trustee services to over 115 ESOP companies throughout the United States. Steve has over 35+ years of experience in public accounting and corporate accounting and operations. He has completed more than 200 ESOP transactions throughout his career and enjoys assisting great companies in becoming employee-owned. Steve has been married to his high-school sweetheart for almost 40 years. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his three children and eight grandchildren.

Tabitha Croscut

Attorney, Devine, Millimet & Branch, P.A.

Tabitha Croscut is a shareholder and chair of the ESOP practice group at Devine, Millimet & Branch, with a national legal practice focused on ESOPs as ownership succession and employee compensation strategies. She counsels her clients regarding transactional, compliance and fiduciary issues with respect to their ESOP, and represents companies, sellers and internal and external trustees. Tabitha serves as a director of the Vermont Employee Ownership Center and on the Employee Ownership Foundation Board of Trustees.

Ted M. Becker

Partner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP

Ted M. Becker is a partner in McDermott Will & Emery and Co-Chair of its national ERISA Litigation Team. He has special expertise relating to ESOPs. Ted has defended some of the highest-profile lawsuits involving ESOPs. He represents ERISA and ESOP plan sponsor companies, their directors and officers, plan fiduciaries, administrators, financial advisors, and other service providers in a wide variety of matters, including DOL investigations, IRS audits, and lawsuits brought by plan participants and the DOL.

Ted Margarit

Managing Director, Chartwell

Ted is Managing Director and a member of Chartwell's corporate finance practice, where he focuses on providing ownership transition strategies, including the execution of ESOP transactions and/or traditional sell-side M&A processes with strategic and private equity buyers. His combination of industry experience, transaction analysis, execution expertise, and a practical, solutions-focused legal perspective provide Ted with a unique skillset to advise clients in a comprehensive, holistic fashion. Prior to Chartwell, Ted was an investment banker at Harris Williams & Company and Lazard Middle Market. Preceding his investment banking career, Ted practiced law in the areas of M&A and tax.

Tenecia Waddell-Pyle

Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, MyPath

Tenecia Waddell-Pyle is an award-winning community leader, Indiana University graduate and MyPath's Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). She had a 15-year career in law enforcement and served as a Crisis Center Director. Tenecia has been championing initiatives related to DEI since high school and have woven these practices into each occupation she has had. She welcomes the challenges, the reward and fulfillment of using her professional and lived experiences in supporting the MyPath ecosystem with her continued career theme of innovation, education, service and creating safety for others.

Thomas Dudley

Cofounder & CEO, Certified Employee-Owned

Thomas is a passionate advocate for employee-owned companies. He co-founded Certified Employee-Owned (EO) in 2017 to help accelerate the creation of an employee-owned economy. As the CEO of Certified EO, Thomas promotes the advantages of employee ownership and works with 500 employee-owned companies to help them share their ownership story. Thomas graduated from Stanford University with an M.S. in Statistics and the University of Virginia with a B.S. in Physics and a B.A. in Mathematics.

Tim Jochim

Partner, Walter Haverfield LLP

Tim Jochim is a Partner in the Columbus, Ohio, office of Walter | Haverfield LLP and a national authority on business succession and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). He is a trusted advisor to clients on corporate governance, corporate finance, employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), M&A and employee benefits. Publications include "Corporate Governance in ESOP Companies," Financier Worldwide, February, 2011; Employee Stock Ownership and Related Plans (Greenwood Press, 1982); "The Repurchase Obligation and Company Value" in The Journal of Employee Ownership Law and Finance (Fall, 1998). He is rated band 2 by Chambers & Partners USA and rated as AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel. Tim serves as a member of the board of directors of four ESOP-owned companies and is a member of the Public Policy Council of The ESOP Association.

Tim Lang

Managing Director, Chartwell Financial Advisory

Tim has provided financial advisory and valuation services to privately held companies since 2007. A substantial portion of his work relates to employee stock ownership plans and providing independent financial advisory services to ESOP trustees and other corporate fiduciaries. He also has experience with corporate ESOP advisory engagements, providing services for transaction-related purposes. Throughout his career, Tim has worked with a diverse demographic of companies. In particular, he has significant experience valuing construction companies. Tim is an active member of The ESOP Association and National Center for Employee Ownership.

Timothy R. Lee

Managing Director, Mercer Capital Management, Inc.

Timothy R. Lee, ASA, is a managing director and board member at Mercer Capital. He has over 28 years of experience in valuation and corporate advisory services, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, ESOPs, trust & estate matters, buy-sell matters, dispute resolution, and corporate planning. Tim has been a member of ASA for 25 years and an active volunteer and committee member within ASA and The ESOP Association. He is a frequent speaker and contributing author to numerous valuation-related publications.

Tina Fisher

Senior ESOP Consultant, Principal

Tina Fisher is an ESOP Consultant at Principal (R). She has over 25 years of experience working with qualified retirement plans, including employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). Tina provides consulting and technical support to both employers and colleagues on the design, administration, and compliance of ESOPs. Tina currently serves as a member of the Administration Advisory Committee of The ESOP Association (TEA) and is a member of the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO). She holds the designations Certified Pension Consultant and Qualified Pension Administrator from the American Society of Pension Actuaries. She is a frequent speaker at ESOP and retirement plan conferences. Tina lives with her family in Chattanooga, TN and enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and hiking.

Todd Wozniak

Partner, Chair of ESOP and ERISA Litigation Team, Holland & Knight

Todd Wozniak is a trial attorney and the leader of Holland & Knight's ESOP and ERISA Litigation Team. Todd defends companies, fiduciaries, service providers and selling shareholders throughout the United States in ERISA and ESOP litigation. Todd has defended dozens of class or collective actions and tried more than 40 cases or arbitrations to verdict. Todd is a frequent lecturer and writer on a wide range of ESOP, employee benefits, employment and business-related issues, including ERISA compliance and preemption, Department of Labor audits and investigations, IRS examinations, pre-dispute arbitration agreements and programs, class action defense, and eDiscovery.

Vicki Graft

ESOP Consultant, FuturePlan

Vicki is a Certified Pension Consultant (CPC), Qualified Plan Administrator (QPA) and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with over 25 years of ESOP and ERISA experience. She has extensive working knowledge in the oversight and operations of ESOPs, including compliance testing, audit assistance, accounting and reporting. Vicki is a member of the ESOP Association, the ESOP Association's Advisory Committee on Administration and the National Center of Employee Ownership.

Vincent Wayne Isaacks

Trustee, JD, CPA, Isaacks & Associates

Wayne is a Texas attorney, board certified in tax law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and a CPA. Wayne advises closely-held businesses and owners in taxation, company structure, owner relations, mergers and acquisitions, and exit strategies including private equity transactions, business sales, recapitalizations and ESOP transactions. His ESOP practice includes advising companies in feasibility, design and closing ESOP transactions, acting as counsel to ESOP trustees, and Wayne primarily serves as ESOP independent trustee and fiduciary in ESOP transactions - acquisitions, sales and mergers of ESOP companies.

Virginia Vanderslice

Principal, Praxis Consulting Group

Virginia J. Vanderslice, Ph.D., is a founding partner of Praxis Consulting Group. Ginny has more than twenty-five years of experience assisting employee-owned companies in developing high performance ownership cultures. Her work includes guiding high-involvement strategic planning, organizational culture transition, internal restructuring, leadership development, employee education, communication strategies and building high performance/high engagement cultures. She is the architect and Academic Director of the Penn ESOP CEO Leadership Program sponsored by the EOF, an executive development for current and incoming ESOP CEOs and Presidents.

Wendy Lankes

ESOP Consultant & Senior Administrator, FuturePlan

Wendy Lankes has been in the ESOP administration field since 1985. With over 35 years under her belt, Wendy is highly regarded as an ESOP expert. Wendy is a member of several industry related organizations, including The ESOP Association ("TEA") and the National Center for Employee Ownership ("NCEO"), and she currently serves as one of the limited number of professionals on The ESOP Association's Administrative Committee. Wendy speaks frequently on ESOPs and third party administration issues. In addition to speaking at employee ownership conferences and seminars on a national level, Wendy also provides employee orientations for clients. Wendy is a graduate of the University of Phoenix with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and has earned the QKA designation with ASPPA (American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries). Wendy lives in Guthrie, Oklahoma with her husband, William, and dogs Macy, Lucky and Bailey.

William W. Merten

Partner at Krieg DeVault LLP, Krieg DeVault LLP

Bill Merten is a Partner at Krieg DeVault in the Employee Benefits and Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) Practices. Mr. Merten focuses his practice on business succession planning and executive compensation. He has been recognized by leading publications such as Martindale-Hubbell, American Lawyer Media, Super Lawyers, The Legal 500, and Leading Lawyers Network, and he has been inducted into the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel (ACEBC). Mr. Merten advises corporations, shareholders, directors, and various professionals regarding the use of ESOPs and ESOP related strategies in a wide variety of transactions including, management buyouts, ownership succession transactions, private equity transactions, going-private transactions, ESOP company sales, and mergers and acquisitions.

Witold Telezynski

Manager, FuturePlan by Ascensus

Witold is a manager at FuturePlan by Ascensus Company, an innovative new national firm formed by quality-focused retirement and ESOP professionals. Since joining the firm in 2012, Witold's primary focus has been working on repurchase obligation forecasts and sustainability analyses, which include comprehensive financial modeling. Additionally, Witold is involved in supporting and development of the firm's Telescope TM software and periodically co-presents training and educational webinars.

Employee Owned 2022

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