William Chappell III is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. in Greensboro, NC. He holds the Series 66 designation and has two years of industry experience. Prior to his current role, he worked at several firms including Amerilife of Greensboro and Aflac. Outside of advising, he serves as Chair of the Risers Young Professionals group within the Guilford Merchants Association and is a member of its board. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser that serves mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals with discretionary portfolio management, investment consulting, and retirement plan services. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to tailor asset allocations and manages portfolios across multiple asset classes.

Dean Castor Jr. is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 33 years of industry experience. He has been with Truist Advisory Services since 2021 and previously worked at BB&T Investments and BB&T Securities. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as President of the Villages of Skull Creek II Dock Owners Association, a property owners association in Hilton Head Island, SC. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporations, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation, fiduciary support, and a manager‑selection program, implementing advice through a mix of discretionary and non‑discretionary strategies supported by third‑party platforms and an integrated inter‑affiliate operating structure.

Spencer Angell is a CFP® with 26 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Transamerica Retirement Advisors, LLC. He has worked at Diversified Investors Securities Corp. and Diversified Investment Advisors since 2009. Transamerica Retirement Advisors serves participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans and IRA owners by providing managed advice and investment education focused on asset allocation and retirement planning. The firm employs portfolio construction supported by Morningstar Investment Management and serves a large client base with a mix of discretionary and non-discretionary services.

Michael Hinz is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in High Point, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 18 years of industry experience. He has been with First Citizens Investor Services and First Citizens Bank since 2010. First Citizens Investor Services serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate/business entities, providing advisory and brokerage services with a focus on IAR-led financial needs assessments and diversified portfolio management strategies.

John Thomas is a CFP® and CFA® with 14 years of industry experience. He has worked at Hightower Advisors since 2020 and previously spent 15 years at Stearns Financial Services Group. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a board member and treasurer for a family corporation managing timberland and investment assets. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a wide range of individual and institutional clients, offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, using both affiliated and third-party managers alongside proprietary research and diverse investment vehicles.

Eugene Smith is a financial advisor at Oppenheimer with 49 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Oppenheimer since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, he serves on the North Carolina Tennis Foundation board. Oppenheimer serves individuals, corporations, pooled vehicles, and retirement plans, offering a variety of advisory programs and services including portfolio management, consulting, and financial planning. The firm employs both strategic and tactical asset allocation approaches across multiple investment strategies and supports institutional and unaffiliated advisors through consulting and retirement-plan services.

Joseph Rhyne is a financial advisor at &PARTNERS with 39 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked previously at Wells Fargo Advisors and Wells Fargo Clearing. Outside of his advisory role, he has a 25% ownership interest in Riazzi Rhyne & Swaim Investment Group LLC, an investment-related business based in Winston Salem, NC. &PARTNERS serves a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, charitable organizations, foundations, universities, and sovereign wealth funds. The firm offers both advisory and brokerage services, utilizing a combination of proprietary and third-party investment models across discretionary and non-discretionary portfolios.

James Jones Jr. is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding a Series 66 designation and 15 years of industry experience. His career includes prior roles at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and BB&T Investment Services. He also receives renewal commissions from previous Medicare Advantage insurance sales. Truist Advisory Services offers investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm provides asset allocation, investment policy analysis, fiduciary support, and a manager-selection program, utilizing a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary approaches supported by inter-affiliate resources.

Robert Blakely is a CFP® and ChFC® affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network, with 30 years of industry experience. He has been with Commonwealth since 2000. Blakely is the owner of Calmwater Advisory Group, LLC, a consulting entity serving Blakely Financial, Inc. Commonwealth Financial Network serves a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their retail and institutional clients, providing a range of advisory programs, technology, and operational support. The firm offers various investment programs and discretionary model portfolios managed by its Investment Management and Research team.

Michael Gillis is a financial advisor at Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC with 25 years of industry experience. He holds the PFS™ and Series 66 credentials and has worked at Proequities and DMJ Wealth Advisors, LLC. Gillis is also the managing partner of a CPA firm and serves as treasurer and chairman of the finance committee for the United Way of Greater Greensboro. Beacon Pointe Advisors provides investment advisory and consulting services to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a manager-driven investment approach using proprietary due diligence and offers a range of services from wealth management to outsourced CIO solutions.

Darryl Cermak Serfass is a financial advisor with Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 17 years of industry experience. He has worked at Independent Advisor Alliance and LPL Financial since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in direct sales of nutritional products through Juice Plus. Independent Advisor Alliance serves a diverse client base including individuals, small businesses, and charitable organizations, offering asset management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm provides both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management using various strategies and technology platforms, and maintains a network model supported by affiliations with LPL Financial and third-party service providers.

Diane Parmele is a financial advisor at D.A. Davidson & Co. with 38 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 registrations and has previously worked at firms including Truist Advisory Services, BB&T Securities, Independent Advisor Alliance, and LPL Financial. Outside of her advisory role, she is a notary public, providing document notarization services. D.A. Davidson & Co. offers investment advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including employer-sponsored retirement plans, individual and high-net-worth investors, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm provides retirement plan advisory, comprehensive financial planning, and a private wealth program, operating under fiduciary standards and employing both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Paula Mc Millan is a CFP® professional with eight years of experience in the financial services industry. She has worked at Hightower Advisors since 2020 and previously spent five years with Stearns Financial Group. Hightower Advisors delivers investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach includes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing affiliated and third-party managers, proprietary research, and a variety of investment vehicles.

John Watson III is a financial advisor with Hornor, Townsend & Kent, LLC in Greensboro, NC, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 63 and 65 licenses. He has 44 years of industry experience, with significant tenure at Penn Mutual Life Insurance and Hornor, Townsend & Kent since 2007. Outside of his advisory role, he is active in professional organizations such as Finseca, serving on various committees, and he manages golf tournaments through a non-investment-related business. Hornor, Townsend & Kent serves individuals, trusts, businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans by offering advisory programs, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm operates under a dual SEC-registered adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer model, providing both discretionary and non-discretionary account options and reporting approximately $8.37 billion in discretionary assets under management as of the end of 2025.

Tara Maxwell is a CFP® professional with 10 years of industry experience. She has worked at Hightower Advisors since 2020 and previously spent eight years at Stearns Financial Group. Based in Greensboro, NC, she currently serves clients through Hightower Advisors. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers, and offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management alongside financial planning and retirement plan consulting.

Dakota Dzula is a financial advisor at &PARTNERS with a Series 66 credential and four years of industry experience. Prior to joining &PARTNERS in 2025, Dakota worked at Wells Fargo Advisors and Wells Fargo Clearing. His background also includes roles outside finance, such as positions at David's Bridal and Salem Solutions, as well as teaching Tae Kwon Do. &PARTNERS serves a diverse clientele including individuals, retirement plans, charitable organizations, foundations, universities, and sovereign wealth funds. The firm offers both advisory and brokerage services, utilizing a combination of proprietary models and third-party managers, and provides a range of financial services from portfolio management to investment banking.

Ryan Cooke is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license, with 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Truist Advisory Services since 2021, following eight years at BB&T Securities. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled equity research tools.

Joanna Smith is a CFP® with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving at Kestra Advisory since 2018. Her prior roles include positions at Securities Service Network and Rather & Kittrell, Inc. She also holds roles supporting retirement plan clients through meeting preparation and financial planning activities. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to a diverse client base, including institutional and individual investors, offering services such as fiduciary consulting, plan design, and employee education.

William Watson is a CFA® and ChFC® with 20 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Oppenheimer since 2009. He is based in Greensboro, NC. Watson serves on the finance and investment committees at Greensboro Day School, providing consultation and financial strategy reviews. Oppenheimer serves individuals, corporations, pooled vehicles, and retirement plans with a range of advisory programs including discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, consulting, and retirement services. The firm employs varied investment approaches tailored to each program and advisor, managing approximately $36.7 billion in assets as of December 31, 2025.

Brenton Fields is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Greensboro, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 35 years of industry experience. He has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 1998 and also serves as an agent for Agia, where he is involved with non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S.-domiciled individual investors, including high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, as well as corporate and retirement-plan participants. The firm offers discretionary managed-account programs, financial planning, consulting, and brokerage services, utilizing Envestnet-developed UMA models to construct client portfolios.