Melinda Manning Robinson is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 16 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at firms including T Rowe Price and Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors LLC. Outside of her advisory role, she works part-time at TJ-Maxx in Pasadena, Maryland. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, leveraging integrated platforms for recordkeeping and administration. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and savings rates in its planning services and serves a large participant base relative to its adviser headcount.

Donald Ferguson Jr. is a financial advisor at Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC with 32 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at Keeney Financial Group, Inc. and Triad Advisors, Inc. He is also the owner of DFergs, LLC, a stockholder entity based in Ocean City, Maryland. Beacon Pointe Advisors provides investment advisory and consulting services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, utilizing a manager-focused, asset-allocation approach that combines active and passive strategies with ongoing performance monitoring. The firm sponsors proprietary investment vehicles and serves as an operating general partner for multiple private funds.

Bernard Makino is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC and holds a Series 66 designation. He has four years of industry experience, including roles at Commonwealth Financial Network and operating his own DBA, Makino Financial. Independent Financial Group, LLC provides advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and corporate plans. The firm employs model-based strategies combining active and passive approaches and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management.

Robert Christian is a financial advisor with PlanMember Securities Corporation and Paladin Advisor Group, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses with seven years of industry experience. Prior to his financial services career, he worked for 25 years at the Annapolis Fire Department and also spent time at the Maryland Department of Health. PlanMember Securities Corporation provides retirement-plan advisory services to employers and plan participants, acting as a fiduciary for many plans and offering participant-level investment options. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation framework with risk-based mutual fund portfolios and supports plan sponsors and participants through education, personalized planning, and counseling services.

Robert Hopkins is a financial advisor at William Blair with 42 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and previously worked at Brown Advisory Securities, LLC for 17 years before joining William Blair in 2019. Outside of his advisory role, he serves on the boards of the Baltimore Cemetery Association and the Maryland Historical Society, chairs the investment committee of St. John’s Church, Western Run Parish, and is president of the Thomas Wilson Foundation for the Children of Baltimore City. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, and corporate clients. The firm employs active, research-driven strategies across various asset classes and provides access to proprietary models, third-party sub-managers, and private investment opportunities.

Lissett Johnson is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. She has held roles within various Truist entities since 2019 and previously worked at M&T Securities and M&T Bank from 2014 to 2019. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm combines discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting, supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools.

Tracy Clark is a CFP® with 20 years of industry experience, currently advising at Valic Financial Advisors since 2018. Her prior roles include positions at Capital One Advisors, LLC and Capital One Investing, LLC from 2016 to 2018. She is also an agent with Agia, involved in non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S.-domiciled individual investors, including high-net-worth clients, as well as corporate and retirement-plan participants. The firm offers discretionary managed-account programs, financial planning, and brokerage services, utilizing Envestnet-developed UMA models for portfolio construction.

Arturo Romo is a financial advisor with PNC Wealth Management in Columbia, MD, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and seven years of industry experience. He previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing Services and Wells Fargo Bank, accumulating a decade of related experience before joining PNC. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an invitation-only digital discretionary model account for employees that uses algorithm-driven risk assessments and implements portfolios via approved model strategies with mutual funds and ETFs.

Timothy Conley is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with 19 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Morgan Stanley Private Bank and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a wide range of investment advisory programs and execution services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies with robust internal standards and oversight, supported by its large institutional scale and specialized market roles.

Gregory Palacorolla is a CFP® professional with 13 years of industry experience. He is currently with MAI Capital Management, LLC, where he has worked since 2021, following a 13-year tenure at Geier Asset Management, Inc. MAI Capital Management, LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, wealth management, retirement plan consulting, and family-office services to a diverse client base including high-net-worth individuals, families, sports professionals, trusts, and institutional clients. The firm manages $72.3 billion in assets and offers a broad range of customized portfolio strategies supported by integrated financial planning and monitoring processes.

Joseph Garrison is a CFP® professional with 22 years of industry experience. He has worked at Wealthspire Advisors since 2018 and previously spent 14 years with Strategic Wealth Management Group, LLC. Outside of his advisory role, Mr. Garrison serves as a board member and Treasurer for Leadership Howard County, Inc., a nonprofit focused on community leadership development. Wealthspire Advisors manages approximately $34.3 billion in assets and serves individuals, corporate and pension plans, nonprofits, and foundations. The firm employs an institutional-style asset allocation strategy, utilizing a combination of mutual funds, ETFs, private investments, and separate account managers, with a focus on tailored client service and centralized investment oversight.

Matthew Clark is a financial advisor at William Blair with 14 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Brown Advisory Securities, LLC for 10 years before joining William Blair in 2021. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm employs an active, research-driven approach across multiple asset classes and provides proprietary models and access to private funds through its MB Investments Program.

Christopher Pirtle is a financial advisor at Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC with 35 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked with Ameritas and related entities since 2006. Outside of advisory work, he is involved in healthcare services as CEO and Chairman of Wellcentric Health Group Inc., a provider engaged with government-managed care programs. Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC offers investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a variety of portfolio strategies and program platforms, incorporating both proprietary and third-party models, and provides a broad range of asset management and financial planning solutions.

William Tyson is a financial advisor at TLG Advisors, Inc. with 27 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. and Betz Financial Advisory, LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a pastor at Woodlawn Baptist Church, where he occasionally speaks and oversees a small volunteer staff. TLG Advisors, Inc. manages approximately $2.0 billion in discretionary assets and serves individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and institutional investors. The firm offers investment supervisory and portfolio management services, comprehensive financial and estate planning, ERISA fiduciary services, and a direct-to-consumer program called Starlight Portfolios, utilizing fundamental analysis and Modern Portfolio Theory in its investment approach.

Ronald Brown is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 23 years of industry experience. He has been with Truist Advisory Services and its affiliated Truist Investment Services since 2016. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporations, retirement plan sponsors and participants, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation and investment policy analysis, plan sponsor fiduciary support, participant advice, and the AMC Advantage manager-selection program, implementing advice through a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting.

Tara Brummell is a CFP® with 11 years of experience in the financial services industry. She currently works at Truist Advisory Services and Truist Investment Services, having joined in 2022, and previously held roles at T. Rowe Price and Merrill. Outside of her advisory work, she serves on the Community Leadership Board for the Y in Central Maryland and is involved with the Maryland chapter of the Exit Planning Exchange. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a mix of discretionary and non-discretionary manager relationships and integrates third-party platform and manager arrangements to support client portfolios.

Suzanne Mchugh is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Laurel, MD, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 25 years of industry experience. Her career includes roles at Gwfs Equities, Inc., Rcm&D, Lockton Companies, LLC, and Lockton Financial Advisors, LLC, where she has served for over a decade. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, along with services for Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage accounts. The firm delivers integrated financial planning and managed account solutions aligned with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

John Cavanaugh is a financial advisor at Brown Advisory with 19 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Brown Investment Advisory & Trust Company since 2011. Brown Advisory provides investment management and advisory services to a diverse client base, including high net worth individuals, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a bottom-up, fundamental research process to construct concentrated portfolios and offers a range of strategies including sustainable-investment options, model portfolios, and sub-advisory services.

Bradley Schell is a CFP® with 17 years of industry experience. He has worked at Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. from 2009 to 2026 before joining Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC and Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments in 2026. Outside of his advisory roles, he serves as an associate financial advisor through an independent contractor arrangement with Potomac Financial Group. Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC is a multi-team SEC-registered advisory firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm emphasizes customized, primarily long-term portfolios using ETFs, mutual funds, and other investment vehicles, supported by a network of approximately 286 advisors serving over 13,000 clients.

Gloria Makino is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC and has two years of industry experience. Prior to her financial services career, she spent nearly three decades as a performing artist, working as a singer, actress, dancer, pianist, and teacher. She also operates Makino Financial, a DBA used for marketing purposes. Independent Financial Group, LLC provides investment advisory and brokerage services to a wide range of clients, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and corporate and pension plans. The firm offers various portfolio management solutions and financial planning services, utilizing both firm- and third-party models tailored to client risk profiles.