Ryan Ozata is a financial advisor with GWN Securities Inc. in Mesquite, Texas, holding a Series 66 credential and 19 years of industry experience. He has been with GWN Securities since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, Ozata is involved in life insurance sales and operates an agency that sells Medicare supplements to retired teachers and their families. GWN Securities is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that manages approximately $3.65 billion across more than 37,000 client accounts. The firm offers discretionary managed accounts, financial planning, and access to third-party sub-advisers and model portfolios, serving individual and business clients through a network of about 423 advisors.

Tara Williams is a ChFC® and Series 66 licensed financial advisor with nine years of industry experience. She is currently with Hightower Advisors and has held prior roles at Smith Anglin Financial, Apex Fintech Solutions, and Lincoln Investment, among others. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individual and institutional investors such as pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm’s approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers along with proprietary research to construct customized portfolios.

Anna Sanchez is a financial advisor with Goldman Sachs Wealth Services in Dallas, TX. She holds a Series 66 designation and has one year of industry experience. Her prior work includes positions at U.S. Bancorp and Polaris Inc., as well as academic roles at Wake Forest University and Providence Academy. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services advises a diverse client base ranging from individual investors to institutional clients, offering financial planning, portfolio management, and specialized programs such as Private Family Office and Executive Wealth services. The firm employs strategic and tactical allocation models and leverages capabilities across the broader Goldman Sachs ecosystem to deliver tailored investment solutions.

Tara Blair is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Dallas, TX, holding Series 65 and Series 63 credentials and seven years of industry experience. Her work history includes roles at NYLIFE Securities LLC, New York Life Insurance Company, and Savagen Strategy. She is also the owner of Time Wealth Strategies & Insurance Solutions LLC, through which she sells New York Life products and brokers non-registered insurance products. Eagle Strategies serves a broad mix of individual and institutional clients, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm offers tailored advice through various program types and manages a substantial asset base primarily on a non-discretionary basis.

Kendrick Crayton is a financial advisor at Transamerica Retirement Advisors, LLC with three years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. His prior roles include positions at Merrill, Bank of America, Robinhood Financial, and TD Ameritrade. Outside of his advisory work, he owns and operates Earn Your Weekend, a personal training business based in Dallas, TX. Transamerica Retirement Advisors serves participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans and IRA owners through managed and advisory programs that emphasize asset allocation and retirement planning. The firm leverages Morningstar Investment Management’s proprietary software for portfolio construction and oversight and operates at scale with a large client base focused primarily on non-discretionary assets.

Jasmit Gill is a financial advisor at Rockefeller Financial LLC with 12 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked previously at Rock & Co LLC and Merrill. Rockefeller Financial LLC serves high-net-worth individuals, families, family offices, institutional clients, retirement plans, foundations, and corporations. The firm offers a range of portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services, operating as both an investment adviser and a registered broker-dealer with capabilities including securities transactions, variable insurance sales, and placement and investment banking services.

Jamie Radke is a financial advisor at Corient with 16 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Kestra Advisory and Kestra Investment Services. In addition to his advisory role, he is an operations manager and office manager at Smith, Frank & Partners, LLC, where he also supports the insurance department. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm uses a goals-based, team investment approach that integrates in-house strategies with third-party managers and specialized offerings through affiliates.

Matthew Ashley is a financial advisor with Rockefeller Financial LLC based in Dallas, TX. He holds the Series 66 designation and has 22 years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Rock & Co LLC, Bank of America, NA, and Merrill. Outside of advisory services, he is involved with Ashley Family Farms LLC, an investment vehicle. Rockefeller Financial LLC serves high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, family offices, institutional clients, retirement plans, foundations, and corporations. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting through a Private Advisor model and a consolidated investment platform, combining discretionary and non-discretionary solutions across various asset classes, while also operating as a registered broker-dealer.

Thu Dang is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 29 years of industry experience. Her background includes roles at several health insurance providers such as Molina Health Care, Aetna, Cigna, BlueCross BlueShield, Friday Health Insurance, and United Health Care. She is involved with the Heartland Institute of Financial Education, a nonprofit focused on promoting financial literacy. Transamerica Financial Advisors provides investment advisory, brokerage, and retirement-plan services to a diverse client base including individuals, employer-sponsored plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes a variety of model portfolios and third-party managers, delivering services through multiple platforms such as Transamerica ONE, TFA365, and Transamerica ALPHA, with regulatory assets under management of approximately $1.7 billion.

Lisandra Slavik is a Series 66 credentialed advisor at Truist Advisory Services with eight years of industry experience. Her background includes roles at Truist Bank, Truist Investment Services, and Fifth Third Bank. Truist Advisory Services offers investment consulting, financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan services to a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes a combination of traditional research and AI-enabled tools for portfolio monitoring and provides ongoing client reviews and reporting.

Steven Novak is a financial advisor with Corient in Dallas, TX, holding a Series 66 designation and seven years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Morgan Stanley and RGT Wealth Advisors. He also serves as a guest lecturer and adjunct professor at the University of Kansas, teaching a course on estate planning for CFP and personal financial planning students. Corient serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, and corporate entities. The firm employs a goals-based investment approach that combines in-house strategies with third-party managers and utilizes risk management tools and alternative investments where appropriate.

Jeffrey Dunn Jr. is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience, currently advising at Hightower Advisors since 2025. His prior roles include positions at Smith Anglin Financial, Fisher Investments, and TIAA-CREF. He serves as the Dallas Chapter Membership Committee Chair for the Dallas Financial Planning Association and is an Executive Organizer for Dallas MeetUp events. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, employing a multi-manager approach that incorporates affiliated and third-party managers, proprietary research, and various portfolio construction techniques.

Ryan Solt is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with seven years of industry experience. He is currently with Hightower Advisors and has prior experience at The Capital Chart Room, Coiner Enterprises LLC, OneAmerica Securities, and Integrity Financial Group, among others. He continues to service former clients through Integrity Financial Group and American United Life, primarily receiving life insurance renewals. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach includes discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, a focus on manager selection, and the use of affiliated and third-party managers across various investment vehicles.

Laura Lee is a CFP® professional with four years of experience in the financial industry. She currently works at Corient and previously spent nine years at RGT Wealth Advisors. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm employs a goals-based, team investment approach combining in-house strategies with third-party manager solutions and utilizes advanced risk management tools to align portfolios with client objectives.

Carl Wagner is a financial advisor at Corient with a Series 65 designation and four years of industry experience. Prior to joining Corient, he worked at Lincoln Property Company for 16 years. Carl is based in Dallas, TX. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes a goals-based, team investment approach combining in-house strategies and third-party managers, with ongoing portfolio monitoring and risk management.

Cristian Barbalena is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. He previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Bank, as well as Bank of America. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, along with Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage clients, using an integrated model linked to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Brian Sears is a financial advisor at MAI Capital Management, LLC with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 30 years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Service Academy Capital Management, Barclays Capital, Neuberger Berman, Lehman Brothers, and Merrill. He is a founding partner, chairman, and CEO of Service Academy Capital Management and holds a minority stake in an online music retailer. MAI Capital Management, LLC provides investment management, wealth management, retirement plan consulting, and family-office services to individuals, families, sports professionals, trusts, and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of customized portfolio strategies implemented through in-house managers, sub-advisers, and other vehicles, with reported assets under management of $72.3 billion as of May 2026.

Marshall Simmons is a financial advisor with Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and four years of industry experience. He has previously worked at Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. and Prosper Mullins Private Wealth Management. Outside of finance, his background includes roles in education and nonprofit organizations. Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise-scale RIA managing approximately $36.7 billion in assets. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations, offering a range of investment advisory and financial planning services supported by both proprietary and third-party portfolio management solutions.

Victor Gonzalez is a financial advisor with Goldman Sachs Wealth Services, holding a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. He has previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing, Wells Fargo Bank, and Best Buy. Outside of his advisory role, he works part-time providing transportation services for Uber Technologies. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services advises a diverse client base including individual investors, executives, plan sponsors, and institutional clients. The firm offers customized financial planning and portfolio management, leveraging strategic allocation models and a range of fee structures, supported by integrated resources from the broader Goldman Sachs organization.

Kevin Benesh II is a CFA® charterholder with nine years of industry experience. He currently works at Cresset Asset Management, LLC, where he has been since 2026. Prior to joining Cresset, he spent nine years at JP Morgan Chase Bank. Cresset Asset Management is a multi-disciplinary investment adviser managing approximately $78.9 billion in client assets and serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, retirement plans, corporations, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm employs a disciplined, risk-aware approach combining strategic asset allocation, manager selection, and both active and passive implementation across public equities, fixed income, and alternatives, utilizing tools such as artificial intelligence and machine-learning for research and analysis.