Pawel Gacek is a CFP® professional with four years of industry experience, currently with Mariner. He previously worked at Urban Financial Advisory Corp from 2015 to 2021 before joining Mariner in 2021. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporations through investment management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and tax services. The firm employs discretionary, customized portfolios supported by an internal team and third-party managers, and offers integrated tax, accounting, and financial wellness solutions.

Timothy Lense is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 27 years of industry experience. He has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 2001 and also works with Agia since 2022. Outside of his advisory role, he is the owner of Sandbar Marina on Lake Marie and serves as treasurer for Sandbar Bar and Grille. 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, and brokerage services, utilizing Envestnet-developed UMA models and operating with a substantial client base supported by over 1,200 advisors.

Mark Rogers is a CFP® with 34 years of industry experience, currently serving at Planmember Securities Corporation since 2011. He has maintained a long-term role with Augusta National Golf Club since 1996, including seasonal management responsibilities during the Masters Tournament. Outside of his advisory work, Rogers serves as a member of the Board of Education for Lyons Elementary School District 103 and holds a trustee position in municipal government for the Village of Brookfield. Planmember Securities Corporation provides retirement-plan advisory services to employers and plan participants, acting as an ERISA Section 3(38) fiduciary for many plans. The firm employs a top-down strategic asset allocation approach, managing risk-based mutual fund portfolios and delivering education and support services to plan sponsors and participants.

Melissa Mendoza is a financial advisor at William Blair with 15 years of industry experience. She has been with William Blair & Co LLC since 2010 and holds a Series 66 designation. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm employs an active, research-driven approach across equities, fixed income, and alternative strategies, and provides access to proprietary models, third-party sub-managers, and private investment opportunities.

Kyle Bakhshi is a financial advisor at William Blair with a Series 66 designation and six years of industry experience. He has worked at William Blair since 2021 and previously spent seven years at Nuveen. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm uses an active, research-driven investment approach across equities, fixed income, and alternative strategies, and provides proprietary models as well as access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

Christopher Lewis is a CFA® charterholder with 10 years of industry experience. He is currently with CIBC Private Wealth Advisors, Inc. and previously worked at Geneva Advisors, LLC for 12 years. CIBC Private Wealth Advisors provides investment and wealth advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, families, trusts, employee benefit plans, corporations, and investment companies. The firm employs a comprehensive investment process involving proprietary and external strategies, discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, and specialized services such as Family Office support for complex needs.

Michael Leist is a financial advisor with CIBC Private Wealth Advisors, Inc. in Chicago, IL. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 14 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Geneva Advisors, LLC and Atlantic Trust Investment Advisors prior to joining CIBC in 2017. CIBC Private Wealth Advisors serves a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, employee benefit plans, corporations, and investment companies. The firm employs a structured investment process that integrates internal teams and external managers to offer customized portfolio management, financial planning, and coordinated Family Office services.

Molly Powers is a CFP® professional with four years of industry experience. She currently works at Creative Planning and has previously held roles at Sageview Advisory Group, Capital Strategies Investment Group, and Forum Financial Management. Creative Planning provides comprehensive investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $217 billion in assets and employs a financial planning-led investment process that includes low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and supplemental portfolio techniques, supported by a large advisory team and centralized investment infrastructure.

Teresa Devereux is a financial advisor at William Blair with 40 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with William Blair since 2015. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers discretionary and non-discretionary 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 access to proprietary models, third-party sub-managers, and private investment opportunities.

Sean Ullrich is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with seven years of industry experience and holds a Series 66 designation. Prior to joining Hightower in 2023, he worked at Cambridge Investment Research Advisors and Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. He is also involved with Impact Mental Performance and 314 Training Academy. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s advisory approach focuses on manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers, and offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management along with financial planning and retirement consulting services.

John O’Toole is a financial advisor with William Blair, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and bringing 33 years of industry experience. He has worked at William Blair and Company L.L.C. for over 27 years, with a brief gap between 2022 and 2026. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm employs active, research-driven management strategies across equities, fixed income, and alternatives, and provides access to proprietary models, third-party sub-managers, and private investment opportunities.

Blake Johnson is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with seven years of industry experience. He is currently affiliated with Cerity Partners LLC, where he has worked since 2019. His prior experience includes roles at HPM Partners LLC and Advanced Mechanical Services. Cerity Partners provides customized wealth management and related services to a diverse national client base, including high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, business entities, and institutional investors. The firm employs a tailored asset-allocation process utilizing proprietary quantitative screens alongside third-party managers and individual securities, and it offers access to alternative and private-market investments.

Thomas Mc Grath is a CFA® charterholder with eight years of industry experience. He is currently with Corient and has previously worked at Foreside Financial Group, Segall Bryant and Hamill, and MSCI. Mc Grath holds a Series 63 license and is based in Chicago, IL. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse range of clients, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm employs a goals-based, team investment approach that integrates in-house strategies with third-party manager solutions and applies risk management tools to align portfolios with client objectives.

Abigail Bowman is a financial advisor with T. Rowe Price Advisory Services, Inc. based in Chicago, IL. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has eight years of industry experience, including prior roles at Nationwide Investment Services Corp and Checks and Balances. Outside of her advisory work, she is involved with Students Run Chicago as a fundraising charity runner. T. Rowe Price Advisory Services, Inc. provides retirement-focused financial planning and discretionary investment management to individual investors and households, using proprietary mutual funds and ETFs combined with an online planning tool and telephone access to advisors.

Allen Laya is a financial advisor with Lincoln Investment who holds the ChFC® and Series 63 designations and has 54 years of industry experience. He has been with Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc. since 2005 and previously worked at PMG Asset Management Inc. from 2001 to 2005. Lincoln Investment Planning, LLC serves a diverse clientele including individual and high-net-worth investors, trusts, charities, and retirement plans, with a long history of working with educators and participants in 403(b) and 457(b) programs. The firm offers financial planning, consulting, portfolio management, and access to third-party managers, utilizing an in-house Investment Management & Research team alongside advisor-led strategies.

Daniel Larson is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with 14 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at JPMorgan Securities LLC, BMO Harris Bank, LPL Financial, and RTS Financial. Larson is based in Oak Brook, Illinois. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a range of investment advisory programs and broker-dealer execution and custody services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and leverages its scale and unique market roles to provide comprehensive solutions to high-net-worth and institutional clients.

Kieran Casey is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services based in Chicago, IL. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 18 years of industry experience. Prior to his current role at Principal Securities and Principal Life Insurance Co., he worked at Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC. Casey also serves as a bank/trust officer at Principal Bank and Principal Trust Co., supporting retirement plan account relationships across multiple business lines. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions with discretionary investment implementation.

John Cultra is a financial advisor at William Blair with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at EPIC Systems and Jaco Management, Inc. Outside of finance, he has been involved with the La Grange Country Club for several years. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm employs an active, research-driven approach across equities, fixed income, and alternative strategies and offers proprietary models and access to private funds through its MB Investments Program.

Benjamin Mc Fadden is a financial advisor at William Blair with six years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at William Blair since 2019. Prior to this, he held positions at Cowen and Company, Water Walker Investments, and Johns Hopkins University, and took a one-year extended travel break in 2019. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division provides investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm employs an active, research-driven approach across equities, fixed income, and alternative strategies, offering proprietary models and access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

Ethan Speelman is a financial advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. based in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with three years of industry experience. His background includes roles at Fifth Third Bank, Hope College, and Calvary Schools. Fifth Third Securities serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, trusts, and retirement accounts through investment advisory and brokerage services. The firm offers multiple program types on the Passageway Managed Account platform, providing a range of portfolio options from mutual funds and ETFs to separately managed accounts and tax-overlay strategies.