Beth Manes
Beth Manes, JD, has been practicing law for over 25 years, starting as a corporate law attorney, until she landed in the field of special needs law, a field where she could have the most impact and opportunities for advocacy. Her practice concentrates in Special Education Law, Special Needs Planning, Guardianships and Estate Planning.
She is a member of the Special Needs Alliance (SNA) Public Policy Committee, where she invests her time and resources toward policies that affect their clients and practices, while promoting SNA’s relationships with key partners and the Hill.
Knowledge Hub+ Titles
Joellen Meckley
Associate Vice President, Centers Strategy and Operations
Managing Director, Center for Special Needs at The American College of Financial Services
Joellen Meckley, JD, MHS, ChSNC®, is the Managing Director of The American College Center for Special Needs and has dedicated her entire career to serving the disabled and elderly community. She started her career as a licensed nursing home administrator, running nursing homes and assisted living facilities in multiple states. That experience included working as an executive within companies ranging from a start-up long term care management firm to large, urban, non-profit provider of wide-ranging services for the elderly and disabled.
Following her years in health care administration, she went on to obtain her law degree and began her private practice as an attorney, again concentrating her work around serving the unique needs of the disabled and elderly population. After establishing and running her own law office for several years, Joellen most recently was a partner at a boutique law firm, known nationally for its expertise in the areas of special needs and elder law. In that role, Joellen assisted countless clients to establish special needs trusts, prepare for living with a lifetime disability, and protect assets from the costs of long term care, frequently working together with financial advisors and other professionals to achieve her clients’ goals.
Joellen holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Michigan, an M.H.S. in Health Finance and Management from Johns Hopkins University, a J.D. from the Temple University Beasley School of Law and has obtained her Chartered Special Needs Consultant designation from The American College of Financial Services.
Knowledge Hub+ Titles
- Five Unique Planning Considerations for Aging Parents of Disabled Children
- When Life Throws a Curveball: Planning Essentials for Clients Impacted by Disability
- From Policy to Practice: LTC Insurance Trends and Planning Strategies When Benefits are Used
- Special Needs Planning 101: Critical Insights for Every Practitioner
Alex Murguia
Alejandro Murguía, PhD, is a co-founder of the Retirement Income Style Awareness (RISA®) tool and Managing Principal for McLean Asset Management and Retirement Researcher. He is also a co-host of the Retire with Style podcast. Alex holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from The George Washington University where he was also a fellow for the National Institutes of Health. Alex has published many peer-reviewed research articles in a wide variety of academic and practitioner journals for both financial planning and psychology-related fields.
Knowledge Hub+ Titles
Ethan Ordog
Ethan J. Ordog, JD, is a partner at Begley Law Group in Moorestown, NJ, where he focuses on estate and trust administration, litigation, and guardianship, particularly within elder and special needs planning. Admitted in New Jersey and before the U.S. District Court for NJ, Ethan joined the firm in 2009 and became partner in 2014.
He earned his law degree from Roger Williams University School of Law and graduated cum laude in political science from Moravian College, where he captained the varsity baseball team. He is active in the New Jersey and county bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association and the Special Needs Alliance, and serves on the board of United Cerebral Palsy of Philadelphia.
Knowledge Hub+ Titles
Domarina Oshana
Senior Director of Research and Operations, American College Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics in Financial Services
Domarina Oshana, PhD, is the Senior Director of Research and Operations for the American College Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics in Financial Services. She is a social scientist and research development professional experienced in designing and managing research and evaluation programs and projects. She is passionate about working in multidisciplinary teams to advance knowledge discovery and address pressing human challenges.
Oshana received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Northeastern Illinois University and graduated Magna Cum Laude. She received her Master of Arts in the Social Sciences from the University of Chicago, and her PhD in Research Methodology from Loyola University Chicago.
Knowledge Hub+ Titles
Steve Parrish
Professor of Practice and a Scholar in Residence at the Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics in Financial Services at The American College of Financial Services
Steve Parrish, JD, RICP®, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®, is Professor of Practice and a Scholar in Residence at the Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics in Financial Services, where he also serves as an adjunct professor of advanced planning.
He joined the College in 2015, previously serving on the faculty of Drake University Law school where he was an adjunct professor of estate planning and interim director of the Compliance and Risk Management Department.
Drawing on more than 45 years’ experience with companies such as The Principal Financial Group, Amerus Life Insurance Company, and his own advisory firm, Parrish is a recognized industry authority, spokesperson, and author. He continues to serve as an ongoing contributor for both Forbes.com and ReThinking65.com, is a contributing author to the 2023 e-textbook Retirement Plans and Retirement Planning, and will be the co-author of The Tools & Techniques of Life Insurance Planning, 10th Edition.
Parrish has served as an expert source for such prominent media outlets as InvestmentNews, Money.com, CNBC, MarketWatch, Wall Street Journal, NPR, HR Magazine, and the Retirement Income Journal. He is also an associate editor of the Journal of Financial Services Professionals. In addition, he is a sought-after speaker, having addressed such financial service organizations as AICPA, Finseca, NAIFA, NAEPC, and NAPFA.
Parrish received his BA, Cum Laude, from Saint Olaf College and his Juris Doctor degree from the William Mitchell College of Law.
Knowledge Hub+ Titles
- Snowbirding: Living in More Than One Location in Retirement
- The Retirement Planning Issue No One Wants to Discuss: Diminished Decision-Making Capacity
- New Horizons in Estate Planning
- Key Person and Corporate Owned Life Insurance Planning
- New Uses of Life Insurance in Retirement Planning
- Life Insurance in a Changed Planning Environment
Jason Pattit
Jason M. Pattit, PhD, is a Professor of Management at the University of St. Thomas, where he teaches in various MBA programs about how companies can protect human dignity, promote well-being, and contribute to the common good. His recent research has been published in Business and Society Review, the Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, and the Strategic Management Review. Jason is also an Associate Editor and the Special Issues Editor for Business and Society Review, and he is currently a Representative-At-Large for the Social Issues in Management division of the Academy of Management.
Knowledge Hub+ Titles
Katherina Pattit
Katherina G. Pattit, PhD, is the Dean of the Herberger Business School at St. Cloud State University. Prior to joining HBS, Dr. Pattit was a professor and department chair in Ethics and Business Law at the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota. She holds a Ph.D. in Business Ethics and Law from the Wharton School of Business. Dr. Pattit’s research examines topics related to investor decision making, particularly in the context of socially responsible investing, as well as the influence of shareholders on corporate social responsibility.
Knowledge Hub+ Titles
Rick Peck
Richard “Rick” Peck ChFC®, CAP®, CFP®, is an independent philanthropy advisor with Richard C. Peck Consulting, LLC, working with nonprofits, donors, potential donors, and professional advisors.
He is also the founder of The Philanthropy Guy, LLC, a leading-edge charitable giving resource hub featuring a bi-weekly Money to Give podcast series broadcasting in nearly 20 countries around the globe, a bi-weekly newsletter for nonprofits, donors, and professional advisors, plus various asynchronous philanthropy-themed webinar offerings.
Knowledge Hub+ Titles
Wade Pfau
Wade D. Pfau, PhD, CFA, RICP®, is the founder of Retirement Researcher, an educational resource for individuals and financial advisors on topics related to retirement income planning. He is a co-founder of the Retirement Income Style Awareness tool and a co-host of the Retire with Style podcast. He also serves as a principal and the director of retirement research for McLean Asset Management. He also serves as a Research Fellow with the Alliance for Lifetime Income and Retirement Income Institute.
He holds a doctorate in economics from Princeton University and has published more than sixty peer-reviewed research articles in a wide variety of academic and practitioner journals. He is a contributor to Forbes, Advisor Perspectives, and an Expert Panelist for the Wall Street Journal. Wade’s newest book is Retirement Planning Guidebook: Navigating the Important Decisions for Retirement Success. He is also the author of three other books in the Retirement Researcher Guide Series.
Knowledge Hub+ Titles
David Pierce
Adjunct Professor at The American College of Financial Services
David F. Pierce DMin, MSFS, MSM, MA, AEP®, CLF®, ChFC®, CLU®, Certified Financial Fiduciary®, serves as an adjunct professor at the American College of Financial Services. He has also served at Middle Tennessee State University as an adjunct professor of business and economics and at Western Kentucky University as an adjunct professor of business and professional communication.
Following a successful career as an advisor, Pierce built and led successful financial services teams throughout the United States, Southeast Asia, India, and New Zealand. Pierce earned a Doctor of Ministry (DMIN) from Colorado Theological Seminary, Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS) and Master of Science in Management (MSM) degrees from The American College of Financial Services, and a master of arts in communications (MA) from the University of Minnesota.
Pierce holds the Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) designation from the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. He also holds the Chartered Leadership Fellow® (CLF®), Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®), and Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) professional designations from The American College of Financial Services, and the Certified Financial Fiduciary® designation from The National Association of Financial Fiduciaries.
Knowledge Hub+ Titles
Kaylee Ranck
Director, Office of College Research at The American College of Financial Services
Kaylee Ranck, PhD, has spent nearly two decades in higher education and is the director of college research at The American College of Financial Services. In this role, she focuses on shaping a research agenda that elevates professional knowledge and consumer outcomes in the financial sector, with a strong emphasis on retirement planning and addressing challenges like longevity risks and caregiving responsibilities. Her work aims to enhance financial advice standards and foster a more inclusive industry. Beyond administrative and scholarly roles, she enjoy family time and outdoor adventures, continually seeking personal and professional growth.
Knowledge Hub+ Titles
Rajiv Rebello
Rajiv Rebello is the founding Principal of Colva Actuarial Services. Rajiv is a licensed actuary and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and a Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst (CERA). Rajiv holds a B.S. from Stanford University.
Knowledge Hub+ Titles
Peter Richardson
Peter K. Richardson, JD, CFP®, is Vice President Planning Excellence, Northwestern Mutual: Peter Richardson is the leader of the Planning Excellence team, in the Strategy function. The Planning Excellence team sets the strategy and planning standards for the financial planning process and advice that clients receive from Advisors through our Planning Experience (PX) and Client Experience (CX) at Northwestern Mutual.
Peter joined Northwestern Mutual in 2006. Prior to his current role, Peter was an Assistant General Counsel in the Law Department.
From 1992-2005, Peter practiced law at Michael Best & Friedrich, LLP, doing commercial and securities litigation. After graduating law school, he was a clerk for Judge Myron Bright on the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Peter has a B.A. from Macalester College, a J.D. from University of Minnesota, the CFP® certification and is a CFA charter holder.
Peter served on the CFP Board Commission on Standards from 2016-2018, who drafted the CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct, and on the CFP Board’s Standards Resource Commission from 2018-2020 and currently on the CFP Board Competency Standards Commission, that is making recommendation on competency standard for CFP(r) practitioners.
Peter has served also on the Board of Trustees of Woodlands School, and on the Board of Directors of the Urban and Economic Development Association of Milwaukee.
Knowledge Hub+ Titles
Tyrone Ross
Tyrone V. Ross, Jr. is the CEO & Cofounder of Turnqey Labs and Principal of 401 Financial. Formerly as the CEO and Co-founder of Onramp Invest he raised $7M in venture capital from Gemini’s Frontier Fund, Coinbase Ventures, SoftBank’s Opportunity Fund and others.
He has been recognized by Investment News 40 under 40 (2019), and WealthManagement.com as a top ten advisor set to change the industry in 2019. FinancialPlanning.com named him as one of 20 people who will change wealth management in 2020. He has been named as of Investopedia’s Top 100 financial advisors, Think Advisor’s 2021 IA25: VIP’s Pushing Advisors Forward, and one of Barron’s 10 people to watch in wealth management in 2022.