Retirement Advisor Council Elects New, Emerging Advisors

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The Retirement Advisor Council has announced 23 new members approved for terms starting in 2026. The class includes 18 Advisors and five emerging advisors who are expected to be eligible for Advisor membership within the next three years.

“We are thrilled to welcome this exceptional class of new members to the Retirement Advisor Council — advisors whose teams collectively serve 7,062 plans and more than 4.3 million participants. Their commitment to plan excellence and participant outcomes is exactly what the Council was built to amplify, and we look forward to the perspective and leadership they will bring to our community,” said Lisa Buffington, president of the Retirement Advisor Council, senior vice president, and National Brand and Market Development leader of Retirement & Wealth Services at Marsh McLennan Agency.

The 18 new member Advisors are:

Thomas Altimont of Creative Planning Retirement Services in Dallas, TX
Brad K. Arends of Intellicents in Albert Lea, MN
Andrew D Bush AIF®, CRPS®, CPFA® of Horizon Financial Group in Baton Rouge, LA
Richard C. Clouse Jr. CRPS®, AIF®, C(k)P® of SRP Great Lakes in Westerville, OH
Kimberly J Cochrane QPA, TGPC of HUB International in Rockville, MD
Jess W DeGabriele CFA®, CRPS® of LHD Retirement in Indianapolis, IN
Kyle E Harris of Two West Advisors in Overland Park, KS
Daniel J. McDonnell CRPS® of SFP Wealth Management in Wellesley, MA
Bryan A Peebles CPFA®, NQPC™ of Strategic Retirement Partners in Bent Grove, KY
Alexander H Queen of Fisher SMB in Plano, TX
Margarita Arguello Ramirez CFP® of OneDigital (Formerly Amegy/Zions Bank) in Houston, TX
Deena M Rini MBA, C(k)P® of Oswald Financial [GRP] in Cleveland, OH
Kyle Schau CFP®, CRPC® of LHD Retirement in Indianapolis, IN
Martina M Shackman CFA®, CFP® of Benefit Financial Services Group (BFSG) in Irvine, CA
Phil G Sherman CFP®, CPFA®, NQPC™ of Deschutes Investment Consulting in Portland, OR
Edwin M. Stamper CFP®, C(k)P®, QPFC of Graystone Consulting in Atlanta, GA
Emily M Wrightson of CAPTRUST in New York, NY
Jeffrey M. Ziemba of DA Davidson Companies in Omaha, NE

The five emerging advisors are:

Joshua T Heard CRPS® of UBS Institutional Consulting – South Central Group in The Woodlands, TX
Carolyn L Mora ChFC, NSSA, AIF®, CPFA® of Halcyon Wealth Advisors in Irving, TX
Nate Schlappi CPFA® of Nate Schlappi Team (HUB International – RPW) in Scottsdale, AZ
Shawnda M Sparks CRPC®, CPFA® of Perspective Financial Group in Indianapolis, IN
Stephen M. Welch CRPC® CRPS® QPFC® FIWD of Crownmark Wealth Advisors in Atlanta, GA

Membership is by nomination and invitation. To be accepted, advisors and emerging advisors must meet objective criteria, including demonstrated thought leadership and community involvement, years of experience, relevant industry designations, and retirement plan business metrics (number of plans served, plan assets, gross revenue from retirement plans, and percentage of revenue derived from retirement plans). Candidates must also demonstrate that clients clearly understand their fiduciary status, provide evidence of outstanding client evaluations, and maintain a record of ethical business conduct.