CFP Board Center for Financial Planning Announces 2019 Diversity Summit Agenda and Speakers

Summit will build upon successful inaugural event held in 2018 by highlighting efforts to advance racial and ethnic diversity in the profession

The CFP Board Center for Financial Planning today announced the agenda and speaker lineup for its second Diversity Summit being held on November 13 in Washington, D.C.

The daylong event will focus on actionable steps that can be taken to increase the racial and ethnic diversity of the financial planning profession. Building off the success of last year’s summit where the Center issued a call to action to over 300 thought leaders in attendance, the theme for this year’s summit will be Accountability – highlighting the leadership of firms, academic institutions and partner organizations to create a more diverse and inclusive profession. Through personal stories, case studies and best practices, speakers will engage the audience and encourage them to take the next step in building a profession that reflects the American public it should serve. The agenda will also include the release of a new report showcasing why a diverse workforce is important for both the financial planning profession and financial planning firms.

“This year’s summit features exciting speakers who will share their own personal stories and talk about their experiences making diversity and inclusion a priority in their work,” said Marilyn Mohrman-Gillis, the Center’s Executive Director. “We look forward to seeing these dynamic speakers serving as catalysts, energizing and motivating the audience to take action.”

The speaker lineup can be found here. Highlights include:

• Keynote speeches by Maria Contreras-Sweet, Former Administrator of the Small Business Administration and Salene Hitchcock-Gear, President of Prudential Individual Life Insurance
• An Executive Roundtable with Craig Young, Executive Director for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Samuel Palmer, Managing Director and Business Executive at JP Morgan Chase and other financial services executives, and moderated by Cy Richardson, Senior Vice President of the National Urban League and Chair of the Center’s Diversity Advisor Group
• The Future of Equality discussion with Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at the NYU School of Law
• CFP® Pro Talks: Personal Reflections on Barriers and Opportunities featuring Lauryn Williams, CFP®, 3-time Olympic medalist and founder of Worth Winning, LLC; Brittney Castro, CFP®, “I am a CFP® Pro” campaign spokesperson and founder and CEO of Financially Wise, Inc.; Luis Rosa, CFP®, Founder of Build a Better Financial Future, LLC; John Campbell, CFP®, Director of Minority-Owned Business Engagement at Wilmington Trust; and moderated by Mark Tibergien, CEO, Advisor Solutions, BNY Mellon Pershing and Chair of the Center’s Workforce Development Advisory Group
• Case Studies and Actionable Steps panels facilitated by Washington Post columnist Michelle Singletary and Senior Partner at Korn Ferry Audra Bohannon will be focused on case studies and actionable steps that all stakeholders can take to advance diversity.Panelists include Kate Healy, Managing Director, Generation Next, TD Ameritrade Institutional; Amy Philbrook, Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Fidelity Investments; Kara Underwood, Managing Director, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management; and Crystal Hardie Langston, Principal, Chief Diversity Officer at Vanguard.
• Remarks by CFP Board’s Board of Directors Chair Susan MacMichael John, CFP®, CFP Board CEO Kevin Keller and Center’s Executive Director Marilyn Mohrman-Gillis

Additional speakers will be announced on the summit website as they are when confirmed. More information about the Summit, including how to register and support the event, can be found at www.CenterforFinancialPlanning.org/Summit.

The summit is made possible with support from Signature Sponsors Merrill Lynch and JP Morgan Chase; Major Sponsors Fiserv and Prudential; as well as the Center’s Lead Founding Sponsor TD Ameritrade Institutional and the Center’s Founding Sponsor Northwestern Mutual and the Charles Schwab Foundation, in partnership with in partnership with Schwab Advisor Services.