Mark Eibel is the director of client investment strategies for Russell Investments. In this role, Mark implements model strategies into client portfolios and helps set strategic asset allocation targets. He is also responsible for helping to drive product innovation on the private client side of the business.

Mark serves as a principal spokesman for Russell Investments investment process and frequently speaks to clients, industry conferences and the media. He is a frequent guest on television and radio networks such as CNBC, Bloomberg TV, and Bloomberg Radio. Mark is responsible for the quarterly Investment Manager Outlook and represents the investment division on the Board of Directors for the Russell Investment Company.

Mark holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Pacific Lutheran University. He is a CFA® Charterholder and a member of the Seattle Chapter of Financial Analysts.

Brian McLaughlin has been working closely with advisors, broker-dealers and industry partners for the last 15 years to assist with making the industry a better place for those who depend upon it to do their jobs. Brian is passionate about the solutions the company provides to their community of subscribers and enjoys getting his hands dirty in that pursuit. That passion is evidenced by his frequent participation in industry hackathons and his numerous speaking engagements at tech events throughout the year. Aviation as well would qualify as both a passion (one of his favorite t-shirts reads “eat sleep fly”) and a job requirement, which is fortunate since he spends a whopping amount of his time up in the air, flying to and from industry conferences and events, spreading the word about Redtail and bringing new ideas home to explore further in the company’s Sacramento headquarters.

Bob Veres is editor and publisher of the Inside Information interactive guide to trends and innovations in the profession, and contributing editor and columnist for Financial Planning magazine. As a journalist, he has won several national awards, including the Jesse H. Neal Award from the American Business Media group, considered the most prestigious editorial honor in the field of specialized journalism, and the Azbee Award of Excellence from the American Society of Business Press Editors.

Over his 30-year career in the financial services world, Mr. Veres has worked as editor of Financial Planning magazine; as a contributing editor to the Journal of Financial Planning; as a columnist and editor-atlarge of Investment Advisor magazine; and as editor of Morningstar’s advisor web site: MorningstarAdvisor.com. In addition, he is a sought-out speaker for many of the planning world’s most important professional conferences.

Venk founded Zeo in 2009. Prior to Zeo, he was a co-founder of Laurel Ridge Asset Management LP, a $400m multi-strategy hedge fund, where he managed the credit, distressed and event-driven portfolios. In that role, Venk specialized in asset valuation and identifying opportunities at the intersection of quantitative and fundamental analysis. In addition to his portfolio and investment committee responsibilities, he managed both the credit and technology teams and built the infrastructure underlying the fund’s scalable risk and analysis systems. Previously, Venk structured derivative products and was head of delta-one trading as a portfolio manager within Bank of America’s Equity Financial Products group (EFP). As one of the first traders hired, he was integrally involved in growing EFP from a startup operation to a business employing 215 people with annual revenues over $700m. Venk also managed investments in event-driven situations, convertible instruments and options at Pine River Capital Management LP and HBK Investments LP, where he started his career. Venk earned a BA in Computer Science with Honors from Harvard University. He currently serves as a trustee for the Katherine Delmar Burke School with roles on the finance, audit and technology committees.

In her Morningstar role, Sheryl focuses on tax-efficient portfolio management strategies for Morningstar’s Total Rebalance Expert (software that she designed and ultimately sold to Morningstar) and serves as a subject-matter expert on tax-efficient investing, portfolio rebalancing, and advisor practice management.

Rowling has nearly 40 years of experience in the financial services industry, leading Rowling & Associates, a fee-only wealth management firm. Focusing on holistic financial advice, Rowling & Associates provides integrated tax-efficient portfolio management designed to assist clients in reaching a worry-free future.

Johann Schneider is a senior director for business solutions within Russell Investments’ Advisor & Intermediary Solutions business. In this role, Johann is responsible for delivering strategic business planning and ongoing coaching to financial advisors and their teams within the U.S. Johann develops thought leadership content and speaks to financial advisors and individual investors on a variety of topics, including practice management, business optimization, succession planning, and enterprise valuation. Johann also helps develop and refine practice management programs and business intelligence tools to help advisors achieve their growth goals.

Prior to his current role, Johann was a senior director in the capital markets insights group. He worked closely with Russell Investments’ portfolio managers, economists, and investment strategists to keep advisors informed of the current capital markets environment, economic outlook, and perspective on product performance and strategies.

Johann joined Russell Investments in 2004 as a portfolio analyst for the global equity team, where he worked with portfolio managers and manager research analysts in structuring and monitoring Russell Investments’ non-U.S. equity and global equity funds, whose assets totaled over $15 billion. In this role, Johann helped develop analytical research tools, which are still used today to support decision making in Russell Investments’ multi-asset funds.

Evelyn M. Zohlen, founder of Inspired Financial, has served on both the personal and the institutional sides of financial services for nearly 20 years. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas, her Master of Science from the Joint Military Intelligence College, and her Master of Business Administration (with a concentration in Finance/Portfolio Management) from Villanova University. Prior to founding Inspired Financial, Evelyn was a Relationship Manager at The Vanguard Group in Malvern, PA where she was the trusted advisor for clients with retirement plan assets ranging from $175 million to $500 million.

Evelyn is a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) professional and serves as President Elect for the Financial Planning Association (the membership association for CFP® professionals with 23,000 members!). She was an adjunct professor in the Personal Financial Planning Program at the University of California at Irvine and serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Investment and Wealth Management at UCI. In addition, she is a community leader who currently serves on the Board of Governors for the premier business club in Orange County, the Center Club. She has served on the Board of Directors for WomanSage, the Board of Directors for the American Poetry Review, and the President’s Council at Immaculata University. Evelyn is a frequent contributor to periodicals such as The Wall Street Journal, The Journal of Financial Planning, USA Today, Investment News, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Real Simple and Consumer Reports. Prior to entering the financial services profession, Evelyn served as an intelligence officer in the United States Air Force.

Mark Prendergast has over 35 years of experience in tax, estate and financial planning. He started his career in 1979 at Ernst & Whinney and then joined Price Waterhouse in 1982 and acquired his Certified Financial Planner™ designation in 1988. He regularly teaches on income tax, estate and divorce topics at professional conferences (FPA, NAPFA, CalCPA, WealthCounsel, Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts).

Mark served on the national Board of Directors for the Financial Planning Association from 2011-2013, and currently serves on the Advisory Board for The Center for Investment and Wealth Management at UCI. His service for the Financial Planning Association includes board positions and committee work for two local chapters, and at the regional, state and national levels. He has serves on the Editorial Review Board for the Journal of Financial Planning (2002-current).