2026 FPA NorCal Conference
Speakers & Sessions

Lisa Barr, CAP® is Vice President, Development, West at National Philanthropic Trust (NPT). NPT is the largest independent provider of donor-advised funds, and its mission is to provide philanthropic expertise to donors, foundations, and financial institutions, enabling them to realize their philanthropic aspirations. Lisa is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and leads a team of Regional Directors who work with advisors and donors throughout the Western U.S., providing guidance on complex philanthropic planning.

Prior to joining NPT, Lisa was Director of Philanthropic Entrepreneurship at Silicon Valley Community Foundation. She has also held executive director and fundraising roles at nonprofit arts organizations on the East Coast. Lisa is the President of the Board of Directors of the Northern California Planned Giving Council. She earned a Master of Business Administration from Boston University and a Bachelor of Music from Vanderbilt University. Lisa holds the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® designation and is a certified 21/64 philanthropic advisor.

At Cookman Law, we’re passionate about helping families with loved ones who will need extra support after the parents are gone. We help parents design an estate plan and build a professional team that provides scaffolding for their loved ones to thrive, ensuring financial security and protection. We then continue supporting families through our Client Care Plan, keeping their estate plan up to date as their needs evolve. When the time comes, we assist with trust administration, ensuring assets are transferred smoothly and securely to the next generation.

Ellen Cookman is the principal attorney of Cookman Law and a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law from the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. She received her J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law and her LL.M. in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate from Golden Gate University. Ellen lives in East Palo Alto with her husband and their two boys (her older son has high-functioning autism), a Siberian husky mix named Rosie, and a kitty named Skittles.

Chuck is a leading advocate for fiduciary care and advisor independence in the RIA space.

In addition to founding Sovereign Financial Group, Inc., one of the country’s fastest-growing RIA platforms, he is the host of goRIA: Fueled by InvestmentNews. Through goRIA.com, a media outlet dedicated exclusively to helping advisors transition to and succeed as RIAs, Chuck actively supports advisors exploring independence.

Chuck has been a financial advisor for more than 25 years. He began his career in the early 1990s in New York City as a “cold-calling cowboy” selling individual stocks, but from the start knew his long-term goal was independence.

That vision became reality in 1999 when Chuck opened an independent branch of Raymond James Financial. Around that time, he earned his CFP® designation and shifted his practice from individual stock selection to comprehensive financial planning.

Over time, Chuck’s firm evolved into what is now Sovereign Financial Group, Inc., an SEC-registered RIA with advisors across the country.

A founder and industry advocate, Chuck serves on the Board of Directors of the Financial Planning Association of Connecticut and is frequently quoted in the media on RIA trends, regulation, and the advisor breakaway movement.

Matt J. Goren, PhD CFP® designs and delivers industry-leading financial planning education at scale. He combines lessons from his teaching experience with best practices in adult education, artificial intelligence, and organizational psychology. He is an Investment News “40 under 40” and has won national awards from ThinkAdvisor, Investopedia, Yahoo! Finance, and the AFCPE.

Matt is Chief Strategy Officer for Danko Education, which offers the most popular CFP® exam prep course. He is also the co-founder of the Global Financial Planning Institute, a FinServ mentor, and serves with the Financial Planning Association and Academy of Financial Services.

Previously, Matt ran the CFP® education programs at Dalton Education and The American College. He also worked at CFP Board as Director of Knowledge for Practice, was a professor of personal finance at the University of Georgia, and created and produced the lighthearted personal finance show Nothing Funny About Money on NPR.

Matt Hougan is the Chief Investment Officer for Bitwise Asset Management, a specialist crypto asset manager that manages more than $15 billion across a suite of more than 25 ETFs, index funds, SMAs, and active strategies.

Before joining Bitwise in 2018, Hougan was CEO of ETF.com, where he created the first ETF data, ratings, and classification system, and built the world’s largest ETF conference.

Hougan’s thoughts on investing have been widely profiled in the media. He is a regular guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox Business; a columnist for Forbes; and a three-time member of the Barron’s ETF Roundtable. He is co-author of two publications for the CFA Institute Research Foundation: “A Comprehensive Guide to Exchange-Traded Funds,” and “Cryptoassets: The Guide to Bitcoin, Blockchain, and Cryptocurrency for Investment Professionals.”

In addition to his role at Bitwise, Hougan is the co-founder of Future Proof, creator of the world’s largest financial services conference; a board member of QuantumStreet AI, a leading AI-driven investing company; and a strategic advisor to Blockworks, a crypto events and research company.

Terri Kallsen is an accomplished wealth management executive known for leading strategic initiatives. As Head of Partnerships at Rise Growth, she leads enterprise transformation, strategic planning, organic growth initiatives, client experience and platform. She collaborates with RIA leaders as for succession planning options and valuation. She previously was Chief Operating Officer at WEG, she led advisor teams, platform, M&A integrations, financial planning.

Prior to WEG, she was EVP at Charles Schwab, led 7,000 employees and $1.6 T AUM. Terri is a respected speaker and writer who has been featured in Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, MSNBC, CNN, and other leading outlets. She was 2019 San Francisco’s Financial Woman of the Year for her dedication to mentoring and empowering women. A Certified Financial Planner® she serves as Chair of the CFP® Board of Directors.

She attended University of Chicago Booth School of Business CFO Program, a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, and a bachelor’s degree from the College of St. Benedict/Saint John’s. Terri lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Scott, of 30 years, and have three adult children. An enthusiastic marathon runner, she has completed 21 marathons, 50 half marathons, and even more triathlons.

Russell has been a financial planner for over a decade, specializing in serving founders, early employees, and executives in the startup ecosystem. While building a San Francisco-based RIA, he guided clients through work-life transitions, prepared several hundred tax returns, and advised on $800M+ in liquidity events at companies like GitHub, Slack, Roblox, Airbnb, Asana, Palantir, Coinbase, and Stripe. He is now the founder and CEO of Trayecto, a software and education platform that helps planners better serve clients with equity comp. Through Trayecto he has helped more than 150 RIAs implement and enhance their equity comp offering.

Jeffrey Levine, CPA/PFS, CFP®, CWS®, BFA®, MSA is the Lead Financial Planning Nerd for Kitces.com and the Chief Planning Officer at Focus Partners Wealth. In 2020, Mr. Levine was named by Investment Advisor Magazine as one of the top 25 voices to turn to during uncertain times, and was named to the IA25 again in 2021. Jeff is a past recipient of the Luminaries Award, presented by ThinkAdvisor for thought leadership and education, the Standing Ovation award, presented by the AICPA Financial Planning Division, was named to the 2017 class of 40 Under 40 by InvestmentNews, and as a Young Advisor to Watch by Financial Advisor Magazine in 2020. Previously, Jeffrey served as Ed Slott and Company’s Chief Retirement Strategist, where his ability to simplify the complex laws that govern individual retirement accounts, combined with his unique blend of humor and tax planning, was first recognized. You can follow Jeff on Twitter @CPAPlanner, where he is known to break down the latest tax updates in GIF-filled tweets storms, or on LinkedIn.

Dr. Carolyn McClanahan is the founder of Life Planning Partners, Inc. She began her career as a physician practicing Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine. In 2000, Carolyn and her husband searched for a financial planner. Because most were mainly interested in managing their portfolio and not in providing the advice, she enrolled in the CFP® curriculum. Realizing the similarities between medicine and financial planning, and feeling empowered by helping people plan for their future, Carolyn made a career change.

Carolyn recognized the many intersections between health and personal finance, and began writing and speaking on topics such as insurability, health planning, and planning for illness and cognitive decline. She writes for numerous publications and serves on the CNBC and Investopedia Advisor Council. She is a highly sought-after speaker for industry conferences and is quoted regularly in multiple publications.

Carolyn has won numerous industry awards including the Alexandra Armstrong Lifetime Achievement Award, Investment News in 2024 and the NAPFA Special Achievement Award in 2016

Carolyn is a member of NAPFA, the FPA, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. She currently serves on the CFP® Board of Standards Resource Commission and continues to volunteer in medicine.

Frank Murtha holds a doctorate in Counseling Psychology from The University at Buffalo where he did his dissertation on cognitive errors in gambling behavior. He has taught at numerous colleges including Marist, Baruch, and NYU. In 2001, he co-founded MarketPsych LLC, the first Behavioral Finance consulting firm in North America, where he specialized in helping financial planners apply financial psychology. He is also the founder of the Financial Counseling Institute, an online training platform for financial advisors.

An investing psychology content expert, Dr. Murtha has been featured numerous times on National Public Radio, Nightly Business Report, CNBC and World Business Review and The New York Times. He works as a consultant, speaker, and writer based out of the New York City area. An award-winning author, his book, MarketPsych: How to Overcome Fear and Build Your Investor Identity was honored by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance as one of “Three Best Financial Books of 2010”.

In his spare time he enjoys being a dad, baseball, poker, historical fiction, and performing stand up comedy.

Ron Ricard is one of fewer than 150 people nationwide designated as a Certified Exchange Specialist®, as accredited by the Federation of Exchange Accommodators. He has taught 1031 tax exchange accredited courses to tens of thousands of investors, real estate and tax professionals, financial planners and attorneys over the past 24 years and is known as a true expert in the field. Ron is a frequent guest on local radio and television real estate shows and is a guest lecturer at the College of San Mateo, Foothill and Chabot Colleges. He served on the Board of Directors of the Commercial Realtors Association and the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors, which awarded him the 2010 Affiliate of the Year. Before joining IPX1031®, Ron had 18 years of experience in the energy industry, focusing primarily on regulatory, legislative and legal issues. He has a BS in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley and an MBA in Marketing and is an active real estate investor.

Joy Slabaugh is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, licensed therapist, and educator specializing in the psychological and relational dynamics of wealth. With advanced degrees in taxation and mental health counseling, she bridges the gap between financial strategy and human connection, helping high-net-worth individuals, couples, and financial advisors navigate the complexities of wealth with greater clarity, purpose, and impact.

Joy’s expertise spans wealth management, behavioral finance, and advisor training, equipping financial professionals with the relational skills needed to build trust and deepen client relationships. She also works directly with ultra-high-net-worth individuals, guiding them through the emotional and identity challenges that often accompany significant wealth.

A sought-after speaker, consultant, and industry thought leader, Joy has worked with top financial firms and private clients, reshaping the way people think about money beyond numbers. Her work challenges the traditional wealth narrative, offering a more human, values-driven approach to financial decision-making. Whether through keynote talks, advisor coaching, or client consulting, Joy empowers people to align wealth with impact, ensuring their financial success creates lasting fulfillment and meaningful change.

Dr. Joaquin Wallace is a nationally recognized leader in behavioral finance and generational wealth development. He is the creator of the Seven-Stage Generational Wealth Model® and the Financial Genetic Code®, frameworks that help financial professionals better understand and influence client behavior. An accomplished speaker, educator, and consultant, he integrates emotional well-being, neuroscience, and financial planning to strengthen every phase of the Seven-Step Financial Planning Process. Dr. Wallace is the Amazon best-selling author of Generational Wealth Begins with Generational Knowledge®. His leadership has earned distinctions, including the Wells Fargo “Living History Makers” Award and recognition as one of the most influential Black contemporary leaders of the 21st century. A former appointee to the Quality Education Commission, he now serves as an adjunct instructor at Golden Gate University. He has also been featured in national periodicals for his work in marginalized communities. A former appointee to the Quality Education Commission, he currently serves as an adjunct instructor in the Financial Planning and Public Policy departments at Golden Gate University. He has also been featured in national periodicals for his work in marginalized communities and his efforts to break persistent systemic financial barriers.