Mohamed Farag is a faculty member at the Information Networking Institute and the lead of the Applied Generative AI (AGAI) group at Carnegie Mellon University, with over 15 years of experience in AI, machine learning, big data, and cloud infrastructure. Dr. Farag has held both technical and leadership roles in academic and professional settings and is the founder of Analytics 4 Everyone. He has contributed to several professional and academic communities, including the National Science Foundation, Harvard Business Review, the Project Management Institute, and the IEEE Systems Journal. He has received multiple awards and recognitions throughout his career.
Rob Nelson is the CEO & Founder of NorthRock Partners, a premier financial and lifestyle advice firm that has consistently delivered exceptional advice and service to clients over the past three decades. Under Rob’s visionary leadership, NorthRock has grown into a trusted partner for individuals and families seeking personalized financial strategies, expert investment guidance and long-term wealth management.
Rob founded NorthRock with the goal of creating a client-centric firm where integrity, transparency and a commitment to excellence are at the core of everything they do. With a focus on driving a Personal Office® experience for every client, Rob continues to build a growing company that serves an exceptional client list of investors, entrepreneurs, athletes, Fortune 500 corporate executives and multigenerational families around the world.
Leanne Ball, M.S., MBA, leads Data and Analytics at Carson Group, one of the nation’s leading wealth management firms. Over the past decade, she has helped build the firm’s data and analytics capabilities from the ground up, developing Carson’s data strategy and establishing data as a key differentiator in the firm’s value proposition. Today, she leads efforts to leverage data and emerging technologies to empower advisors, enhance client outcomes, and drive innovation across the organization.
Leanne has led enterprise AI governance initiatives, launched AI-powered products and capabilities, and helped guide the responsible adoption of AI in a highly regulated industry. Her work focuses on helping teams use data and technology to solve real business problems, improve decision-making, and create better experiences for advisors and clients.
A frequent speaker on AI strategy, governance, and organizational adoption, Leanne is passionate about helping advisors move from curiosity to practical implementation. She specializes in connecting technology, people, and process to drive meaningful change and lasting business impact.
Outside of work, Leanne enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, CrossFit, reading, and traveling.
Hannah Moore, CFP®, is the founder of Guiding Wealth, a Texas-based RIA firm, and Amplified Planning, a company dedicated to training the next generation of financial planners. She created and hosts The Externship, an 8-week virtual program that provides students, career changers, and professionals with an inside look at the diverse paths in financial planning. Recognized as a leader and innovator, Hannah has earned the 2025 Excellence in Gender, Diversity & Inclusion award from Investment News, the 2024 Innovator of the Year from Wealth Management Industry Awards, the 2023 Industry Transformer Award from Women in Wealth Management Awards, and the 2021 Heart of Financial Planning Award from the Financial Planning Association®. Her mission is to transform the financial planning profession by changing how planners are educated and trained.
Brian Green is the Chief Product Officer at Merit Financial Advisors, where he leads the technology department and is focused on building the technology ecosystem of the future through a culture of innovation and collaboration. With over a decade of experience in the financial services industry, Brian has held leadership roles at Carson Group and Securities America, where he championed excellence and execution across technology and operations. Prior to his corporate career, Brian served for eight years as a United States Marine Corps officer, gaining leadership experience and strategic discipline that continues to inform his executive approach. He holds a Master’s degree in project management from the University of Wisconsin Platteville and a professional certification in corporate strategy from Cornell University. Brian is recognized for his strategic vision and cross-functional leadership, driving transformative initiatives that align technology with business growth.
Practifi is a CRM and business management platform built for financial advisory and wealth management firms. It brings client data, workflows, analytics, and integrations into one system to help firms automate processes, improve client engagement, and support growth. The platform also includes AI‑powered tools and role‑based features to surfaceinsights and streamline tasks.
Marie Swift is Founder and CEO of Impact Communications, a full-service PR and marketing communications firm that works solely within the financial services industry.
A prolific writer, Marie’s articles have been published by Barron’s, MarketWatch, Forbes, Financial Planning, WealthManagement.com, NAPFA Advisor, RIA Intel, Financial Advisor, ThinkAdvisor.com, Morningstar Advisor, Executive Roundtable Journal, and more. She has been quoted in respected publications such as Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, RIABiz.com, and Wealth Solutions Report.
Swift is in demand as a speaker at conferences for financial services professionals including Financial Planning’s Women Advisors Forum, TD Ameritrade LINC, Pershing Insite, Fidelity’s Inside Track, Schwab Regional Advisor Symposiums, the Financial Planning Association, the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners, InvestmentNews’ Women To Watch, Bob Veres’ Insider’s Forum, Jolt! Marketing Conference, the AICPA PFP/CIMA Summits, Securities America, United Planners, Transamerica, Cetera, and other independent advisor and broker/dealer conferences.
She’s the mastermind behind Fiduciary Voices, an educational platform for both advisors and consumers, the Advisor Thought Leader Summit, a personal presence and media training experience, and the Social/Digital Hub, created in partnership with Morningstar’s experiential marketing and U.S. conference planning team.
In 2021 and 2022, Impact Communications earned recognition from WealthManagement.com in their annual “Wealthies” awards competition, and ThinkAdvisor.com named Swift to their Luminaries Class of 2021. She is a member of the Forbes Agency Council, a by-invitation-only consortium of marketing and PR professionals who meet the high standards of the Council program.
She is the host of NAPFA Nation, a monthly podcast centered on inspiring conversations and key insights from leaders in the Fee-Only financial planning profession, and the mastermind behind NAPFA’s Playbook, a virtual training and empowerment series that brings marketing and practice management know-how to life.
Lawrence “Larry” Sprung, CFP® is a husband, father, entrepreneur, award-winning advisor, author, and mental health advocate.
Larry is reshaping personal finance by inspiring joyFUL conversations around money.
He founded Mitlin Financial, Inc., in 2004 with a focus on prioritizing the families they serve. The Mitlin name illustrates their culture as the firm is named in memory of Larry’s wife’s grandfather, Mitchell, and his mother, Linda. At Mitlin Financial, our mission is to help those we serve experience JOY in your journey while creating a clear path toward their vision of tomorrow.
Larry is the author of the bestselling book “Financial Planning Made Personal” and the host of the Mitlin Money Mindset®, a podcast that reminds you to ask yourself “What did you do today that brought you joy?®”
Larry is a Founding Member of the Investopedia Advisor Council and appears often in the media.
Larry, alongside his wife Denise, has raised over $1.8 million for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention through the Keith Milano Memorial Fund, highlighting their deep commitment to mental health awareness.
Larry’s commitment to his wife and two sons is at the core of who he is. A passionate hockey fan, Larry still laces up, often for charity games.
Babu is a serial entrepreneur with deep experience building and scaling public companies, backed by a strong engineering foundation.
Prior to co-founding JIFFY.ai, he co-founded Envestnet (NYSE: ENV) and Stamps.com (NASDAQ: STMP), helping shape category-defining platforms in financial services and commerce.
An active angel investor and mentor, Babu supports startups across Silicon Valley and India. He is passionate about driving digital innovation and applying technology to solve complex business problems at scale.
Samantha teaches financial advisors how to design and implement digital marketing strategies to produce exponential growth through content marketing, AI strategy, social media and email campaigns, SEO, and video. Her cutting-edge thought leadership is recognized throughout the financial services industry and has led to her being awarded an Investment News 40 Under 40, ThinkAdvisor Luminary’s Award and WealthManagement.com “Top Ten to Watch”.
Samantha also serves on the advisory board of the industry estate planning tech tool Wealth.com and was one of the founding members of the SaaS company Twenty Over Ten, which was successfully sold to FMG in 2020. In addition to being a trusted, go-to resource for advisors looking to grow through digital marketing strategies, Sam is also known as a voracious reader, avid runner and hiker, and master juggler of 3 kids under 9.