2022 Policy & Leadership Forum

Karen L. Barr became president & CEO of the IAA in 2014, after serving as the IAA’s General Counsel for 17 years. Under her leadership, the Investment Adviser Association has grown in both size and scope, enhancing the range of services, educational opportunities and peer-to-peer involvement for fiduciary investment advisers. Prior to joining the IAA, Barr was in private practice at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now WilmerHale), where she represented clients in securities regulatory matters. Barr received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. She is a frequent speaker on investment adviser issues.

Gail C. Bernstein is general counsel of the IAA. She joined the IAA from the law firm of WilmerHale in Washington, D.C., where she had been a special counsel in the Securities Department. While in private practice, Bernstein counseled clients on all aspects of financial and securities regulation. Bernstein earned her B.A. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and her law degree from Harvard Law School in 1988. After law school, Bernstein clerked for the Honorable Douglas P. Woodlock of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and was an associate at the Boston law firm of Mintz Levin.

Kelley Bishop is George Washington University’s associate vice provost for university career services in the Division of Enrollment and Student Success, where he provides strategic leadership, team development, and direct oversight of the university’s career services for students, alumni and employers. He has more than 25 years of leadership experience at exceptional research universities, including the University of Maryland, Michigan State University, and Syracuse University. Bishop has served on the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) board of directors, numerous NACE committees, and was a founding member of the HireBig10Plus Consortium. He holds a master’s degree in counseling from Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Dartmouth College.

Jeff Brown is senior vice president, legislative and regulatory affairs at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. He joined the firm as senior vice president and general counsel of Schwab Capital Markets, L.P.  Brown began his career as an option trader on the floor of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, later serving on its Board. He then served senior counsel in the SEC Division of Market Regulation, after which he helped lead a U.S. project to assist the Government of Romania in creating their emerging securities market, served as general counsel at the Cincinnati Stock Exchange, and chaired the Operating Committee of the National Market System Plan governing NASDAQ securities. He is an alumnus of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Ohio Northern School of Law.

Michael Davis is the head of defined contribution plan specialists for the Americas division of T. Rowe Price, where he leads the team responsible for expanding the firm’s reach and strategic engagement capabilities in the U.S. DCIO segment. Davis is also a member of the T. Rowe Price Trust Company Board of Directors; a vice president of T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Investment Services, Inc.; and is co-chair of the firm’s Black Leadership Council. Previously, he worked for the DOL, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Prudential Financial, and Calvert Investments. He earned a B.B.A. in finance from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.P.P. from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.

Meredith Doyle  is director of human resources at Fiducient Advisors, where she is responsible for talent acquisition and development, compensation planning, employee relations, culture and engagement, and risk mitigation, as well as acting as a resource for all firm managers and associates. Prior to joining the firm in 2021, she was a lead HR business partner at Harris Associates, L.P. Doyle graduated with an M.S. in Human Resources Management and Training from National Louis University and a B.A. from the University of Iowa.

Langston Emerson, a partner at Mindset DC, is a policy strategist and advocate with particular experience in advancing business goals for private equity, venture capital, real estate, and insurance clients. He also leads the firm’s DEI efforts. Previously, Emerson worked at Signal Group, the American Investment Council, and TIAA. He began his career in policy work on Capitol Hill, holding senior positions in the House and the Senate, including with Senator Carl Levin and Representative Carolyn Kilpatrick. He served as a senior aide to Representative Mike Capuano and led his work on the financial services committee. He graduated magna cum laude from Howard University and earned his J.D. from the George Washington University Law School.

Thomas E. Faust Jr., CFA, is chairman of Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) and CEO and president of Eaton Vance Management (Eaton Vance). He joined Eaton Vance in 1985 as an equity research analyst and also served as a portfolio manager, director of equity research and management, and chief equity investment officer. He was chairman and CEO of Eaton Vance’s former parent, Eaton Vance Corp., from 2007 until its sale to Morgan Stanley in 2021. He is a member of the Morgan Stanley Management Committee and the Operating Committees of MSIM and Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. He earned BS degrees in mechanical engineering and economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

James (“Jim”) Febeo is senior vice president and head of federal government relations and public policy for Fidelity Investments, where he is responsible for managing the firm’s engagement with government officials on policy. His areas of expertise include financial services regulation and retirement and education savings policy. Previously, Febeo was a lobbyist with the Consumer Bankers Association. He currently serves on the IAA Board of Governors, as well as on boards and committees of several other organizations. He received his undergraduate degree with honors from Emory University and his J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He is admitted to the bar in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the District of Columbia.

Gihan Fernando is assistant vice provost for the Career Center at American University. He has extensive experience and expertise in career development, including leadership positions at Georgetown University Law Center, Cornell Law School, New York University School of Law. He has served on the board of directors of the National Association of Colleges and Employers and as president of the board of directors of the Association for Legal Career Professionals. Fernando is admitted to the D.C. and New York State bars and practiced law before working in higher education. He received his B.A. in Economics from Johns Hopkins University, and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Yvette M. Garcia is managing director and general counsel at Bessemer Trust and Bessemer Securities LLC, and is a member of the Bessemer Trust Executive Committee and Management Committee. Previously, she served as general counsel for the wealth management firm Rockefeller & Co. And as an attorney with Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Garcia is also chair of the IAA Board of Governors, and a member of the Banking Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association; the Association of the Bar of the City of New York; the New York State Bar Association; and the American Bar Association. She earned a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and a B.A. in history and political science from New York University.

Gary Gensler is chair of the SEC. Before joining the SEC, Gensler was professor of the Practice of Global Economics and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management, co-director of MIT’s Fintech@CSAIL, and senior advisor to the MIT Media Lab Digital Currency Initiative. From 2017–2019, he served as chair of the Maryland Financial Consumer Protection Commission. He also served as chair of the CFTC, as senior advisor to U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes, and as undersecretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance and assistant secretary of the Treasury. Prior to his public service, Gensler worked at Goldman Sachs. Gensler earned his undergraduate degree in economics and his MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Carol W. Geremia is president of MFS Investment Management® (MFS®) and head of Global Distribution, where she leads the firm’s worldwide client-facing teams as well as product and marketing strategy. Geremia oversees the management of the company’s global institutional and retail businesses, which span U.S. and non-U.S. markets, including oversight of all teams managing relationships with large corporate and public retirement plans, sovereign wealth plans, global intermediaries, insurance companies, retirement platforms, and other advisory practices that distribute the firm’s investment products. Geremia is a member of the City Year Seven Generations Board and the MFS Charitable Oversight Committee and an Advisory Council member for Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Inc. She attended Tobe-Coburn College.

Philip Hildebrandt, CFA, is chief executive officer for Segall Bryant & Hamill. He holds a B.S. degree in finance from the University of Minnesota and an MBA in finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Hildebrandt is passionate about education and serves on the board of both Working in the Schools and Kids First Chicago. He is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago – an organization committed to the strengthening of the economic and social welfare of the City of Chicago – and a board member for the Civic Federation of Chicago, serving on its Pension and Social Justice Committees.

Jim Himes represents Connecticut’s 4th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is Chairman of both the House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth and the National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee. He is also a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and has served as Chairman of the Strategic Technologies and Advanced Research Subcommittee and Ranking Member of the NSA and Cybersecurity Subcommittee. Himes previously worked at Goldman Sachs & Co. and The Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing urban poverty and financing the construction of affordable housing units in the New York metropolitan region. He earned his degree from Harvard University.

Anne Lester is a speaker, author, and commentator. She retired from her role as portfolio manager and head of retirement solutions for J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s Solutions Group in 2020. She is on a mission to help Americans, particularly those in their 20s and 30s, understand that it is possible for them to achieve a happy retirement, on their time and target. Lester earned an M.A. in international economics and Japan studies from the John’s Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies and a B.A. in Politics from Princeton University. She is a non-executive director for Smart USA and Partners Group and volunteers on the board of Capital Harmony Works, an El Sistema-inspired after school music program in Trenton, NJ.

Lisa A. Massena, CFA, is the founder of Massena Associates, where she helps clients navigate new spaces, achieving on-budget implementations, state of the art operations, happy users, and good policy. She is a people-focused retirement leader who partners with governments to develop savings programs that increase private sector retirement coverage and outcomes. Massena provides strategic advice on market position and financial analysis; program design and development; implementation planning and support; issue expertise and testimony; marketplace updates and education; and communication. Prior to Massena Associates, she served as the founding executive director of the OregonSaves program, the first of retirement savings program of its type to operate in the US, and at Ascensus, State Street, and mPower. Massena is a graduate of Portland State University.

Jennifer Murphy is the founder and CEO of Runa Digital Assets. She has more than 30 years of experience in asset management, previously serving as chief operating officer of Western Asset Management, a global investment firm with $475+ billion in AUM. She also worked at Legg Mason as chief administrative officer and as president and CEO of Legg Mason Capital Management, the investment firm founded by legendary investor Bill Miller. Murphy began her career as a securities analyst. She has an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Economics from Brown University. She serves on Brown’s Presidential Advisory Council on Economics.

Allynn Powell serves as the interim director of the University Career Center & The President’s Promise at the University of Maryland, College Park. She has spent much of her tenure within career services equipping public and private sector organizations with strategies to successfully engage and recruit early career talent. She is active with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and currently serves as the chair of the HireBig10Plus Career Consortium. She holds a master’s degree in higher education administration from Ball State University and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Anderson University.

Mara Shreck is head of regulatory affairs for J.P. Morgan Asset & Wealth Management, where she is responsible for directing the firm’s advocacy strategy on emerging regulatory policies. Prior to J.P. Morgan, she was in the law department at the Investment Company Institute, where she led industry-wide regulatory policy and advocacy efforts on matters affecting asset managers. She also served as an associate at Ropes & Gray, where she provided counsel to mutual funds boards and represented clients in various litigation, arbitration, and government enforcement matters. Shreck is a graduate of the UC Berkeley School of Law, and received her undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs.

Neil A. Simon is the IAA’s vice president, government relations. He has a leading role in the formulation and communication of the IAA’s views on legislative and regulatory issues and is responsible for advocacy before the U.S. Congress. Before joining the IAA, he was director of government relations for the Financial Planning Association and served as executive director of the National Franchise Council. Prior to that, he was counsel in the law firm of Hogan & Hartson LLP (now known as Hogan Lovells). He received his B.A. magna cum laude from Clark University, his J.D. from Georgetown University, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Amy Walter is publisher and editor-in-chief of the non-partisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, where she provides analysis of the issues, trends, and events that shape the political environment, including the electoral process, congressional culture, and the Washington political scene as a whole. Walter is also a contributor to PBS NewsHour’s “Politics Monday” segment and is a featured contributor for the network’s election and convention special coverage events, as well as a regular on NBC’s Meet the Press, CNN’s Inside Politics, and Fox’s Special Report with Bret Baier. She graduated summa cum laude from Colby College and was honored by her alma mater her with an honorary Ph.D.