Karen L. Barr is president and chief executive officer of the IAA. Before assuming the role of president and CEO in 2014, she served as the IAA’s general counsel for 17 years, with responsibility for the wide range of legal and regulatory matters affecting the investment adviser industry. Prior to joining the IAA, Barr was in private practice at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now WilmerHale), where she represented clients in SEC investigations, securities class action litigation, internal corporate investigations, and securities regulatory matters. She received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.
Gail C. Bernstein general counsel and head of public policy for the IAA. She joined the IAA in 2017 from the law firm of WilmerHale in Washington, DC, where she had been a special counsel and before that a partner 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.
Al Castillo is the managing director of solutions management at SS&C Advent. As the leader of the Managed Services team, he provides guidance to wealth and asset management clients on the most suitable managed services for their business and technology requirements. Castillo has been with the company since 2000 and has served in multiple roles throughout his tenure. He holds a B.S. in Information Technology from University of Phoenix.
Heather Slavkin Corzo is a principal in the Financial Services Practice at Mindset, a bipartisan public policy consultancy based in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining Mindset, she served as policy director for SEC Chair Gary Gensler, where she led a team that advised the Chair on rulemakings and other regulatory issues. Before joining the SEC, Corzo was the director of capital markets policy at the AFL-CIO, the head of U.S. policy at the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, and a senior fellow at Americans for Financial Reform. She received her B.S. from the University of Florida and her J.D. from the Boston University School of Law.
Cayla Culver is the head of risk and controls for Schwab Advisor Services. Her organization is responsible for risk management for Schwab’s business that serves more than 16,000 independent advisory firms that trust Schwab with over $4.7 trillion in assets under management. She has spent her career working with registered investment advisors. In her current role, Culver and her team are responsible for ensuring that Advisor Services adheres to regulatory and supervisory expectations while meeting the unique needs of registered investment advisors and their clients. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Stetson University in Florida. She holds Series 7, 63, 9, 10 and 24 securities licenses along with a Six Sigma Greenbelt.
Allison L. DiLiberto, CPA, is managing director and head of finance and operations at Altair Advisers LLC, where she is responsible for finance, accounting, human resources, technology, and office administration. Prior to Altair, DiLiberto was a vice president at Citadel and a manager of financial planning and analysis at Magnetar Capital. She began her career at PwC as a certified public accountant. She graduated with highest honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor’s degree in accountancy and went on to receive a master’s degree with honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in finance, economics, strategic management, and managerial and organizational behavior.
Congressman Troy Downing represents Montana’s second district in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is one of the newest members of the House Financial Services Committee and House Committee on Small Business. Congressman Downing began his career as an educator, spending time at New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences as a research scientist and teacher in NYU’s information technology department before leaving higher education to found a technology startup company that would later merge with Yahoo! Inc. He joined the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard, ultimately serving eight years with a Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) squadron including two tours of duty to Afghanistan. Following his military service, he returned to the private sector where he founded, among various other ventures and small businesses, a nationwide insurance company in addition to a commercial real estate firm. Most recently, Congressman Downing served as Montana State Auditor where he was tasked with oversight of Montana’s insurance and securities industries.
Wendy Edelberg is a macroeconomist and senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution. She is also a principal at WestExec Advisors. She served as director of The Hamilton Project at Brookings from 2020 to March 2025. Edelberg joined Brookings after more than fifteen years in the public sector, including time as chief economist at the Congressional Budget Office, executive director of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers during two administrations, and at the Federal Reserve Board. She received a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. from Columbia University.
Jane C. Ingalls is president and chief operating officer at Bow River Capital. In this role, she oversees the firm’s operations, legal/compliance, and finance functions. Working with the executive leadership team, she develops the firm’s strategy and key priorities. Ingalls brings more than 35 years of financial services and investment management experience to her role. Prior to joining Bow River Capital, she created and led a boutique consulting firm that worked with executive teams and boards on strategy, crisis management and corporate positioning. Prior to that, she was senior vice president and chief of staff at Janus Capital Group (now Janus Henderson Investors).
Bryan Kozlowski is partner at Focus Consulting Group. He is a senior strategy professional with more than 15 years of experience helping senior financial service executives to identify and solve critical business issues. He has a strong background in developing actionable business growth, market entry, product development and human capital compensation strategies for leading organizations. Kozlowski has held a number of senior strategy and operations roles at Greenwich Associates; Casey Quirk; Morgan Stanley; and Broadline Capital. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from the College of the Holy Cross and an MBA in Finance, Marketing and Strategy from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
James D. McGinnis is counsel in the corporate department of Ropes & Gray LLP, and is a member of the asset management group. His practice has involved advising registered funds, investment advisers, and government agencies regarding a broad range of topics, including regulatory policy and SEC rulemaking. McGinnis previously worked for Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) on the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services and in the Division of Investment Management at the SEC. He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame, and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School.
Sonya Mughal, CFA, is CEO of Bailard, Inc. Since joining Bailard in 1994, she has served in numerous roles, notably as chief operating officer, chief risk officer, and chief investment officer. Mughal serves on the IAA Board of Directors and is also a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of San Francisco. She is also a portfolio manager for the Bailard Technology and Science Strategy. She received her B.A. in mathematics from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College.
William A. Nelson is associate general counsel and director of public policy at the IAA. Previously, he was assistant general counsel and public policy counsel at CFP Board and chief compliance officer for Mercer Advisors. He has also held roles as an attorney with both the U.S. Departments of Justice and Veterans Affairs. Nelson has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and George Washington University Law School. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Tulsa, his J.D. with Honors from the University of Tulsa College of Law, and his LL.M. from the George Washington University Law School.
Harry O’Mealia is president and CEO of 1919 Investment Counsel, LLC and chairs the firm’s Executive and Operating Committees. O’Mealia previously held senior positions at JP Morgan, US Trust Company, and Tiedemann Trust Company. He has also served as president of O’Mealia Outdoor Advertising Company, a family business, as president of Black River Media, a publishing venture, and as an associate in the corporate department of Lowenstein Sandler LLP. He is a member of the Bars of the State of New Jersey and the U.S. Supreme Court. O’Mealia received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in English and History, his J.D. from Boston College Law School, and his M.B.A. in Finance from Columbia University
Anna Palmer is a trusted voice on congressional leadership, the lobbying industry, presidential campaigns, and the politics of governing. She is the founder and CEO of Punchbowl News and co-authored the top-rated POLITICO Playbook franchise. Previously, Palmer was POLITICO’s senior Washington correspondent; led Women Rule, POLITICO’s nation-leading platform aimed at expanding leadership opportunities for women; and hosted the critically acclaimed “Women Rule” podcast. Prior to POLITICO, Palmer was a staff writer for Roll Call; a lobbying business reporter for the industry newsletter Influence; and a staff writer and editor for Legal Times.
Troy A. Paredes was an SEC Commissioner from 2008 to 2013. He is the founder of Paredes Strategies LLC, a consulting firm advising on financial regulation, compliance, corporate governance, and regulatory strategy. Previously, Paredes was a professor of law at Washington University and has been a Distinguished Policy Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at NYU School of Law. He has written academic articles on securities regulation, corporate governance, administrative agencies, and AI and is a co-author (beginning with the 4th edition) of a securities regulation treatise. Paredes holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from UC Berkeley and his J.D. from Yale Law School.
David Reynolds is a principal at Berkshire Global Advisors, a specialist investment bank, where he has more than a decade of experience acting as trusted advisor to wealth and investment management firms. Reynolds regularly advises his clients on critical strategic matters including M&A, capital raises, growth strategies, employee equity plans and succession planning. Throughout his time at Berkshire, he has advised on more than 50 successful partnerships and numerous other valuation and strategic advisory assignments. Reynolds graduated from Duke University with B.S. degrees in Mathematics and Economics and is a CFA Charterholder.
Kate Ring serves as chief compliance officer at Stash, a fintech company that empowers everyday Americans to invest and build better lives. In this role, she leads all compliance and risk management efforts across the company, including leadership of the compliance program for Stash’s broker-dealer, investment adviser, bank offering and anti-money laundering program. Previously, Ring was at LPL Financial, where she served in various legal, compliance and leadership roles including as deputy chief compliance officer and chief compliance officer, Advisory. She earned her B.A., magna cum laude with honors, from The American University, and her J.D., magna cum laude, from DePaul University College of Law.
Dave Rouse is a principal and chief compliance officer at GW&K Investment Management, LLC, with responsibility for managing the firm’s compliance program and is involved with various firm-wide risk management efforts. He is a member of various operating committees at GW&&K including the Investment, Brokerage, Cybersecurity/Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery, ESG, Proxy Voting and Valuation Committees. Most recently, Rouse served as GW&K’s director of compliance and risk management. Prior to joining GW&K, he held various related roles at Wellington Management Company and Fidelity Investments. Rouse received a B.A. in Sociology from St. Lawrence University.
Russell W. Sullivan is chair of the National Tax Policy Group for Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP. Sullivan translates federal policy and the U.S. tax code for clients’ boards and members and identifies untapped opportunities. He offers critical information for developing smart business strategies and engages the Treasury Department and tax-writing committees on Capitol Hill to advance clients’ domestic and international tax priorities. He worked firsthand on many of these issues during his 14 years of service on the Senate Finance Committee. Sullivan received his BBA from Baylor University, and his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.
James Ware, CFA, is the founder of Focus Consulting Group, a firm dedicated to helping investment leaders leverage their talent. He is also a highly acclaimed industry author and international speaker on the subjects of investment leadership, culture and building high performing teams. Ware has 20 years’ experience as a research analyst, portfolio manager, and director of buy-side investment operations. He has been a guest lecturer on the topic of investment firm management at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. His educational background includes an MBA from the University of Chicago and a degree in philosophy from Williams College, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa.