Registration is open for DeVoe Elevate 2026!
May 6-8, 2026 at the Fairmont Austin
-DRIVE organic GROWTH-
-OPTIMIZE your HUMAN CAPITAL plan-
2026 AGENDA Highlights
DeVoe Elevate™ blends powerful content with intentional connection. Every session, break, and reception is designed to spark ideas and facilitate learning from peers and industry leaders.
Growth SESSIONS
Fueling RIA Growth: Winning in a Competitive Market
Built to Grow: Inside the Strategies of Top RIAs
The Referral Code: Turning COIs into Strategic Growth Engines
What's Your Brand? How Elite Financial Professionals Have Solved the Riddle of Differentiation
The Future of Growth is Belonging: Why Movements Outperform Practices
Human Capital SESSIONS
Dynamic Leadership and the Enduring Advisory Firm
Beyond the Buzzwords: Building a Culture That Delivers
Inside Succession: Real Stories and What Actually Works
Team Advantage: How RIAs Win with Talent
Next-Gen Capital: Investing in the Future Now
AI Is Here: How RIAs Can Win Next
DeVoe Elevate™ 2026 Speakers
More Speakers to Come Soon!
David DeVoe founded DeVoe & Company in 2011 to help wealth management companies optimize their business decisions. The company has supported hundreds of firms in consulting, investment banking and valuation engagements since launch. David has been a thought leader on RIA practice management for 18 years and was named the 'RIA M&A Guru' by Barron's magazine.
Previously, he served as Managing Director of Strategic Business Development at Charles Schwab Advisor Services. In this role, he developed and led Schwab’s Transition Planning platform, which provides comprehensive M&A and succession planning services to registered investment advisors. During this eight-year period, he provided strategic counsel to over 500 advisors. Previously, David worked in the Business Strategy group at American Express.
David holds a BA degree from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of Management.
David DeVoe
Keynote Speaker
Founder and CEO
DeVoe & Company
An expert in customer experience (CX), Dennis Moseley-Williams shows organizations why CX is the predominant economic offering in the world today. He delivers captivating presentations that teach audiences the principles behind creating transformative experiences for clients, customers, and employees alike to deliver transformative results. Captivating audiences with his passion, humour, and real-world case studies, Moseley-Williams is an in-demand speaker with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to solo entrepreneurs, in sectors ranging from financial services to manufacturing (and everything in between).
Moseley-Williams is the founder of Dennis Moseley-Williams Strategic Consulting, a firm that helps organizations secure and build sustainable relationships by creating experience-driven solutions that deliver results, increase revenues, and build enthusiastic referral-generating communities. He’s also the co-founder of the Serious Shift Inner Circle, a community for financial advisors who want to build incredible client-centred practices to generate greater client loyalty, profit, referrals, and work/life balance.
A pioneering member of The World Experience Organization, Moseley-Williams is a certified experience economy specialist and has contributed to several online experience design courses. He is also the author of Serious Shift: How Experience Staging Can Save Your Practice, a guidebook on how the experience economy can be adapted specifically to the financial services industry.
Dennis Moseley-Williams
Keynote Speaker
Founder and CEO
Dennis Moseley-Williams Strategic Consulting
Jason Gordo is a co-founder and president at Modern Wealth Management. Gordo is an accomplished wealth management executive with a diverse background in business strategy, execution, and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining the founding team at Modern Wealth, Gordo was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management where he was Head of Advisor Growth.
Gordo was part of the team that scaled and sold United Capital, a $25B RIA with 90 locations, to Goldman Sachs for $750M. While at United Capital he held various positions, including Head of Office and Head of FinLife Partners. Gordo was also a member of the United Capital executive team where he worked to help drive the firm’s growth and success.
Before joining United Capital, Gordo co-founded Valley Wealth, Inc., a wealth management firm that served high-net-worth clients, endowments, foundations, and corporate retirement plans. Under his leadership, the firm was named to Forbes Magazine’s list of fastest-growing RIAs.
Gordo graduated from Gonzaga University, earning a master’s degree in organizational leadership. He also holds industry credentials from the College for Financial Planning and the Center for Fiduciary Studies.
Jason Gordo
President, Co-Founder
Modern Wealth Management
Prior to founding Zoe Financial, Andres was an Executive Director at JP Morgan Asset Management, helping oversee $300 billion in assets.
Before JP Morgan, Andres worked in Morgan Stanley's Institutional Equity division, where he developed investment ideas and conveyed equity market insights to institutional clients.
Andres is consistently ranked as a top speaker at major industry conferences. He is a regular guest at CNBC & Bloomberg,
He holds a CFA designation and an MBA from the Wharton School, where he received the Joseph Wharton Fellowship and Toigo Foundation Fellowship.
Andres Garcia-Amaya
Founder and CEO
Zoe Financial
Sara Baker is the Executive Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions for Allworth Financial. With deep expertise in advisor growth strategies, practice management, and mergers and acquisitions, she leads the firm’s partnership strategy—driving scalable, sustainable growth with a focus on cultural alignment and operational excellence.
Prior to Allworth, Sara served as president of Triad Wealth where she was responsible for setting the firm’s long-term vision. She also previously held high-ranking roles at Edleman Financial Engines, most recently serving as the VP of Advanced Planning where she built out the firm’s tax preparation and planning offering. Prior to that, she served as Senior Vice President, Wealth Management and Strategy Counsel at Mariner Wealth Advisors and was responsible for national partnership growth. Given this extensive background, Sara is also a recognized thought leader in the wealth management space and a frequent speaker at leading industry conferences nationwide.
Sara started her career as an attorney at Bryan Cave Leighten Paisner, a global Am Law 100 law firm. With a Master of Law in taxation from the University of Washington in St. Louis and a JD from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, she also earned a bachelor’s degree from Wichita State University where she played Division I volleyball. Sara currently lives in Kansas City with her husband, four children, and two German Shorthaired Pointers.
Sara Baker
EVP of Mergers & Acquisitions
Allworth Financial
Gordon Ross joined DeVoe & Company as President in 2025. He brings over 20 years of industry experience and a strong track record of helping RIAs achieve their goals. Gordon will join the executive leadership team and oversee day-to-day operations, with a focus on scaling the firm’s consulting and M&A advisory business to meet growing client demand. He will be responsible for implementing the firm’s strategic goals and supporting the firm’s continued growth in a thriving RIA market.
Most recently, he served as Chief Client Officer at Dynasty Financial Partners, where he led all client-facing functions, including relationship management, transitions, practice management, and service delivery—supporting RIAs across the country. Prior to joining Dynasty, he was Vice President at BBR Partners in New York. Before that, he was at Atlantic Trust Private Wealth Management, where he helped manage the personal client book of the COO. Originally from Scotland, Gordon began his career at Bestinvest Brokers in London, one of the UK’s leading private client investment groups.
He received a BA in economics from Durham University (UK) and MBA from Harvard Business School.
Gordon Ross
President
DeVoe & Company
Jay specializes in practice development, team leadership, communication, collaboration and adult-learning behavior. He and his team provide coaching to financial professionals across the country, and he frequently speaks regionally and nationally on behalf of Invesco Global Consulting (IGC). Jay is also a member of the IGC Leadership Team, which focuses on helping financial professionals grow, keep and optimize their practices in a complex and competitive business environment.
A keynote speaker, executive coach and author, Jay has worked in the financial services industry since 1999. His writing has been featured in multiple industry publications, and he is the coauthor of The Three Commitments of Leadership: How Clarity, Stability and Rhythm Create Great Leaders.1
Jay joined Invesco in 2019 when the firm combined with OppenheimerFunds. Previously, he was a Director of Business Consulting and head of CEO Advisor Institute Marketing at OppenheimerFunds. Prior to these postions, Jay held various leadership roles in the financial industry, including head of learning and development, national sales manager and head of professional development at ING, MassMutual and The Hartford, respectively. Jay earned a degree in economics and finance from the University of Massachusetts and a BS in business management from Western Governors University. He holds the Series 7 and 63 industry registrations.
Jay Therrien
Managing Director of Executive Consulting, Invesco Global Consulting
Invesco
Martine is responsible for driving the growth and expansion of the organization through strategic mergers and acquisitions of other RIAs. Based on her more than two decades of experience in the independent wealth management space, she leads like-minded firms in their transition decisions, including assessment of fit, due diligence, financial analysis, talent mapping, and deal negotiations. Previously, Martine served as the company’s Chief Talent Officer (a role she held since joining Mercer Advisors in 2020), with a focus on developing and growing the talent of the organization. She is also a member of the Executive Leadership Team.
Before joining Mercer Advisors, Martine was a Principal and both the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at Sullivan, Bruyette, Speros & Blayney. She also served on the Technology, Operations & Service Advisory Board of one of the largest RIA custodians, and has been involved as a writer and instructor for CFP® exam review courses.
Martine holds an MBA from Georgetown University and a B.S. in Mathematics from Duke University. She is a member Certified Public Accountant and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional.
Martine Lellis
Executive Managing Partner, M&A Partner Development
Mercer Advisors
Rocky Daigle is the Chief Practice Officer at Beacon Pointe Advisors, where he leads the firm’s advisor platform, practice management, post-acquisition integration, and advisor enablement across a rapidly expanding national footprint. As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, he partners with the CEO and senior leaders to drive scale, efficiency, and sustainable growth.
Before his national leadership role, Rocky guided Beacon Pointe’s New Orleans office, managing key client relationships and overseeing the corporate retirement plan division. A veteran of nearly three decades in the industry, Rocky co-founded CBD Wealth Management and helped grow it from the ground up before its integration into Beacon Pointe in 2020.
Recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best-in-State Wealth Advisors (2020), Rocky holds a B.S. in Finance and a J.D. from Louisiana State University. He has also served in leadership roles on numerous educational and charitable boards in New Orleans.
Rocky Daigle
Chief Practice Officer
Beacon Pointe Advisors
Brad joined DeVoe & Company in 2018. He brings 30+ years of financial services experience in wealth management, asset management, and banking.
Brad has led several multi-billion dollar AUM RIAs and banks that own RIAs, many of which he helped grow through acquisition. His roles included President of PSBT’s Wealth Management Group, Managing Director of Manarin Investment Counsel, President of Carson Wealth Management Group, and President and CEO of BancWest Investment Services. Earlier in his career, he held senior positions at Citigroup, Kemper Financial Institution Group, and consulted with Farmers Financial Services.
Brad earned his undergraduate degree in Economics from Loyola University Chicago.
Brad Grubb
Managing Director
DeVoe & Company
Rob Montella is a member of the business consulting team at First Trust Portfolios that helps financial advisors, RIA’s, banks, and institutional clients maximize efficiency and business growth.
Rob previously served as a Senior Strategist in Business Practices' for GSAM's Strategic Advisory Solutions team. He specialized in the delivery of practice management tools and services designed to improve financial advisors' business efficiency and productivity. Prior to joining Goldman Sach's, Rob spent 16 years with Ameriprise Financial, most recently as a Managing Partner with RiverSource University. In that role, he was instrumental in the development and implementation of a program that provided performance coaching and practice management consultation to top financial advisors at over 20 firms. Rob's work in the areas of Emotional Intelligence and Behavioral Finance has been featured in many industry journals and more recently in the book, "Educating Others to be Emotionally Intelligent." Rob received his Bachelor's degree from the Governor's State University.
Rob Montella
Vice President, Business Consultant
First Trust
Eric Hehman is Chief Executive Officer of Austin Asset. Eric joined Austin Asset in 1997 as an unpaid intern, became an owner in 2000, and CEO in 2007. In 2014, Eric completed the seven-year transition plan providing for the retirement of the firm’s founder. Today, the firm oversees more than $1.8 Billion in assets under management.
Beyond Austin Asset, Eric cares deeply about bringing leaders together for the future success of their businesses and sharing his story to encourage them fueled the fire that led to the release of his first book in 2015: Success and Succession. He enjoys the conversations that have come from the book as they bring firm owners and next generation leaders together to solve internal succession and build sustainable businesses. Eric has spent the last 25 years lending his voice to community causes and currently serves as an officer for three non-profit boards in Austin as an expression of one of the firm’s valued behaviors: Serve First.
In 2013, Eric was honored as the winner of the “Austin Under Forty Award” which recognizes executives for their outstanding professional achievements and contributions to the community.
Eric is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and earned the CFP® designation in February 2000, as one of the youngest in the nation at that time.
Eric lives in his hometown of Austin with his wife JayLeen, and their four children.
Eric Hehman
CEO
Austin Asset
As President and Partner of Mission Wealth, Dannell Stuart is dedicated to shaping and executing the firm's strategic vision. She thrives on making thoughtful decisions, inspiring those around her, and fostering a culture where individuals can excel. To her, leadership is both a challenge and a joy—one that comes from bringing out the best in others.
With nearly 30 years of experience, Dannell has dedicated herself to helping clients build confidence in their financial futures. Her extensive background spans advisory services, business development, and practice management, ultimately leading her to her current leadership role.
Dannell’s thought leadership is highly regarded, having been featured nationally as a panelist at live and online wealth management forums. She has also contributed personal finance articles to various publications and taught courses and workshops on investments and planning.
Dannell holds a Bachelor of Arts in both Spanish and Communications from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and has been a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ since 1999.
Dannell is actively involved in her community, serving as a member of the Endowment Committee for the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara, a nonprofit organization that supports women, children, and families through collective philanthropy. She has previously served on the boards of VNA Health, The Santa Barbara Estate Planning Council, and Oceanhills Church. Each year, Dannell’s family volunteers to build homes for families in need in Tijuana, Mexico.
She is also a proud member of the Mission Wealth Women on a Mission group, a team of female professionals dedicated to inspiring and empowering the women in their community through leadership and support.
Dannell Stuart
President & Partner
Mission Wealth
Doug joined DeVoe & Company in 2021 as a Managing Director and works with our clients on consulting and investment banking projects.
Doug has more than 20 years of senior-level RIA management experience as COO/CCO and consultant. Most recently, he served as COO/CCO at Parcion Private Wealth (~$2B) in Seattle. He oversaw an 80% AUM growth trajectory in the first 12 months of his tenure there. Prior to Parcion, Doug spent six years at The Ensemble Practice, where he supported RIAs and broker-dealers with business consulting and strategic planning. Doug also served in leadership positions at Columbia Pacific Capital Management and Lakeside Capital Management, among other firms.
Doug earned an MBA from Thunderbird School of Management/ASU and a BA from University of California Los Angeles.
Doug Johnson
Managing Director
DeVoe & Company
Nicole serves as a Partner and the Chief Mergers and Integrations Officer at Mission Wealth. In her role, she spearheads the firm’s inorganic growth strategy, focusing on identifying and integrating merger partners that share a deep commitment to an exceptional client experience.
With a focus on long-term sustainability and firm culture, Nicole ensures that every partnership is built on a foundation of alignment and shared values. She defines “Cultural Alignment” as the intersection of our values and behaviors. In her work, she loves helping firm founders make the best decisions for themselves, their clients, and their teams.
Under her leadership, Mission Wealth welcomes firms that live the values of caring, committed, growth-minded, and adaptable, ensuring that the firm's expansion remains authentic to its mission of providing comprehensive, heart-led financial advice.
Nicole Madosik
Partner & Chief Mergers and Integrations Officer
Mission Wealth
Michael Watling is Co-Chair of Seward & Kissel’s Litigation and Investigations Group and Co-Leader of the firm’s Wealth Management Team. Michael represents broker-dealers, investment advisers, and other wealth management firms in all aspects of regulatory compliance with the Exchange Act, Advisers Act, and FINRA and other SRO rules. Michael proactively advises clients concerning sales practices, supervision and anti-money laundering compliance, market regulation and financial responsibility rules, trade reporting, marketing and advertising regulations, materiality consultations and new and continuing membership applications, corporate finance rules, and conducts regulatory diligence on wealth management-related mergers and acquisitions. Michael has had significant success representing broker-dealers, investment advisers, and associated persons in regulatory examinations, investigations and in litigation, often resolving matters for clients without any enforcement action and achieving favorable verdicts and settlements once in litigation.
Prior to entering private practice, Michael served as both a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Tax Division and as Senior Litigation Counsel in the Enforcement Department of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). During that time, Michael developed broad subject matter expertise in both securities and tax law, having handled diverse cases involving securities fraud, market manipulation, pump-and-dump schemes, tax evasion, tax shelter promoters, mortgage fraud, money laundering, programmatic supervision and AML failures, and a wide range of broker-dealer sales practice violations.
Michael also served as a Deputy Associate Counsel in the Office of the White House Counsel during the administration of President Barack Obama. While at the White House, Michael vetted presidential appointees and counseled the president and vice president on tax-related matters. Michael started his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Queens County, New York.
Michael Watling
Partner, Co-Head of Litigation & Investigations, Co-Lead of Asset & Wealth Management Team
Seward & Kissel
Dustin Mangone is a Managing Partner and the Director of Investment Advisor Services for PPC LOAN, a cash-flow based lender providing nationwide financing to service sector businesses. He has over 18 years of experience with cash-flow lending and has evaluated and underwritten over $1 billion in loans for investment advisors. Dustin now spends 100% of his time consulting on the M&A financing needs of RIAs and Independent Investment Advisors nationwide and is a regular speaker on these topics. Dustin’s experience is focused on acquisitions, mergers, buy-ins, buy-outs, equity purchases, succession plans, and debt consolidations.
Dustin is a 2002 graduate of Texas A&M University and spent 2 years as a financial advisor providing retirement planning for non-profit organizations before joining PPC LOAN in May of 2005.
Dustin Mangone
Managing Partner
Director of Investment Advisor Services
PPC Loan
Adam returned to DeVoe & Company in 2022 after previously working with the company in 2014-2015. Adam is focused on delivering our valuation services to RIA clients. He is an experienced CFO and financial analyst.
He has held positions across multiple industries, including financial services, technology, and other professional services verticals. Most recently, he was the CFO at Talent, Inc a technology-enabled career services provider. Prior to that, he was the CFO at Helix Education, a technology-based enrollment platform for colleges and universities. Earlier in his career, Adam co-founded Deer Creek Capital Partners, a long/short alternative investment fund with $20MM in assets. He was also a Senior Equity Analyst at Invesco Funds Group.
Adam has a BA in English from the University of Michigan and a MBA in Finance from Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of Management.
Adam Levy
Managing Director
DeVoe & Company
Tony is responsible for managing the national Investment Advisor Banking team for Wintrust ($70Bil bank based in Chicago), which provides financing/banking services to RIAs for M&A, succession planning, dividend recaps, lift-outs, and capital call facilities. Tony has been a proven commercial banking professional for 28 years (14 years with Wintrust). He has a passion for establishing highly personalized relationships, and providing counsel to existing and potential clients on a range of business decisions including growth strategies and succession planning.
Tony received his Bachelor of Science in economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition to his responsibilities with the Bank, Tony is an active member of the community. He currently serves on the Board of the Fox Valley Special Recreation Foundation and NAMI DuPage. Tony and his wife, Maggie, have three children and live in St. Charles, IL.
Tony Abbott
Managing Director
Wintrust Investment Advisor Banking
Kartik joined Advyzon in 2024 and serves as President of Advyzon Institutional where he is responsible for developing capabilities to serve the needs of wealth managers serving HNW and UHNW clients. Prior to joining Advyzon, Kartik spent seven years at Schwab where he served as Managing Director of 3rd Party Integrations and Partnerships. Kartik started his professional career at Morningstar, where he served for 12 years in a variety of roles in the advisor software business.
Kartik earned his BBA in Finance and Economics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and his MBA in Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Economics from the University of Chicago – Booth School of Business. Kartik enjoys traveling, skiing and hiking with his family in his spare time.
Kartik Srinivasan
President
Advyzon Institutional
Jack is a Managing Director and is responsible for originating new investment opportunities across all industries for the direct lending and opportunistic credit strategies.
Prior to joining Manulife | Comvest Credit Partners (formerly Comvest Credit Partners), Jack was a Director at Group1001, where he helped oversee the origination, structuring and execution of middle-market direct lending and specialty finance investments. Before that, he was an Associate at Citi in the Credit Opportunities Group (formerly the Global Special Situations Group), where he focused on U.S. and cross-border middle-market lending. Jack began his career at HSBC in the Global M&A Group.
Jack received an M.S. in Management Studies from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and a BSc in Economics and Politics from the University of Bath.
Jack Wyatt
Managing Director
Manulife | Comvest Credit Partners
Chris Bisenius is the founder and president of Windward Recruiting, a firm dedicated to serving the wealth management space with integrity, insight, and intention. Since 2010, he’s made it his mission to raise the standard in Financial Services recruiting by building lasting partnerships with RIAs, multi-family offices, and independent trust companies across the country.
What sets Chris apart is more than his track record. It’s how he approaches the work: hands-on, honest, and relentlessly human. His background spans sales, service, and entrepreneurship, including early days spent bartending, landscaping, and learning the art of resilience. That journey shaped his core belief, which became the underlying mantra of Windward: “If you’re not learning, you’re not moving forward.”
A Wisconsin native and UW-Madison alum, Chris brings a researcher's mind, a recruiter’s heart, and a genuine appreciation for people’s stories to every conversation, shaped by years of real-world experience and human connection.
As a speaker, he’s passionate about demystifying hiring in the private wealth space by offering real-world insights on market trends, team dynamics, and how to build a business that offers freedom, legacy, and meaningful connection.
He and his wife, Tracy, have been married since 2010 and are raising two energetic kids who enjoy being active in soccer, gymnastics, dance, and outdoor activities. Whether sailing, snowboarding, or serving on Ski Patrol, Chris finds energy in motion and brings that same energy into every room he walks into.
As he builds the next chapter of Windward, Chris is also looking to give back by offering honest reflections, practical takeaways, and a deep belief in moving the industry forward, one conversation at a time.
Chris Bisenius
Founder and President
Winward Recruiting
Event Location
Fairmont Austin
101 Red River St, Austin, TX 78701
The DeVoe Elevate room block is available for confirmed registrants only and can be made via the link in the confirmation email.
The room block is limited and closes on Monday, April 20th, 2026, or when sold out, so be sure to book as soon as possible.
2026 Networking Events
Make sure to join us for our fourth annual Women in Wealth Brunch in partnership with Mission Wealth. It will be a fantastic way to kick off the event! Registration required.
Save the date for the Main Evening Event at Geraldine’s, located inside the Hotel Van Zandt! Thank you to Invesco QQQ, our Diamond Partner, for their partnership on this event! Registration required.
Join us for an early evening reception at the close of Thursday, May 7, for a good time after a full day of learning and connecting.
If you would like to learn more about becoming a partner, please email us at events@devoe-co.com.
Join us at Elevate, where we consistently earn high NPS scores reflecting top-tier speakers and insightful content that keeps attendees highly satisfied and eager to return.
DeVoe Elevate™ was selected as one of the best conferences to attend in 2026 by Michael Kitces’ Nerd’s Eye View
The 17 Best Financial Advisor Conferences To Attend In 2026
Follow along on social media using #DeVoeElevate2026.
Please enjoy these photos from previous DeVoe Elevate™ events.
