M&A+ Succession Summit

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.

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Karisa Diephouse oversees partnership integration and the strategic execution of operations across all Beacon Pointe offices located throughout the country. Karisa brings over 20 years of experience in financial services and wealth management and understands the operational components involved with office and service efficiencies. She has worked at Charles Schwab and Fidelity Investments where she held various roles of increasing responsibilities in sales, planning, operations, compliance, and client services. She is also a founding member of the Beacon Pointe Women’s Advisory Institute and co-authored Your Dollars, Our Sense: A Fun and Simple Guide to Money Matters, an international best-selling book that has ranked #1 in six different business/finance categories. Karisa received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Finance from California State University, Long Beach. Karisa is married, has two sons, and lives in Mission Viejo, CA. She enjoys traveling, staying fit, watching sports, and spending time with her family and friends.

Expertise:
Growth-Focused Solutions for RIAs

Brad Losson is the Head of Sales, Relationship Management and Family Office Services for Schwab Advisor Services which provides more than 16,000 independent RIAs with more than $5 trillion in assets under management with everything they need for custody and beyond including innovative technology, the latest wealth management solutions and an unmatched breadth of solutions to help advisors take their businesses further, all powered by more than 3,000 dedicated Advisor Services employees.

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A 28-year veteran of Schwab, Brad has been a member of the Schwab Advisor Services Leadership Team for more than a decade. He began his career working with RIAs in Southern California. That hands-on experience continues to shape his approach today. He understands that no two firms are alike, and he’s passionate about delivering solutions built around every firm’s unique needs.

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Brad earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from UC Santa Barbara.

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Ben Harrison is a Managing Director and leads the client facing businesses for BNY Pershing. He is the Co-Chair of BNY’s Wealth Community Practice which aligns professionals serving the wealth industry across the BNY enterprise. Additionally, Ben serves as President & board member for BNY Mellon, N.A. Ben is a member of BNY’s Senior Advisory Council, a group of senior managing director working closely with BNY’s Office of the CEO and the Executive Committee on the bank’s strategic initiatives.
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Prior to his current role, Ben led Wealth Solutions serving wealth intermediaries, the RIA custody business as well as business development and relationship management for the advisory marketplace at BNY Pershing. In those roles, he spearheaded key strategic initiatives and built successful partnerships with clients focused on powering their growth. Ben was a 2010 Chairman’s Circle Honoree, recognized for his outstanding performance and contribution to BNY. Before BNY Pershing, Ben worked at TD Ameritrade Institutional where he focused on the RIA business.
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Ben earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics Management from Ohio Wesleyan University. He has also completed the Securities Industry Institute® program, sponsored by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
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Ben is a former Chair for the Foundation for Financial Planning and a current trustee. He also serves on the Board of The Woodstock Academy Foundation.

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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.
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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.
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He received a BA in economics from Durham University (UK) and MBA from Harvard Business School.

As President and Head of Wealth, Eric helps shape the overall strategic direction of the firm’s private client business. Under his leadership, Wealthspire has redesigned its client staffing model, investment processes, internal and client-facing reporting, and internal workflows to improve its operating model and best meet client needs. Eric is highly engaged in Wealthspire’s continued growth efforts through acquisitions, including evaluating new firms and overseeing integration into the broader organization. Eric has also driven efforts to elevate the firm’s Family Office Services platform which currently serves more than 300+ ultra-high net worth families representing over $11 billion in AUM.

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Previously, Eric was the Chief Operating Officer of Sontag Advisory, one of Wealthspire’s predecessor firms. Before that, he held various positions at BlackRock. Eric has served on multiple industry boards, including Schwab’s Technology, Operations, and Service Committee and Fidelity’s Service Steering Committee. He has been interviewed by publications including Barron’s and FT Wealth Management, and has been a panelist at numerous industry conferences. Eric is a board member of Advisers Give Back, a non-profit focused on pro-bono financial planning work and is also a current member of the Young President’s Organization. Eric earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and Sociology from Cornell University and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst^® designation.

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Kevin helps lead the corporate development function at Mariner. His work includes the strategic lift-out of advisors and teams, assessing and identifying key talent for recruiting, as well as RIA firm acquisitions across the U.S. Kevin works closely with a wide range of industry participants (investment banks, RIA custodians, COIs, etc.) across the industry in pursuit of our goals. He is also a member of the Mariner Trust Company Board of Managers.

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Prior to joining the firm, Kevin was a senior relationship manager at Fidelity Investments, where he worked closely with Mariner. Through his 17-year tenure at Fidelity, Kevin held various roles throughout the retail and institutional brokerage businesses.

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Kevin has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Kevin is vice chair of the Keller Education Foundation, helping guide the organization’s mission to support, fund and promote educational excellence, innovation and creativity within the Keller Independent School District (TX). In addition, Kevin coaches youth baseball for KYA athletics.

Brad joined DeVoe & Company in 2018. He brings 30+ years of financial services experience in wealth management, asset management, and banking.
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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.
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Brad earned his undergraduate degree in Economics from Loyola University Chicago.

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James E. Abbott serves as the Co-Head of Seward & Kissel’s Corporate M&A Practice. He joined Seward & Kissel as a partner in 2007.
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Jim represents public and private companies, private investment funds, investment management firms, financial institutions, business owners and managers in connection with a variety of business transactions, financings and general corporate matters. Representative transactions include mergers and acquisitions, private equity, debt and venture capital transactions, seed capital arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances, PIPEs and other public and private securities offerings.
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In 2019, The M&A Advisor recognized Jim with its 2019 Leadership Award, and inducted him into its Hall of Fame. In 2018, The National Law Journal recognized Jim as an M&A Trailblazer, among only 27 attorneys nationally who it determined were “movers and shakers in the legal industry who have made an impact in their sector through new types of strategies or innovative matters.” In ranking Seward & Kissel’s Business Transactions Group as Highly Regarded for Corporate/M&A, Chambers USA ranked Jim Abbott a Leading Individual and reported that “clients are full of praise” for Jim, “saying that he always puts client satisfaction as a primary objective, brings a lot of experience to deals, and can explain legal items in everyday business terms.” In recommending the Seward & Kissel Business Transactions Group among the firms ranked in the middle market M&A category, The Legal 500 ranked Jim in its “Hall of Fame” category and reported that “Co-business transactions group leader Jim Abbott is very helpful with the overall strategic advice and guidance he provides. Jim gets actively engaged in the entire process, providing superior service, and not only is he personable and affable, but he can subtly drive a very hard bargain.”  Jim is among the corporate lawyers recognized by New York Super Lawyers, and is ranked AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 by Martindale-Hubbell. Jim is also ranked as a Notable Practitioner by IFLR1000. Additionally, Jim is featured in the Lawdragon 500 Leading Dealmakers in America guide.
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Jim has been a regular speaker and author on a variety of topics, including acting as an editor for IM Deals® (a blog covering investment management industry transactions), being a contributor to the Best Practices of the Best Dealmakers book, writing a chapter on “Mergers, Consolidations and Conversions Under the New York Limited Liability Company Law,” in the New York Limited Liability Companies and Partnerships book, and writing or being quoted in articles appearing in numerous financial and legal publications. He has been a moderator or panelist at many industry events, including the “M&A: The Art of the Deal” session sponsored by the New York Chapter of Financial Executives International, a presentation entitled “Earnouts: Recent Developments and Three Rules of the Road” at the JEGI Media & Technology Conference, a panel discussion entitled “Global Coverage: What’s Hot About India” at the M&A Advisor Annual Middle Market M&A Conference, and at the Wharton Entrepreneurial Speaker Series event entitled “When Selling Your Business Avoid Losing Millions From These Common Mistakes”.
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Jim received a B.A. degree, magna cum laude, from Colgate University in 1981 and a J.D. degree from New York University School of Law in 1984, where he was a member of the Moot Court Board. Jim is admitted to practice in New York and is a member of the New York State Bar Association (International Law and Practice Section, Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States).

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Adam Farag brings to Oak Street Funding15+ years of experience in banking, specializing in business lending. He hassuccessfully advised hundreds of business owners, helping them expand andthrive. 

Since 2017, he has secured over $300million in capital for wealth advisors for acquisitions, succession planning,and debt restructuring. Adam lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, with his wifeKristen, and their two children.

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.
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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.

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Doug joined DeVoe & Company in 2021 as a Managing Director and works with our clients on consulting and investment banking projects.
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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.
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Doug earned an MBA from Thunderbird School of Management/ASU and a BA from University of California Los Angeles.

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James Hughes is the Head of Investment Advisory Lending at Live Oak Bank. In his role, James leads the sales team and oversees the lending process from the initial call to loan servicing. Since joining Live Oak in 2013, he has helped hundreds of businesses achieve their goals through financing. James has served in several roles at Live Oak, including as a sales trader, relationship manager, underwriter and loan officer. Before joining the bank, James worked at one of the leading investment banks in the world, where he managed a group of derivative trading assistants and several client service teams. Through this unique experience, James has gained an understanding of business owners' challenges. James' dedication is to assisting small business owners in the Investment Advisory industry to attain success and continue to thrive with Live Oak Bank’s products and services James has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Bucknell University.

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.
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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.
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Adam has a BA in English from the University of Michigan and a MBA in Finance from Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of Management.

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