Ms. Beecher earned a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University at Buffalo. Her master’s degree was concentrated in the area of Ergonomics and Human Factors, with her research focusing on universal design.
Ms. Beecher is an Ergonomist with Safety & Quality Plus, providing ergonomics consulting services for the SUNY Campus-Wide Jobsite Ergonomics Assessment Program since March 2019. She was formerly the Ergonomics Specialist for Upstate Medical University, including University Hospital, in Syracuse, New York. Ms. Beecher was responsible for the development and implementation of ergonomic policies, procedures and guidelines; developing and conducting training classes; including safe patient handling, conducting ergonomic assessments of work areas, and educating the workforce in proper ergonomic concepts. She previously worked as an ergonomist for Duke University and the Duke University Health System in Durham, North Carolina. Ms. Beecher also has 20+ years of ergonomics consulting work in office and computer, industrial, manufacturing, and telecommunications settings throughout New York State.
Beth Berlin joined SUNY System Administration as Chief Operating Officer in December 2020. Prior to joining System, Ms. Berlin joined SUNY Empire State College in December 2019 as Executive Vice President for Administration and Chief Operating Officer and was named officer-in-charge in August 2020.
Berlin brings extensive experience in education leadership, having served since 2013 as executive deputy commissioner of NYSED, before being named interim commissioner in 2019. She also previously served as acting commissioner in 2015. In that role, she managed the day-to-day operations of the Education Department, overseeing more than 700 school districts with 3.2 million students.
Berlin provides leadership, coordination, and support as the SUNY system fulfills its critical mission of delivering flexible, individualized, high-quality education for students across our 64 campuses.
Tia joined CAPTRUST in 2020 as a senior client management consultant responsible for supporting our higher education client service efforts on the institutional service team with a focus on day-to day service needs, coordinating internal team resources, and serving as a liaison between clients, record keepers, and other third-party providers. Tia has worked in the retirement plan and investment industry since 2014. Tia is active in multiple Employee Resource Groups at CAPTRUST serving as Vice Chair of the BIPOC Professionals Network and a member of WISE. Tia received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University, with a focus in financial planning.
Michael Consorte is the Director of University-wide Benefits for the State University of New York (SUNY). He leads the SUNY retirement plan sponsor team in overseeing SUNY’s Optional Retirement (401a) Program, SUNY’s Voluntary Savings (403b) Plan, and the New York State Voluntary Defined Contribution (VDC) Program. In total, SUNY’s retirement program serves 115,000 employees and retirees and has $25 billion in assets under management. In addition, Michael manages the team responsible for sponsoring SUNY’s Long-Term Disability and Paid Family Leave benefits as well as administering and collaborating on all other employee benefits across SUNY’s campuses. Prior to joining SUNY in 2019, Michael spent 17 years in the financial services industry, most recently as an institutional retirement relationship manager at The Capital Group responsible for governmental/public sector retirement plans. Michael also enjoyed a career in graphic design, with published and exhibited work in various media. Michael earned a B.S. in Communications from Cornell University and an M.S. in Communications Design from Pratt Institute. Michael is committed to empowering his colleagues in the plan sponsor and financial services communities to partner on securing a dignified retirement for all of the nation’s workers. He works and resides in northern Manhattan with his husband Harry and their sheepdog, Annie.
Andy Daigneault serves as an Investment Strategist for Fidelity Investments' Workplace Investing organization. Andy began his career with Fidelity in 1995 and has over 25 years of industry experience. Prior to his current role, Andy most recently served as Director of Mutual Fund Research where he was responsible for managing a team of research analysts. Before this, he was a mutual fund research analyst, worked with Fidelity's stable value team, and worked in finance.
Andy provides a variety of investment services to his clients and serves as an investment product, market, and economic expert. As such, Andy is your dedicated resource to help you manage your plan's investment oversight responsibilities by providing investment performance monitoring and measurement, fund research, and investment menu design. When needed, Andy has ready access to subject matter experts covering our investment, consulting, and regulatory areas. Andy's key goal is to ensure that his clients meet their fiduciary responsibilities and make decisions that lead to better retirement outcomes for their employees.
Andy received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of the Massachusetts in Amherst and his Master of Business from Boston College's Carroll School of Management. Andy also holds Series 7 and 63 licenses.
When Andy is not working, he enjoys skiing and hiking, traveling, and spending time with his wife, two teenage daughters, and their Labrador Retrievers.
Thasunda Brown Duckett is President and Chief Executive Officer of TIAA, a leading provider of secure retirements and outcome-focused investment solutions to millions of people and thousands of institutions. As TIAA’s CEO, Duckett leads a company whose mission is defined by financial inclusion and opportunity – goals and values she has upheld throughout her career. Duckett joined TIAA in 2021 after serving as Chief Executive Officer of Chase Consumer Banking, where she oversaw a banking network with more than $600 billion in deposits and 50,000 employees. Previously, she was the CEO of Chase Auto Finance and National Retail Sales Executive for Chase Mortgage Banking. Earlier in her career, she was a Director of Emerging Markets at Fannie Mae. Duckett serves on the boards of NIKE, Inc., Brex Inc., Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Sesame Workshop, National Medal of Honor Museum, Economic Club of New York, University of Houston Board of Visitors and Dean’s Advisory Board for the Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business. She sits on the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), The Business Council, Business Roundtable and the Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board. Duckett is also a member of the Executive Leadership Council, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She founded the Otis and Rosie Brown Foundation, in honor of her parents, to recognize and reward people who use ordinary means to empower and uplift their community in extraordinary ways. She is passionate about helping communities of color close achievement gaps in wealth creation, educational outcomes and career success. Duckett grew up in Texas and lives in Connecticut with her husband and four children. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Marketing from the University of Houston and an MBA from Baylor University.
Terri Fiedler builds deep and enduring relationships with our partners to help people build a bridge from today’s financial challenges to tomorrow’s aspirations. As President of Retirement Services for Corebridge Financial, Terri focuses on helping Americans achieve a secure retirement. Retirement Services is a leading retirement plan provider for K-12 schools, healthcare, government, higher education and other not-for-profit institutions. At Corebridge, Terri has also served as President of Financial Distributors, leading the sales organization that markets individual retirement solutions and insurance products across a broad range of wholesale and distribution channels. Prior to joining the company in 2012, Terri held leadership positions at Invesco and AIM Distributors. Terri earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and holds FINRA Series 6, 7, 24, 26, 51, 63 and 66 licenses as well as the General Lines Agent (Texas) license. She is a Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor Designee and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC®) and holds the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) designation. Terri serves as a trustee for the Foundation for Financial Planning and is the Chair for the Board of Directors for the Insured Retirement Institute. She has been honored for her efforts to improve financial resilience for women.
Denise Gaffor is a passionate leader dedicated to promoting social justice and equality. With 20 years’ experience in education, human resources, and organizational development, Denise has made a significant impact in diverse settings. Currently serving as Retirement Program Manager at The State University of New York (SUNY), Denise manages the complex needs of more than 250 New York State and City agencies in the Voluntary Defined Contribution (VDC) Program, with over $220M in assets under management. Previously, Denise monitored the performance of 220 charter schools and managed the charter school evaluation and renewal process at the SUNY Charter Schools Institute. Denise invested 10 years teaching and leading in historically marginalized communities of Newark and Paterson, NJ as a Teach for America and New Leaders fellow. As a mentor and founding member of various alumni boards, Denise inspires and uplifts future leaders to have a greater impact on the communities they serve. Denise holds multiple advanced degrees from accredited universities, including a Ph.D. in Leadership & Organizational Development, an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership, Management, and Policy, an MBA in International Business and Finance, and an MPA in Public Administration.
Wendy John is the head of global diversity and inclusion for Fidelity Investments. Wendy assumed her current position in 2020 and leads the effort to ensure that Fidelity is a workplace and service provider where everyone can fully be themselves. She is responsible for creating and attracting a more diverse workforce, tapping into the power of our differences to develop and retain talent, creating a culture of inclusion, and showcasing Fidelity’s reputation and brand as an inclusive employer and service provider.
Wendy is a 25-year Fidelity veteran who has served in several key leadership roles across Relationship Management, Client Services/Operations, Global Workforce Strategy, Program Management, Implementation and Benefits Consulting. Most recently, she served as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of Fidelity Charitable, an independent 501(c)(3) public charity. In that role, she was responsible for overall risk, compliance, external communications, legislative policy, government relations and associate engagement.
Wendy is a global "road warrior" who has lived in 3 countries and racked up millions of airline miles for work and personal travel. Born in Trinidad & Tobago, she moved to Canada after high school to attend the University of Waterloo to study actuarial science. Wendy also received a Masters of Science in Investment Management from Boston University. She lives in Durham NC and enjoys reading, sports, and the arts.
Sangeeta Moorjani is Head of Tax-Exempt Markets & Retirement Solutions for Fidelity Investments' Personal Investing business. She leads a division that offers workplace savings plans for not-for profit organizations including health care, higher education, faith-based, government, and other tax-exempt organizations.
Ms. Moorjani joined Fidelity in 1995 and has held a range of senior leadership positions within Fidelity's workplace business and retail business. She is known for approaching business strategy in a way that brings fresh perspective and innovative thinking to launch and scale solutions to meet customer needs.
Ms. Moorjani received her bachelor-of-commerce degree in 1988 and her MBA in marketing in 1990, both from the University of Poona in India. She currently holds her Series 7 and 24 Securities licenses.
Ritu Radhakrishnan, PhD, is the Department Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at the State University of New York at Oswego. She is the coordinator of the Adolescence Social Studies education program and teaches courses in Literacy, Curriculum Studies, Culturally Relevant Teaching, Schools, Pedagogy, and Social Justice, and Elementary & Adolescence Social Studies Methods. She also serves at the Chair of School of Education Diversity Committee, and as the incoming Chair of the Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Subcommittee of SUNY UFS. Her research focuses on incorporating critical pedagogy and aesthetics in social studies curriculum. Specifically, she examines how the integration of aesthetic practices, including children’s and young adult literature, in social studies curricula affect student engagement, voice, and agency.
Jim is an experienced, 24-year industry veteran who specializes in providing defined contribution and defined benefit retirement plan consulting services to large institutions. As a leader in CAPTRUST's higher education practice, Jim provides consulting services for 403(b), 401(a), 457(b), 457(f), and 401(k) plans. Prior to joining CAPTRUST, Jim was a senior consultant with Corporate Benefit Advisors where he specialized in qualified retirement plans for higher-education institutions. Prior to that, he was with Diversified Investment Advisors, a leading provider of retirement services to not-for-profit organizations. Jim received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from Fordham University in New York City. Jim is a member of the Plan Sponsor Council of America's 403(b) Research Committee, and has earned the CEBS© designation. Jim has been a part of the higher-education focused team at CAPTRUST since his arrival in 2011. Jim is a frequent speaker and thought leader at a number of industry conferences throughout the country.
Donna joined SUNY six years ago with nearly 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, managing key sponsor relationships, providing supervision to investment advisors, training on financial planning programs and the development of participant communication and educational materials. Donna has evaluated retirement factors to drive increased Plan efficiencies. Optional participant outcomes are identified through behavioral finance study results, combined with the analysis of plan data for each career stage and generational focus. Donna earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Siena College and has holds a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation. She was formerly registered by FINRA as a series 7 and 24, investment adviser and principal.
Dr. Angie Taylor has enjoyed a distinguished coaching career both at the intercollegiate and international levels. Taylor was the first women and women of color hired as a Head Coach for any men's sports team when she became the men’s track and field coach at Alfred University. Additionally, she has served as a member of the Ministerial Committee for the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development. In this position, she served as the High Performance Director for Team Nigeria in the 2016 Rio Olympics and Paralympics Games. Currently, Taylor is serving as the Chief Diversity Officer and Title IX Coordinator at Alfred University.
As the CDO, She oversee internal and external marketing to promote diversification within the university. Reach out to all populations of the local community. Encourage potential students to view the college as a multicultural environment, which is open to change, integration, and international students and relationships. Collaborate with other post-secondary institutions throughout the country and world.
Mike joined CAPTRUST in 2021 from Cammack Retirement Group—a leading national, independent retirement plan consulting and investment advisory firm—where he served as vice president. For over 28 years, Mike has provided retirement plan consulting services for tax-exempt industries.
At CAPTRUST, his expertise covers healthcare, colleges and universities, cultural and religious organizations, and social service entities. Mike is a nationally recognized subject matter expert on nonprofit retirement plan fiduciary issues with a passion for best-in-class practices.
A frequent contributor to industry thought leadership, Mike also serves as the co-author of PLANSPONSOR’s Ask the Experts column for 403(b) plans and as an instructor for the CEBS program of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Science degree from Syracuse University.