Holding a bachelor’s degree in Banking and Finance from Curtin University, Australia, and a master’s degree in finance from the University of Notre Dame, United States, Dikshita has cultivated a deep understanding of financial markets and investments. Currently serving as an Executive Financial Analyst and Purchasing Controller, she applies her expertise to drive strategic financial decisions.  

Dikshita Awotarowa is the Founder and President of Women in Finance and Investment Network (WIFIN), a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing opportunities for women in the finance and investment sector. Alongside her professional pursuits, Dikshita is an advocate for gender equality in finance, leveraging her platform to promote inclusivity and diversity within the industry.  

A trained Kathak dancer with a diploma in Performing Arts from the Mahatma Gandhi Institute in Mauritius, Dikshita’s multifaceted interests reflect her commitment to creating a more equitable and vibrant financial landscape. Fluent in English, French, Hindi, Bhojpuri, and Mauritian Creole, she embraces diversity as a catalyst for innovation and progress in the financial world.

Toni Gonzales, CLU, Divisional Vice President, Ameritas, has 25+ years of industry experience where she has had her own personal practice as an advisor and served in various corporate and field leadership roles.  Toni has a love for service leadership and has served on a variety of state and national Boards and Committees for NAIFA, FSP, and WIFS and is currently the Immediate Past President for Women in Insurance and Financial Services.

An award-winning, international speaker on social and digital marketing strategies as well as community-building needs for financial services organizations, Sheryl Hickerson founded Females and Finance, a private networking organization with a mission to support women and DEI professionals in financial services and financial technology.  

Membership today is more than 4,700 professionals with no signs of letting up. After more than 30 years in financial services, Sheryl has dedicated her professional life to promoting better educational networking and diversity initiatives within the Financial Services community.

Janette Caballero Jovic is Chief Marketing Officer of Rockefeller Capital Management. In her role, she is responsible for the vision, strategy and execution of Rockefeller Capital Management’s integrated end-to-end marketing functions, including brand, design, product marketing, thought leadership, communications and public relations, events, social media and multimedia.

Prior to joining Rockefeller, Janette held a succession of marketing leadership roles at various financial services firms, most recently as Head of Strategic Marketing & Content Communications for UBS Wealth Management’s U.S. division, where she oversaw brand strategy, digital marketing, creative solutions, editorial content, broadcast communications and advisor marketing teams in the HNW/UHNW marketplace. She spearheaded the launch of UBS Studios, creating podcasts and other video programs for advisors. At PGIM (the asset management arm of Prudential), as part of the Executive Office, Janette led development of the new brand. Previously, she worked in marketing at Pershing (a BNY Mellon company).

Janette holds an MBA in Marketing from Montclair State University and a bachelor’s in Communications from William Paterson University in New Jersey. She completed the Digital Marketing Strategies certification at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

In 2018-19, Janette was named one of The Gramercy Institute’s Top 20 Rising Stars in Financial Marketing. She is a member of the Financial Communications Society and the New York Chapter of the Association for Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA).

Charley leads all aspects of marketing, communications, and media for 55ip, a fintech company within J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Charley’s 20-year financial services marketing career has spanned all channels and products across the asset and wealth management space in both U.S. and non-U.S. markets. His mission at 55ip, that provides industry leading tax-smart investment platforms, is to partner with asset and wealth enterprises and help financial advisors break down barriers to growth, attaining better client outcomes through tax-smart automation and scale. An accomplished industry thought leader, Charley drives marketing that builds brands and influences culture. He received his B.A. at Fairfield University and M.B.A. at Boston College, and resides in Massachusetts.

Karin is an accomplished marketing leader and Global Head of Financial Services Marketing at LinkedIn. In her role, she leads the development and execution of marketing strategies aimed at building the LinkedIn value proposition for financial services marketers through actionable thought leadership and compelling go-to-market activations. With her expertise as an executive strategist, industry thought leader, and C-suite advisor, Karin has established herself as a trusted advisor to many leading brands. Her prior work experience includes Mastercard, JPMorgan, Allianz, Deutsche Bank, and NY Life Insurance.

Beyond her professional achievements, Karin also serves on the board of directors for The Family Center, a Brooklyn-based non-profit organization. She is a proud alumna of Syracuse University, her dog aptly named Carmelo Anthony.

Lindsey Lewis is a powerhouse in the realm of women and finance, carving out a dynamic career where she empowers women to seize control of their financial destinies. Holding prestigious titles as a Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) and CFP® Professional, she not only provides expert guidance but also serves as a trailblazer for diversity within the financial services industry.

As the Senior Director and Chair of the American College Center for Women in Financial Services, a distinguished Center of Excellence at The American College of Financial Services, Lewis spearheads groundbreaking research and advocates passionately for the advancement of diverse women in the field. At the forefront of change, she also co-chairs The College’s Next Gen Advisory Taskforce, attracting fresh talent to the industry and paving the way for an inclusive future.
Leveraging her status as a Rising Leader, Lewis goes beyond the traditional boundaries, utilizing Women Working in Wealth® social media channels, podcasts, and exclusive events to foster a community of empowerment. Her dedication and advocacy have earned her well-deserved recognition, including a coveted spot on the 2023 Investment News Hot List & Aspionner’s 20 under 40 List, the 2022 Excell Represents Rising Star Woman in Wealth Management award, and a place on the Investment News 40 Under 40 list in 2021.

Beyond her professional achievements, Lewis extends her expertise to the community as a volunteer with $AVVY Ladies, a pro-bono financial planning nonprofit. Holding dual degrees in Personal Financial Planning and an MBA from Utah Valley University, she embodies excellence both academically and professionally.

In her moments of “leisure”, Lewis finds balance through yoga, workouts, and cherishing quality time with her family, where she seamlessly wears the hat of a dedicated mother to two children. With Lindsey Lewis, finance isn’t just a career—it’s a vibrant journey of empowerment, innovation, and community building.

Dr. Sonya Lutter is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and licensed marriage and family therapist. She serves as the inaugural Director of Financial Health and Wellness with Texas Tech University’s School of Financial Planning where she leads curriculum and continuing education opportunities in the areas of finanical psychology, financial therapy, and financial behavior.   

Dr. Lutter is also the owner of ENLITE where she helps bridge the gap between mental health and financial planning. Dr. Lutter served on the editorial advisory board that produced the CFP Board’s newest book, The Psychology of Financial Planning. Her developmental work in financial therapy is summarized in Financial Therapy: Theory, Research, and Practice with co-editors and she is the author of A Couples Guide to Love & Money: 15 Exercises to Strengthen Your Relationship. 

Professional Journey 

Lynne started her career at First Chicago/BankOne (now JPMChase) in their Banking School Program, a 24-month program of in-class/temporary work assignments through various areas of the bank.  The program encouraged learning all aspects of commercial banking including asset and liability management, trading and trade finance, lending, and treasury management.   Upon completion of the program Lynne continued with traditional lending/finance and eventually migrated to Consulting within Treasury Management.  Her consulting projects included all aspects of front, middle and back-office processing focused on Asset Managers.  Lynne eventually joined the Treasury Management group in 1985 as the sales manager responsible for a team of professionals in New York and Boston.  In 2003 as the merger of  

BankOne and JPMChase was announced, Lynne was recruited by BNYMellon as the market manager for their Non-Bank Financial Sector.  In July of 2013 the Non-Bank Financial sector was broken into two sectors, Lynne became the group head for the Specialized Industry segment which was further segmented to include only asset managers, hedge funds, private equity firms and money service, money transmitter clients.  During her tenure as group head at BNYMellon, she was part of the team working with Ripple on an initial coin offering (ICO) using Blockchain technology and the FedNow project with The Clearing House.   In 2018 Lynne received her Blockchain Strategy Certificate from Oxford University.  In December of 2019 Lynne retired from BNYMellon to continue her education and experience in the blockchain space.  

Championing Blockchain and Digital Assets 

In January 2020, Lynne joined the Boston Blockchain Association and quickly rose to the Chair of the Board.  During her tenure she converted the Association from a for-profit to a non-profit and instituted a legal structure for governance, strategy, oversight and nominating policies.  Initially during Covid all events were virtual, but we soon added in-person and on-line learning on various relevant topics.  We hosted many learning sessions on opening a wallet to buying tokens using cryptocurrencies to exchanging fiat currency to a cryptocurrency.  Lynne brought financial and regulatory speakers to our in-person events that helped raise the membership from approximately 50 members to over 350 individuals and institutions in and around the Boston/New England area.  We sold sponsorships to our in-person events to help defray the costs.  Lynne completed her tenure as Chair of Boston Blockchain Association in September of 2023. 

In early 2023, Lynne co-founded Women in Digital Assets Forum (WIDAF), a globally recognized conference and networking platform for women.  WIDAF was founded on the mission amplifying women’s voices, celebrating and acknowledging their accomplishments and supporting/networking/uplifting them.  Her co-founder manages all aspects of the event and Lynne manages the agenda content and the speakers

Nina O’Neal is a Partner and Investment Advisor with AIM Advisors, an RIA headquartered in downtown Raleigh, NC. A financial advisor since 2006 and a financial services professional since 2004, Nina O’Neal is an industry veteran. She began her career in New York, NY in institutional finance and after some time on Wall Street, moved back to North Carolina. In 2009, Nina became co-owner of AIM Advisors to fulfill her desire to provide unparalleled client service. She has been featured in multiple industry publications as a sought out national thought leader and commentator on industry topics and trends. Named one of the InvestmentNews 40 Under 40 Financial Professionals, Nina frequently serves as a panelist and participant in think tank meetings, podcasts, webinars, and industry conferences.  Nina has also been featured as a commentator on CNBC and ABC11 as well as in InvestmentNews, The Wallstreet Journal, Financial Planning, US News & World Report, The Washington Post, OnWallStreet, The Street, Citywire RIA Magazine, wealthmanagement.com, and more. She was named from 2019-2022 an Investopedia Top 100 Financial Advisor as well as Onalytica’s Women in Finance: Top 100 Influencers.  Nina was named as one of the InvestmentNews 2020 “Women to Watch.”  As contributor to the book, How I Invest My Money: Finance Experts Reveal How They Save, Spend, and Invest, Nina shares candidly how she handles her own personal finances and what shaped those decisions.  Nina is the founder and organizer of the Female Advisor Network, a national membership organization dedicated to empowering female financial advisors. She has a passion for helping to drive industry advancement for female financial advisors as well as all women in financial services.

Penny Phillips has spent most of her career coaching and consulting financial advisors and institutions. She is the co-founder and President of Journey Strategic Wealth, a Registered Investment Adviser built for advisors seeking independence and hands-on practice management support. Prior to founding Journey, Penny founded Thrivos Consulting, a practice management coaching company. She has worked in various leadership positions across the financial services industry and has authored multiple practice management training programs focused on helping financial advisors build better businesses and prepare for the next generation of wealth holder. As an industry speaker and sought-after facilitator, she has spoken at financial services conferences across the US and Canada. She is a monthly contributor to Wealthmanagement.com and runs a Youtube channel called Practice Management with Penny. In 2022 Penny was nominated for Innovator of the Year by WealthManagement.com, and for a Luminary award by ThinkAdvisor. She was named as one of 23 People who Will Change the Wealth Management Industry in 2023 by FinancialPlanning.com.

Kristi Martin Rodriguez currently serves as Senior Vice President of the Nationwide Retirement Institute® for Nationwide Financial, leading the teams responsible for advocating for and educating members, partners and industry leaders on issues impacting their ability to have a secure financial future.

In her current role, Kristi oversees an extensive network of knowledgeable professionals who provide hands-on consultation to develop client strategies and address the major concerns America’s workers face when planning for retirement. Through timely insights, education and client-ready tools, both financial professionals and individuals are able to work directly with Nationwide to increase their awareness and knowledge of complex financial topics such as retirement income planning, health care, long-term care and Social Security.

Kristi has over 20 years of extensive experience in business-to-business and direct-to-consumer strategies and building high-performing teams. She joined Nationwide in 2015 as the Vice President of Marketing for Nationwide’s retirement plans business. Before joining Nationwide, Kristi held marketing and business leader roles at Aetna and UnitedHealth Group. Her experience includes functioning as the enterprise program lead of health care reform for UnitedHealthcare. Additionally, Kristi led a business development team working with the public sector, labor and trust and national accounts as liaison to their sales organization. She has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Hampton University as well as a Series 6 and 26 securities registrations.

She is an active member of the community, working with several non-profit and social organizations that aid unserved communities throughout the country. Kristi is the founder and President of the Financial Alliance for Racial Equity (FARE) – a 501(c)6 organization dedicated to increasing racial diversity, driving greater equity and fostering inclusion within financial services and the communities served. She is also one of the founding members of the Ohio chapter of The National Association of Securities Professionals (NASP), an organization helping people of color and women achieve inclusion in our industry. Kristi serves as a board member for Kindway, a non-profit organization dedicated to the successful re-entry of incarcerated men and women into the community. Additionally, Kristi is a member of the Board of Trustees for The American College of Financial Services.

About Nationwide

Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the United States. Nationwide is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s. An industry leader in driving customer-focused innovation, Nationwide provides a full range of insurance and financial services products including auto, business, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; pet, motorcycle and boat insurance. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Dr. Brian A. Thompson is a Clinical Professor of Economics at DePaul University and serves as the Director for the Economics Undergraduate program. Dr. Thompson has held varying roles across the financial industry, including his experience as a securities trader and investment advisor.

Dr. Thompson is often invited to speak at industry conferences and deliver training workshops for companies and organizations on decision-making and business strategy. His areas of research interest include judgement and the influence of cognitive biases on risk-based decision-making.

He received his Master of Science in Finance from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, and his MBA & Doctorate in Business Administration from DePaul University in Chicago.

Kara Valentine is a Managing Director at The Rudin Group, responsible for HNW and RIA marketing strategy. Kara’s extensive career spans from wirehouse to bank wealth management to family office, and the independent RIA channel. The brands Kara has helped build include Morgan Stanley, Bank of America’s Global Wealth and Investment Management Division – Merrill Lynch and U.S. Trust, Dynasty Financial Partners, Rockefeller Capital Management, Cary Street Partners, and Transcend Capital Advisors prior to joining The Rudin Group in 2023.

Kara’s marketing acumen consists of strategy and tactical execution for brands, creative design, storytelling, lead gen, internal/external communication, and MarTech platforms.

Kara serves on the Executive Board for the Center for Marketing and Consumer Insights at the Villanova School of Business. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Marketing from Villanova University.