FSI Announces 2025 Advocacy Circle of Excellence Honorees and Stephen R. Kareta Excellence in Advocacy Award Winners

The Financial Services Institute recognizes 20 members for outstanding advocacy engagement and commitment to the independent financial advice profession

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Financial Services Institute (FSI) today announced its 2025 Advocacy Circle of Excellence honorees and recipients of the Stephen R. Kareta Excellence in Advocacy Award. These awards recognize FSI members who demonstrate exceptional dedication to advancing FSI’s mission to protect Main Street Americans’ access to affordable, professional financial advice and safeguard the future of the independent financial services profession.

This year, 20 members were named to FSI’s Advocacy Circle of Excellence. Among them, three were further recognized with the 2025 Stephen R. Kareta Excellence in Advocacy Award.

The 2025 Stephen R. Kareta Excellence in Advocacy Award recipients are:

• Robert Guldner, Chief Compliance Officer, Steward Partners Global Advisory
• Patrick McGrath, Financial Advisor, LPL Financial
• Michael Pedlow, Chief Compliance Officer, Kestra Financial, Inc.

Recipients of this award set the bar for advocacy excellence. They build strong relationships with policymakers, engage fellow members on key issues, and serve as visible, positive leaders within their communities.

In addition to Guldner, McGrath and Pedlow, the 2025 FSI Advocacy Circle of Excellence Honorees are:

• John Amore, President, Kestra Financial, Inc.
• Kristine Bergin, Vice President – Investment Advisory Relationships, Raymond James Financial Services
• Eric Chartan, Senior VP, Chief Legal Officer, First Command Financial Services, Inc.
• Rebecca Cochran, Director, Information Security and Data Privacy, First Command Financial Services, Inc.
• Jesse Dahl, Clearing Operations; Corp Actions, Div/Int, P&S, Operations Control, Cetera Financial
• Ted Ferik, Head of Research, Brady Martz Wealth
• Brad Greenbaum, AIFA, CLU, ChFC, RHU, Vice President, Altigro Pension Services
• Cynthia D. Jeffries, CFE, CRCP, VP Compliance, Commonwealth Financial Network
• Robert Morales, CFP^®, AIF, Managing Director, Head of Products & Solutions, Momentum Independent Network Inc.
• Ken Nguyen, MBA, Director of Operations, The Strategic Financial Alliance, Inc.
• Mark Quinn, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Cetera Financial Group
• Amy Rehn, Managing Director, Investment Advisory Platforms, Cetera Financial Group
• James Robinson, RICP^®, Wealth Management Advisor, LPL Financial
• Mark Schoenbeck, CFP^®, Executive Vice President – Advisor Engagement, Kestra Financial, Inc.
• David Sparks, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.
• Matthew Watts, Senior Vice President – Supervision, Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.
• Daniel Woodring, Executive Vice President – Chief Compliance Officer, PFS Investments, Inc.

“These honorees exemplify the spirit of constructive advocacy engagement that drives our work at FSI,” said FSI President & CEO Dale Brown. “Their tireless efforts have helped advance efforts to enhance protections for seniors and vulnerable adults, preserve advisors’ choice to operate as independent contractors and keep financial advice accessible for the millions of Americans they serve. We offer them our sincerest thanks and congratulations.”