David C. Blickenstaff
Partner, Schiff Hardin LLP

David C. Blickenstaff is a partner in the Chicago office of Schiff Hardin LLP and leader of the firm’s national trust and estate litigation practice. He is a trial lawyer who represents corporate and individual fiduciaries as well as beneficiaries in trust, estate, and guardianship litigation and related matters.

Mr. Blickenstaff has handled scores of fiduciary disputes in courtrooms across the country, including extensive appellate work. He is also a regular lecturer and panelist on topics relating to fiduciary litigation and managing fiduciary risk.

Mr. Blickenstaff graduated magna cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law in 1994 after serving as the Coordinating Note and Comment Editor of the Northwestern University Law Review. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1990 from Princeton University, where he studied political philosophy and played intercollegiate water polo. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and a member of its Fiduciary Litigation Committee.

Steve Dugas
Chairman, Dugas Family Foundation, Inc.

Steve Dugas is chairman of the Dugas Family Foundation. Three generations of his family serve on the foundation board, including his mother Laura Jo, his wife Lynn, and his sons Tyler and Christian.

Mr. Dugas is actively engaged in the family’s philanthropy, which is a leader in charitable giving in Northwest Florida. The family’s giving is broad based, and focused primarily on serving families in Walton and Okaloosa Counties. Grants of note from the Dugas Family Foundation include lead gifts to Sacred Heart Hospital, Alaqua Animal Refuge, the Children’s Volunteer Health Network, the Boys and Girls Club of the Emerald Coast, Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance, and the Ronald McDonald House of Northwest Florida.

Mr. Dugas’ grandfather, Cal Turner, Sr., was a co-founder of Dollar General Stores, which was founded in Scottsville, Kentucky. Mr. Dugas is a rotating member of the board of the Laura Goad Turner Charitable Foundation, established by Mr. Turner as a leading source of charitable giving in the family’s hometown.

Michael J. Flynn, CFA
President and Chief Investment Officer, B1 Capital Partners

Michael Flynn is responsible for building a de novo single-family office backed by a South American family with significant operating businesses. Mr. Flynn is building a professional team as well as corporate, tax and legal infrastructure necessary to invest a large pool of capital into private equity, hedge funds and public equities.

Prior to working at B1 Capital Partners, Mr. Flynn was Chief Investment Officer for Kinship Trust Company. He was responsible for managing a portfolio with significant exposure to alternative investments. While at Kinship, Mr. Flynn built an internal team with expertise in hedge fund, private and public equity investments. Prior to joining Kinship, Mr. Flynn was President and Senior Consultant of Stratford Advisory Group, an institutional asset consulting firm.

Mr. Flynn earned an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University.  He earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences at Northwestern University.  Mr. Flynn is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Robert (Bob) L. Hammett
Father/Trustee

Bob Hammett is a fifth-generation family member who serves as Vice President of a single family office that manages numerous trusts for about 75 family members. The office helps family trustees and beneficiaries by engaging and supervising the work of outside professionals while having a small staff that deals directly with the members of the extended family. The focus of the office is on trust administration and accounting, estate planning, investment manager coordination, fiduciary and financial education, annual visits with family members, monthly newsletters, and estate and income tax return preparation.

Mr. Hammett is a CPA/PFS, CFP, M.B.A. with prior professional work experience in public accounting and banking, and a primary focus on estate, gift, and trust planning and taxation. The single family office is not directly involved in day-to-day activities of the legacy operating businesses located in the Pacific Northwest (newsprint and forestry, broadcasting and print media, and real estate) and a portfolio of actively managed direct investments. He is also a past Chair of their Family Council and has participated in several Family Assembly committees (i.e., Governance, Education, Introductions and Reunions).

Mr. Hammett previously worked at Deloitte & Touche, Home Savings of America/Washington Mutual Bank, KPMG LLP, and Damitz, Brooks, Nightingales, Turner & Morrisset in California. He earned a B.A. in Mathematics, Economics and Accounting at Claremont McKenna College and an M.B.A. in Finance and Policy Studies (Competitive Strategy) at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Stephanie A. Hammett
Daughter/Beneficiary

Stephanie Hammett is a sixth-generation family member served by Chifam LLC, a single family office (SFO). She is a beneficiary of and a co-trustee on trusts managed by the SFO. The office helps family trustees and beneficiaries by engaging and supervising the work of outside professionals while having a small staff that deals with the members of the extended family. The focus of the office is on trust administration and accounting, estate planning, investment manager coordination, fiduciary and financial education, annual visits with family members, monthly newsletters, and estate and income tax return preparation.

Ms. Hammett is a recent graduate of Thomas Aquinas College (liberal arts and sciences, great books curriculum). She has interned in the family’s legacy operating businesses (newsprint and forestry, broadcasting and print media, real estate and insurance). She has also participated on various Family Council and Assembly committees.

Mark K. Harder
Partner, Warner Norcross & Judd LLP, Private Client & Family Office Group

Mark K. Harder is a partner with the law firm of Warner Norcross & Judd LLP and serves as Chair of the firm’s Private Client & Family Office Practice. He concentrates his practice in estate planning and administration for high net worth individuals and in representation of family-owned businesses and their owners.

Mr. Harder is a Fellow in the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel and is listed in Best Lawyers in America and Michigan Superlawyers. He was named 2010 and 2017 Lawyer of the Year for Trusts and Estates in Grand Rapids, Michigan by Best Lawyers in America. In 2017 he was named by Michigan Superlawyers as one of Michigan’s Top 100 Lawyers.

He served as Chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s Probate and Estate Planning Section and was the Chairman and Reporter for the Michigan Trust Code Committee. He is a frequent speaker and author for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education and other professional organizations.

Kim Kamin
Principal & Chief Wealth Strategist, Gresham Partners, LLC

Kim Kamin is a Principal at Gresham Partners, LLC where she serves as Chief Wealth Strategist and a Client Advisor. She advises clients and leads Gresham’s development and implementation of estate, wealth transfer, philanthropic, and educational and fiduciary planning activities.  Previously she was a partner in the Private Clients, Trusts and Estates Group at Schiff Hardin LLP, where for many years her legal practice involved all aspects of trust and estate planning, administration, and dispute resolution; advising families and closely held businesses on a wide array of wealth preservation, asset protection, and succession planning issues; representing fiduciaries, custodians, and beneficiaries in estate administration and contested trust and estate matters; and serving as counsel for the formation and operation of not-for-profit entities.

Ms. Kamin is an adjunct professor at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law where she has been awarded the William M. Trumbull Lectureship, and has taught Advanced Trusts and Estates, the Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates, and Estate Planning. She is also on faculty for the Certified Private Wealth Advisor® (CPWA®) certification program through the University of Chicago Booth School of Business Executive Education.

Ms. Kamin is on the Editorial Advisory Board of Trusts and Estates Magazine. She has published on a wide variety of topics and is also a frequent lecturer in a variety of venues (including Family Office Exchange, ALI-CLE, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Chicago Estate Planning Council, Chicago Bar Association, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Annual Notre Dame Tax & Estate Planning Institute, Tulane Tax Institute, and CLE International’s Visual Arts, and the Law Conference). She is also an "Xpert" for Trust & Estates' IdeaXchange.

Ms. Kamin received her B.A., with distinction and departmental honors, from Stanford University and her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.

Pamela Lucina
Executive Director – Advice, Planning and Fiduciary Services, BNY Mellon Wealth Management

Pamela Lucina is executive director of BNY Mellon Wealth Management’s Advice, Planning and Fiduciary Services. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing Global Wealth Advisory, the National Practice Areas for business owners and family law, and Fiduciary Services. Ms. Lucina has over 20 years of experience providing comprehensive wealth planning advice and governance to individuals and families. Most recently she was with JPMorgan, where her key responsibilities included providing wealth and estate planning services to the firm’s largest and most complex clients, and advising families on next generation education and philanthropic matters.  

Prior to JPMorgan, Ms. Lucina spent 10 years in private practice, both as a tax consultant with Arthur Andersen and in the trust and estates department of Mayer Brown in Chicago. She is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), is well-published, and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events. She has a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University, and a Juris Doctor degree from DePaul University.

Susan Massenzio, Ph.D.
Co-President, Wise Counsel Research

Susan Massenzio, Ph.D., is President of Wise Counsel Research Associates. She is a psychologist with extensive experience consulting to senior executives and leadership teams of Fortune 500 financial services firms. She helps firms design effective organizations, develop high potential executives, plan leadership succession, and integrate key leaders into new roles. Firms leverage her knowledge of psychology and organizational dynamics to optimize performance. As an executive consultant, she enables leaders to gain greater insight into their leadership and management styles and to maximize their influence and impact.

Dr. Massenzio has also consulted extensively with family businesses. She helps families make a positive impact through enhanced communication, decision making, cultivation of next generation leaders, and philanthropy. She is co-author of The Cycle of the Gift, The Voice of the Rising Generation, and Complete Family Wealth, all published by Bloomberg Press.

Dr. Massenzio served as the Senior Psychologist for John Hancock Financial Services, Senior Vice President for Wells Fargo Bank, and Professor and Program Director at Northeastern University. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Northwestern University and a B.A. in Sociology and Education from Simmons College. She is a member of the Collaboration for Family Flourishing.

Tera Rica Murdock
Partner, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP

Tera Rica Murdock is a skillful litigator and an effective advocate in complex business, trust, and employment disputes. Ms. Murdock has extensive trial experience. She has been an advocate in jury trials and bench trials, in both state and federal court, as well as in private arbitrations. She has both defended and prosecuted claims of breach of fiduciary duty and breach of trust, representing corporate trustees, family offices, and beneficiaries. Clients count on Ms. Murdock to craft strategies for resolution which preserve relationships while keeping in accordance with the terms of the trust instrument.

Ms. Murdock has prosecuted and defended claims of breach of contract in the financial services, manufacturing, and healthcare industries. Whether enforcing a contract on its terms, recovering damages, or defending against these claims, she has the experience needed to advocate for businesses while respecting their organizational objectives. Additionally, she is experienced in the representation of management in the manufacturing industry in all aspects of employment law. She has litigated complex multi-plaintiff claims involving the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, assisted companies in enforcing non-compete agreements, and defended businesses against alleged violations of federal and state employment law.

Bill Sanderson
Partner, McGuireWoods LLP

Bill Sanderson is a member of the McGuireWoods fiduciary advisory services practice group and co-chair of the private wealth services group. He represents both high-net worth individuals and families on a variety of sensitive and complex estate and business planning matters. His practice focuses on the areas of estate planning and estate and trust administration.

A frequent speaker, Mr. Sanderson has also taught Federal Taxation Practice and Procedure at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business.

Prior to completing his law degree at the University of Virginia School of Law, Mr. Sanderson completed coursework at the University of South Carolina School of Law. While attending the University of Virginia, Mr. Sanderson was a member of the Raven Society and the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society.

Anita Sarafa
Wealth Advisor, Managing Director, J.P. Morgan Private Bank  

Anita Sarafa advises clients across the Midwest region on their comprehensive estate planning needs and goals including how to tax-efficiently hold, manage, and transfer their wealth to family or charity. She also is a resource on family governance issues, next generation education and family meetings. Ms. Sarafa is an attorney, admitted to practice in Illinois and is a member of the American and Chicago Bar Associations.

Ms. Sarafa speaks and writes nationally on topics related to sophisticated estate planning techniques, multi-state estate planning, charitable giving, and tax planning, and has been featured in The New York Times, Dow Jones, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, The Chicago Tribune, CLTV, and other local and national media. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan Private Bank in 2000, she was a partner with the Chicago-based law firm of Winston & Strawn, where she practiced law for 11 years as a member of both the Trust and Estates and Corporate departments.

Ms. Sarafa earned her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from Boston University School of Law.

Sarah Kerr Severson
Partner, Schiff Hardin LLP

Sarah Kerr Severson is a partner in the Private Client, Trust and Estate Group at Schiff Hardin LLP.  Ms. Kerr Severson takes a holistic approach to helping individuals and multigenerational families implement and manage comprehensive estate plans and business succession plans. She brings an instinct for facilitating transition and a keen awareness of the “softer side,” familial and social issues, which uniquely position her to guide clients through special needs planning, wealth transfer planning and charitable planning techniques.

A counselor to those with significant wealth, Ms. Kerr Severson assesses her client’s circumstances, diagnoses the issues and coordinates a plan that meets both immediate and long-term goals. Her holistic approach takes into account all of the financial, personal, tax and non-tax objectives in play.

Ms. Kerr Severson recognizes that her client’s plans and established entities have lives of their own; they need continuous care and feeding. She quarterbacks all issues that affect her clients and takes very seriously her role as a trusted business adviser and confidant for current and future generations.

Ms. Kerr Severson is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Law, J.D., and serves as President of a charitable foundation, the Mark Morton Memorial Fund.

Steve Smitherman
Vice President, The Family Private Trust, LLC

Steve Smitherman has over 16 years of family office experience. He is Vice President of The Family Private Trust, LLC and The Family Office, LLC where he manages client family relationships, private trust company and family office relationships. His areas of focus include financial reporting, technology, client/beneficiary relationships, tax, and estate planning.

Mr. Smitherman is a Certified Public Accountant and earned B.A. degrees in Business and Marketing from Belmont University in Nashville, TN. He is a member of the Tennessee Society of CPAs and a founding member of Society of Leaders in Development (S.O.L.I.D). He also volunteers with several organizations, including CPA Dads, Abba’s Way, and Father’s Heart.

Talli Sperry
Head of Family Office Segment, The Vanguard Group

Ms. Sperry began her Vanguard career in 2008, developing executive leadership programs, and has been supporting the needs of Vanguard clients since 2010. She has managed the Flagship client relationship teams since 2012 and also leads a team in Flagship Select™ and the family office strategy group.

Prior to joining Vanguard, Ms. Sperry had a decade-long career in academia. She still teaches a graduate course in leadership and enjoys serving on various nonprofit boards.  

Ms. Sperry earned an M.A. from Villanova University, as well as a B.F.A. from the University of the Arts and a graduate certificate in counseling from Westminster.

Patrick A. Thompson
Founder & Chairman of the Board, Trans-Matic Mfg. Co

Patrick Thompson is the founder and Chairman of the Board of Trans-Matic Mfg. Co.  Trans-Matic is a privately owned, family owned, multi-national manufacturing company that produces deep-drawn metal components for major OEMs.

Mr. Thompson received his Bachelor’s Degree from Bellarmine University and his Master’s Degree from the University of Michigan.

He is retired from operating duties of his company and restricts his participation at the company to board work and coaching members of his executive team. Through gifting and grantor retained annuity trusts, he and his wife have transferred 80% of his company stock to their three children.

John Welsh
Vice President, Wealth Strategy, BNY Mellon Wealth Management

John Welsh is a Wealth Strategist with BNY Mellon Wealth Management. As a Wealth Strategist, Mr. Welsh provides comprehensive wealth and estate planning advice to address the unique financial and governance needs of wealthy individuals, families, and private business owners. This includes developing innovative strategies in wealth transfer in philanthropy, cross-border planning, analytics, and ownership structures to maximize clients' global wealth after taxes and across generations. He has over 10 years of wealth and tax planning experience.

Most recently he was with a large international law firm, where he was a part of the private client group providing wealth and estate planning services to ultra-high net worth individuals, families, family offices, and foundations. Prior to that, Mr. Welsh spent 5 years as a tax consultant with a Big Five accounting firm and a consulting firm in Chicago.

Ms. Welsh has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law.

Keith Whitaker, Ph.D.
Co-President, Wise Counsel Research

Keith Whitaker is President of Wise Counsel Research. He has consulted for many years with leaders of enterprising families, helping them plan succession, develop next generation talent, and communicate around estate planning. With a background in education and philanthropy, he enables family leaders to better understand their values and goals, as well as have a positive impact on the world around them. Family Wealth Report named Dr. Whitaker the 2015 "Outstanding Contributor to Wealth Management Thought-Leadership."

Dr. Whitaker has served as a Managing Director at Wells Fargo Family Wealth, an adjunct professor of management at Vanderbilt University, an adjunct assistant professor of philosophy at Boston College, and a director of a private foundation. He was also a special assistant to the President of Boston University.

His writings and commentary have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Financial Times, Claremont Review of Books, and Philanthropy Magazine. His Wealth and the Will of God appeared in 2010 from Indiana University Press and he is co-author of The Cycle of the Gift: Family Wealth & Wisdom; The Voice of the Rising Generation; Family Trusts: a Guide for Beneficiaries; Trustees, Trust Protectors, and Trust Creators; and Complete Family Wealth, all published by Bloomberg Press.

Dr. Whitaker holds a Ph.D. in Social Thought from the University of Chicago and a B.A. and M.A. in Classics and Philosophy from Boston University. He serves on the board of directors of the National Association of Scholars.

Heather Winslow-Walker
Family Legacy Specialist, The Vanguard Group

Heather Winslow-Walker is a family legacy coach in Vanguard’s Flagship Services. In this work, she helps families plan the emotional legacy they want to leave their family including their values, stories, and traditions. This foundation compliments the financial planning process to ensure an integrated approach to family wealth planning.

Before joining Flagship in 2014, Ms. Winslow-Walker spent the majority of her eighteen years at Vanguard in Human Resources. She has an extensive education background which enables her to not only design educational programs, but also facilitate group dynamics. Ms. Winslow-Walker’s other specialties include leadership development, talent management, engagement, change management, and employee relations. In addition, she is a certified professional coach who coaches individuals to be aware of mindset as a mechanism to realize their full potential.

Ms. Winslow-Walker earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. She holds two master’s degree, an M.B.A. and M.Ed., both from Penn State. She received her professional coaching certification from the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching. She is currently completing her Heritage Design Professional^TM certification through the Heritage Institute.

FOX Presenters

Amy Hart Clyne
Executive Director, Knowledge Center

Amy Hart Clyne is Executive Director of the Knowledge Center for Family Office Exchange (FOX), supporting the firm’s extensive global community of ultra-wealthy families and advisors. Her effort is concentrated on knowledge acquisition, development, management and distribution.

Focused on transforming creative, best practice and innovative ideas into practical solutions, Ms. Hart Clyne collaborates with all of the teams within FOX to ensure that the firm’s collective learning is used to enhance existing member relationships, attract new members, and support the work of the consulting practice. Ms. Hart Clyne is also responsible for program design & development at FOX, including all forums, events and webinars. She is actively engaged in FOX strategic planning, relationship management, marketing and research planning, sales and training meetings, member events and workshops, and new product launch.

Leveraging over 25 years of extensive experience in private wealth management, Ms. Hart Clyne joined Family Office Exchange in 2012. Over the prior dozen years, she has worked as a consultant to some of the country’s leading private wealth management firms and private family foundations. Previously, Ms. Hart Clyne was appointed Global Marketing Director of The Chase Manhattan Private Bank for seven years. Prior to joining Chase, Ms. Hart Clyne worked in Marketing and Training at Bankers Trust Private Bank, and previously served as a Portfolio Manager for Lehman Management Company, a subsidiary of Lehman Bros. Kuhn Loeb, for six years, in the ultra-wealthy individual area.

Mariann Mihailidis
Managing Director, Councils

Mariann Mihailidis serves as managing director and consultant to family office members of the Family Office Exchange. In her role, she oversees the management of all domestic family office relationships. As a practicing tax and estate-planning attorney, she develops strategies in wealth transfer issues, taxes, and corporate structures. Ms. Mihailidis has served as an executor and trustee, and her fiduciary responsibilities included administrative, legal, and accounting duties of various trusts and estates.

Prior to joining FOX in 1996, Ms. Mihailidis worked in one of America’s leading family offices for four years as an accounting manager for the family’s investment partnerships and operating companies.
She also spent more than six years in public accounting, including work as an auditor for Price Waterhouse. Ms. Mihailidis received a Bachelor’s Degree in accounting from the University of Notre Dame and a J.D. from IIT-Kent College of Law.