Meet our financial literacy Experts for Exhibition!
At Forest, we regularly invite experts into our Studios not only to share about the meaningful work they’re doing, but also so that they can give our learners real-world feedback and advice. Through this process, our learners encounter real world demands and see relevance in learning.
We are pleased to announce this session’s visiting Quest experts, who will be giving feedback to our learners on a variety of things related to Financial Literacy. These professionals will join our Studios at tomorrow’s Exhibition, look at the work of our learners, and from their experience evaluate and share the feasibility of our learners’ ideas, plans, prototypes, and products.
Experts help us blur the lines between school and real life. Read their bios below!
kristie mitchell
Kristie Mitchell is Senior Manager of Charitable Consulting at Schwab Charitable. She provides independent investment advisors with innovative solutions to incorporate charitable planning into the wealth management process. Kristie has over 23 years of experience in financial services, most recently with Schwab Advisor Services for 10 years. Prior to that, she was a Financial Advisor at Freedom Financial Services and American Express Financial Advisors and held investment and trading roles at UBS. Kristie received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Finance from Georgia State University and holds the Series 7 and 63 securities licenses. Kristie is passionate about increasing financial literacy for children in her community. She volunteers at local schools as a Financial Literacy Consultant, hosts community financial literacy classes, and obtained her Certified Financial Education Instructor’s License from the National Financial Educators Council in 2022. She also serves as President on various PTO Boards and her current HOA Board. She is a proud mother of 3 children and has been married for 13 years to Alfonzo Mitchell.
yvette cook darby
Yvette is a seasoned executive, business strategist, coach and consultant with more than 25 years of leadership experience. She has successfully enhanced the culture of organizations to become more competitive, responsive and innovative. She is most proud of her work with non-profits, specifically those focused on education, to improve the conditions and opportunities for those living in underserved communities. Yvette began her professional career in broadcast media sales, has owned a marketing consulting firm, and is a certified Personal and Executive Coach. Her past positions include: President & CEO of Ushers New Look, Chief Marketing Officer of United Way of Atlanta, and Chief Strategy Officer of Georgia Public Broadcasting. Yvette is currently the lead coach in her private practice, Doyenne Coach, llc. She earned a master’s degree in mass communications and a bachelor’s degree in public affairs and political science from the University of Denver. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Caring for Others, and the University of Denver, School of Arts and Sciences Alumni.
jamie wiley
Jamie Wiley is a Senior Financial Planner with the Schwab Centralized Planning Group. She holds the Certified Financial Planner designation and is also a Certified Public Accountant. She has over 30 years of experience in financial services, including positions in corporate, government and personal financial planning and advice. She also spent 9 years as a Master Tax Advisor and instructor for H&R Block. In her role at Schwab, she provides complex financial planning advice to Schwab clients and prospects through consultations and various Financial Planning Engagements.
russ kiefer
Russ Kiefer is the proud father of two Forest School heroes, Jacey-Kate and Brooks. He is a Sr Relationship Manager at Charles Schwab where he consults with independent investment advisors on a broad range of business issues- from best practices on business development, talent acquisition, and technology, to transitioning their practice to the next generation of leaders. He is a graduate of Clemson University.
lisa williams jones
Lisa Williams Jones is a native Atlantan that has spent her career in various Finance roles supporting corporate profitability and revenue enablement. Currently she is working at Elavon Inc which is a processor of credit card transactions and a subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp. In her current role she is leading a Team in developing a modernized pricing and product engine that allows a smoother quoting process with assured pricing and profitability controls. Throughout her non corporate years, she has supported various not for profit initiatives focused on youth empowerment/education and even spent time lobbying for School Choice and Education Reform. She is the mother of 3 “ba-dult” young men and has been married for almost 30 years to Ed Jones.
ed worrell
For more than 38 years, Ed has been dedicated to helping a select group of individuals, families, businesses and institutions to build, manage and transition their wealth. His true passion is engaging with clients who have worked hard their entire lives to create wealth and helping them preserve it for today and for future generations.
Ed is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and Private Investment Management (PIM) portfolio manager. As a (PIM) portfolio manager, he is a member of a select group of advisors who are qualified to manage client portfolios on a discretionary basis. Prior to joining the financial services industry Ed attended Baylor University and Belmont University and received a BBA in Accounting. In his spare time, he enjoys golf and is involved in the community as an active member of his church as well as a member of the Rotary.
eric worrell
Eric has had the privilege of serving as a financial advisor to a select group of families, individuals, and institutions since 2008 and has learned that while clients have unique individual circumstances that dictate their approach to investing, everyone wants the same end result – clarity and confidence. His approach seeks first to understand clients' current situation, concerns, risk tolerance, and financial priorities. He then uses this information to develop a comprehensive investment plan and investment recommendations.
Eric is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, a CERTIFIED PRIVATE WEALTH ADVISOR®, and a Private Investment Management (PIM) portfolio manager. As a (PIM) portfolio manager, he is a member of a select group of advisors who are qualified to manage client portfolios on a discretionary basis. Prior to joining the financial services industry, he attended the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business and earned a BBA in Accounting. He also earned an MBA from the Georgia Institute of Technology's Sheller College of Business.
Joe Pellizzari
Joe Pellizzari is currently a member of the Mergers and Acquisition team at Mercer Advisors, one of the country's largest Registered Investment Advisory firms. He has worked exclusively with RIAs for over two decades and has extensive industry experience helping firms with various practice management topics, including strategic planning, business succession, implementing growth strategies, and deploying technology solutions. Before joining Mercer Advisors, Joe worked within the Advisor Services business enterprise of Charles Schwab. He was responsible for providing leadership, sales management, and coaching to a team of Senior Relationship Managers that covered the top firms in the Southeast territory, which included over $250 billion in assets. His territory exceeded its growth goals by more than 140% during Joe's tenure. He began his career helping RIA firms implement software solutions to drive firm productivity and profitability. Joe earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from North Carolina State University and completed the Personal Financial Planning Accelerated Program through the University of California at Irvine. Joe is also a CFP® certificant.
michael strickland
Michael Strickland is a Commercial Solutions Specialist at Equifax, Inc. He functions as a subject matter expert of commercial products and solutions. Michael has 20 years of sales and executive leadership experience. Prior to Equifax, Michael spent much of his career as a senior sales leader in medical manufacturing and distribution. Michael currently resides in the Greater Atlanta Area. He is a devoted husband and father. Michael is a graduate of Morehouse College.
gloria mills
Gloria Mills works on the Business Development team with Charles Schwab Advisor Services. She works with new Registered Investment Advisors (RIA’s) and helps them to establish their relationship with Schwab Advisor Services. She and her team provide our advisors with resources that help them to grow, compete and succeed. Gloria has been with Schwab for the past 25 plus years and everyday it is an adventure to service her clients.
marlon and nena field
Financial Savvy couple Marlon and Nena Field have been business owners and in the financial space for over 20 years. Nena is the owner of J Lanashe Hair Salon and is a licensed cosmetologist that has been in the beauty industry for 25 years. She has owned 2 salons and has serviced over 500 clients. As a business owner, she aspires daily to not only transform the way the beauty looks, but the way beauty feels. Marlon is an Agency owner of MT Field Consulting dba Metro South Insurance. Marlon is a resourceful problem-solver with over 10 years experience in business management, budget development as well as product promotion and marketing. He leads his team with motivation and high energy!
chad smith
As a Certified 401(k) Professional®, Chad focuses on retirement plan consulting as well as wealth management for business owners, individuals and families. He combines a passion for stewardship with a unique background as an investment analyst and consultant, having served institutional, corporate and individual investors for more than 25 years. From the outset of his career he has been an enthusiastic student of the markets, focused on developing market analysis and tactical investment allocation models for managing clients’ capital and for engaging in proactive institutional consulting. He leverages his knowledge to provide counsel that is clear and customized. “I enjoy helping clients understand the impact of investor psychology, and how we can work together to overcome the negative effects of allowing emotions to disrupt financial success,” he says. He serves on the team’s Investment Committee and is one of the team’s Portfolio Management Directors. Additionally, he oversees the Institutional Consulting practice. Seeking the flexibility and resources to serve his clients’ needs, he helped establish Reveille Wealth Management and affiliated with Raymond James in 2021. Before that, he spent more than nine years as a First Vice President, Portfolio Management Director and Corporate Retirement Director at Morgan Stanley. From 2001 to 2011 he served clients at Smith Capital LLC and Armstrong-Smith Planning Group LLC. He also served as an equity analyst for NeoVest Trading. He earned a B.B.A. in Finance from Georgia State University and participated in independent studies at Georgia Tech, including equity research and equity market forecasting. Helping others is important to Chad. He and his wife have been involved in various mission and charitable projects in Haiti, including helping to develop and support two orphanages. He has served on the board of directors of foster care support agency Bloom Our Youth, and currently serves on the board of nonprofit organization Dream Hunters. He grew up in Peachtree City, Georgia, where he still resides with his wife, Laura. They have been married 25 years and have seven children: Caleb, Micah, Stephen, Hannah, Abby, Zack and Naomi. In his free time, Chad enjoys running, playing golf, water skiing, boating, and traveling with his large family.