2020 Trust and Investment Conference
Speaker Biographies
Greg Braca
Greg Braca is President and CEO of TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®, one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S. TD Bank provides more than 9 million customers with retail, small business and commercial banking products and services throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida.
Greg most recently served as Chief Operating Officer during his transition to his current role as President and CEO. Previously, he served as Head of Corporate and Specialty Banking for the bank. Greg has 30 years of banking experience and has been a member of the Bank’s senior leadership team since 2002, where he originally served as the Regional President for TD Bank’s Metro New York Region.
Prior to joining TD, Greg founded FleetBoston Bank’s Healthcare Group and served as Senior Vice President for the New York Metro Healthcare Group. He actively serves with a variety of community-focused organizations, including the New York Partnership; New York Bankers Association; and the Financial Services Roundtable.
Clare M. Cusack
Clare Cusack is the General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer of the New York Bankers Association (NYBA), the premier trade association for the banking industry in New York. As chief legal officer, Clare oversees NYBA's legal matters, supporting each of NYBA’s divisions and areas including government relations, professional development, profit solutions, major industry events and legal and regulatory strategy. Prior to her appointment, Clare served as Deputy General Counsel and Senior Vice President for Government Relations for NYBA, managing the Association’s government relations at the local, state and national levels and assisting in the development and implementation of NYBA’s legal, regulatory and legislative initiatives.
Prior to joining NYBA, Clare was an associate at the law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, focusing her practice within the securities litigation and regulatory investigation fields. She has also served as a clinical adjunct professor at Fordham University School of Law, and was the recipient of the 2013 Fordham DRS Distinguished Alumni Award. Prior to law school, Clare worked in the New York State Legislature, serving as an aide to the Assembly Speaker and later as Chief of Staff to the Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Education.
Clare is a member of the Board of Directors of the Geneseo Foundation, a nonprofit foundation that supports her alma mater. Prior to this work, she was the Founder and Chair of Geneseo's Alumni Committee in New York City. Clare is a proud graduate of the State University of New York at Geneseo and Fordham University School of Law. She is admitted to practice in New York.
Scott Clemons
Scott Clemons joined Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. in 1990, and has held a variety of investment roles at the firm over the past 30 years. His career began in international equities, where he was an analyst and portfolio manager of European and Asian equities, working out of the firm’s New York and London offices throughout the 1990s. In 2001 he broadened his responsibilities into domestic equity management and research as well, and then from 2005 through 2010 managed the New York office of the firm’s Private Wealth Management business. In 2010 he was appointed Chief Investment Strategist, and is today one of the firm’s primary writers and speakers on topics related to the economy, financial markets and investing. Scott is a frequent contributor to print and broadcast media, and appears regularly in the pages of the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, New York Times and on camera at CNBC, Bloomberg and CNN.
Scott is a Chartered Financial Analyst, and a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts and the CFA Institute. Outside of his professional interests, Scott serves on the boards of the Grolier Club in New York City, as well as the board of the Research Corporation for Science and the Journal of the History of Ideas.
Born and raised in Florida, he is a magna cum laude graduate (Classics) of Princeton University, and lives in Manhattan with his family.
John M. Dowd
John M. Dowd, Chief Executive Officer of Fiduciary Trust Company International, is a member of the Board of Directors and chairs the Management and Operating Committees. He is also a member of Franklin Templeton’s Management and Executive Committees. John has more than 30 years of experience in the wealth management industry and is a frequent speaker on wealth management topics. Before joining Fiduciary Trust in 2016, John served as executive vice president and senior managing director for Wells Fargo Wealth Management, where he oversaw the Northeast region. Prior to the move to Wells Fargo in 2008, he spent almost twenty years at the Bank of New York in a variety of roles, including serving as their chief trust officer and head of wealth management. John earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Guilford College and a Master of Business Administration degree from Columbia University. He is on the advisory board of the UHNW Institute, and on the boards of the Metropolitan Opera Guild, the Montclair Art Museum and Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC.
Kenneth J. Entenmann
Kenneth J. Entenmann is Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer at NBT Wealth Management. Ken has over 33 years of investment experience. Prior to joining NBT Bank, he served as Director of Investment Management at Alliance Bank. In his current role, he oversees more than $6.0 billion in assets under management and administration in Trust, Custody, Retirement, Institutional and Individual accounts.
Entenmann graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor's degree in Applied Economics and Business Management. He also graduated from William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Rochester with an MBA. He has also earned his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Ken is a former Board member of the New York Bankers Association and was the Chair of the Trust and Investment Committee. He has served on the board of the Central New York Community Foundation from 2006-2012. He currently serves on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse's Investment Advisory Committee.
Sam Guerrieri
Sam Guerrieri has served as Executive Vice President, Wealth Management of Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Company (CNB) since April 2017. In this role, he is responsible for all Wealth Brands, including; managing CNB Wealth Management Group, Canandaigua Investment Services and CNB Insurance Agency. Sam also serves as Director and President of Canandaigua National Trust Company of Florida. He was appointed as Manager for WBI OBS Financial, LLC and Director of OBS Holdings, Inc. in 2017; Director and Executive Vice President of CNB Mortgage Company in 2018; and Director and Executive Vice President for CNB Insurance Agency in 2018. Successfully studied, proposed, and implemented the merger of Genesee Valley Trust Company and the Canandaigua National Bank Wealth Strategies Group. This included merging cultures and a staff of 70 at three locations. Oversees the Personal Banking and Private Banking groups. Regularly involved in Corporate Strategic Planning sessions with other Bank Executives. Instrumental in the creation of Synergy Group that includes key business lines across the Bank.
Prior to joining CNB, Sam served as Senior Vice President, M&T Bank Corporation, and Chief Executive Officer and President of M&T Securities, Inc. He was at M&T Bank Corporation from 1996 – 2017, also serving as Senior Manager of the M&T Retail Branch Network, and Chief Executive Officer of M&T Insurance Agency during his tenure. He was involved in 14 acquisitions while at M&T Bank.
Sam attended the University of Rochester and earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Psychology. He is affiliated with the Aquinas Board of Trustees, Chairman of the Musculoskeletal Institute Council for the University of Rochester Medical Center since May 2019, Member of the NYBA Trust Division Executive Committee, past President of the Bank Insurance Securities Association, and currently resides as an Emeritus Director. He holds the following licenses: FINRA Series 7, 24, 53, 63, New York State Life and Health Insurance.
Sam and his wife live in Rochester, NY, and they have three daughters.
Gerard F. Joyce, Jr.
Gerard F. Joyce, Managing Director, Deputy General Trust Counsel and National Head of Trusts & Estates, Fiduciary Trust Company International, is responsible for trust and estates strategy and administration. Gerry has over 30 years of experience in the area of trusts and estates and has held senior positions at leading wealth management companies, working closely with domestic and international clients to develop customized trust and estates strategies. He is a member of Fiduciary Trust’s Management and Operating Committees. Prior to joining Fiduciary Trust, he served for over 16 years at HSBC Private Bank, most recently as managing director, head of US personal trust and Chairman of the Board of Directors of HSBC Trust Company (Delaware), N.A. Prior to that, he served as executive vice president at Brown Brothers Harriman Trust Company. He is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and is a member of the Taxation Committee of the Trusts and Estates Law Section of the New York Bar Association. He also has been active with STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) and has decades of experience with international estate planning, especially cross-border families passing a legacy to US family members. He is also a member of the American Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, and a past member of Boston Estate Planning Council. He serves on the board of the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation. He has lectured on family and closely-held business planning, international estate planning and trust administration, fiduciary investments and administration, effective charitable giving, and complex transfer tax planning issues for the Practicing Law Institute, the New York City Bar Association and the American Bankers Association. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in finance from Lehigh University and his Juris Doctor degree from Fordham University of Law where he was on Law Review. He is admitted to the Bars in New York and Massachusetts.
Paul S. Lee
Paul S. Lee is the Chief Tax Strategist of The Northern Trust Company, within the Global Family & Private Investment Offices Group and Wealth Management division of Northern Trust. He is also a Senior Vice President and Managing Director of the company. Prior to joining Northern Trust, he was at Bernstein Global Wealth Management as National Managing Director, and a partner in the Atlanta-based law firm of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.
Paul is a Fellow of the American College of Trusts and Estate Counsel, has been inducted into the NAEPC Estate Planning Hall of Fame®, and designated an Accredited Estate Planner® (Distinguished). He was the American Bar Association Advisor to the Uniform Law Commission Uniform Fiduciary Income and Principal Act. Paul is a member of the American Bar Association, Florida Bar, and State Bar of Georgia. Paul received a B.A., cum laude, in English and a B.A. in chemistry from Cornell University, and a J.D., with honors, from Emory University School of Law, where he was notes and comments editor of the Emory Law Journal; he also received an LL.M. in taxation from Emory University. Paul was the recipient of the Georgia Federal Tax Conference Award for Outstanding Tax Student and the Ernst & Young Award for Tax and Accounting.
A frequent lecturer and panelist on investment planning, tax and estate planning, Paul has spoken at the Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, ACTEC National Meeting, Southern Federal Tax Institute, USC Institute on Federal Taxation, Southern California Tax & Estate Planning Forum, Notre Dame Tax and Estate Planning Institute, AICPA National Tax Conference, and the AICPA Advanced Estate Planning Conference. His articles have been published by The ACTEC Law Journal, Tax Notes Federal, Tax Notes International, BNA Tax Management Estates, Gifts & Trusts Journal, BNA Tax Management Memorandum, Estate Planning Journal, Trusts & Estates, Estate Planning & Community Property Law Journal, The Practical Tax Lawyer, Major Tax Planning, and the Emory Law Journal. Paul co-authored the law review article, “Retaining, Sustaining and Obtaining Basis,” which was awarded Outstanding Law Review Article in 2016 by the Texas Bar Foundation.
He is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, Bloomberg BNA Estates, Gifts and Trusts Advisory Board, and the University of Florida Tax Institute Advisory Board. He proudly serves as an Admiral in the Great Navy of the State of Nebraska.
Kerri L.S. Mast
Kerri Mast joined Brown Brothers Harriman in 2010. She is the national leader of the BBH’s philanthropic advisory services practice and is responsible for wealth planning services in the southeast. Prior to joining BBH, she worked at Foundation For The Carolinas, where she advised donors and their professional advisors on issues relating to charitable giving and nonprofit governance. Before her work at Foundation For The Carolinas, Ms. Mast practiced law at Moore & Van Allen PLLC, where she advised families of substantial wealth on estate and tax planning matters. She serves on several boards and committees, including Discovery Place Board of Trustees, the Nature Conservancy (North Carolina Chapter) Board of Trustees, the Queens University Planned Giving Advisory Council (chair), Atrium Health Foundation Planned Giving Advisory Council, the Hawthorne Lane UMC Endowment Committee (chair) and is a member of Women’s Impact Fund. Ms. Mast received a B.A. in psychology from Wake Forest University and a J.D. from Emory University School of Law. Kerri is admitted to the North Carolina Bar.
Megan Rowan McGovern
Megan Rowan McGovern is the Deputy General Counsel and Vice President, Government Relations for the New York Bankers Association (NYBA), the premier trade association for the banking industry in New York. Megan assists NYBA’s General Counsel in various association matters including professional development and industry events as well as legal and regulatory strategy. As Vice President, Government Relations for NYBA, Megan coordinates government relations for the association on the local, state and federal levels. Megan’s role as Vice President, Government Relations includes assisting in the development and implementation of NYBA’s legal, regulatory and legislative initiatives.
Prior to joining NYBA, Megan was an associate attorney at Darger Errante Yavitz & Blau, a law firm in New York City, focusing her practice on product liability and toxic tort litigation. While attending law school, Megan worked in the New York State Assembly Minority Counsel’s Office and interned in the NYS Attorney General’s Consumer Affairs & Protection Bureau.
Megan is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany and Albany Law School. She is admitted to practice in New York.
Michelle Pedzich
Michelle Pedzich is Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer for Canandaigua National Bank and Trust. Michelle is responsible for managing all aspects of Human Resources, including developing strategic initiatives, overseeing internal communications, and communicating and executing human resources throughout all levels of the organization. She also chairs the organization’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Michelle was previously the Director of Compliance and Training for HR Works. She has an extensive business background with over twenty years of experience focusing on delivering optimal business, compliance, and human resource “best practice” solutions that take into consideration legal requirements and budgetary constraints. Michelle has participated in several public speaking engagements and conferences and has written several articles covering a wide range of human resources topics.
Michelle holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from SUNY Geneseo and a Master’s degree in Human Resources Development from the Rochester Institute of Technology. She serves on the Canandaigua Board of Education and is the Vice Chair for the Canandaigua Chamber of Commerce. Michelle is also on the FLX Women’s Conference Planning Committee, is the chair of the Leadership Ontario Steering Committee, and a co-Chair of the NYBA Human Resources Committee. She is also a Leadership Rochester alumnus, a 2020 recipient of the Rochester Business Journal’s Women of Excellence Award, a 2008 recipient of the Rochester 40 under 40 award, and was nominated for the Canandaigua Athena Award in 2016. Michelle lives in Canandaigua, NY with her husband Keith and daughter Sophie, who currently attends Colgate University.
Tara Anne Pleat, Esq.,
Tara Anne Pleat, Esq., CELA, co-owns the law firm Wilcenski & Pleat PLLC. She practices in the areas of special needs estate planning and administration, traditional estate planning and administration, long-term care planning, and elder law. Tara graduated cum laude from Albany Law School with honors in the Estate Planning concentration and earned her undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Albany. Tara is admitted to practice in New York, Massachusetts, and Florida as well as in the United States Tax Court.
Tara is the immediate past Chair of the Elder Law and Special Needs Section of the New York State Bar Association. She is also an active member of the Trusts and Estates Law Section. She is honored to be a member of the Special Needs Alliance, an invitation-only, national network of leading attorneys dedicated to the practice of disability and public benefits law, where she serves on the Board of Directors and co-chairs the Organization’s Publications Committee. She is also a Member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.
In March of 2016, Tara was elected as a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). ACTEC Fellows are selected based on experience, professional reputation and ability in the fields of trusts and estates and on the basis of having made substantial contributions to these fields through lecturing, writing, teaching and bar activities.
Tara is a Past President of the Board of Directors of the Estate Planning Council of Eastern New York. In addition, Tara is a graduate of the 2006 class of Leadership Saratoga, sponsored by the Saratoga Springs Chamber of Commerce, and a former member of the Leadership Saratoga Advisory Board. Tara is a Member of the Board of Directors of AIM Services, Inc., a disability service organization based in Saratoga Springs, New York. She is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Wesley Community, a continuing care community for seniors in Saratoga Springs, New York and serves on the Board of the Wesley Foundation. Tara also chairs the Planned Giving Committee of the Wildwood Foundation, an organization that supports Wildwood Programs, a school for individuals with disabilities in Albany, New York. Tara is also a Member of the ARC New York’s Statewide Guardianship Committee as well as they Advisory Board of Supported Decision-Making New York (SDMNY).
In the fall of 2012, Tara was appointed as an adjunct professor of law at Albany Law School, where she teaches a course in the spring semester on estate and financial planning for the elderly and individuals with special needs.
Rod J. Sayegh
Rod J. Sayegh, Managing Director, Head of Digital Strategy, is responsible for the strategic direction and implementation of Fiduciary Trust International’s virtual channels working horizontally across the business to achieve operational efficiencies, transparency, and cohesive experiences for both clients and advisors. He serves on Fiduciary Trust’s Management and Operating committees. Prior to joining Fiduciary Trust in 2019, Rod was senior vice president of Wealth Desktop, Digital, and Innovation at Wells Fargo The Private Bank where he set the strategic direction for the ultra-high net worth/high net worth and fiduciary business. In 2013, he developed the Wealth Management industries first tablet application for advisors to digitally collaborate with clients and enhance the discovery and planning experience. Rod has a patent pending for “full balance sheet advisor” with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Rod, and his partner Chris, founded Fire Island Artist Residency, the country’s first and only LGBTQ artist in residency not for profit focusing on emerging LGBTQ artists. Rod earned a Bachelor of Science degree in management from University of Phoenix.
Michael P. Smith
As President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York Bankers Association (NYBA), Michael P. Smith has led New York State’s banking industry since 1989. The Association, founded in 1894, represents community, regional and money center commercial banks and thrift institutions with approximately 200,000 employees statewide and more than $14 trillion in assets.
During Mr. Smith’s tenure, NYBA has charted a progressive course to modernize and streamline the state and federal banking laws in the areas of pricing, geographic and product flexibility, and community involvement. In this regard, he has been directly involved in successful efforts on rate and fee deregulation, tax reform, interstate banking and branching. In 1998, he chaired a special national Task Force to help reconcile differences between the insurance industry and banking, helping lead the way to final passage of the Gramm‑Leach‑Bliley Financial Modernization Act of 1999.
In addition to his NYBA responsibilities, Mr. Smith serves on the Board of Directors of the New York Business Development Corporation. Mr. Smith has chaired the American Bankers Association’s (ABA) State Association Division, representing 50 state organizations, and served on ABA’s Board of Directors and Government Relations Council. Mr. Smith is a member of the Bretton Woods Committee, the Foreign Policy Association, and The Economic Club of New York.
Prior to joining the New York Bankers Association in 1975, Mr. Smith served on the staff of United States Congressman Stewart B. McKinney of Connecticut for four years. He earned a B.A. from Cornell University in 1971 and completed The Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Program in 1986.
Active in charitable and civic causes, Mr. Smith is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York. Mr. Smith has also been awarded the Medal of Honor by The Ellis Island Society, and is a Knight of the Papal Order of Saint Gregory.
Gary J. Sorrentino
Gary Sorrentino currently serves as Global Deputy CIO for Zoom Video Communications. A former Managing Director for J.P. Morgan Asset & Wealth Management, Gary was the Global Head of Client Cyber Awareness and Education. For over 12 years, Gary was the Chief Technology Officer for J.P. Morgan AWM’s global technology infrastructure initiatives, where he managed its Data Privacy program and was responsible for Infrastructure, Application and End User Technology Production Support. In 2014, he assumed a new role as the lead for their Cybersecurity efforts and developed a firm wide “Protect the Client” Cyber program designed to raise cybersecurity awareness among employees and clients. With almost 40 years of experience in Information Technology, Gary has served in various other IT leadership positions in firms across the financial services industry. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan in 2005, Gary was Head of Global Infrastructure and Head of Technology Efficiencies at Citi Private Bank, where he was responsible for Global Infrastructure Support and strategic technology initiatives. Other roles he has held include Global Technology CFO at Credit Suisse and North America IT Controller at UBS