Blaine Aikin, CFP® Elected 2016 Chair-Elect, Four New Members Elected to CFP Board's Board of Directors

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors for Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. has elected Blaine Aikin, CFP® as 2016 Chair-elect along with electing four new members.

"Blaine Aikin is a demonstrated leader who will utilize his in-depth knowledge and expertise to advance the mission of CFP Board, leading efforts to increase awareness of CFP® certification – among the public, advisors and firms alike," said Board Chair Richard P. Rojeck, CFP®. "I have no doubt that Blaine will be successful in finding new ways to continue making the CFP® certification the must-have designation for those seeking and providing financial advice."

Aikin is currently the Chief Executive Officer of fi360, a company founded in 1999 that provides a suite of services to financial services companies, including professional development, tools and insights. The company also provides the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® and Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst® designation programs.

Prior to joining fi360, Aikin was the Director of Product Development and Management at PNC Bank, CIO of Allegiance Financial Advisors and served in federal and local government. Aikin holds a Master's degree in Public Policy and Management from The Heinz School at Carnegie-Mellon University and a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Political Science from Allegheny College. Upon completion of his graduate studies, Aikin was selected to the Presidential Management Intern Program and served in the U.S. Treasury and in the office of U.S. Senator John Heinz. 

"It's an honor to have been selected by my peers for this prestigious position," said Aikin. "CFP Board is uniquely positioned to serve the public and the financial planning profession by upholding and raising awareness of the highest professional standard for financial planners – the CFP® certification."

Four New Board Members

In addition to the selection of Aikin as Chair-elect, the Board of Directors elected four new members: Phillip Cunningham, Michael Davis, Susan John, CFP® and Arlene Pietranton, Ph.D., CAE.

"These four new Board members are professionals dedicated to the mission of CFP Board. They bring new perspectives, ideas and energy that will be beneficial to the Board," said Rojeck. "We are fortunate to have them join our Board."

The four new Board members are:

Phillip Cunningham is Chief Executive Officer of Advicent Solutions, a provider of SaaS technology solutions for the financial services industry, servicing the world's largest financial institutions, with products including NaviPlan®, Figlo®, Profiles® and Advisor Briefcase®. Previously, Cunningham held a variety of senior leadership positions including managing director of Vista Consulting Group, the operating arm of Vista Equity Partners and senior vice president of Sum Total Systems. He served as Chair of the Board of Directors for Sales Empowerment Group and is active in volunteer and community work within the Milwaukee area where Advicent Solutions is headquartered. Cunningham holds a Bachelor's degree in Management and Marketing from Rockhurst University and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame.

Michael Davis is the director of Institutional Client Relationships at Calvert Investments. Davis previously served for four years in the Obama Administration as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefit Security Administration. He spent 17 years with JPMorgan where he held several senior positions in asset management and investment banking and also served as head of stable value at Prudential Investments. Davis is an investment committee member for the Christus Health System and a trustee of the Potomac School. He holds a Bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master's degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Susan John, CFP® is the founder and president of Financial Focus, Inc., a financial planning firm. John has been a CFP® professional since 1989 and served two terms on the national Board of Directors for the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, serving as Chair from 2010 to 2012 where she was active with the Financial Planning Coalition. She is also a member of the Financial Planning Association. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Central New Hampshire VNA and Hospice, and is a Corporator for New Hampshire Mutual Bancorp. John received her Bachelor's degree from Plymouth State University.

Arlene Pietranton, Ph.D., CAE is the CEO of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, serving as a public member of the Board of Directors, as required by CFP Board's Bylaws. A 2015 recipient of CEO Update's prestigious Professional Society CEO of the Year award, Pietranton previously served as ASHA's Chief Staff Officer for Speech-Language Pathology. Previous professional positions included working in a variety of positions at The George Washington University Medical Center as well as a practicing speech-language pathologist in New Jersey and Washington, D.C. Pietranton received her Bachelor's in biology, Master's in speech-language pathology and Ph. D. in psychology from the George Washington University. She also holds the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).

With the four new board members elected in November, the Board will increase from 13 to 14 voting members.  Their four-year terms start January 1, 2016.  CEO Kevin R. Keller, CAE, will continue as a non-voting member, bringing the total number of Board members to 15. 

ABOUT CFP BOARD

The mission of Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. is to benefit the public by granting the CFP^® certification and upholding it as the recognized standard of excellence for competent and ethical personal financial planning. The Board of Directors, in furthering CFP Board's mission, acts on behalf of the public, CFP^® professionals and other stakeholders. CFP Board owns the certification marks CFP^®, Certified Financial Planner™, CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.  CFP Board currently authorizes nearly 73,000 individuals to use these marks in the U.S.

SOURCE Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.cfp.net