Sheena Gray is the Head of Diverse Advisor Experiences for the J.P. Morgan Wealth Management focused on increasing diverse representation across the business and closing the wealth gap in our Black and LatinX communities. In this role, Sheena’s team specializes in, leveraging the scale, scope and resources of JPMorgan Chase to advise, support, and provide solutions for recruiting and retention for JPMWM employees.

Sheena has been with JPMorgan Chase for 15 years, serving in a range of Consumer & Community Bank roles; Licensed Banker, Branch Manager, and a Senior Control Officer. In her most recent role, she held a position within the Commercial Bank as an AML/KYC Manager and served as a Financial Advisor prior to joining the firm.

Sheena is a graduate of DePaul University earning her Master’s in Business Administration in Management and Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology of Law. Sheena is currently continuing her education and recently completed the Fostering Inclusion and Diversity leadership program with the Yale School of Management.

In her spare time she also serves as a board member for the following organization:

Association of African American Financial Advisors, and South Shore Hospital (Chicago)

Sheena is a married and a loving mother to her six children. She is an avid golfer & skier.

An award-winning, international speaker on social and digital marketing strategies for financial services organizations, Sheryl Hickerson founded Females and Finance, a private online membership organization supporting women in financial services and financial technology. Their industry rally cry called The Fearless Pledge, was introduced in 2022 to support the hiring, mentoring, training, and advancement of 100,000 women in the profession by 2025.

Membership today is more than 4,100 professionals with no signs of letting up. After 30 years in financial services, Sheryl has dedicated her professional life to promoting better networking and diversity initiatives within the Financial Services community.

Kristi Martin Rodriguez currently serves as Senior Vice President of the Nationwide Retirement Institute for Nationwide Financial, leading the teams responsible for advocating for and educating members, partners and industry leaders on issues impacting their ability to have a secure financial future.

In her current role, Kristi oversees an extensive network of knowledgeable professionals who provide hands-on consultation to develop client strategies and address the major concerns America’s workers face when planning for retirement. Through timely insights, education and client-ready tools, both financial professionals and individuals are able to work directly with Nationwide to increase their awareness and knowledge of complex financial topics such as retirement income planning, health care, long-term care and Social Security.

Kristi has over 20 years of extensive experience in business-to-business and direct-consumer strategies and building high-performing teams. She joined Nationwide in 2015 as the Vice President of Marketing for Nationwide’s retirement plans business. Before joining Nationwide, Kristi held marketing and business leader roles at Aetna and UnitedHealth Group. Her experience includes functioning as the enterprise program lead of health care reform for UnitedHealthcare. Additionally, Kristi led a business development team working with the public sector, labor and trust and national accounts as liaison to their sales organization. She has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Hampton University as well as a Series 6 and 26 securities registrations.

She is an active member of the community, working with several non-profit and social organizations that aid unserved communities throughout the country. Kristi is the Founder and President of the Financial Alliance for Racial Equity (FARE) – a 501(c)6 organization dedicated to increasing racial diversity, driving greater equity and fostering inclusion within the financial services industry and the communities served. She is one of the founding members of the Ohio chapter of The National Association of Securities Professionals (NASP), an organization helping people of color and women achieve inclusion in our industry. Kristi recently served as a board member for Kindway, a non-profit organization dedicated to the successful re-entry of incarcerated men and women into the community. Additionally, she is a member of the Board of Trustees for The American College of Financial Services.

Reverend Dr. Nicole B. Simpson, CFP® is a practitioner with over 30 years of experience in the securities industry which she entered in 1991 and holds Series 7, 63, and 65 Securities licenses. On September 11, 2001, her life was drastically altered as a financial planner working at 2 World Trade Center on the 73rd floor. Simpson was still in the building on the 44th floor when Tower 2 was hit during the World Trade Center attacks. Today, Simpson compassionately assists families on how to begin to walk along the road to recovery when faced with a catastrophic, unexpected disaster. She is actively involved in spiritual, emotional and economic empowerment. A compelling empowerment speaker, television/ radio personality and author, Ms. Simpson travels throughout the United States teaching in a practical and easy to understand manner. Her simple approach motivates everyone who hears her message to take action to change their future. Her commitment is to engage people with the thought, “If money were not an issue, what would be your life’s purpose?”

After 30 years of industry experience that recognizes an economic cultural reckoning is occurring, Simpson is equipped, realizing she is an anomaly and has much to contribute to the inevitable change America is demanding. This reality demands her to be available as a “teacher, trainer, mentor, guidance counselor”

 Sonya Lutter, Ph.D., CFP®, LMFT serves as the inaugural Director of Financial Health and Wellness with Texas Tech University’s School of Financial Planning. She leads curriculum and continuing education opportunities in the areas of financial psychology, financial therapy, and financial behavior. She earned her PhD in Financial Planning from Texas Tech in 2010. She holds degrees from Kansas State University in marriage and family therapy and financial planning. Dr. Lutter is a principal at No Coast Financial Group in Manhattan, Kansas. Her work is regularly featured in major news outlets as she draws upon decades of experience in academia to apply theory to practice. Her developmental work in financial therapy is summarized in Financial Therapy: Theory, Research, and Practice with co-editors Drs. Brad Klontz and Kristy Archuleta. She is also the creator and author of A Couples Guide to Love & Money: 15 Exercises to Strengthen Your Relationship. Dr. Lutter’s work at the financial counseling centers at Texas Tech University and Kansas State University have guided her effectiveness of financial counseling research agenda, which culminates with a co-edited book with Dr. Dorothy Durband titled, Student Financial Literacy: Campus-Based Program Development. 

Dikshita Awotarowa is the Founder and President of Women in Finance and Investment Network (WIFIN), a non-profit organization dedicated to giving women the opportunity to receive the highest level of professional education, build credibility, and tap into a global network to pursue a rewarding career in the Finance and Investment industry. Dikshita has a Masters degree in Finance from the University of Notre Dame, United States.

Aside from her passion for shaping a better place for women in the Finance and Investment industry, Dikshita is an ardent lover of dance, music, and arts. She is a trained Kathak dancer and holds a diploma in Performing Arts (Kathak) from the Mahatma Gandhi Institute in Mauritius. She has also been involved in theatrical performances. Driven by a love for languages, Dikshita is fluent in English, French, Hindi, Bhojpuri, Mauritian Creole.

Toni Gonzales, a Divisional Vice President for Ameritas, resides in Scottsdale, AZ with her husband, John.  Toni has 25+ years of industry experience that includes various corporate roles, followed by building a MDRT level personal practice as an advisor, and most recently has spent the last 12+ years working with leading agencies and agents across the country in field and sales leadership roles.  Toni has a love for service leadership and has served on a variety of state and national Boards and Committees for NAIFA, FSP, and WIFS and is the 22-23 National President for Women in Insurance and Financial Services.