Savvy Senior: Empower Your Financial Wellness Journey-Cumming

Moderator, Award Winning Journalist

Donna Lowry is an award-winning journalist who combines a passion for storytelling and a desire to empower others with communication and critical thinking skills surrounding political, educational, and financial issues.

Through her firm, Donna Lowry Communications, she provides consulting, writing, and producing services for educational, media, professional, and business outlets.

Donna serves as host/producer for several programs, including Lawmakers on Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Donna is an eight-time Emmy award winner, a three-time national Gabriel Award recipient, and has garnered honors from countless organizations, including the National Association of Black Journalists, Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, Georgia Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists, Georgia Association of Educators (GAE), and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE).

Her media peers inducted Donna into the prestigious NATAS Southeast Silver Circle to recognize her lasting contributions to the broadcast industry.

Donna has a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University and a Bachelor's in Mass Communications and Administration and Management from Chatham University.

Her professional affiliations include the Atlanta Press Club, the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Southeastern Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS SE).

In her 15th year as a Girl Scout Leader, Donna has led girls ranging in age from kindergarten through 12th grade. Her community service affiliations also include Magnolia (GA) Chapter of Links, Inc., and Nu Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. 

Donna and her husband, Army Major (Ret) Bennet W. Reid, Jr., are the parents of three daughters.

Georgia Team Lead, Community Outreach Specialist, Senior Medicare Patrol, AdviseWell Inc.

Nathan Coflin is a graduate of Old Dominion University and has been a fierce advocate for older adults and other vulnerable populations for over ten years. Currently, Nathan serves as Lead Outreach Specialist for the federally funded Senior Medicare Patrol program in the state of Georgia, where he and his team seek to empower Medicare beneficiaries fight the over $60 billion in Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse that occurs nationwide each year.

Co-Founder and Senior Wealth Advisor at Collective Wealth Partners

Kamila Elliott, MBA, CFP®, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ who resides in Atlanta, GA. She is a co-Founder and Senior Wealth Advisor at Collective Wealth Partners. She has over two decades of financial planning and investment experience assisting individuals, endowments & foundations and business owners with comprehensive wealth solutions and holistic planning. She also is a sought-after financial expert and speaker on topics such as the racial wealth gap, diversity & inclusion in financial services, and working with first generation wealth investors. She also serves on the CNBC Financial Advisor Council, listed as Barron’s Top 10 People to Watch in Wealth Management in 2023, and Financial Planning Magazine’s People to Watch in 2022. You can also find her on CBS Morning News and CNBC sharing helpful tips for savers and investors. 

Kamila spent most of her professional career at Vanguard working with ultra-high net worth individuals and endowments & foundations, inclusive of major universities, hospitals, and other charitable organizations throughout the southeast U.S. Her client relationships ranged from $20M to $450M and represented $3B in total assets prior to leaving the role.

Kamila was the 2022 Chair of the CFP Board, the first African American in their 40+ year history and one of the youngest ever to serve in the role. The CFP Board of Directors is the policymaking and oversight body of Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. for over 100,000 financial professionals in the U.S. She also works on behalf of retirement savers and is often on Capitol Hill advocating for legislation to reduce fees and improve American’s access to competent and ethical financial planning. She serves on the Investment Committee for Women Against Abuse Inc. located in Philadelphia, PA and has been an active volunteer with the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

Kamila obtained her B.A. and MBA from The Pennsylvania State University. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and holds licenses for Life, Health and Long-Term Care Insurance.

Senior Special Agent CFE, CACTS, Criminal Investigations Division, Office of Commissioner John F. King

Special Agent Horace has worked in law enforcement for over 27 years. He worked 7 ½ years as a police officer for the Georgia State University Police Department. He left there and pursued a career as an Investigator for the Fulton County Solicitor General’s Office retiring after 16 ½ years of service. He is currently employed with the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire as a senior special agent. After obtaining an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from Georgia State University he pursued a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University’s Command College. He is a recent graduate of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police Executive Management Program. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner, an At-Risk Adult Crime Tactics Specialist and Drone Pilot. 

During his tenure he has been awarded the Larry E. Quinn Award for honorable police service and academic achievement. He is also the 2022 recipient of the Special Agent of the Year Award.

Principal of Wealth Engagement, LLC

Tiffany Kent is the founder of Wealth Engagement LLC, an independent investment management and financial planning firm. With over 25 years of experience as a Wall Street equity research analyst and portfolio manager at esteemed institutions such as Goldman Sachs and Alliance Bernstein, Tiffany has established herself as a trusted figure in the industry. She is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP) with a deep commitment to empowering individuals, particularly women and those navigating significant life transitions.

Tiffany's primary focus is on promoting financial literacy and encouraging active engagement in wealth management. Her expertise lies in providing individuals with the knowledge and tools they need to take control of their financial futures. Through her work, she aims to equip her clients with the necessary skills to make informed decisions and build a solid foundation for their financial well-being.

Tiffany holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

District Director, Northwest Georgia, Georgia Department of Banking and Finance (Department)

Rich began his career with the Department Banking and Finance in 1999 and currently serves as the District Director for Northwest Georgia.  In his current role, he manages a staff that examines and oversees all state charted banks and credit unions in Northwest Georgia.  Rich graduated from Berry College, Rome, Geogia in 1999.   When not working, he has two high school children that are very active in baseball and tennis.   Additionally, he enjoys all outdoor activities.   

Founder of Lifewater Wealth Management

Fredrick Standfield is the founder of Lifewater Wealth Management. Lifewater Wealth Management provides financial guidance and wealth solutions that helps you live well. We add value to our clients’ lives by listening and understanding your unique goals; helping you maintain a strong financial foundation, and delivering solutions that bring security and peace of mind. 

I work with clients to develop life enhancing, holistic financial plans; tax & retirement income plans; estate plans for tax-efficient wealth transfer and investment management. His experience includes over 25 years in corporate financial planning, budgeting, analysis and management, and 3 years with the public accounting firm Deloitte and 10+ years in financial planning and investment management.

Fredrick is a fee-only financial planner. As a fee-only, fiduciary, and independent financial advisor, he is never paid a commission of any kind.

Causes

• Atlanta Habitat for Humanity - Current, Executive Board Member
• Victory Church - Current, Board Member
• The Empty Stocking Fund - Prior, Executive Board Member

Interests

• All things Family
• College Football – Superfan
• All things Personal Finance
• Travel

Assistant Commissioner of Securities/Director Securities & Charities Division Georgia Secretary of State

Noula Zaharis is the Assistant Commissioner of Securities and the Director of the Georgia Secretary of State’s Securities & Charities Division. Her experience includes serving as a regulatory compliance analyst at Ekonomou, Atkisson & Lambros Law Firm, which served as the Investigative Agent for the Georgia Securities Division. She also served as Director of Compliance at Investment Law Group managing the registrations and compliance support for state and federal registered investment advisers and private investment funds. She also held the position of Vice-President of Compliance at a publicly traded oil and gas company located in Texas. Ms. Zaharis is a former English and Latin teacher with Atlanta Public Schools and was an associate professor of English at Georgia State University. She serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association on State Charities Officials (NASCO) on various committees with the North America Securities Administrators Association. She received her undergraduate degree (BA) in English Language and Literature/Letters from Furman University and Master of Arts, English/Language Arts Teacher Education from Emory University. She holds the Investment Adviser Certified Compliance Professional (IACCP) designation.