Senior Savvy: Empower Your Financial Wellness Journey

Moderator
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. 

Assistant United States Attorney, Elder Justice Coordinator, NDGA 

Angela has served as a federal prosecutor for the past eight years – two years as a Trial Attorney in the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and currently as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Georgia. She works closely with federal investigative agencies, such as the FBI and Secret Service and has successfully prosecuted significant and complex fraud cases that have led to convictions of individuals who engaged in multi-million-dollar fraud schemes. These cases included crimes such as Medicare fraud, money laundering, wire and bank fraud, as well as specific schemes related to elder abuse, such as romance scams, imposter scams, and investment fraud. 

Angela serves as the Elder Justice Coordinator for the Northern District of Georgia.  In this role she helps train law enforcement on how to best investigate schemes that particularly target elderly citizens. She also helps educate the community on how to best detect, avoid, and report elder abuse scams. 

Co-founder and Senior Wealth Advisor at Collective Wealth Partners

Shardéa Ages, a Co-founder and Senior Wealth Advisor at Collective Wealth Partners, boasts an impressive 15-year tenure in the financial services industry, with extensive expertise in banking, investment management, tax and estate planning and insurance. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner with FINRA registrations and insurance licenses, Shardéa adeptly caters to her clients’ ever changing financial needs.

With a Business Administration degree from Florida A&M University, Shardéa's career spans JPMorgan Chase, PNC Bank, and Merrill Lynch. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Shardéa is also a highly sought-after speaker and panelist, revered for her insights into financial literacy, transforming financial behaviors and mindsets, and advocating diversity within her industry. Her expertise has led her to collaborate with esteemed entities like the Georgia Secretary of State's and the North American Securities Administrators Association's Investor Educator committee, where she contributed to various projects.

Beyond her career, Shardéa leads pro-bono financial literacy workshops, founded Bridging Financial Gaps for financial literacy, and chaired NAMI Dekalb's finance committee. Based in Atlanta with her husband, she remains dedicated to strengthening client relationships and serving diverse communities.

Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Aging Services, Forensic Special Initiatives Unit (FSIU), Crimes Against Disabled Adults and Elderly (CADE) Task Force

Mr. Fellows has more than twenty-two years of experience in law enforcement, including uniform patrol, crime scene investigations, underwater search and recovery, honor guard, supervision, and criminal investigations, specializing in fraud-related crimes. In 2019, he left law enforcement to expand his expertise in bank fraud investigations with Wells Fargo Bank. In 2022, he joined the FSIU as a Financial Forensic Specialist. Mr. Fellows holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a master’s degree in maritime studies from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner, POST-certified instructor, POST-certified law enforcement officer, POST-certified crime scene technician, and Certified At-Risk Adult Crime Tactics Specialist. Mr. Fellows is also a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators, and the International Association of Human Trafficking Investigators.

Mr. Fellows believes that the most effective way to reduce fraud targeting Georgia residents is through continuous research, professional development, and educating law enforcement, advocates, and the public on ways to minimize exposure to fraudulent schemes. He delivers presentations during FSIU-sponsored training, financial institution conferences, seminars, and fraud awareness talks with vulnerable adults throughout Georgia.

Retired Private Wealth Advisor, CKM Wealth 

Robert (Bob) MacDonald is a retired Private Wealth Advisor. His practice focused on financial planning, tax mitigation and building generational wealth for higher net worth individuals and small business owners. He was also a certified divorce financial analyst.

Bob has a passion for service, especially in the area of financial literacy. He volunteers at local high schools to teach financial literacy courses, and also volunteers with HR departments of local businesses to provide help educate employees.

Bob started his career as a salesperson for a Fortune 500 company eventually rising to a Vice President role before leaving to become CEO of a privately held global enterprise. He is experienced in both M&A activity and Private Equity.

Bob is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal. He has served on various corporate and nonprofit boards and is a Rotarian of over 28 years. He and his wife Terri, two children and three grandchildren all live in the metro Atlanta area.

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. 

Fredrick works 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 – Prior, Executive Board Member
Victory Church - Prior, 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 and the Director of the Georgia Secretary of State’s Securities & Charities Division. 

Noula’s 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 of Davis, Gillett, Mottern & Sims, LLP, 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 is on the Board of Trustees for the Investor Protection Trust (IPT), a nonprofit organization devoted to investor education, and serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors of the National Association on State Charities Officials (NASCO).  She serves as the Co-Chairman of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of 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.