2024 Speakers

John Bacigalupi is a Senior Vice President at Cantor Fitzgerald Capital, a global financial services firm and open architecture wholesale distribution company. CFC aims to leverage the strength of Cantor Fitzgerald to provide institutional solutions to the retail investor. John brings over 12 years of experience in the financial services and the alternative investment industry. John works directly with registered representatives and investment advisors in the Northern California and Nevada markets.

Somita Basu has a knack for unraveling legal, financial, and mathematical mysteries while paying meticulous attention to detail. She gives back to the community through her role as the Board Chair of the non-profit, Justice At Last. Somita served as the Vice Chair and Chair for the Solo and Small Firm Section of the California Lawyers Association, was the past editor of The Practitioner (the Section’s premier publication), and was on the influential Project 2021 Committee for the CLA to determine the future of the association. She was also the Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Outreach Committee of the California Lawyers Association. Somita is a member of the American Bar Association and the Silicon Valley Bar Association. She is a fluent English and Bengali speaker and knows conversational Hindi.

Chet Bennetts, an Assistant Professor of Financial Planning, serves as the Program Director for the CFP®/ChFC® programs at The American College of Financial Services. His journey of service began with an honorable 8.5-year tenure in the Marine Corps, both active and reserve, culminating in a medical discharge after a tour in Iraq in 2005. Currently, he is in the final stages of earning his Ph.D. in Personal Financial Planning at Kansas State University while also imparting his knowledge on financial planning to undergraduate students as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. His research, primarily centered on behavioral finance, explores the intersection of financial, physical, and psychological well-being. Bennetts’ scholarly contributions span a diverse range of topics, including the application of AI in financial planning, the influence of behavior on investment allocations during volatile markets, and the positive impact of bequest intentions on retirement satisfaction.

Elana is one of a handful of Certified Financial Therapist-I^TM’s in the US who solely focuses on financial therapy and coaching and has a CFP®. As a financial therapist, Elana helps clients with the emotional side of money as it relates to things like over or under-spending, clarity on financial goals, estate planning, and being comfortable looking at and addressing their financial situation. As a result, her clients are able to take action towards achieving their financial goals.  In addition to working with couples and individuals, Elana enjoys public speaking, teaching, and presenting to professional organizations as a thought leader in the field of financial therapy.

Jay Jacobs is U.S. Head of Thematic and Active Equity ETFs at BlackRock. In this role, Jay is responsible for the research and development of the thematic ETF suite, driving commercialization of these products, as well as managing product sales and marketing for the thematic franchise. Jay is also responsible for BlackRock’s active equity and international ETF suites. Previously, Jay joined Global X ETFs in 2013 and founded the firm’s Research and Strategy team, which originates the firm’s insights on markets and ETFs. He also guided the planning and development of the firm’s strategic direction. Prior to joining Global X, Jay was a business analyst at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in the ETF and Indexing Group, where he helped to launch hundreds of ETFs on the NYSE Arca trading platform. Jay is frequently cited expert in print and online publications as well as broadcast media including CNBC, Bloomberg, and The Wall Street Journal among others. He holds a BA from Emory University in International Studies and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He is a CFA charter holder.

Emily Koochel, Ph.D., AFC®, CFT-I™, BFA™ leads eMoney Advisor’s Financial Wellness team, where she focuses on innovative wellness research and education, in her role as Manager of Financial Wellness. Dr. Koochel also serves as Adjunct Faculty at New York University in the Financial Planning M.S. Program offered by the NYU School of Professional Studies Division of Programs in Business. She serves as a subject matter expert on understanding the effect of financial behaviors and financial decision making on personal and financial wellness, reviewing and authoring peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and contributing to public scholarship. Most notably, she served as a co-contributor for CFP Board’s book, The Psychology of Financial Planning. She holds a Ph.D. in Applied Family Science from Kansas State University, an M.S. in Financial Planning from Texas Tech University, the Certified Financial Therapist – I designation, and is an Accredited Financial Counselor and Behavioral Financial Advisor.

A big-picture thinker who practices with precision, sharp insight and a touch of humor, Zakiya J. Norton delivers innovative, top-notch advice in terms everyone can understand. She serves as the Vice Chair for the Board of Directors of the non-profit, Cancer CAREpoint, which provides valuable services free of cost to all cancer patients and their families. Zakiya has also served as special liaison to the California Lawyer’s Association Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee. She is a member of the Silicon Valley Bar Association, the Santa Clara County Black Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association, National Black Lawyers, and Black Women Lawyers of Northern California.

More speakers are going to be added as they are confirmed. Please be sure to check back in as we continue to update our slate of professional speakers!