NAPFA Women to Know 2025

The NAPFA Women’s Initiative recently surveyed members of our community to gain valuable insight into their experiences as women in the financial planning profession. As part of this survey, we asked participants to provide us with the name of a female NAPFA advisor who they believed deserved to be recognized for their professional accomplishments and commitment to promoting women within the profession. We are excited to recognize these incredible NAPFA members as part of our NAPFA Women to Know program.

Sarah Bird

A Utah native, Sarah Bird has been part of the Albion team since 1999, guiding multi-generational families through the twists and turns of financial planning. Always eager to learn and grow, she’s passionate about mentoring young leaders and staying on top of the latest in the financial world.

You’ll find her adventuring with her husband and boys when she's not in the office.

Jamie Bosse, CFP®, CCFC, RFC

Jamie Bosse is a Certified Financial Planner®, author, and mother of four. She finds it extremely rewarding to help people organize their financial lives, maximize their human capital, and get closer to their life goals. She practices financial planning at CGN Advisors, working with individuals and families to help them better understand, manage, and improve their financial situation.

Jamie has a passion for mentoring and financial literacy and is the author of Money Boss Mom, HelpingYoung Parents Be the “Boss” of Their Financial Future, and Milton the Money Savvy Pup children’s book series.

Michelle Crumm, CPA, MBA, and CFP®

Michelle Crumm is an accomplished entrepreneur, CPA, MBA, and CFP® dedicated to empowering women through personalized financial planning. With over five decades of life experience, she has navigated significant financial milestones, founded three successful businesses, and transitioned from retirement to a thriving second career.

Her accolades include "Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year," "Ann Arbor.com Executive of the Year," and recognition as one of Crain's Detroit Business’s "Most Influential Women." A passionate advocate for women’s financial independence, she has also served as a Regent for Eastern Michigan University and Chair of the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. Michelle’s mission is to be a trusted partner in every woman’s financial journey, providing expert guidance and tailored solutions for lasting success.

Alyssa Dalbey, CPWA®, CFP®

Alyssa Dalbey is a Wealth Manager and Shareholder at Schultz Financial Group, a boutique wealth management firm that offers family office services. Alyssa's education and expertise is in estate and tax planning for high-net-worth individuals and families. She enjoys working with first-generation wealth builders and entrepreneurs.

Alyssa exemplifies SFG's core value of a "Service Heart" by being involved in her community and is a champion for expanding the financial planning profession. This includes serving on the board of the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada, working with the local university to bring a CFP® education program to the state of Nevada, and by being a leader of NAPFA's Women's Initiative, which aims to attract, support, educate, and develop women as leaders within the financial advisory profession.

Lorri DeFoor

Lorri DeFoor founded Sustain Financial Inc. in 2017 to help teachers and other civil servants make better financial decisions, feel more empowered about their choices, and feel less overall stress about their current and future financial picture.

Prior to launching Sustain Financial, she taught high school math for 14 years and still regularly uses her teaching skills to help clients build a robust understanding of their financial picture.

When she's not financial planning, you can typically find her skiing, hiking, working on home improvement projects, gardening, and spending a lot of time quality time with her friends and her dog, Lucy.

Shannon Fleener, CFP®

Founder and Financial Planner for Sage Financial Planning

Becoming a CFP® professional allowed Shannon Fleener to turn her passion into service with purpose: empowering others to achieve financial wellness and work towards financial independence. Today, she runs her solo RIA in alignment with this mission- specializing in helping First Generation Wealth Builders and progressive professionals and investors know, feel and do better with their money.

Raised in a low-income household, Shannon's motivation to prevent money from being a stressor sparked her early passion for financial literacy and planning. She firmly believes that financial peace of mind shouldn't be a luxury and that everyone deserves access to competent financial advice. She is dedicated to creating a safe and inclusive space for her clients to receive quality guidance and start taking control of their financial futures.

Originally from South Florida, Shannon now happily calls San Diego home with her partner of 11 years, Sebastian, and their two cats, Hendrix and Milo. Before obtaining her CFP® certification, she completed degrees in Social Work (B.S.W.) and Education (M.Ed) and spent time working in both fields. Her success out the gate as a firm owner is a testament to her blended background and skillset, financial justice lens, and warm-touch service.

MaryAnne Gucciardi, CFP®, RICP®, MBA

MaryAnne Gucciardi is the Founder of Wealthmind Financial Planning. Wealthmind provides women, particularly those 10 years from retirement who anticipate an inheritance, with sound, objective financial advice and investment management. MaryAnne is dedicated to taking proactive and pre-emptive steps toward achieving financial and life goals.

With 30+ years of experience in business, finance, and fundraising, MaryAnne integrates the five pillars of financial planning—goal setting, investment, insurance, estate, and tax planning—to provide strategic, values-driven guidance. She is committed not only to serving women but also to increasing the number of women in the financial planning profession, fostering a more diverse and inclusive industry. MaryAnne advocates for financial literacy and volunteers as a mentor for 3rd Decade.org.

MaryAnne earned a B.A. in Economics with honors from Wellesley College and obtained her MBA from Harvard Business School. She splits her time between Chapel Hill, NC, and Cambridge, MA. She enjoys adventure travel, musical theater, biking, and reading on the beach.

Clarissa R. Hobson, CFP®

For more than two decades, Clarissa R. Hobson has helped clients achieve their financial goals, and particularly enjoys ensuring that her clients’ financial lives are organized and on track to meet their long-term objectives. As Transform Wealth’s Director of Financial Planning, Clarissa is responsible for establishing and maintaining the high financial planning standards for which the company is known.

Recognized for her expertise in educating individuals on financial topics, she has been quoted in a number of national publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Financial Planning Magazine, and Money Magazine, among others. Clarissa previously served on NAPFA's national board of directors, chaired the Public Policy Committee and Women’s Initiative, and was the board liaison to the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative.

Jean Keener

Jean Keener started Keener Financial Planning as a solo practitioner in 2008 after a 10+-year career in business management. The firm has now grown to 13 employees, 8 of whom are CFP® practitioners. Providing both as-needed hourly financial planning services and ongoing wealth management, the firm maintains its commitment to accessibility as a member of the Garrett Planning Network.

Jean recently initiated the Keener Financial Planning scholarship through the NAPFA Foundation to support and encourage those wanting to join the fee-only financial planning profession. Outside of work, Jean enjoys healthy cooking, trying new restaurants, and grocery shopping (yes, there’s a food theme here), as well as being outside, traveling, and exploring new places.

Kelly Nilsson, CFP®, CDFA, JD

Kelly Nilsson is the founder of Brava Financial, LLC, an advice-only financial planning firm serving clients nationwide. From the start of her career in financial services in 1992, Kelly has always believed that people, not money, should be centered in the financial planning process.

In addition to providing financial clarity and confidence to her clients, Kelly is active with organizations supporting women, including the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

Meghan Railey

Meghan Railey is one of two founding advisors at OPTAS Capital, an RIA launched in 2019 after a combined three decades of experience at wirehouses. At OPTAS, her focus is twofold: design and deliver a differentiated client experience and build systems and processes internally to support and grow capacity. Most recently, Meghan launched a new business line that further differentiates Optas from other RIAs: tax planning and preparation. This strategic move expands OPTAS’s services to become a one-stop shop for high-net-worth clients.

The firm’s client niche has evolved over the years, from semi-conductor executives to early employees of software companies to the present day- where they attract first-generation wealth across many industries and sectors. OPTAS currently manages over $750M AUM at Fidelity and approximately $300M in nonregulatory holdings.

Janelle M. Woods, CFP®, MBA

Janelle Woods is a Regional Managing Director for CooksonPeirce, having joined the firm in 2015 and worked in the financial services industry for more than 25 years. Janelle currently develops client relationships regionally and serves as Lead Advisor for private client relationships.

Janelle received a B.A. in business management from Hiram College and an M.B.A. from Youngstown State University. A NAPFA registered financial advisor, Janelle has been the co-chair of the NAPFA Women’s Initiative and currently serves as President of the Midwest Region Board. Janelle is also an adjunct faculty at Youngstown State University where she teaches classes in the CFP® tract for the Williamson College of Business.