Speakers

2024 Speakers List

  • Mary Willis | President & CEO, Fidelity Bank
  • Melanie Regner | SVP & Financial Advisor RHO Group, Morgan Stanley
  • Kevin Mills | Wealth Planner, First Citizens Bank
  • Matt Brubaker | President, Greenfield Communities
  • Amanda Hoyle | Director of Land Acquisition, Tri Point Homes
  • Phillip Neuhart | SVP Director of Market & Economic Research, First Citizens Bank
  • Phillip Strickland | Executive Director Trust & Fiduciary Services & SVP, First Citizens Bank
  • Ron Duffer | Business Advisor, NC Small Business & Technology Development Center
  • Tyler Britton | Professor of Trust & Wealth Management, Campbell University
  • Michelle Osborne | Director of the Risk Management Institute, Campbell University

Mary Willis | President & CEO, Fidelity Bank

Keynote Speaker
9:00 am Ballroom B

Melanie R. Regner, CFP, CRPC 

Senior Vice President, Dedicated Equity Plan Specialist, Financial Advisor
Morgan Stanley
Financial Planning
10:00 am Ballroom A

Melanie R. Regner is a Senior Vice President, Certified Financial PlannerTM (CFP®) and co-founder of The RHO Group, a highly skilled team of seasoned professionals located in Raleigh, North Carolina. With more than 35 years of experience, Melanie focuses on delivering personalized wealth management services to professionals, business leaders and families facing challenging life circumstances, such as a divorce, the death of a spouse or a chronic health issue. Her compassionate and comprehensive approach brings order, control and simplicity to complex situations. For Melanie, success is measured in terms of client well-being and goal achievement.

A graduate of Campbell University with a degree in Trust Management, Melanie continued her studies, earning an M.B.A. at Mount Saint Mary’s University. Throughout her career, she has remained committed to education for herself and her clients, acquiring important industry and firm designations, including Certified Financial PlannerTM (CFP®), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor® (CRPC®) and Dedicated Equity Plan Specialist at Morgan Stanley. These credentials provide Melanie with deep knowledge and skills in the areas of retirement and estate planning, trust management, philanthropic services and special needs planning that she enjoys sharing with others.

As a seasoned wealth advisor, Melanie listens carefully to her clients’ personal situations, objectives and concerns in order to transform them into a tailored, long-term plan. Her style is simple and direct, as she guides each client through a maze of often conflicting information. Melanie works closely with a client’s tax and legal professionals to ensure the strategies she recommends are working together to optimize results.

Outside of the office, Melanie enjoys all things related to food – cooking, gardening and trying new recipes. She also likes to relax at the Bogue Sound or in Washington, NC with her family and friends.

Melanie’s interest in continued advocacy and volunteerism inspires her many efforts that include the Raleigh Professional Women’s Forum (past president), Women President‘s Organization, the Foundation of Hope Advisory Board Member and the Contemporary Art Museum Board Member. She is a past board member for Disability Rights North Carolina and the O’Berry Foundation, specifically working on board governance, planned giving and investment risk management. Melanie is also a 2018 graduate of Leadership North Carolina.


Kevin Mills

Kevin Mills | Wealth Planner, First Citizens Bank

Financial Wellness
10:00 am Ballroom B

 

Panel Session
12:00 pm Ballroom B

Kevin Mills, a 2023 Trust & Wealth 4+1 graduate is a Financial Planner with First Citizens Wealth in Raleigh, North Carolina. In this role, Kevin serves clients with $100k – $5mm in investable assets by completing holistic financial planning on their behalf. Financial literacy is a passion of his as he volunteers with Mini Money, LLC, an orange-owned, Colorado-based company that hosts camps and events centered around financial education. Kevin loves Campbell’s LFSB and continues to give back any way that he can. Kevin Mills also has a twin brother, Chris Mills, who is a 4+1 graduate of Campbell University. Kevin swears up-and-down that they look nothing alike and hopes that you feel the same way.


Matt Brubaker

Matt Brubaker | President, Greenfield Communities

Real Estate 
10:00 am Ballroom C

Matt Brubaker is a founding member of Greenfield Communities, serves as President of the company, and is responsible for vision-casting, sourcing of new investment opportunities, and oversight of all operations for Greenfield and its subsidiaries.

Before starting Greenfield, Matt was the owner and operator of Cornerstone Realty Ventures, a Raleigh-based land development, entitlement and brokerage company that provided real estate services for local Triangle builders as well as regional and national builders.

Prior to forming Cornerstone, Matt oversaw acquisitions and development across four North Carolina markets for D.R. Horton, America’s largest homebuilder.  His department managed every stage of the company’s new community development process, including strategic land searches, financial feasibility studies, contract negotiations, land planning, permitting & entitlements, horizontal construction and homeowner associations.

Over his career, Matt has been involved in the acquisition, entitlement or development of over seventy-five projects totaling over 10,000 lots across North Carolina.

Matt has called Raleigh, NC “home” since 1986 and is a proud graduate of Campbell University (MBA & BBA) and Southeastern Seminary (MA & MDIV). He is a licensed North Carolina real estate broker, current member of the Board of Directors for Trinity Academy of Raleigh, past member of Wake County’s Planning Board (4 years) and Board of Adjustment (3 years), past chairman of Wake County’s Subdivision and Site Plan Subcommittee, member of the Wake Transit Advisory Committee in 2016, has served as a teacher and deacon at Providence Baptist Church, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Trinity Academy of Raleigh.

Matt lives in North Raleigh with his wife, Laura, and their three children, Abby Rose, Lila Kate and Graham.


Amanda Hoyle

Amanda Hoye | Director of Land Acquisition, Tri Point Homes

Real Estate 
10:00 am Ballroom C

 

Panel Session
12:00 pm Ballroom B

Phillip Neuhart | SVP Director of Market & Economic Research, First Citizens Bank

Making Sense

11:00 am Ballroom A


Phillip Strickland | Executive Director Trust & Fiduciary Services & SVP, First Citizens Bank

Making Sense
11:00 am Ballroom A

Ron Duffer | Business Advisor, NC Small Business & Technology Development Center

Financing Your Business
11:00 am Ballroom C

 

Panel Session
12:00 pm Ballroom B

Tyler Britton | Professor of Trust & Wealth Management, Campbell University

Estate Planning for Small Business
1:30 pm Ballroom A

Michelle Osborne | Director of the Risk Management Institute, Campbell University

Insurance Tips for Small Business
1:30 pm Ballroom C

2023 Speakers List

  • Teena Piccione | C-Suite Executive | Global Transformation & Operations Executive at Google
  • Paul Levering | Certified EOS Implementer
  • Dr. Katherine Spradley | Partner, K. Cradley & Co.
  • Aaron Lympany | Owner, Rhymes Video
  • Dr. Michael Rodriguez | Associate Professor of Marketing
  • Lisa Bamford | Director of Global Marketing and Sales, Sciencix
  • Dr. Amanda Parker | Associate Professor of Homeland Security and Cybersecurity
  • Dr. Sherri Yerk-Zwickl | Vice President of Information Technology, CIO at Campbell University

2022 Speakers List

  • Jenny Hofler | Recruiting Manager, Amazon
  • Doug Stewart | Author of 5 1/2 MENTORS, TEDx Speaker and certified Dale Carnegie Coach
  • Chris Deshazor | Director of Talent and Organizational Development, Harness.io
  • Dr. Michelle Osborne | Chair of Business Administration and
    Economics, Campbell University
  • Lindsay Wrege | Co-founder and CEO of 321 Coffee
  • Dr. Patricia J. Carter | CEO of Breakpoint Coaching, LLC
  • Rebecca Brock | Senior Vice President and Fiduciary Director, Truist Wealth