Stadion leadership

Duane Bernt is the CEO of Smart USA & Stadion Money Management. Duane serves as the Chair of the Stadion Investment Committee. In Duane’s role as CEO he focuses on driving the company’s strategy and culture toward helping people prepare for retirement – a simple philosophy of “saving more and hanging on”. In turn, he focuses on allocating the company’s capital and resources to the innovative solutions designed to allow retirement advisors and participants to customize participant allocations – bringing portfolio personalization to life for Stadion’s clients. Prior to being Stadion’s CEO, Duane was the firm’s Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Duane was named Chief Administrative Officer in June 2021. He joined the firm in September 2011 as Chief Financial Officer with over 19 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Stadion, Duane was senior vice president and head of Finance and Strategy for the Retirement Plan Services business of Lincoln Financial Group, a Fortune 500 company. In addition to this, he managed the rollover and retention business efforts. Prior to his business unit CFO role, Duane was vice president of Brand and Innovation at Lincoln Financial. Previously, Duane served as vice president and corporate treasurer at Lincoln Financial. In his capacity as treasurer, Duane was responsible for the company's corporate finance, risk, capital and cash management, and rating agency and banking relationships. Duane also served as second vice president, corporate planning and development at Lincoln Financial, with responsibility for merger and acquisition initiatives and corporate development activities. He also played an instrumental role in the strategic development and implementation of Lincoln Financial Distributors. Duane earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb., and his Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pa. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

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Todd Lacey currently serves as Stadion’s Chief Revenue Officer, overseeing the revenue generating functions for Stadion’s retirement business, which includes business development, sales, product development and marketing. Lacey joined Stadion in 2017 as the firm’s Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO) of Stadion’s retirement business, where he has been responsible for overseeing the relationships with Stadion’s retirement recordkeeping partners as well as identifying and developing new channels of distribution and product development within the retirement business. Todd has spent his entire 20-year career in the retirement industry. Prior to joining Stadion, Todd held various roles at AEGON/Transamerica including EVP of Strategy & Corporate Development for Investments & Retirement, EVP of Business Development for the US retirement business and Senior Managing Director of Latin America. Prior to Transamerica, Todd was Founder & President of The (k)larity Group, a retirement plan advisory firm that was one of three finalists for the 2010 Plan Sponsor Retirement Plan Adviser Team of the Year Award. Todd is an active contributor to both the retirement industry and his community having served as co-chair of the NAPA 401(k) Summit and board member of the ASPPA Benefits Council of Atlanta. He currently serves as a Board Member of the Foundation for Mitochondrial Medicine. He has a B.S. in psychology from Miami University in Oxford, OH. Outside of the office Todd enjoys running, swimming, and spending time with his wife Cara and two daughters Camryn and Maddie.

Michael Chlan came to Stadion in 2001 to develop and manage an IT department capable of meeting the needs of the company. Michael has overseen the development of the critical software programs and technology necessary for continued growth and effective management of Stadion's growing enterprise. He is also responsible for overseeing Investor Services and Relationship Management. He brings over 20 years of technology experience in financial services for both Fortune 500 and startup companies. At Equifax, he led the development of new databases and data selection technologies that facilitated the creation of ChoicePoint, Inc. as a separate entity. As CTO of Consumer Financial Network, Michael built the first multi-vendor financial services shopping and comparison system prompting high level investments by GE Capital. Michael is the lead inventor on several technologies and financial services related patents.

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Prior to joining Stadion as the Chief Compliance Officer in 2010, Michael was the Chief Compliance Officer for a national, independent broker/dealer and responsible for overseeing the development and administration of a comprehensive compliance program. Prior to that, Michael was a securities examiner for seven years with NASD (now FINRA), the nation's preeminent private sector regulatory body. During his NASD tenure, Michael worked in concert with the NASD Department of Enforcement, the SEC, the NYSE and state regulators. Michael was the recipient of the NASD President's Award and was also nominated for the Chairman's Excellence in Service Award. Michael is a member of the National Society of Compliance Professionals (NSCP) and has participated as a Faculty Speaker at NSCP Membership Meetings. Michael has a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Finance from the University of West Georgia. Michael enjoys spending time with his family, travelling and being a sports fan.

Holly MacMillan, who joined the firm in 2009, leads the Stadion Marketing Team. She increases the usage and awareness of the Stadion brand as well as Stadion’s investment products through targeted messaging and client segmentation. Holly's background includes project management, product development, strategic marketing and sales management. Prior to Stadion, she was Group Variable Annuity Product Manager with Genworth Financial. Holly received her Finance degree from the University of Georgia. Outside of work, Holly serves on the Board of Directors for the YWCO, a local recreation and wellness organization, and enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.

Kerr McGowan is Stadion’s Chief Product Officer, responsible for the product portfolio and strategy across Stadion’s investment and technology solutions. In his time with Stadion, Kerr has managed product and sales teams, getting his start on Stadion’s investment team in 2007.  Kerr brings an in-depth knowledge of Stadion’s capabilities to our strategic partners and works hard to bring meaningful solutions to retirement plan participants. Kerr earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Georgia.  Outside of the office Kerr enjoys running, golf, soccer, and spending time with his wife Leah and their four children.

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Dan Fay serves as Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development.  In this role, he is responsible for managing Stadion’s institutional relationships, which includes retirement recordkeeping partners and specialist retirement advisor firms.  With Dan’s leadership, Stadion has expanded our nationwide distribution of retirement managed accounts and raised awareness of the benefits of personalization. Dan has spent his entire 25-year career in the retirement industry. Prior to joining Stadion in 2018, Dan served as Senior Advisor Relations Manager at Financial Engines with responsibility for establishing and managing relationships with leading financial advisor and consulting firms. He identified and developed new business opportunities through advisors and consultants, leading to the distribution of the firm’s managed account service. Prior to that, Dan was a National Accounts Manager with responsibility for business development at MassMutual Retirement Services. While there, he developed retirement plan opportunities and sales through financial advisor firms.  Other experience includes a variety of roles with New York Life Retirement Plan Services. Dan received his BS degree in Finance from Bentley University. Outside of work, Dan enjoys spending time with his family and playing golf.

Hazel joined Stadion’s Portfolio Management team in 2023 as a Portfolio Management Analyst. She is responsible for monitoring portfolios, tracking market trends, contributing monthly market and investment analysis. Hazel is a sports fan and makes the most of her time with family and friends.

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Hunter joined Stadion Money Management in 2023 and currently serves as Portfolio Manager and sits on the firm’s Investment Committee. In his role as Portfolio Manager, Hunter oversees the day-to-day management of client portfolios while also leading new research initiatives. Hunter’s work encompasses subjects including asset allocation methodology, investment selection, trade execution, and various retirement planning concepts, among many others. Prior to Stadion, Hunter spent over a decade in the financial services industry having held various trading operations and investment research roles, including positions at several Registered Investment Advisory(RIA) firms in the Atlanta-area serving high net worth individuals and institutional clients. Hunter holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)designation and is a graduate of the University of South Alabama having earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance. Outside of work, Hunter enjoys reading, spending time with his wife, Sarah, and daughter, Abigail, and closely following the Atlanta Braves.

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Brandon works as an analyst and assists the portfolio management team in managing Stadion’s various retirement programs, including managed account, target-date, and risk-based strategies. As part of the team, he conducts portfolio allocations, cash management, and performs market research to assist clients in their goal of enjoying the fruits of labor after their professional careers. Prior to joining the portfolio management team at Stadion, Brandon worked at a national RIA as a senior associate. In his role as a senior advisor, Brandon assisted clients in protecting, maintaining, and growing their financial assets through personalized financial planning strategies. Prior to this role, Brandon honed his accounting, tax preparation, and business planning skills working as a senior tax advisor at a large regional accounting firm primarily focusing on trusts and estates, individuals, and not-for-profit tax returns. Brandon has completed Level 1 of the CFA curriculum and holds a bachelor’s in accounting from the J.M. Tull School of Accounting at the Terry College of Business at The University of Georgia. In addition, he holds the CPA (Certified Public Accounting) and CFP® (Certified Financial Planner®) designations.

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Clayton Fresk joined Stadion Money Management in 2009 and currently serves as Portfolio Manager of Stadion’s Retirement investment strategies, which comprises oversight of Stadion’s managed account, target-date, and risk-based strategies. Clayton is a member of the firm's investment committee. He provides thought leadership for Stadion’s participant level, customized retirement solutions, in order to ensure that its glide path technology and asset allocation are able to support all intermediaries in the defined contribution ecosystem.  Clayton holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Minnesota. He also received an MBA degree and a Bachelor's degree in Finance & Marketing from the University of Minnesota.

Bobby joined the Stadion IT Team in 2008. As a Software Engineer, Bobby develops the connectivity and functionality of the Stadion systems, ensuring Stadion's data integrity. Prior to joining Stadion, Bobby was a database administrator for the Warnell School for Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. He also received his Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Computer Science from the University of Georgia. Outside of the office, Bobby enjoys skiing, reading, and watching football.

Amir joined the Stadion Portfolio Management Team in 2018.  As a Software Engineer, he develops and maintains Stadion systems, tools, web applications and databases. Prior to joining Stadion, Amir has worked in IT and telecommunications for over 5 years. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from the Polytechnic of Zagreb. In his spare time he loves spending time with his family and mountain biking.

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