NAPFA Women to Know 2026

NAPFA members were invited to nominate a female NAPFA advisor they believe deserves recognition for her professional accomplishments and dedication to advancing women within the profession. We are excited to recognize these incredible NAPFA members as part of our NAPFA Women to Know program.

You can also explore advisors recognized in previous years by viewing the 2025 Women to Know recipients and 2024 Women to Know recipients.

Carol Ringrose Alexander, CFP®

Carol Ringrose Alexander is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Accredited Investment Fiduciary®, and Registered Life Planner® with a background in collaborative practice and mediation, allowing her to guide clients through complex financial and life transitions with skill and compassion. She holds a master’s degree from Middlebury College and undergraduate degrees from Oklahoma State University, and has served in leadership roles with the Financial Planning Association of Central Oklahoma. Carol is also active in her community through the Lyric Theatre and Leadership Oklahoma and Leadership Oklahoma City.

Brenna Baucum, CFP®

Brenna Baucum is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and founder of Collective Wealth Planning, a fee-only firm in Salem, Oregon, where she helps Oregon PERS members and retirees navigate major life and retirement transitions with clarity and confidence. She serves on the NAPFA West Region Board, supports regional programming and the Financial Planning Competition, and is known for mentoring current and aspiring advisors through regular office hours, with a focus on supporting women in the profession.

Janet Briaud, CFP®

Janet Briaud is the founder of Briaud Financial Advisors, established in 1986 with a commitment to client-first, fee-only advice. After experiencing conflicted, commission-based advice early in her career, she pursued a more transparent and client-centered approach to financial planning. She has been involved with NAPFA for 37 years, serving as Board Chair and receiving the Robert J. Underwood Distinguished Service Award. Janet has also mentored advisors across generations and supported the advancement of women in the profession, and she continues her work as a partner focused on long-term relationships and acting in clients’ best interests.

Megan Carden, CFP®

Megan is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ who uses strong analytical skills and attention to detail to build tailored financial plans for each client. She began her career in 2015, earned her CFP® designation in 2016, and quickly advanced from analyst to advisor, taking on independent client relationships. She graduated summa cum laude from Lees-McRae College with a B.S. in Business Administration, with concentrations in Finance and Marketing and a minor in Psychology, and now helps train and mentor advisory team members at EP Wealth. Outside of work, she enjoys painting, tennis, baking, and time with her border collie, Maverick.

Natalie Colley, CFP®

Natalie Colley is a Certified Financial Planner™ and Partner at Francis Financial, where she serves as a Senior Lead Advisor. She works closely with clients on comprehensive financial planning and portfolio strategy, helping them make confident decisions around retirement, education funding, and long-term investment management. She earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara and spent nearly a decade as an engineer before transitioning into financial planning. Her early experiences with financial uncertainty shaped her commitment to helping women take ownership of their financial lives.

Maureen C. Donahue, MSDA, MSF, CFP®

Maureen is a principal at Yardley Wealth Management whose goal is to help people enjoy their life by reducing the stress from personal finance. After working with large national wealth advisory firms like Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan, she decided to join Yardley because of the firm’s culture and personal approach to wealth management. Outside of work, she still enjoys riding her bike through Bucks County and hiking with her husband and their two children.

Irina Gabidullina, CFP®, APMA®, WMCP®

Irina has been working in the financial services industry since 1998 and specializes in tax review, investment strategy, and portfolio development for clients of Donalies Financial Planning.

Beyond her work with clients, Irina serves as a board member for the NAPFA Northeast Mid-Atlantic Region, where she helps coordinate and support local professional study groups across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic area. These groups bring together fee-only financial planners to exchange knowledge, discuss industry developments, and strengthen professional collaboration.

Kristyn Gibson, CFP®

Kristyn Gibson is a Financial Advisor and Partner at EP Wealth Advisors. She is passionate about working with women (& men!) who are taking charge of their finances through career and life transitions and building wealth for retirement and future generations. As an advisor, she focuses on education and partnership. She works to meet clients where they are and provide comprehensive planning and guidance that aligns with their values.

Outside of her professional work, she enjoys traveling and experiencing new cultures, spending quality time with family and friends and unwinding over a game of mahjong!

Susan Green, CFP®

Susan Green is a Partner, Senior Financial Advisor, and Director of Financial Planning Standards with Wescott Financial. A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional with a legal background, she serves as a client-facing advisor, maintains firm-wide planning standards, and mentors the next generation of advisors. She is a long-standing NAPFA volunteer, having served as President and Chair of the NEMA region board and co-chaired the Women’s Initiative. Susan has been recognized as a Super Mentor by the Women’s Initiative and volunteers with a pediatric oncology camp, where she has served for more than two decades.

Sheila Hoopes, CFP®

Sheila Hoopes, CFP® is a Wealth Advisor with EP Wealth Advisors, where she helps individuals and families pursue financial independence through cash flow planning, investment management, tax strategies, and estate planning. She is also committed to advancing financial education and community leadership. Sheila regularly provides financial literacy seminars through the Smith College Club of San Diego, empowering women to make confident financial decisions, and serves as Vice President of the Old Town Academy Parent Foundation, supporting the school’s mission and its students and families.

Jessica C. McDonald, CFP®, SE-AWMA™

Jessica C. McDonald, CFP®, SE-AWMA™ is the founder of Southern Wealth Builders, a fee-only financial planning and investment management firm helping small business owners and athletes turn sudden wealth into a lasting legacy. She provides education-first, judgment-free guidance to help clients make clear, confident financial decisions for themselves, their businesses, and their families. As a NAPFA advisor, Jessica is dedicated to advancing women in the profession, actively mentoring emerging female advisors and supporting a more inclusive financial planning community.

Giorgina Nguyen, CFP®

Giorgina Nguyen, CFP®, is a Vice President, Wealth Advisor at EP Wealth Advisors, where she helps high-earning individuals and families navigate major life transitions such as career changes, growing families, inheritances, and unexpected events. She is known for a values-based, empathetic approach that turns uncertainty into clarity at pivotal crossroads. Giorgina brings a grounded perspective shaped by her experience as a wife and mother. She believes financial planning is about more than building wealth. It is about strengthening confidence and agency through life’s defining chapters.

Tammy Prouty, CFP®

Tammy is a CFP® professional with 19 years of experience and an AEP® Accredited Estate Planner who takes a collaborative, team-based approach with attorneys, CPAs, and insurance professionals to support clients. She works holistically to help clients build meaningful lives, with a focus on guiding individuals through widowhood and aging transitions, and serves on the Skagit Community Foundation board, is active with Soroptimist International supporting women’s scholarships, and is a member of EP Wealth’s Women’s Initiative.

Stephanie Spies, CFP®, EA

Stephanie Spies is a Senior Financial Advisor and Principal at Modera Wealth Management. A CFP® professional and Enrolled Agent (EA), she specializes in tax and estate planning to support both clients and the firm. She began her career at Modera after graduating from William Paterson University and Raritan Valley Community College and has served the firm in multiple roles. Stephanie is also an adjunct professor at William Paterson University, where she mentors future financial planners, has contributed to the NAPFA Genesis committee, and serves as board treasurer of The Princess Program STEM nonprofit.

Prudence Zhu

Prudence Zhu is a fee-only financial planner and founder of Enso Financial, serving couples and women in life transitions nationwide. Drawing on her journey from rural China to U.S. financial independence and a background in private equity and corporate finance, she focuses on life planning and financial coaching, especially for cross-cultural couples and immigrant families. She is the author of A Couple’s Guide to Money: Grow Closer, Dream Bigger, Thrive Together, and through speaking, writing, and mentoring, she champions accessible, human-centered financial planning and a sustainable, family-centered approach to entrepreneurship.

Compliance Information

NAPFA Women to Know is an annual campaign to recognize female NAPFA advisors who are highlighted for their professional accomplishments and commitment to promoting women within the profession.

Nominations were open January 1 - 31, 2026 and were solicited broadly from membership via multiple channels combining open nominations and peer recommendations. No prior nominees were selected if previously nominated and chosen during prior years. In order to be selected, nominees must be NAPFA members in good standing.

After this nomination form closed, the Women’s Initiative membership sub-committee reviewed the responses and selected those nominees to be featured in our Women to Know campaign. The evaluation framework included a review of professional excellence (demonstrating success in the financial planning profession), advancement of women (mentorship, advocacy and/or contributions to students, career changers), and leadership (role within NAPFA or within the industry). The evaluation period was approximately one month and no compensation or fees were involved.