30th Annual Spring Institute
AAEPC’s THIRTIETH ANNUAL INSTITUTE FEATURED SPEAKERS
Joy Hodgson is a Partner and Chief Operations Officer at CRI TPA Services. Her firm provides retirement plan consulting and TPA services for over 750 qualified retirement plans throughout the south and southwest United States. Joy has earned designations as a Certified Pension Consultant and Qualified 401(k) Administrator through the American Retirement Association based in Washington, DC. She has been working on ERISA retirement plans for over 25 years and has extensive experience consulting with all types of organizations including sole-proprietors, partnerships, corporations, non-profits, and governmental entities. Joy has a deep and comprehensive understanding of IRS compliance testing and fiduciary governance. Her focus these days is on assisting clients, CPAs and financial advisors with plan audits, correction programs, and advance plan consulting strategies. Joy grew up in Plainview, Texas, and graduated from Abilene Christian University with a Communication degree. Joy is a board member with the Rotary Club of Metropolitan Lubbock. She is married to Patrick for 30 years this year and has 1 daughter who attends Abilene Christian University as well.
Amy Florian, CEO of Corgenius, teaches professionals to build strong relationships with clients through all the losses and transitions of life. She is author of over 200 articles and two award-winning books, including No Longer Awkward: Communicating with Clients through the Toughest Times of Life. She is the recipient of numerous awards for her ground-breaking work, including being named a 2021 Luminary by ThinkAdvisor, and has been quoted or featured throughout the financial trade press, including the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Forbes, and many others. Amy holds a master's degree and is a Fellow in Thanatology. She taught graduate programs for 10 years, has worked with over 2,000 grieving people, and consults with firms, corporations, and offices nationwide. On a personal level, Amy is one of ten children and bakes amazing homemade cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip cookies!
Walter T. “Four” Price received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin. He received his law degree, with high honors, from St. Mary’s University School of Law. After graduation, Mr. Price clerked for United States District Judge Mary Lou Robinson. He currently is Vice President and Trust Officer for Amarillo National Bank. Mr. Price serves as State Representative for House District 87 which covers the northern Texas Panhandle.
Jordan Ware is a shareholder at Winstead PC. Jordan concentrates her practice on estate and business planning, taxation, and estate and trust administration for high-net-worth individuals, executives and business owners. She provides guidance primarily in the areas of estate and gift tax planning, business succession planning, charitable planning, general tax and corporate planning, and estate and trust administration. Jordan regularly consults with charitable organizations regarding formation, exempt tax, and ongoing administration issues. She is a specialist in estate planning and probate law certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Jordan is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and the State of Texas. She is a frequent speaker at estate planning and tax seminars around the country.
Chad Armstrong is a Partner and Wealth Management Advisor with WWA Integrated Wealth Strategy Group. His primary focus is protecting his client's families and businesses through estate planning and financial planning. Chad graduated from Baylor University with a BBA in Finance and Texas A&M University with a MS in Finance. Chad is an Insurance Agent with Northwestern Mutual and Registered Representative of Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC maintaining securities Series 7, 63 and 66 registrations and his Life, Accident & Health Insurance license. Chad holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification, in addition to the Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant, and Accredited Estate Planner designations. Chad has received numerous industry awards for production and consistency. He has ranked in the Top 5% of Northwestern Mutual’s field force for the last several years. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual Chad served seven years as an officer in the US Navy as a SEAL. He is married to Julie and they have four children. Chad and his family all enjoy outdoor activities, and he enjoys competing in 100 mile running races.
George Snell is a solo practitioner in Amarillo. He received his J.D. degree from Baylor University School of Law in 1972. Mr. Snell concentrates his practice in real estate matters involving oil and gas properties. He is a member of the Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Council of the State Bar of Texas. Mr. Snell is an author and frequent speaker on the subjects of oil and gas real estate issues.
Hunter Vagrosky is an Assistant Vice President and Trust Officer at Happy State Bank and serves as the Secretary for the Amarillo Area Estate Planning Council. He received his B.B.A. degree from West Texas A&M University. Hunter began his career in retail banking, worked in Trust Operations, and currently administers multiple types of trusts, estates, IRAs, and investment agencies for individuals and non-profit organizations.
Johnny Crowley serves as the Senior Vice President & Senior Trust officer at Amarillo National Bank. Johnny grew up in Canyon and attended West Texas State University receiving a BBA in Accounting. He obtained his CPA license in 1983, CFP Certification in 1989 and attended the 2001 ABA National Trust School achieving the Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA) designation. He worked in public accounting in Amarillo for 12 years and began his career in Trust Administration with the First National Bank of Amarillo. He moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2001 as Sr VP and Sr Trust officer, managing the trust division of the First National Bank of Santa Fe for 7 years. Johnny moved back to Amarillo in 2008 and joined Amarillo National Bank becoming Sr VP and Sr Trust Officer in January 2021. Johnny and his wife, Amy are proud parents of 5 daughters and were foster parents to 24 girls and 1 boy.
Joby Mills serves as the Senior Vice President & Director of Trust Services for Happy State Bank. Joby earned his Bachelor of Arts in Finance from the University of Northern Iowa and his Juris Doctor from Baylor University School of Law. He Currently serves as the Chairman of the Administrative Council of the Texas Bankers Association Wealth Management & Trust Division and is also a Member and Past President of both the Amarillo Area Bar Association and Amarillo Area Estate Planning Council. He is also a Fellow of the Texas Bar Association.
Bill Titcomb brings over 25 years of qualified experience as the Managing Director of Herring Bank Wealth Management. Bill’s background includes specialization in the areas of investment management, trust administration, private banking, and financial planning. He leads a seasoned team of financial planners, investment advisors, trust officers and attorneys that work closely with their clients to help them achieve their financial objectives. Bill has a devotion to being involved in his community and has served on boards for the United Way, American Red Cross, YMCA, and other non-profit organizations. Bill recently retired from officiating men’s college basketball and football after 35 years. He enjoys golf, music, and travel in his spare time. Bill and his wife, Tricia, have six children and twelve grandchildren.
Gerry W. Beyer joined the Tech Law faculty in June 2005 as the first holder of the Governor Preston Smith Regents Professorship. Previously, he taught as a professor or visiting professor at many other law schools from coast-to-coast and in Australia. Law schools and student organizations have honored him with numerous outstanding and distinguished faculty awards. Professor Beyer received his J.D. from The Ohio State University and his LL.M. and J.S.D. degrees from the University of Illinois. He is a member of the Order of the Coif, an Academic Fellow and Regent of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a member of the American Law Institute, and was inducted into the Estate Planning Hall of Fame. The Uniform Law Commission recently appointed Prof. Beyer as the Reporter for a new act addressing the electronic execution of estate planning documents.
Jack Manley, Vice President, is a Global Market Strategist on the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Global Market Insights Strategy Team. Jack is responsible for delivering timely market and economic commentary to institutional and retail clients across the United States and Canada. In addition, he is a contributor to the J.P. Morgan Long-Term Capital Market Assumptions and has authored numerous papers on both global and domestic economies and capital markets. Jack is also a frequent guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, BNN and other financial news outlets and is often quoted in the financial press. Jack joined J.P. Morgan in 2013 as a member of the Asset Management Strategy & Business Development Team, where he worked on various strategic initiatives across the firm. He has been in his current role since 2016. Jack graduated from the University of Chicago with a Bachelor’s degree in History. Melanie Smoot was the Development Director for a non-profit in Frisco, Texas prior to joining Amarillo Area Foundation in 2021. She began her career in the non-profit field 19 years ago in Amarillo and has raised funds for various non-profit organizations throughout the state of Texas since then. She loves meeting new people and hearing their stories. Melanie grew up in the Texas Panhandle and graduated from West Texas A&M University with her Bachelor of Music and Master of Business Administration degrees. It has been a joy for her to return to her roots and serve the people of the Texas Panhandle.
Shannon Ferrell is a Professor in the Oklahoma State University Department of Agricultural Economics, where he specializes in Agricultural Law. He grew up on a cattle and wheat operation in Western Oklahoma, and obtained his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Agricultural Economics from OSU before obtaining his Juris Doctorate from the Oklahoma City University School of Law with endorsements in Estate Planning and Business and Financial Services Law. Shannon spent a number of years in full-time private practice before joining OSU in 2007.As an educator and speaker, Shannon helps audiences all over North America understand the fundamental legal elements of farm business management and farm transition planning. He has provided presentations and workshops to a cumulative audience of over 30,000 across the U.S. and Canada while authoring over fifty publications, including serving as lead author on the Farm Transition Workbook. In addition, he has testified before Congress and the Oklahoma state legislature on multiple policy issues involved in farm transitions from regulatory barriers to retirement savings for farmers and ranchers. In private practice, he helps farm families with both the conversations involved in forming the best transition planning approach and creating the mechanisms to make their transitions successful.
