Kathleen A. Kelly
AIFA®, CRPS®
Managing Partner
Kathleen Kelly, originally from Ballston Lake (Saratoga County), NY, received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Wake Forest University. She is a Founding and Managing Partner of Compass Financial Partners, a Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC Company, and a 30-year veteran of the financial services industry, specializing in the areas of retirement plan consulting & investment advisory services for qualified retirement plans and executive benefit planning. Ms. Kelly has achieved the Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist (CRPS) designation, and the Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst (AIFA).
In recognition of Kathleen’s leadership within the retirement plan consulting community, she has been selected to serve on the Defined Contribution Institutional Investor Association (DCIIA) RIA Advisory Council, Empower Advisory Board, Nuveen Retirement Leadership Council, Principal Financial Professional Advisor Council, the Prudential Advisor Council, the MassMutual Retirement Partners Council, the Transamerica Retirement Solutions RIA Advisory Board, the JP Morgan DC Advisor Council, the Fidelity Workplace Investing Advisor Council (inaugural member), the T. Rowe Price Retirement Client Advisory Board, the EY Innovation Studio and the Retirement Advisor Council. She is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and regularly quoted in trade publications.
Active in her community, Ms. Kelly was appointed by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors to the Board of Trustees for Winston-Salem State University (WSSU), one of the nation’s leading HBCUs, where she is the immediate-past Chairman of the Board and Chaired the Chancellor Search Committee last year. She was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, which was initiated by WSSU. Additionally, she has served on both the Wake Forest Board of Visitors and Greensboro College Board of Visitors and is currently on the Wake Forest Board of Visitors Emeritus, the United Way of Greater Greensboro Board of Directors, and the Greensboro Science Center Board. She was awarded a “Women in Business” Award (based on successful entrepreneurship) through the Triad Business Journal and was named a “2019 Women of Distinction” by the Peaks to Piedmont Girl Scout Council for making a difference in the community, where she served as a past Board member.
In her spare time, Ms. Kelly enjoys playing golf and tennis and spending time with her husband, two children and golden retriever.
