Rivel's GuideLign Annual Conference November 17, 2026 - November 18, 2026 8:00am - 5:00pm ET Waldorf Astoria Buckhead - Atlanta, GA

Gina Martin Adams, CFA, CMT, is the Chief Market Strategist for HB Wealth, a national independent wealth management firm providing fiduciary, fee-only wealth advisory, investment management, and family office services. With a top-down perspective, Gina leverages fundamental, technical and quantitative perspectives to inform investment decisions, advance proprietary research, and develop new investment products, while enhancing client experience through thought leadership and education. She is a voting member of the firm’s investment committee and shareholder of the firm.

Prior to joining HB Wealth, Gina was the Global Head of Equity Strategy and Chief Equity Strategist for Bloomberg Intelligence, where she built portfolio strategies that feed Bloomberg indices and are licensed as ETFs, and led a team of global strategists. Prior to that, she was the head of U.S. Equity Strategy for Wells Fargo Securities, an economist for Wachovia Bank, and an investment strategy analyst for Evergreen Asset Management.

Mrs. Adams has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida. She holds the CFA and CMT designations, is a member of the CFA Institute, and is on the Board of Directors for the CMT Association. She serves on the Business Advisory Council for the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida. She is also a member of the Financial Women’s Association and 100 Women in Finance. Gina resides in New Jersey with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs, and is an avid runner, reader and yoga enthusiast.

Douglas J. Asiello, CFA is a Senior Research Analyst at Crawford Investment Counsel and has been with the firm since 2017. Doug is responsible for equity research and serves as a voting member of the Equity Investment Team. Doug is also the Director of SMID Cap Strategy. Prior to joining Crawford Investment Counsel, Doug was a Global Portfolio Manager and Senior Equity Research Analyst at Invesco. Doug earned his BA in International Relations and Spanish from Vanderbilt University. He received his MBA in Finance and Investment Management from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and his MA in Management and International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. He has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Jared Brandman, Chief Legal & Strategy Officer, National Vision

Jared Brandman serves as National Vision’s Chief Legal & Strategy Officer and Secretary. In his role he oversees corporate strategy, legal, compliance, government relations and sustainability functions. Jared serves on the boards of 20/20 Quest, Inc., a National Vision sponsored foundation that provides eye care and eyewear to the optically underserved; and the National Association of Retail Optical Companies.

Jared joined National Vision in 2017 as Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary, was promoted to General Counsel and Corporate Secretary in 2019, following the company’s successful IPO in 2017, and then was appointed Chief Legal and Strategy Officer in 2025. Prior to joining National Vision, Jared served as Securities Counsel at The Coca-Cola Company from 2010 to 2017. He began his legal career practicing at international law firms in Atlanta, New York and London.

Jared is an active leader in the governance community, serving in leadership roles with the Society for Corporate Governance and the National Association of Corporate Directors, and he is also deeply engaged in nonprofit and community work, including serving on the Board of the Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta. Jared received a B.A from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Emory University School of Law.

Calene Candela is Vice President of Investor Relations for Ryder System, Inc., (NYSE: R) a leading supply chain, dedicated transportation and fleet management solutions company. She serves as the primary point of contact with the equity analyst community and leads Ryder’s investor outreach strategy and activities.

Before joining investor relations, Candela worked in the corporate treasury department as assistant treasurer, where she oversaw the company’s asset-backed securitization and lease financing programs, international finance and cash management. She also held roles of increasing responsibility in financial planning and analysis and pricing, supporting Ryder’s business segments. Prior to Ryder, Candela was a commercial loan officer at Bank of America.

Candela is an active member of the National Investor Relations Institute and serves as treasurer on the board of the NIRI Florida chapter. She is also a member of Ryder’s pension investment committee and retirement committee and participates in Ryder’s women’s leadership initiatives.

Candela holds an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Florida. She lives in Coral Gables, Florida, with her husband, Larry. They have two adult sons, Cameron and Connor.

Ato Garrett serves as Senior Vice President and Investor Relations Officer. In his role, Ato is responsible for Nasdaq’s global investor relations strategy and leading overall engagement with the investment community across quarterly earnings calls, investor meetings, and conferences.

Prior to Nasdaq, Ato served as Senior Director and Head of Investor Relations at Veeva Systems, a leading provider of cloud software, data, and services to the life sciences industry. Before joining Veeva, Ato spent a decade as a sell-side analyst at Guggenheim Securities and Deutsche Bank, where he covered software and business services companies, including Thomson Reuters and FactSet.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Aaron Howald joined LP in 2011 as Lean Six Sigma Manager and has advanced through a series of leadership roles spanning continuous improvement, strategy, analytics, investor relations, corporate development, and finance. He has served as Director of Continuous Improvement, Strategic Analytics, and Investor Relations, before being named Vice President of Investor Relations and Business Development. In 2024, his responsibilities expanded to include Financial Planning & Analysis, and in 2026, he was appointed Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining LP, Howald worked at Thomas Group, a management consulting firm, and Hillenbrand Industries. He holds an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and a Bachelor of Arts in Finance and Economics from Franklin College.

Greg Lemenchick has served as Domino’s vice president of investor relations and sustainability since March 2025. In this role, he leads the company’s investor relations team and oversees its sustainability efforts. He joined Domino’s in 2023 as vice president of investor relations.

Previously, Lemenchick was vice president of finance at City Barbeque, where he managed finance, treasury and technical accounting functions. Prior to that, he spent nearly 10 years at The Wendy’s Co., holding various roles, including senior director of investor relations, corporate financial planning and analysis, and finance director of development. He began his career with Ernst & Young as a manager in their assurance practice.

Lemenchick earned degrees in accounting and human resources from Ohio Valley University and is a certified public accountant (CPA).

Kip Rupp, CFA, IRC, is vice president of investor relations for Quanta Services Inc. (NYSE: PWR), where he is responsible for designing and implementing Quanta’s global investor relations strategy and program. He serves as a primary executive representative of the company to the investment community. In this role, he and Quanta’s investor relations program have received multiple distinctions over several years from industry publications.

In 2024, Rupp was inducted into the Institutional Investor All-America Executive Team IRO Hall of Fame as the third highest-ranked IRO in the all-time rankings. For more than a decade, he has been ranked No. 1 in the engineering and construction sector of Institutional Investor Magazine’s "All-America Executive Team" survey for Best Investor Relations Officer, and Quanta has consistently ranked No. 1 for Best Investor Relations program. Quanta has also been repeatedly recognized as a Most Honored Company in the same survey during this time.

Rupp’s career spans 30 years, with more than 20 years of investor relations experience. His background also includes sell-side equity research, buy-side equity research, portfolio management, and fixed-income research and management. He earned his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1997 and Investor Relations Charter (IRC) designation in 2021. Rupp graduated from Stetson University in 1993 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, focusing on investments.

Lucas Servera is a Vice President of Equity Research at Truist Securities, where he leads published research coverage across the Transportation & Logistics sector. With nearly a decade of experience at Truist, Lucas has advanced from equity research associate to senior publishing analyst and now vice president, bringing deep analytical rigor and industry insight to institutional clients.

Before joining Truist, Lucas held research roles at Penn State University’s Physics Department and completed analyst internships with SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and Vista Capital in Brazil, strengthening his quantitative and global perspective. He earned his B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Penn State University, where he received multiple academic scholarships and leadership awards.

Lucas is fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Andrew Siegel, Partner, Joele Frank

Andrew Siegel provides strategic communications counsel to companies involved in transactions, proxy contests, reorganizations, and other crises and special situations. He also advises leading public companies on investor and media relations and long-term corporate positioning programs. Drawing on his more than 25 years of experience counseling Boards of Directors and management teams, and his formative experiences as a nightshift ambulance driver/EMT, Andrew is sought out for his cool head in a crisis and ability to deliver thoughtful and effective communications strategies and messaging to help companies navigate complex situations. His clients include some of America’s preeminent public companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Lockheed Martin, Martin Marietta, Motorola Solutions, Nucor, Six Flags and Weyerhaeuser.

Stephen Spruiell is the Head of Global Communications for Elliott Investment Management, where he leads a team focused on strategic communications, media relations and portfolio company support. He joined the firm in 2013 after serving as a speechwriter and advisor to former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan during Speaker Ryan’s tenure as chairman of the House Budget Committee and the Republican nominee for vice president. Earlier in his career, Stephen was a staff writer for National Review, and he holds degrees from the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas at Austin. Stephen serves on the board of the Brooklyn Debate League and enjoys volunteering on weekends as a speech and debate judge. He lives in New York with his wife and three children.

Wendy Watson leads investor relations for MillerKnoll, serving as the primary interface with the global investment community. She shapes the company’s external narrative, positioning its strategy and financial performance with institutional investors while advising executive leadership and the Board on market expectations, investor sentiment, and capital allocation priorities.

Prior to MillerKnoll, Wendy led investor relations at Arhaus, GrafTech International, and Leggett & Platt, building a track record of strengthening investor engagement and enhancing capital markets credibility. Her experience spans investor relations, corporate development, and enterprise strategy.

Earlier in her career at Leggett & Platt, Wendy spent two decades in legal, operational, and strategic roles, including leading Corporate Development and Strategy for the Commercial segment. She began her career as an M&A, securities, and finance attorney, with additional experience supporting government relations.

Wendy holds a B.A. from the University of Kansas and a J.D. from the University of Miami.

For over 25 years, Dave has helped public companies cut through governance and sustainability/ESG complexity to mitigate risk, strengthen stakeholder engagement, and drive real-world outcomes. At Rivel, he oversees business development, steers Rivel’s global revenue strategy, and leads consulting for the Governance & Sustainability practice he founded—partnering with CEOs, boards, sustainability, and IR leaders on disclosure, global regulations, investor and general stakeholder engagement, and pragmatic, framework‑aligned reporting.

Dave’s work connects corporate strategy to reporting standards (SASB/IFRS, TCFD, GRI, CSRD) so organizations communicate with clarity and credibility while meeting evolving regulatory demands.

Throughout his career, Dave has managed complex engagements, including corporate actions, annual and special meetings, and high-profile proxy campaigns. He collaborates with directors and counsel to design and execute tailored board evaluations that assess alignment of strategy, risk management, and corporate culture.

Before joining Rivel, Dave held senior leadership roles at firms such as Georgeson, Laurel Hill Advisory Group, AST Phoenix Advisors, and Argyle. Beyond client work, Dave serves on the advisory board for the School of Arts & Sciences at the New York Institute of Technology and the NIRI Virtual Chapter board, is a Vistage member, a certified professional coach and current U.S. Youth Soccer Eastern New York Olympic Development Program coach. He holds a BA in English from the New York Institute of Technology.

As a leader and senior advisor with GuideLign, Cindi and our team of experienced IROs deploy their industry expertise and Rivel’s tailored advisory solutions to address questions, issues and challenges for C-level, board and IRO clients. Cindi’s goal is to maximize IR program effectiveness for companies across all locations, industries and market caps.

Her 35+ year career includes over 20 years in investor relations and strategic communications, along with 15 years in investment banking.

Prior to joining Rivel, Cindi led investor relations for five publicly traded companies including Take-Two Interactive Software, Cablevision and Scientific Games, and also headed corporate communications in several of her roles. She brings extensive experience to clients seeking to improve their messaging, expand buy-side ownership and sell-side coverage, and develop and execute IR strategy. Additionally, she is adept at helping companies successfully navigate M&A and other financial transactions, as well as critical business challenges including proxy contests, shareholder activism, corporate crises, and leadership transition.

Outside of work, Cindi and her husband enjoy cooking, visiting wine regions, boardwalk strolls, and listening to audio books. Dedicated to her community, she serves on two boards, including the Turtle Bay Association, a non-profit community organization in Manhattan. She is also an active member of the NIRI New York chapter, where she served on the Board for four years and was honored as Chapter Volunteer of the Year in 2022.

Cindi holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Finance and Accounting from Drexel University, where she graduated Valedictorian.

As a solutions specialist for TrendLign perception studies, Jennifer provides guidance to Rivel’s clients in support of critical decision making, planning and strategy. She works one-on-one with IROs, management teams and the board to interpret study results and develop action steps that achieve maximum impact.

A seasoned executive, Jennifer brings over 26 years of investor relations experience. She served as vice president of IR at industry giants including ExxonMobil, Caterpillar, DuPont, Campbell Soup and Best Buy. Her diverse expertise includes navigating mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, CEO and CFO transitions, earnings beats and misses, lawsuits, investor days and various shareholder proposals. She excels at understanding the perceptions and expectations of the buy-side and sell-side, and instilling best practices to inspire confidence in management teams.

Outside of work, Jennifer participates in her church choir, is a master gardener and enjoys spending time with her husband and two adult children.

Jennifer graduated as a National Merit Scholar and 10th in her class from the University of St. Catherine with a B.A. in English. She also holds an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas, where she graduated magna cum laude.

Jennifer holds an Investor Relations Charter (IRC) designation and actively contributes to NIRI. She served on the national board from 2019 to 2021, was named a NIRI fellow in 2023 and has presented at multiple NIRI chapter events. Jennifer has held leadership positions in the NIRI Philadelphia and NIRI Twin Cities chapters and currently mentors two NIRI representatives. She contributed content to the NIRI Book of Knowledge, set to be published this fall.

Conor collaborates closely with the GuideLign advisory team to offer support and oversee project management for both existing and potential clients, thought leadership initiatives, and special assignments. He excels at guiding clients through various challenges such as IR best practices, investor targeting, sell-side targeting, client board reporting, IR program assessment, IR KPIs, earnings process reviews, and materials optimization.

Before joining Rivel, Conor served as an account executive and head of digital at High Touch Investor Relations, a boutique investor relations firm. There he managed multiple client projects and led others by conducting research, writing, communicating with investors and management, and developing materials. In his digital role, he enhanced the firm's social media presence and produced podcasts.

In his personal time, Conor enjoys playing and watching sports, cooking, cinema, biking and hiking. He also loves traveling across the U.S., searching for the best local cuisine.

Conor holds a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in media studies from Quinnipiac University and is affiliated with NIRI's New York chapter.

Michael is a Director within Rivel's StoryLign division, where he collaborates with companies worldwide to craft compelling investor communications.

With more than 10 years of experience in investor relations and strategic communications, Michael's background includes prominent positions at W.W. Grainger Inc., Tribune Publishing, and Rose & Co. He's also held roles in finance and operations at ABC News and Honeywell, further enriching his insights. His client portfolio spans industry giants like USAA, Harley-Davidson and DePaul University. Sector expertise includes working with clients in the Food and Beverage, Aerospace and Semiconductors industries.

Prior to his career in investor relations, Michael focused on print journalism, writing, and editing for renowned newspapers such as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Omaha World-Herald.

Outside of his career with Rivel, he is still a passionate writer and reader, with a keen interest in college football. He also actively contributes to his community by volunteering with two local organizations.

Michael holds an MBA from the University of Notre Dame and received his bachelor's degree in journalism from Drake University.

As a leader and senior advisor with GuideLign, John and our team of experienced IROs deploy their industry expertise and Rivel’s tailored advisory solutions to address questions, issues and challenges for C-level, board and IRO clients. John’s goal is to maximize IR program effectiveness for companies across all locations, industries and market caps.

John started his career in finance and has over 25 years of experience in investor relations. He has led IR teams at various companies and advised diverse clients at IR-related firms.

Beyond his professional commitments, John enjoys spending quality time with his family, traveling, playing golf, and honing his culinary skills.

John received his MBA and bachelor’s in accounting from Santa Clara. He holds an Investor Relations Charter designation and currently serves as President of the NIRI Virtual Chapter board.

Gene has been with Rivel since 2000 and now manages the overall growth of company. While with Rivel, Gene helped to create Rivel’s renowned IR best practices program called GuideLign while overseeing approximately 800 investor perception studies and advising senior management teams and boards on strategic investor communications. Gene is also a frequent presenter and panelist at global investor relations meetings and conferences.

Prior to joining Rivel, Gene spent eight years brokering on Wall Street.

Much of Gene’s free time is devoted to School of Rock activities and his son’s rock & roll band, King Falcon.

He earned a BA in International Business from Hofstra University.

Steve serves as senior director and head of Rivel’s advisory division. He advises global companies of all sizes and sectors on developing and implementing effective, value-added investor relations strategies.

With more than 25 years of experience in equity research and investor relations, Steve brings broad and balanced expertise to companies seeking to strengthen their messaging and maximize valuation potential. His experience spans the buy side, sell side, investor relations and consulting.

Before joining Rivel, he was vice president of investor relations at Synchrony Financial, where he was recognized by Institutional Investor. He also served as a lead sell-side analyst at UBS. In addition, he has a strong track record of investment outperformance on the buy side, including time at BlackRock.

Steve holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Boston University, an MBA from Boston College and is a CFA charterholder.