Executive Team

• Jerry Bramlett - President & Chief Executive Officer

  Jerry Bramlett is the President and Chief Executive Officer of NextStep Defined Contribution, Inc. and is responsible for the Company's vision, product/market strategy, and unyielding commitment to customer service.

  Prior to leading NextStep, Mr. Bramlett was the President and CEO of Benefitstreet, a position he assumed in February of 2008. He previously served as the CEO of The 401(k) Company, having founded the company in 1983. He led that organization until its sale to Charles Schwab and Company in early 2007. At the time of the sale, The 401(k) Company had grown to 350 employees and served over 100 clients with approximately $25 billion in plan assets and more than 425,000 plan participants.

  Mr. Bramlett is widely regarded as a thought leader, visionary and activist within the 401(k) and defined contribution fields. His track record is one marked by an entrepreneurial spirit, a knack for generating results, a penchant for continuous innovation, and an uncompromising commitment to customer service.

  He founded The 401(k) Company as a startup TPA in 1983, first developing a balance-forward system in 1984 and then a daily valuation DC platform in 1986. In 1991 he was one of the first industry leaders to leverage the practice of revenue sharing, and shifted from a small-market focus using insurance-based investment products toward more mid-market clients using a retail mutual fund offering. That same year he began developing an investment consulting practice, ultimately launching a web-based advisory platform for DC plans called FiduciaryDirect. In 2003, The 401(k) Company began advocating collective trusts and separate accounts, and effectively transitioned into the jumbo 401(k) market. With the shift toward larger plans, The 401(k) Company experienced assets-under-administration growth of over 40% annually.

  In 2007, Bramlett was voted #18 in 401kWire's 2007 "50 Most Influential", an annual ranking of the defined contribution industry's premier influencers and contributors. He was also ranked #24 in 401KWire's "100 Most Influential People in Defined Contribution" for 2009. He earned a B.A. from Southern Methodist University.

• Heather Hooper - Chief Operating Officer

  Heather Hooper is the Chief Operating Officer for NextStep Defined Contribution, Inc. In this role she oversees the human capital needs of the organization and manages the day-to-day responsibilities associated with NextStep’s California-based DC operations, IT and plan administration functions. She has over 15 years of corporate experience in a variety of fields including human resources, operations, compliance, real estate, immigration and employment law.

  Before NextStep, Ms. Hooper was employed with BenefitStreet, joining the company in 2005 and serving most recently as Vice President, Human Resources. Prior to that, she was the Director of Franchise, Real Estate and Contracts Administration for Papyrus, where she managed all franchise locations and acquisitions, and developed real estate criteria and strategy to drive aggressive growth. Ms. Hooper also worked at Commerce One as a Human Resources Program Manager and Specialist, where she created and implemented strategic HR and legal programs to maximize efficiency and maintain positive engagement. Prior to Commerce One, she held a number of senior positions in the technology and legal fields where she was responsible for HR strategy development, immigration management, global expansion/relocation initiatives and mergers and acquisitions.

  Ms. Hooper attended Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO, where she majored in Philosophy.

• Purvi Chekuri - Vice President, Finance

  Purvi Chekuri serves as Vice President, Finance for NextStep Defined Contribution, Inc. and is responsible for managing all financial aspects of the Company. She has over 15 years of progressive accounting, financial and managerial experience within the corporate accounting arena.

  Prior to NextStep, Ms. Chekuri was employed with BenefitStreet, Inc. and served in a number of key positions including Corporate Controller and Vice President, Finance. Before BenefitStreet, she worked for Quark Biotech, Inc as the Corporate Controller. In that role, she focused on internal controls, cost management and revenue recognition. Prior to that, Ms. Chekuri was the Corporate Controller of Docent Inc., and was instrumental in the preparation of SEC filings for the company’s Initial Public Offering. She has held senior financial positions with a number of other firms, including Lucent Technologies and Arthur Andersen, LLP, where her responsibilities included SEC reporting, system integration and auditing.

  Ms. Chekuri is a Certified Public Accountant, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the Walter A. Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley.

• Rebecca DiCeglie - Vice President, Plan Administration

  Rebecca DiCeglie serves as Vice President, Plan Administration for NextStep Defined Contribution, Inc. and is responsible for all third party administration (TPA) services provided directly by the company. In addition, she provides leadership and direction to NextStep's TPA Services and Account Management Team in delivering high quality compliance oversight and customer support to plan sponsors, plan participants and advisors. She has over 10 years of experience within the retirement plan industry.

  Prior to NextStep, Ms. DiCeglie was Senior Manager of Pension Operations with CKS Employee Benefit Systems, Inc., a third party administration provider to public, private, collectively bargained and non-profit organizations. In that role she was responsible for managing all aspects of the company's TPA services, including plan design, implementation and administration for general defined contribution plans, cross-tested profit sharing plans, safe harbor plans and defined benefit plans. She was also responsible for delivering technical support and compliance-related training to clients and CKS staff. Before joining CKS, Ms. DiCeglie began her career in the large-market financial services industry, working for Boston Financial Data Services and CitiStreet.

  Ms. DiCeglie is a member of the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA) and has attained the Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) designation. She graduated with a degree in Accounting and is well versed in ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code.

• Theresa Moran - Vice President, Corporate Counsel

  Theresa Guy Moran serves as Vice President, Corporate Counsel and Corporate Secretary for NextStep Defined Contribution, Inc. (NextStep) and oversees all legal matters concerning the organization. She has over 15 years experience counseling various types of corporations.

  Before joining NextStep, Ms. Moran was a partner with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP (fka Pillsbury Madison & Sutro). She joined the firm’s commercial litigation practice in 1992, moved to its labor and employment practice, and ultimately became a member of its corporate securities practice, where she advised clients such as private equity firms, Fortune 500 corporations, and emerging companies on a wide variety of matters. Ms. Moran also counseled clients on a range of transactional matters including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and financings, as well as day-to-day corporate issues.

  Ms. Moran has been an Adjunct Professor at the U.C. Hastings School of Law in San Francisco, CA since 2006. She earned a Juris Doctorate from Stanford Law School, and was admitted to the California Bar in 1992. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (with a concentration in Business Management) from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA.

• Ken Weida - Vice President, Sales

  Ken Weida is Vice President, Sales for NextStep Defined Contribution, Inc. and is responsible for all sales activities and related initiatives within the Company. He has more than 15 years of sales and benefits consulting experience, was a cofounder of Benefitstreet, Inc., and is the former President for American 401(k) Services.

  Mr. Weida also oversees the development of NextStep’s advisor and TPA distribution channels, working with several major advisor networks throughout the country as well as with smaller independent RIA groups and regional TPAs interested in building a defined contribution practice. By combining national networks of investment advisors with regional TPAs, he helps to enhance the solutions and services NextStep provides while further positioning the Company as a national solutions provider.

  Prior to NextStep, Mr. Weida was the Senior Vice President, Sales for BenefitStreet, a company he cofounded.

  Mr. Weida earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from California State University, Hayward, and is a frequent speaker at defined contribution industry events. He is currently a member of the following partner and industry groups:

  • Fidelity Executive Forum
  • Relius Executive Forum
  • Fidelity Recordkeeper Advisory Board Member
  • Equity Administration Stock Inc. (EASi) Board Member
  • Council of Independent 401(k) Recordkeepers (CIKR) Member
  • Society of Profesional Asset-Managers and Record Keepers (SPARK)

   

• Mychele White - Vice President, Relationship Management

  Mychele White serves as Vice President, Relationship Management for NextStep Defined Contribution, Inc. and is responsible for leading all relationship management initiatives for the Company. She oversees NextStep’s Relationship Management group in delivering best-in-class customer service and support to all plan sponsor clients, plan participants, and advisor/TPA partners.

  Prior to NextStep, Ms. White was employed with BenefitStreet for three years, where her most recent role was Vice President, Relationship Management. She also served in other prominent roles with BenefitStreet that focused on contract administration, investor relations, and customer service.

  Before joining BenefitStreet, Ms. White worked for B2B Pioneer, Commerce One. Her 7-year career with Commerce One included executive roles in Corporate Administration and International Event Planning. Prior to that, she served six years at The Clorox Company in various client-facing roles, including trade show coordination, sales planning, and executive-level administration for key product lines.

  Ms. White earned an Associate of Applied Science degree from Heald Business College.