Founder Bio

Castle Rock’s President, Michele L. Suriano, founded the firm in 2006. She has worked in the financial services industry for over 20 years and served as a retirement plan adviser for more than 15 years. Her qualifications and designations include:

1. Passed the following FINRA examinations:
   1. Series 6 (Investment Company and Variable Contracts Products Representatives)
   2. Series 7 (General Securities Representative)
   3. Series 63 (Uniform Securities State Law)
   4. Series 66 (Uniform Combined State Law).
2. Passed the Colorado state insurance exams for life, health and variable annuities.
3. Earned the following additional designations:
   1. Tax-Exempt & Governmental Plan Consultant (“TGPC”) certification awarded by the American Society of Pension Professional and Actuaries (“ASPPA”).
   2. Qualified Plan Financial Consultant (“QPFC”) designation awarded by ASPPA
   3. Accredited Investment Fiduciary™ (“AIF®”) designation awarded by the Center for Fiduciary Studies
   4. Global Fiduciary Strategist (“GFS”) designation
   5. Certificate in Fiduciary Governance from Thunderbird
   6. Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Applied Economics from Hofstra University.
4. Board of Directors for the Denver chapter of the Western Pension & Benefits Council (2007- 2013)
5. Public speaking engagements:
   1. September of 2011, Rocky Mountain Area Conference using plan design to optimize participant outcomes
   2. September of 2012, Rocky Mountain Area Conference on plan-level and participant-level ERISA notice requirements
   3. 2010 PLANADVISER National Conference
   4. 2011 PLANSPONSOR National Conference, httpss://www.planadviser.com/psnc-2011-small-plans-big-challenges/
   5. 2013 PLANSPONSOR National Conference, httpss://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2013-metric-taking/
6. Adviser to two finalists for Plan Sponsor of the Year (2013 and 2017); and
7. Quoted in several articles by the retirement benefits industry trade publications, www.plansponsor.comand www.planadvisor.com