Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Rick Birt serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of SADD at a national level. As such, he is responsible for leading the organizational programming, outreach, development, and communication efforts, while leading the SADD National Staff. Working closely with the Board of Directors, Rick sets and implements the strategic direction for SADD, empowering the millions of students in which SADD serves.

Jesse Bridges serves as the SVP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at EVERFI. In this capacity, she is EVERFI’s lead subject matter expert on DEI, representing thought leadership across corporate, higher education, and K12 networks. Prior to joining EVERFI, Jesse served as the Senior Director of Organizational Culture and Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Education Advisory Board and before this, Jesse served in higher education administration, most recently at Purdue University as the Associate Dean of Students.

Bernie Heffernon has been in the financial services industry for 25 yrs. and joined Equitable early last year.  In his role as the Divisional Vice President, East Region, Tax-Exempt Markets, his team is focused on providing retirement plan solutions for the Education and Governmental markets, as well as Not For Profit organizations. Aside from his professional leadership roles, Bernie is involved with various industry associations, is an avid outdoor enthusiast, and is big fan of college basketball as he follows his alma mater the University of Kansas Jayhawks.

Jarian Kerekes serves as the Head of Equitable Foundation and Social Impact. In this role, he is responsible for the overall social impact strategy, partnership programs and engagements in alignment with Equitable’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals and objectives of being a force for good. Jarian joined Equitable after serving as the Senior Vice President of Team Member Philanthropy at Wells Fargo where his responsibilities included managing an enterprise-wide strategy supporting volunteerism programs that provided opportunities for employees to make positive impacts in their communities. Jarian currently serves on the board of SHARE Charlotte and holds a master’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech.

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For the past 20 years, Mike has helped many public schools in providing his expertise in designing their 403(b) and 457(b) voluntary plans to be in compliance and to maximize their benefits. Through his collaboration, you will benefit from his dedicated comprehensive approach in providing your employees with a retirement benefit that meets your needs with a personal touch. Lastly, the Equitable solution offers personalized guidance around enrollment, education and investing to build a program that works for your employees. Mike is FINRA licensed and holds a Certified Retirement Education Specialist (CRES) certification through NTSA.