Meet Your Team

Adriana M. Starr, J.D.

Counsel | Ferenczy Benefits Law Center

Adriana M. Starr, J.D., is of counsel to Ferenczy Benefits Law Center in Atlanta, Georgia, where she works on a range of qualified retirement plans and related matters.

Ms. Starr prepares related employer determinations for controlled and affiliated service groups, analyzes operational and ERISA compliance plan issues, advises clients with respect to corrective procedures, prepares corrective filings for submission to the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Labor, and advises plan service providers on reporting and disclosure requirements in their client service agreements. In addition, Ms. Starr assists S. Derrin Watson with answering a wide variety of questions regarding qualified retirement plans through the ERISApedia Asked & Answered Service. She has also co-presented notable webinars on related employers and other topics in partnership with Mr. Watson.

Prior to joining Ferenczy Benefits Law Center, Ms. Starr worked for a regional third-party administrator for nearly a decade. She was deeply involved in the many facets of third-party administration, from processing plan participant distribution requests to leading the ERISA Services Team. Her responsibilities on the ERISA Services Team included plan document drafting, coordinating recordkeeper conversions, new client onboarding and orientation, and managing plan compliance issues.

Michael Ceolla

Chief Technology Officer

Mike who is originally from Mukwonago, WI, balanced his high school years between studies and selling computers at Best Buy, sparking his initial interest in technology. He furthered this interest at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, working for the UW-Madison Athletic Department website while earning a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts: Media.

After college, Mike shifted to broadcast media, directing and technical directing morning newscasts at WKOW-TV and WISC-TV for three years each. Alongside, he ran a media production side-business for about eight years, focusing on wedding videos and projects with the Madison Police Department. Returning to web development, Mike joined ExploreWisconsin.com as a programmer and systems administrator for four years. His career progressed at ftwilliam.com, where he grew from a developer to a scrum master, and finally a developer manager over nearly 14 years.

Outside work, Mike enjoys home automation, boating on Lake Wisconsin, playing with his two dogs, and hosting backyard bonfires with friends and neighbors. These activities reflect his love for technology, nature, and community.

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mike@erisapedia.com

Alison J. Cohen, J.D.

Partner | Ferenczy Benefits Law Center

Alison is a Partner with Ferenczy Benefits Law Center in Atlanta, Georgia where she advises clients on many issues related to qualified retirement plans, including design, mergers and acquisitions, audits, and operational issues. Alison commonly works with clients that have operational issues to guide them through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and/or Department of Labor (DOL) corrective programs, prepare corrective filings, and prepare and support clients through an audit conducted by the IRS and/or DOL. Alison is a member of the Georgia and California State Bars. Prior to joining Ferenczy Benefits Law Center, Alison worked at a large bundled service provider for nearly 16 years as an Associate Vice President, Compliance Manager and Regulatory Liaison. As part of her responsibilities there, Alison served as a national speaker on audit and correction issues. She served on the Employee Plans Subcommittee of the IRS Advisory Committee on Tax-Exempt and Governmental Entities (ACT).

Ilene H. Ferenczy, J.D., CPC, APA

Managing Partner | Ferenczy Benefits Law Center

Ilene H. Ferenczy, J.D., APA, CPC is the Managing Partner of Ferenczy Benefits Law Center, an employee benefits law firm in Atlanta, GA. Ms. Ferenczy advises clients on all types of employee benefit plans, particularly focusing her practice on qualified retirement plans, benefits issues in mergers and acquisitions, and advising third-party administrators of employee benefit programs on technical and practice issues. Having become an attorney after more than ten years as a third-party administrator, she brings a unique and practical approach to her advice.

She is a member of the State Bars of Georgia and California, and holds designations as an Accredited Pension Administrator from the National Institute of Pension Administrators (NIPA), and a Certified Pension Consultant from the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA). Ms. Ferenczy is the 2017 recipient of NIPA’s Excellence in Education Award and the 2007 recipient of ASPPA’s Educator of the Year Award.

Lorraine Dorsa

Principal | Aegis Pension Services

Lorraine Dorsa, FCA, MAAA, MSPA, EA, CEBS is a Principal at Aegis Pension Services Inc., an actuarial firm in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. She has extensive experience providing defined benefit and cash balance plan design analysis, actuarial consulting, and actuarial support services to plan administrators, TPAs, CPAs and financial institutions. She is a frequent speaker at employee benefits conferences including those sponsored by ASPPA, NIPA, AICPA and other professional associations as well as seminars sponsored by financial institutions, plan sponsors and other groups.

She is an Enrolled Actuary, Certified Employee Benefits Specialist, Fellow of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries (CCA), Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (AAA), Member of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA) and Member of the National Institute of Pension Administrators (NIPA).

Joanne K. Pecina

Vice President of Sales

Joanne is Vice President of Sales for the ERISA Compliance Research Suite at ERISApedia. She started her employee benefits career in 1979, administering qualified retirement plans. Over the years she has worked in most phases of the retirement industry, including plan administration, trust accounting, plan design, plan documents, reporting and consulting, presentations, marketing and sales in the small to mid-size markets. In January of 2004, Joanne joined an Atlanta firm as head of the Sales & Marketing group and worked over the next several years to substantially expand the customer base. Joanne continued her career with a global publisher managing key National accounts, product sales and training as well as overall customer and project management.

In September of 2015, Joanne joined ERISApedia. Her focus at ERISApedia is on the ERISA compliance research suite of solutions. Joanne works with prospects and customers alike, showing them the state of the art interface, continually updated e sources, ease of use and the many intuitive features offered to create a great ERISA Research compliance experience.

Joanne served on the Board of Directors for the Pension Educational Council of Atlanta (PECA). In her spare time, she enjoys cycling, golf, antiquing and volunteering for Atlanta Lab Rescue. She works out of our office located outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

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jpecina@erisapedia.com

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(770) 999-0819

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Eric Blackstone

Software Developer

Eric Blackstone is a software developer specializing in creating innovative solutions for the tech industry. Previously, Eric excelled as a freelance technical copywriter, leveraging his extensive knowledge in medical writing and pharmaceutical advertising to craft compelling content. However, he felt a strong calling to transition his career towards software development. Eric’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to co-found Nova TheraNostics LLC, a biotech company that emerged from the renowned University of Washington. While this venture was an exciting endeavor, Eric realized his true passion lay in the world of software. In his earlier professional life, Eric served as a Technology Manager at the University of Washington Center for Commercialization (formerly UW TechTransfer). During this time, he made significant contributions to technology transfer and commercialization efforts. With a diverse academic background, Eric earned a B.S. in Biology from the University of Rochester. Fueling his thirst for knowledge, he pursued a PhD in Molecular Biology at the University of Washington while simultaneously completing an MBA in the evenings. His groundbreaking doctoral research focused on devising a revolutionary approach to induce artificial hibernation in mammals, providing the foundation for the biopharmaceutical company, Ikaria.

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eblackstone@burrmont.com

Elizabeth (Libby) Lindsay

Editor-in-Chief for Publications

Elizabeth (Libby) Lindsay is our Editor-in-Chief for Publications where she is responsible for editing the firms’ newsletters. She has over 13 years’ experience in the retirement plan area primarily with Wolters Kluwer TAG (Technical Answers Group). At TAG, she was responsible for editing the daily newsletter, project management, customer support, and training staff among many other functions. She brings her strong technical knowledge and her ability to form strong relationships to her job at ERISApedia. She has a degree from the Culinary Institute of America. In addition to baking, she likes to hike, paint, garden, and crochet in her spare time.

Libby works in our Atlanta, GA office.

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elindsay@erisapedia.com

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(612) 605-2266 Ext: 106

Maureen Pesek

Vice President | Customer Service

Maureen Pesek is Vice President Sales with responsibility for customer relationships and business development tools. She spent most of her career at Target Corporation, Minneapolis, MN. During her over 20 year career at Target, she held several managerial positions in Internal Audit, Finance, Accounting and Human Resources. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a BBA and received her MBA from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. Maureen also has a Master’s in Education and spent several years teaching math to middle school students.

Maureen works out of our office in Minneapolis, MN.

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mpesek@erisapedia.com

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(612) 444-3665

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S. Derrin Watson, J.D., APM

counsel to the Ferenczy Benefits Law Center

S. Derrin Watson, J.D., is of counsel to the Ferenczy Benefits Law Center, with over 45 years of experience in dealing with retirement plans. He is also an ERISA educator, frequently providing web seminars with ERISApedia and making presentations at seminars and conferences.

His published works include Who’s the Employer, the Plan Corrections eSource, the 403(b) Plan eSource, and the 457 Plan eSource, all published with ERISApedia, where he handles their Ask the Author service. He is working on his fifth book, dealing with plan distributions. Mr. Watson also works with FIS with their Relius line of documents and educational programs.

In 2006, ASPPA awarded Derrin its Educator’s Award for his work in providing professional education to plan practitioners. In 2023, NIPA award him their Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the pension industry.

He received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from BYU and his law degree from UCLA. He served two years in Iran as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and his wife, Julene, have 2 married sons, the 5 most wonderful grandchildren on the planet, and four amazingly loving cats.

Carrie Patchett

Director of Technical Operations

Carrie Patchett has been employed as a data specialist for ERISApedia.com since 2017. She became the Chief Specialist in 2018 and directs the data specialist function at ERISA. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor in Business Administration.

Carrie works out of our office in St. Louis, MO.

Timothy M. McCutcheon, J.D., CPA, MBA

Publisher | ERISApedia and President | Burrmont Compliance Labs, LLC.

Timothy M. McCutcheon, J.D., CPA, MBA, is the Publisher of ERISApedia.com and President of Burrmont Compliance Labs, LLC. Tim is the founder of ftwilliam.com, the most innovative document and government forms provider in the industry. He wrote the first web-based 5500 forms package and introduced the first retirement plan document e-sign system. Tim is a member of the IRS Great Lakes TE/GE Council and a former member of the Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee of the IRS. Prior to founding ERISApedia.com and ftwilliam.com, his law practice included counseling TPAs, financial service companies and other benefit service providers regarding qualified plan product design and compliance. Tim received his JD (cum laude) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also a CPA and holds an MBA degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Tim works out of our Atlanta office.

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tmm@erisapedia.com

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(612) 605-2266

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Charles G. Humphrey, J.D.

Principal of the Law Offices of Charles G. Humphrey

Chuck Humphrey is principal of the Law Offices of Charles G. Humphrey in Buffalo, New York. He was IRS and Labor Department attorney and has focused his practice in the area of ERISA and employee-benefits law for more than thirty-five years. Having practiced in governmental, large law firm, financial institution, and consulting settings, he brings a fresh approach to problem solving for his financial institution and plan sponsor clients. He currently chairs the American Bar Association (ABA) Subcommittee on Multiple Employer, Professional Employer Organizations, and Controlled and Affiliated Service Groups and sits on the Fiduciary Responsibility/Plan Investments Subcommittee of the ABA. He is an original and continuing member of the IRS Northeast Pension Liaison Committee and a member of the New England Employee Benefits Council. He is a former member the IRS National Determination Letter Committee. He holds an undergraduate degree in history from the University Michigan and a law degree from the University of Buffalo Law School. He is admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia.

Norma J. McCutcheon, MBA

Chief Operating Officer

Norma J. McCutcheon, MBA, is the Chief Operating Officer of ERISApedia.com. Norma has spent over 25 years in the healthcare industry in various management and executive positions. She has extensive experience in managing large and small organizations. Before joining ERISApedia.com she was successful in securing financing, building and becoming CEO of a new specialty cardiac hospital in Milwaukee. Norma received her MBA degree with honors from Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL and her BSN degree from Rockford College, Rockford, IL. Norma works out of our Atlanta office.

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njm@erisapedia.com

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(612) 605-2266

Our Authors

Timothy M. McCutcheon

Ilene H. Ferenczy

S. Derrin Watson

Alison Cohen

Charles G. Humphrey

Lorraine Dorsa

Adriana M. Starr, J.D.

The ERISApedia Team

Maureen Pesek

Joanne K. Pecina

Norma J. McCutcheon

Carrie Patchett

Elizabeth (Libby) Lindsay

Michael Ceolla

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Email

Adriana M. Starr, J.D.

Michael Ceolla

Alison J. Cohen, J.D.

Ilene H. Ferenczy, J.D., CPC, APA

Lorraine Dorsa

Joanne K. Pecina

Eric Blackstone

Elizabeth (Libby) Lindsay

Maureen Pesek

S. Derrin Watson, J.D., APM

Carrie Patchett

Timothy M. McCutcheon, J.D., CPA, MBA

Charles G. Humphrey, J.D.

Norma J. McCutcheon, MBA