Frank Paré, a long-time volunteer for the Financial Planning Association and FPA award winner, has become president of the national organization effective Jan. 1.

He succeeds Shannon J. Pike, vice president of Tanglewood Legacy Advisors in Houston.

Paré was awarded the 2011 FPA Heart of Financial Planning Award and the 2012 FPA Leadership in Action Award, for his work on behalf of FPA and the financial industry. He began his volunteer leadership with FPA as a participant of an FPA “Day on the Hill” event in Sacramento, helping elected officials better understand the value of financial planning. He was elected to the FPA board of directors in 2013.  

Paré is president of PF Wealth Management Group LLC in Oakland, Calif., an independent boutique practice specializing in financial planning for families and small businesses. He also is an instructor in the personal financial planning program at the University of California, Berkeley and has been a volunteer leader in the FPA East Bay chapter.

In his new role, “Paré will serve the needs of Certified Financial Planner professionals in collaboration with the FPA Board of Directors and volunteer leaders across the country. He will work to elevate the success of CFP professional FPA members, advocate on behalf of the financial planning profession, and enrich FPA’s social impact efforts,” FPA said.

“FPA is an advocate and serves as a collective voice for the financial planning profession and our members care deeply about the future of the profession,” Paré said in a written statement. “They come to FPA to not only build on their success, but to carry out their passions to mentor others in the advancement of their careers as well as help transform lives through the power of financial planning.”

“Programs such as the FPA Member Advocacy Council provide our members an opportunity to be at the forefront of those issues that impact the financial planning profession, while FPA’s partnership with the Foundation for Financial Planning supports our members enthusiasm for pro bono financial planning initiatives,” he added. “I look forward to working with our volunteer leaders and staff to make a difference in the lives of our members, the profession and the public.”

The new FPA president received the Heart of Financial Planning Award for being instrumental in developing the first collaboration between local and state government to host financial planning clinics in Oakland, Calif., and cities across the country to help low-income families impacted by the [2008] economic downturn.

He helped FPA and its partners coordinate the inaugural Financial Planning Days program that launched in 2010 to help Americans discover the value of financial planning. for adoption.

Paré  is a graduate of San Francisco State University and earned a Master’s in Business Administration from Golden Gate University.