Charitable Tools Panel Presentation
Charitable Tools Panel Presentation
When: May 20, 2024 11:30AM
Where: Ruth Eckerd Hall- Dimmitt Lounge
Who: Adam Abelson, CJ Zygadlo, Duggan Cooley, Kit Van Pelt
Meet the Panel:
Adam Abelson is a Family Wealth Director, Portfolio Management Director and Alternative Investments Director at Morgan Stanley, as well as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®). Adam focuses on the management of the financial lives of his clients. This entails detailed financial and retirement planning, custom investment portfolio construction, wealth transfer strategies, and best practices and problem-solving for unique life events. Adam is a graduate of Duke University and was named by Forbes in 2024 as a best in state Wealth Advisor. Adam was born and raised in Pinellas County and is very active with local charities.
CJ Zygadlo a CPA, is a Senior Tax Manager in the Trust and Estate practice of CRI’s Clearwater office. She received her undergrad in Accounting from Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY and her MBA with a concentration in Forensic Accounting from USF St. Pete.
Duggan Cooley, CFRE, serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Pinellas Community Foundation (PCF) in Clearwater, Florida, since November 2016. With over two decades of nonprofit leadership, Duggan has worked with charitable donors to spearhead initiatives at PCF that have profoundly impacted the community, including the preservation of the Gladys Douglas Preserve and the creation of funds to support critical nonprofits. Previously, Duggan was the President and CEO of the United Way of Pasco County and Religious Community Services Inc., where he successfully increased service availability and community impact. He holds a Master of Nonprofit Administration from the University of Notre Dame and dual degrees from the University of Florida. Duggan is known for his strategic leadership marked by a deep commitment to enhancing nonprofit effectiveness and community impact, consistently advancing missions and well-being across various organizations.
Kit Van Pelt is a partner at Griffin and Van Pelt, P.A., in Clearwater, Florida. Her firm focuses on estate planning, probate and trust administration. Kit is a past president of the Pinellas County Estate Planning Council and a past president of the Clearwater Bar Foundation. She currently serves as a Board Member for the Clearwater Bar and the past chair of the Probate Section for the Clearwater Bar. Kit is an active member of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of The Florida Bar (“RPPTL”). For RPPTL, she serves as a member of the Executive Council, serves on multiple subcommittees and is a co-chair of the RPPTL Legislative Update Seminar committee. Kit also serves on the
