Keynote: The Human Side of Wealth

Event Overview

Family offices are experiencing unprecedented growth, growing at roughly 5% to 6% annually in number, with even faster growth in assets under management. Yet, much is still misunderstood as to what a family offices actually is, and how they operate.

Family offices are frequently viewed through the lens of investment management, tax strategy, and wealth preservation. Yet the most effective family offices play a much broader role. They help families build leadership capacity, strengthen governance, prepare future generations, and align around shared purpose.

Drawing on insights from the Family Office Advanced Leadership Program developed with RSM, Daniel Van Der Vliet, the John and Dyan Smith Executive Director of Family Business at Cornell University, and Karen Costa, Family Office Enterprise National Practice Leader at RSM US LLP, will explore how leading family offices navigate the challenges of multigenerational leadership, often with non-family executives in key leadership capacities. Through practical examples and emerging best practices, this Keynote will explore why the future of family office success depends as much on developing people as managing capital.

What You'll Learn

Learn the leadership practices that distinguish thriving enterprising families.
Understand what is foundational to create sustainability across generations.
Explore how family offices can become catalysts for stewardship, philanthropy, and long-term family success.

Speakers

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Karen Costa

Family Office Enterprise Leader, Partner

RSM US LLP

Karen Costa is a tax partner and leader of the Family Office Enterprise practice for RSM US LLP. In this role, she is responsible for the buildout, operations, execution, and strategic direction of the Family Office Enterprise team. 

Karen works closely with the line-of-business Family Office Enterprise team to bring a structured approach to designing/redesigning and operationalizing family offices to meet each family’s short- and long-term needs and to achieve the strategic goals of the family’s enterprise. 

Karen holds an M.S. in Taxation and a BBA in Public Accounting, magna cum laude, both from Colorado State University.

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Daniel Van Der Vliet

John and Dyan Smith Executive Director of Family Business

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

As the founding director of the Smith Family Business Initiative at Cornell University, Dann Van Der Vleit built one of the world’s leading academic platforms for family enterprise education.

During his tenure, Cornell launched the Family Office Institute – an executive development program for family office professionals – and introduced cornerstone offerings such as the Cornell Case Competition for Family Ownership, the Leaders in Family Enterprise course, and the Sam Seltzer Mentors Forum.

Before joining Cornell, Dann served for 12 years as Director of the Family Business Initiative at the University of Vermont, where he expanded a highly regarded program featuring multiple peer groups and owner forums, and he co-founded the Family Enterprise Case Competition, the first global case competition dedicated exclusively to family business.

Dann holds both a B.S. in Natural Resources and an M.Ed. from the University of Vermont.

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