Brad R. Lankford

E.A., M.A.A.A.

President and CEO

Brad Lankford is the President and CEO of North American KTRADE Alliance, LLC. Brad also serves as the President, CEO, Consulting Actuary and Pension Consultant for the TPA firm Latitude Retirement. He is based in Latitude’s corporate office in Plymouth, IN.

As President and CEO of KTRADE, Brad oversees the operational staff and serves as Managing Director of KTRADE's TPA Alliance.

Brad was one of the founding members of Latitude in 1989 and has always been Latitude’s lead actuary responsible for overseeing the administration of defined benefit plans. As President and CEO of Latitude, Brad manages the pension consulting team, oversees all plan administration and manages the firm’s corporate affairs.

Prior to co-founding Latitude, Brad worked as an actuary in Indianapolis before moving to Warsaw, IN where he provided actuarial consulting services to insurance companies, accounting firms and other pension administration firms.

Brad completed his undergraduate studies at Ball State University and his graduate work at Butler University in actuarial science. He is an enrolled actuary (EA), a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA) and a member of the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA).

Trent Newcomb

CPC

Director of Operations

Trent Newcomb is the Director of KTRADE Operations, and is responsible for managing and supervising KTRADE's operational team. Trent was the first employee hired by KTRADE's predecessor, NLG Direct, and has been with KTRADE since its founding in 2001.

Trent joined Latitude Retirement (formerly known as NLG) as a Pension Consultant in its Plymouth, IN office in 1998. Before joining Latitude, Trent was employed by a pension consulting firm in Chicago. Trent’s primary role with Latitude was to maintain client and advisor relationships and work with the Latitude administration group on all facets of plan administration. Trent has maintained his role as Pension Consultant for some key Latitude clients.

Trent received a BA in mathematics and business administration from Wabash College, where he also played basketball. He is a Certified Pension Consultant (CPC) of the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA). He resides in Plymouth, IN with his three children. His hobbies include family activities, basketball, fishing and golf.

Steve Gradeless

Director of Market Development

Steve Gradeless is KTRADE's Director of Market Development and he joined the firm in January of 2012. His responsibilities include assisting KTRADE's existing TPA Alliance Members to drive new growth into their business, identifying and adding new TPAs to the Alliance Membership, serving as KTRADE's field liaison to broker/dealer firms and third party money managers, and working with financial advisors to help them write and service KTRADE business. Prior to joining KTRADE, Steve represented Nationwide Financial Services, Inc. in various roles including Vice President of Business Development for Private Sector Retirement Plans, National Sales Manager for Select Markets, National Sales Manager for GICs and Terminal Funding Annuities, Director of Private Sector Pension Sales and TPA Relationship Manager. He started his career as an Associate Actuary for Lincoln National Life Insurance Company in Fort Wayne, IN.

Steve graduated cum laude from Taylor University in Upland, IN and is in their Athletic Hall of Fame. He was a two-time NAIA All-American in Cross Country and a two-time small college Indiana state champion in the mile run (1600 meters), 3 mile run (5000 meters) and cross country.

Steve and his wife Jeannine live in Dublin, OH and have four children. He enjoys Major League Baseball (he is a Chicago Cubs fan), the National Football League (he is a Green Bay Packers shareholder) and Big Ten basketball.

Kevin Miller

CPC

Assistant Director of Operations

Kevin Miller is the Assistant Director of Operations for KTRADE, performing daily tasks involved with recordkeeping. Kevin joined Niles Lankford Group, Inc. as a Pension Administrator in its Plymouth, IN office in 2001 before transitioning to KTRADE's predecessor, NLG Direct, and has been with KTRADE since its founding.

Kevin completed his undergraduate studies at Manchester University in North Manchester, IN where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance. Kevin is a member of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA). Kevin lives in Plymouth with his wife and three children. His hobbies include family activities and canoeing.