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by Rob DiFranco on April 9, 2026
Every year, the Exit Planning Institute® (EPI) awards the Peter Christman Exit Planner of the Year Award, honoring the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) who has demonstrated a passionate dedication to the profession.
This award is the highest honor offered in the exit planning industry, and honors EPI founder Peter Christman, who emphasized the importance of holistic exit planning.
Each nominee reflects EPI’s core values and excels at communicating and teaching about value creation and acceleration.
Read below to learn more about them and see who will receive these prestigious awards at the 2026 Exit Planning Summit in Nashville.
Renee Russo, CEPA®
Renee Russo is a leading voice in the exit planning and value growth advisory profession, recognized for her ability to integrate value acceleration, operational excellence, and personal transformation into a cohesive, high-impact journey for business owners.
As Founder and CEO of Rise Up Business Coaching Ltd., Renee leads a small but mighty team of specialized Value Growth Advisors delivering high-touch, results-driven value growth and exit planning solutions to business owners. Her work supports entrepreneurs in building measurable enterprise value, unlocking personal wealth, and ultimately realizing true freedom in both their business and their life.
A Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®), Renee grounds her practice in the Value Acceleration Methodology™, bringing a strategic and execution-focused lens to helping business owners prepare for exit on their terms and timeline. Her experience as both a former business owner and a former Professional EOS Implementer® provides her with deep expertise in operational systemization, performance optimization, leadership development, and enterprise value creation.
Renee is also the creator of the Ready to Rise Energy Management System, featured in her bestselling book, Ready to Rise. This framework addresses one of the most overlooked dimensions of exit planning—the owner's personal readiness, helping clients align their identity, energy, and purpose with their financial and succession goals to ensure a successful transition into their next chapter.
In addition to her advisory work, Renee is the founder of Exit Mentor, a peer mentoring community designed to elevate Certified Exit Planning Advisors. Through this platform, Renee brings CEPAs together in a structured, collaborative environment where advisors share insights, resources, and real-world experiences. The community is grounded in a commitment to “walk the talk,” with members actively applying the Value Acceleration Methodology within their own practices as they build best-in-class exit planning firms.
Recognized for her high energy, empathetic leadership, and relentless commitment to solutions, Renee has guided hundreds of business owners and executive teams through critical inflection points. From enabling clients to significantly increase enterprise value to reducing owner dependency and clarifying life-after-business vision, her work is focused on unlocking potential and delivering meaningful, lasting outcomes.
Renee on Excellence in Exit Planning
“Excellence in exit planning, to me, is about helping business owners achieve true freedom by intentionally building enterprise value so that owners can unlock their wealth and realize their freedom to live their life by design.
This work is deeply personal for me. I have lived the experience of being a business owner without clarity on my options, without a coordinated advisory team, and ultimately making decisions under pressure. That journey shaped my belief that every owner deserves better. They deserve a clear path, a proven process, and a team around them who can help them move forward with confidence.
Over time, I have come to define excellence in this profession through three simple, but disciplined, commitments to how we work with owners and work alongside each other as peers: Execute the Proven Method, Consistently, Integrate Human, Systems, and Artificial Intelligence, and Grow Together as a Professional Community.
At the end of the day, excellence in exit planning means helping business owners build valuable, transferable businesses that give them options and ultimately the freedom to choose their future on their terms.
That is the standard I hold myself to, and the impact I am committed to expanding through this work.”
Neil McPeak, CEPA®, CFP®
Neil McPeak Jr, Financial Advisor & Managing Partner, joined the McPeak Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network in 2010 after earning his B.S. in Economics with a concentration in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Neil works with both individuals and institutions, focusing on analyzing complex financial situations and delivering customized investment strategies tailored to each client’s goals.
He earned the Certified Financial Planner® certification in March 2013 and added the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) designation in 2023, further strengthening his expertise in comprehensive planning and business‑owner advisory services.
Before beginning his career in wealth management, Neil trained with the U.S. Rowing National Team at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA. He lives in Linwood, NJ, and remains an active supporter of Penn Rowing.
Neil on Excellence in Exit Planning
"Excellence in exit planning is aligning the business, the owner, and their wealth—before the transaction ever happens.
It requires a true relationship between the advisors, CPA, attorney, investment banker, and wealth manager, working in sync as one team. The result is a business owner who exits on their terms, with clarity, confidence, and no regrets."
Investment products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC (WFAFN), Member SIPC. McPeak Wealth Management Group is a separate entity from WFAFN.
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