In 2026, the Exit Planning Institute® (EPI) is proud to announce a new way for Certified Exit Planning Advisors (CEPA®) to stay connected with us: the Member Experience team. This team is built for one purpose: to help you, as a CEPA, feel and see the return on investment (ROI) of your designation in your day-to-day practice.
As a CEPA, you have benefited from a mix of communications and resources designed to help you stay informed and access valuable programs and events, such as the Exit Planning Summit. That structure created a strong base of content and community that many advisors used to launch and grow their Value Acceleration work with business owners.
EPI’s Member Experience team will take that to a new level. The goal is to make it easier to leverage your CEPA designation as a core part of your practice and to see a real, tangible impact.
Meet your new Member Experience Team
If you’re already a CEPA, you might be familiar with several members of the new Member Experience team, which includes:
- Drew English, Director of Membership
- Ryan Beltz, Senior Member Experience Representative
- Paul Matas, Member Experience Representative
- Emily Hoffner, Member Experience Representative
- Matiss Reineks, Member Experience Representative
- Alexandra Gray, Member Experience Representative
Led by Drew English, EPI’s former Fulfillment Manager, the Member Experience team brings a blend of operational knowledge and a familiarity with the exit planning community. Together, this team will serve as your primary point of contact for questions about your membership, resources, events, and how to effectively utilize your CEPA credential.
You can expect to see Drew and his team attending events such as the Exit Planning Summit, EPI Chapter events, and others.
Easier to Reach and Engage
Relationships have always been at the core of the CEPA community, from phone calls and emails to interactions at EPI Chapter events and the Exit Planning Summit. The Member Experience team will keep that focus but make it easier to know whom to reach out to and how they can assist you in specific situations.
Instead of getting lost in a maze of links, programs, and emails, you will have a more straightforward path, a dedicated team, and a community structure that makes it easier to use your designation in your day-to-day business.
“(CEPAs are going to see) more communication, but in a clearer way. It will be more concise,” Drew says. “It's going to be easier to reach us in terms of phone calls, emails, or questions that people have.”
What This Means for Your Practice
For CEPAs, the evolution toward a dedicated Member Experience structure is intended to feel like a natural step forward as the designation and community continue to grow. You still have access to the familiar programs, content, and events, now with additional guidance and a team whose primary lens is your long‑term success with your CEPA designation.
”(CEPAs) can expect a more direct path in terms of how the CEPA designation can really impact them in their business, and at the end of the day, we want them to see an ROI on the CEPA,” Drew adds. “It’s really important for us to make sure that we showcase that they're getting everything out of the designation.”
Over time, the Member Experience team aims to deepen engagement so that the CEPA designation feels less like a credential on a résumé and more like a living framework that shapes how you assist business owners.
Related Resources
About the Certified Exit Planning Advisor Credential
A Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) is a professional credential for advisors who wish to engage with business owner clients through the exit planning process using the Value Acceleration Methodology™. Through the CEPA credential, advisors can provide new offerings for clients and stand out from their non-CEPA peers, all while gaining access to education, resources, and a vast network of like-minded professionals.
