Donna Pagano, CFP©
President, Family Love Letter
Donna Pagano is the co-author of the Family Love Letter and a nationally recognized speaker, thought leader, and advocate to help families “get their houses in order.” With a career spanning nearly 40 years in the financial services industry, Donna has dedicated her work to empowering families, individuals, and advisors to create meaningful “living legacies” through the Family Love Letter process.
From her Westlake Village, CA office, Donna provides guidance, training, and certification for professional advisors who integrate the Family Love Letter into their practices. Her message—that legacy is more than wealth; it’s wisdom and love—has resonated with audiences across the country. Donna’s expertise has been featured in leading publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Journal of Practical Estate Planning, Kiplinger’s Retirement Report, Chicago Tribune, and Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
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Over the course of her distinguished career, Donna has successfully balanced professional achievement with family life. She previously served as Vice President of the Women’s Markets Program at a national financial company, where she championed initiatives to better support women in financial planning.
Earlier, she held the role of Vice President of Business Development at a leading financial services firm, coaching top advisors on strategic growth. She also built a thriving personal practice as a financial planner in Southern California.
A lifelong learner and advocate for professional education, Donna holds the Certified Financial Planner® designation, one of the industry’s most respected credentials.
At home, Donna treasures time with her husband, Joe—her partner of more than 54 years—their three children, and six beloved grandchildren.
John J. (“Jeff”) Scroggin,
EP (Distinguished), J.D., LL.M.
John J. (“Jeff ”) Scroggin has been married to Lynn since 1979. They have three children and four grandchildren.
Their oldest son is an artistic blacksmith, their daughter has worked as a charitable fundraiser for six charities (and is now a stay at home mother) and their youngest son is an Iraq war veteran. Since 1995 Jeff has practiced out of an 1889 house in the heart of the historic district of Roswell, Georgia.
Jeff is a three-time graduate (B.S.B.A., J.D., LL.M.) of the University of Florida where (since 2011) he has served as a Member of the Law Center Association Board of Trustees at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Since its creation in 2012, he has served as a Founding Board member of the Florida Tax Institute.
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Jeff served as a member of the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils Board of Directors (2002-2010). He was President of the Estate Planning Council of North Georgia for three consecutive years and served as Chairman of the 2004 NAEPC National Convention in Atlanta.
Jeff has been deeply involved in his local community, including serving as: Chairman (2007-2009) of the North Fulton Community Foundation, Founding Chairman (2008-2012) of the Friends of Barrington Hall (one of Roswell’s historic antebellum homes), member of the Board of Directors (2004-present) of the Historic Roswell Convention & Visitors Bureau, and a Member of the Roswell Rotary Club; Chairman’s Award (2009).
Jeff has authored over 260 articles, columns, whitepapers and books. He was Founding Editor of the NAEPC Journal of Estate and Tax Planning (2006-2010) and was Co-Editor of CCH’s Journal of Practical Estate Planning (2004 to 2006). The central focus of most of Jeff’s writing is on the practical applications, traps and planning opportunities with regard to tax and estate planning issues and/or predictions and practical implications of evolving trends within the tax, business and estate planning communities.
Jeff is a nationally recognized speaker and has spoken over 400 times to groups across the US. He has been quoted over 100 times in the national media, including 9 times in the Wall Street Journal, 3 times in the New York Times, 2 times in the New York Times International, 3 times in USA Today, 5 times in Forbes Magazine, 3 times in Fortune Magazine and once in the South China Post.
In November 2017, Jeff was inducted into the Estate Planning Hall of Fame, becoming its 105th inductee. US News and World Report named Jeff one of the 2018 Best Lawyers in America. Jeff has been named a Georgia “Super-Lawyer” for every year since 2009.