Executive Team

Theodore R. Daniels

Founder and President

Theodore “Ted” R. Daniels is the founder and president of SFEPD, an award-winning nonprofit teaching financial literacy to people of all ages and backgrounds, with an emphasis on communities of color. In 1998, Daniels founded SFEPD to teach individuals, especially first-generation college students, critical financial skills they might not otherwise receive or learn too late. Heis known as a global financial educator, author, and lecturer. A national leader in the financial literacy movement, Ted Daniels has 40 years of experience as a financial and investment advisor.

Before SFEPD, Daniels worked at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development where he served in managerial capacities related to finance. He teaches financial education to diverse audiences, including college students, corporations, faith-based organizations, and nonprofit groups, to help people become economically empowered. Daniels and his team of financial educators have successfully trained over 600,000 people in personal finance skills and strategies. In 2017, Daniels pioneered the SFEPD Student Ambassador Program, which trains college students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to teach their peers financial education. Through this innovative program, students develop leadership skills and serve as champions of financial literacy on their campuses. Daniels directs SFEPD’s Annual Financial Literacy Leadership Conference, where more than 200 educators, policymakers, and researchers convene to share financial literacy best practices.

Globally, Ted Daniels delivered a keynote address about U.S. financial literacy initiatives at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s (APEC) Conference in Beijing, playing a pivotal role in APEC’s first financial and economic literacy guidebook. He co-authored the book, Financial Literacy Education: Addressing Students, Business and Government Needs, which highlights groundbreaking financial literacy efforts in the United States and abroad.  Daniels currently serves on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Investor Advisory Committee. In the fall of 2020, Daniels led and moderated an acclaimed panel discussion on the topic of “Minority Investor Inclusion.” Daniels has published financial newsletters, a syndicated personal finance column, and produced a syndicated financial education TV series on PBS and cable systems nationwide. He is often interviewed for his financial expertise by the media. In 2022, the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) awarded Daniels its first Financial Education Impact Award for his achievements in advancing financial education and changing lives.  In 2014, Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy bestowed the William E. Odom Visionary Leadership Award to Daniels for his leadership and strategic work in the financial literacy field.

Daniels serves on the board of the National Center for Children and Families, the Fort Valley State University Foundation board, the advisory board for the College of Business at South Carolina State University, and a member of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Investor Advisory Committee. Daniels has a B.S. from Fort Valley State University in Business Administration with concentrations in economics and accounting, and a Bachelor of Law degree from John Marshall Law School. He has served as a lecturer at Howard University’s School of Divinity and taught economics at American University.


Tiffany Murray, Ph.D., AFC®

Managing Director

As SFEPD’s Managing Director, Dr. Tiffany Murray assists with developing and executing SFEPD’s programs and business strategies; oversees administrative, operational processes, and financial literacy program implementation; and creates and implements plans for the efficient workflow of programs and projects.

Dr. Murray holds a doctorate in personal financial planning from Texas Tech University and has years of experience as an AFCPE® Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®). She is committed to SFEPD’s critical financial literacy outreach and engagement with colleagues in financial education, HBCU faculty, administrators, students, and the underserved communities SFEPD serves.

Dr. Murray joined SFEPD after working as the program director of Red to Black® Peer Financial Coaching. There, she supervised and provided professional development and training to Ph.D., master’s, and undergraduate students and promoted the organization as a model of peer financial education.

While at Texas Tech, Tiffany also served as an instructor in the personal financial planning department and personal finance program. Additionally, she was a TEACH Fellow and received numerous academic fellowships, honors, and awards for her financial education contributions.

Previously, Tiffany was a senior team lead at Western Asset Management Company, a global investment management firm. She also served as assistant vice president at Countrywide Financial Corporation, primarily working with mortgage-backed securities. Before working for Countrywide, Tiffany was the assistant data center leader at Strategic Metrics, Inc., a marketing research firm.

She is a member of the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education, the Financial Therapy Association (FTA), the Academy of Financial Services (AFS), the Financial Management Association International, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Dr. Murray received both her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Alabama.


Una Daniels-Edwards

Vice President, Program Management

As Vice President of SFEPD, Una oversees SFEPD’s day-to-day management and strategic program oversight. She oversees the execution of the Society’s Annual Financial Literacy Leadership Conference, and she also is responsible for recruiting and credentialing instructors and workshop facilitators.

Una Daniels-Edwards has a strong commitment to financial literacy and uses her business expertise to ensure that SFEPD achieves its educational and professional development goals. When an individual needs help to find a financial literacy coach/program or to design and to coordinate financial literacy programs, Una has a solution and connects the appropriate expert to the request.

Una’s ability to provide impeccable service has spun the success of many SFEPD programs and services, including the Society’s widely acclaimed Mind Over Money Skills program. Una also makes sure the organization meets the compliance requirements of its grantors.

Prior to SFEPD, Una worked for a number of years in the corporate finance and investment services sector, where her responsibilities included investor relations, shareholder communications with retail investors, marketing, research, media relations, and client services.

Una is a graduate of the University of Maryland College Park with a degree in Business Administration.


Melissa Schnur

Director of Marketing & Events

As Director of Marketing & Events for SFEPD, Melissa oversees all aspects of the organization’s events, from branding, graphic design, and social media/marketing strategy for the webinar series Quarterly Talks with Ted, the annual financial literacy conference, and the SFEPD Academy for high school students. Melissa also serves as the webmaster for SFEPD and curates and designs the monthly Enews update.

Prior to joining SFEPD in early 2022, she served as the Program Manager for Marketing & External Relations for the School of Personal Financial Planning at Texas Tech University, where she was responsible for public relations, marketing, event planning, department scholarship coordinator and assistant director for the Financial Planning Academy.

With a robust background in nonprofit fundraising, marketing, and events, Melissa’s career path includes notable contributions to the Tulsa Performing Arts Center Trust, The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art, and Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Inc. (DVIS). She also served as the Editor of the Tulsa Jewish Review for the Jewish Federation of Tulsa.

Melissa Schnur holds a Bachelor of Arts in mass communications from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Her dedication to education, coupled with her multifaceted skill set, continues to make her a driving force in shaping impactful events and programs.


Jaqee Cooke, AFC®

Assistant Program Manager

As Assistant Program Manager, Jaqee Cooke is the newest addition to the SFEPD team and will work to strengthen the SFEPD financial education program. She spent over 30 years leading sales professionals for Fortune 100 companies before launching a coaching practice dedicated to working with people who want to feel less stress about money, learn new ways to view their finances and to trust that they have everything that is needed to lead the life they desired.  

Leading with an open heart, mind and ability to listen, Jaqee has combined the financial knowledge with a degree in Finance from the University of North Texas, MBA from Duke, and a certificate in Financial Therapy from Kansas State University. She has also completed course work in the Trauma of Money™, Somatic Transformation, Heart Math™ and is a candidate to become an Accredited Financial Counselor.


Robert Kinzer

Lead Financial Educator

Robert Kinzer is the lead financial educator for SFEPD and brings a wealth of financial expertise to the organization. Robert retired from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) with 31 years of service in 2017.  He served as a Senior Community Affairs Specialist. Robert taught and promoted financial education and economic inclusion to state legislators, education administrators, teachers, and consumers across the country.

From 1987 to 1996, Robert worked for the Federal Savings and Loan Corporation (FSLIC) and the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) as a Case Manager for the orderly liquidation of insolvent Savings and Loan institutions. Mr. Kinzer worked for the Acacia Group and Calvert Group as a licensed Stockbroker and Registered Investment Advisory Associate.

Currently, Robert is President of the Literacy Institute for Financial Enrichment, Inc. (LIFE), an 18-year non-profit 501c3 organization focused on teaching financial literacy and economic empowerment.  

Robert Kinzer is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, a Senior Fellow of the Partnership for Public Service, and a Certified Financial Education Instructor. Board Member of Indian Creek School.  He is a member of the Advisory Committee for the National Financial Educators Council.

Robert is a graduate of the University of the District of Columbia with a degree in Sociology and Anthropology.


Ginie Lynch

Senior Communications Advisor

As Senior Communications Advisor, Ginie assists with public relations outreach, media relations, and conveying SFEPD’s financial literacy messages and program information to external audiences. Ginie Lynch has a background in educational management, public and media relations, and communications.

Specifically, Ginie worked as a public relations executive, managing director of Salisbury University’s nonprofit civic engagement institute (PACE), a speechwriter/editor, and an international student services coordinator before joining SFEPD. Ginie financed her own higher education and strongly believes in SFEPD’s mission to help people, especially college students, achieve their long-term financial goals through financial literacy training. Ginie enjoys being a part of the SFEPD team of experts and educators committed to financial education for people of all ages and backgrounds.

In the field of educational advocacy, Ginie spearheaded strategic communications and community outreach for corporate, government, and nonprofit organizations. Earlier in her career, Ginie worked as a special assistant/speechwriter at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and as a business reporter for a Maryland newspaper where she honed her skills by writing news and feature articles.

Ginie is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BA in Latin American Studies and a master’s degree in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University. Ginie lived for four years in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where she attended an international high school. She currently serves as a member of the North Raleigh Civitan Club and on the board of the North Carolina Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.


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