Press Release

Kevin Donovan 2025 Recipient of the Harry T. Eidson Founders Award

Issued by ASPPA [American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries]

Oct. 28, 2025

Kevin Donovan is the 2025 recipient of ASPPA’s Harry T. Eidson Founders Award. He received the award at an Oct. 27 session of the ASPPA Annual Conference in San Diego.

Founder and senior advisor of Pinnacle Plan Design, Donovan’s career also includes being a founder of another American Retirement Association (ARA) “sister,” the American Society of Enrolled Actuaries (ASEA) as well as one of its Enrolled Fellows, and his work as an actuary and CPA.

“His peers have recognized him many times over,” said 2025 ASPPA President J.J. McKinney, noting that Donovan is also the 2015 recipient of the ASPPA Educator’s Award (now the Thomas J. Finnegan III Educator of the Year Award) and the 2019 winner of ASEA’s Edward E. Burrows Distinguished Achievement Award.

“Throughout his career, he has guided plan sponsors and practitioners through the complexities of plan design, compliance, and administration with expertise, clarity, and integrity,” said McKinney. He continued that Donovan “also has been a teacher, a mentor, and a thought leader shaping the next generation of professionals through his work, writing, and speaking.”

“His work exemplifies the very spirit of this award of dedication to education, professionalism, and advancing the private retirement system for the benefit of all working Americans,” said McKinney.

Donovan thanked many parties who figured heavily in his life, including his parents, wife, and children. He also thanked those who were a part of the development of his career, including his colleagues at Pinnacle Plan Design and those in ASPPA who first encouraged him to become involved in the organization, among them Larry Starr, Lynn Young, Lawrence Deutsch, Tom Finnegan, and ARA CEO Brian Graff.

About the Harry T. Eidson Founders Award

The award was created in 1995 to honor the memory of ASPPA’s founder, Harry T. Eidson, FSPA, CPC. He played a pivotal role in ASPPA's establishment in 1966, driven by his strong belief in the critical role of a private workplace retirement system in the United States and his dedication to fostering and building an organization committed to preserving, advancing, enhancing, and protecting that system.

The ASPPA Leadership Council selects the recipients of the Eidson Award from a list of nominees. It considers the following criteria regarding a candidate’s contribution:

• • • The contribution must be consistent with the ASPPA mission statement and should have a lasting, positive influence on ASPPA or the private pension system.
    • The contribution may be current, one that spanned many years, or one made years ago from which ASPPA or the private pension system benefits today.
    • The contribution should be a result of time devoted above and beyond reasonable expectations and not a result of time spent primarily for personal gain.
    • The contribution may have been made and/or recognized on a national or regional level; however, publicity is not a criterion.

Every year, ASPPA recognizes one or two individuals with this prestigious award for their outstanding contributions either to ASPPA itself or to the broader private workplace retirement system.

Previous Honorees 

The previous winners of the Eidson Award include:

2024   Kyla Keck, CPC, QPA, QKA, ERPA

2023   Nevin E. Adams, JD 2022   Thomas J. Finnegan, FSPA, CPC, QPA 2021   Craig P. Hoffman, JD 2020   Sarah Simoneaux, CPC 2019   Richard A. Hochman, APM 2018   Mark Iwry 2017   Joan Gucciardi 2016   Judy A. Miller, MSPA 2015   Dallas Salisbury 2014   Sheldon H. Smith, APM 2013   Sal L. Tripodi, APM 2012   Lawrence C. Starr, CPC, QPFC 2011   Bruce L. Ashton, APM 2010   Curtis E. Huntington, APM 2009   Samuel Savitz, MSPA, CPC 2008   Karen Jordan, CPC, QPA, QKA and Paul Schultz 2007   Michael Callahan, MSPA and Evelyn Petschek 2006   Janice M. Wegesin, CPC, QPA, and Carol D. Gold 2005   G. Patrick Byrnes, MSPA 2004   Fred Reish, APM 2003   Robert D. Lebenson, MSPA 2002   Curtis D. Hamilton, MSPA, CPC 2001   Ruth F. Frew, FSPA, CPC 1999   Leslie S. Shapiro, JD, in 2000; Howard J. Johnson, MSPA 1998   Andrew J. Fair, APM 1997   Chester J. Salkind 1996   John N. Erlenborn 1995   Edward E. Burrows, MSPA

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