A professor and researcher of personal financial planning at Kansas State University has been chosen as the 2026 chair-elect of the CFP Board, the organization’s board of directors announced.
Martin Seay, Ph.D., CFP, will become chair of the board in 2027, succeeding current Chair-Elect Terri Kallsen, CFP, who will serve as chair in 2026.
At Kansas State, Seay teaches in the CFP Board-registered undergraduate and Ph.D. programs. He focuses his research on borrowing decisions, how psychological characteristics shape financial behavior and how consumers seek and use financial advice.
Seay won the 2014, 2017 and 2019 Financial Planning Association Annual Conference Research Paper Awards, the CFP Board’s 2016 ACCI Financial Planning Award and the 2016 Montgomery-Warschauer Award.
His papers have appeared in academic publications including the Journal of Economic Psychology, Journal of Behavioral Finance, Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, Financial Planning Review.
Seay became a member of the CFP Board in 2022, serving as board director. He also serves on the board’s CEO Oversight and the Finance and Investment committees.
“Martin is deeply committed to the growth and integrity of the financial planning profession,” 2025 Board of Directors Chair Liz Miller, CFP, CFA, said in a news release. “His experience and passion will help CFP Board continue advancing the profession amid an ever-changing environment.”
Seay served as president of the Financial Planning Association in 2020.
He received the Distinguished Financial Planning Alumnus Award by the University of Georgia in 2021 and was named to the 2020 InvestmentNews 40 Under 40 class.
“What an honor to be selected as the 2026 Board Chair-Elect by my colleagues on the Board of Directors,” Seay said in the release. “I’m eager to use my years of experience in financial planning to champion CFP® certification and grow our community of competent, ethical financial planners.”
He received a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. with an emphasis in family financial planning, both from the University of Georgia. He received his CFP certification in 2014.
