Cost and Registration

Early Bird Rates End April 31, 2026

Refund Policy: by number of calendar days

100% - 7 days (or more) prior to the event
50% - 6-4 days prior to the event
0% - 3 days (or less) prior to the event

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Course Overview

One of the fundamental resources of the employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) movement is the large group of dedicated, well-intentioned people who agree to serve as trustees, board members or other fiduciaries on behalf of their company’s ESOP. If you are one of those dedicated people, you have undoubtedly felt the concern that is inevitable when taking on that sort of responsibility. The Beyster Institute at the University of California San Diego has developed a special intensive education program to help relieve some of that concern – the Certificate Program for Non-Professional ESOP Fiduciaries.

This program is not just another seminar or conference; it is a comprehensive, and demanding, certificate program that prepares you and your fellow in-house fiduciaries with the knowledge and training you need to do the job.

Who should attend:

• Employee-owners who serve as their company's trustee.
• Company leaders who interact with their trustee(s) whether internal or external.
• Members of your companies Board of Directors looking to understand the trustee relationship better.
• Company advisors unfamiliar with the role of a trustee in an ESOP company.

Course content includes:

• A review of the standards for appropriate fiduciary action given the potential range of decisions that will have to be made.
• Small group work to assure that students grasp the full nature and responsibilities of the role.
• In-depth exploration of the practical responsibilities that fiduciaries must deal with in their role.
• Examination of a wide range of fiduciary decision-making situations, with practical guidance from our faculty and guest experts.

Instructors

• ‍Martin Staubus, Consultant, Beyster Institute at the Rady School of Management, UC San Diego
• Howard Kaplan, Trustee & Fiduciary Specialist, Kaplan Fiduciary Group - Atlanta, GA
• Davin Gustafson, Valuator and Attorney, Apple Growth Partners, Cleveland, OH
• Peter Jones, Attorney, Tucker Ellis, Cleveland OH
• Chris Cooper, Ohio Employee Ownership Center

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Members of Ohio's Employee Owned Network receive generous discounts on all programing. Consider Becoming a Network Member click here

Here is what some of your peers said about the program:

“The program content was great, as well as the variety of speakers.”

“The program was very useful and I will recommend that the other fiduciaries in our company attend in the future.”

“I really liked the interaction with other company trustees.”

“Bravo to Kent for bringing the program to Ohio, I want to send my other folks here.”

And here is what attendees of the San Diego Program have said:

“Thanks to the entire Beyster team at UCSD! The course provided the education we all need to be successful and effective ESOP trustees for our companies. I feel better educated on what is and isn’t our responsibility as trustee. I feel empowered!”

“I feel hugely more empowered to make decisions that won’t get my company into trouble! Very much worth the time away from the office.”

“I wanted to thank you for a great class. I really enjoyed it and feel like I walked away smarter and better suited to act as a trustee.”

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