(615) 726-2410

Our History

Acuff & Associates is a third party administrator (TPA) for 401(k) and other types of defined contribution retirement plans and an actuarial consulting firm for defined benefit plans. Acuff & Associates does not sell any investment products or provide investment advice. Our only business is providing quality plan design, consulting, and administration services.
Founded in 1991, Acuff & Associates is totally focused on and dedicated to the business of designing and safeguarding your pension or 401(k) retirement plan. We develop and offer our clients administrative services that ensure their plans comply with Internal Revenue Service and Department of Labor requirements and guidelines.

Acuff & Associates’ specialized consulting services are the legacy of a group of dynamic entrepreneurs whose goal was to provide the best personal service possible. Today, we have extended our expertise and expanded our operations to include the entire spectrum of qualified retirement plans. Our performance is a testament to the absolute commitment, integrity, and professionalism of our most vital asset – our people.

Our Senior Staff

Trina Gross APA, QKA
Chairman/CEO

Trina Gross, serving as Chairman and CEO of Acuff & Associates, is a founder with the firm since its inception. Trina is responsible for the executive oversight of Acuff’s 40+ professionals and 1,100+ qualified retirement plans. With career experience in the retirement and consulting field, she has a vast knowledge of plan design, consulting with employers on all aspects of their plans, and complex administration. She served on the Board of Directors for the National Institute of Pension Administrators, and served as President for the 2019-2020 term. She is dedicated to the betterment of the retirement industry while leading the firm.

Jennifer Duff, APA
Principal

With more than 20 years of experience in retirement plan administration, Jennifer Duff leads the Defined Contribution Administration Team at Acuff & Associates. Her experience ranges from working with a national firm in the defined benefit area to managing a team of plan analysts providing all administrative services for Acuff. Her capabilities in focusing her team on excellent client service are surpassed by none.

Matthew Bravo, EA, MAAA
Principal

Matthew Bravo is an Enrolled Actuary with 18 years of experience advising companies in the design, compliance, funding and administration of their retirement programs including qualified cash balance and traditional defined benefit plans. With prior large plan experience (plans of up to 100,000 participants), he now focuses his efforts to deliver customized retirement solutions for small to mid-size organizations and individuals. He enjoys helping clients find retirement plan solutions that are easy to understand and result in straightforward financial solutions.

Michael Baron, MBA, CRPS, AIF
Principal

Michael Baron serves as Regional Director of Sales with over 18 years of experience in the financial services industry. Michael’s passion is working with financial advisors helping them win, manage and retain the business of their institutional clients. With the insight he has gained, he is considered a great practice management resource. Michael enjoys working with all types of advisory practices from groups dealing exclusively with retirement plans to advisors looking to make retirement plans a piece of their marketing efforts.

Ashley Temple, APA
Principal

As Implementation Manager, Ashley is highly motivated by the desire to assist Acuff & Associate’s clients for the purpose of making sure a strong network of communication is established. She is responsible for ensuring that each client’s plan is running smoothly. She has more than eight years experience in retirement plan administration, including generating plan documents, compliance testing and conversion processing.

Steve Jones, ERPA
Principal Emeritus

Steve Jones is a Relationship Manager with 40+ years of experience bringing creative solutions to the most complicated of retirement plans. He believes that the key to a successful plan is to properly manage it from top to bottom; making sure the plan first fits the needs of the employer, and then staying on top of the details. He also mentors the staff as a Technical Resource.

John Russell, APA
Managing Associate

John Russell is a Relationship Manager and Team Manager with more than 25 years of experience in retirement plan administration and consulting, While specializing in defined contribution plans, John’s experience has also included work on defined benefit plans as well.

John enjoys helping clients navigate through the somewhat confusing world of retirement plans. He believes in working together with clients and their service providers to provide the best retirement planning for their employees.

Pamela Leitschuh, APA
Managing Associate

With more than 20 years of experience, Pamela Leitschuh serves as Controller and Human Resources Director with Acuff & Associates. Along with her responsibilities as Controller, Pamela manages the Asset, Distribution and Administrative Teams. She is instrumental in all things “financial” for the firm.

Jeff Underwood, CPA
Managing Associate

Jeff Underwood brings his highly technical knowledge and 30 years of experience to Acuff & Associates as a Senior Administrator and Technical Resource. He manages several of the most complex plans for the firm providing administration and consulting expertise for those clients. As a CPA, he brings an additional level of depth that is immeasurable to the Acuff Team.

Heather Mursch, QKA
Managing Associate

Heather Mursch has over 20 years of experience in the retirement plan industry, with a high level of expertise in peer review. She leads Acuff’s Peer Review Team, working closely with her team to deliver quality results to each client. Heather and her team are dedicated to providing client calculations that maximize efficiency, ensuring the best outcome tailored to each request. Her contributions ensure each plan is run profitably for each Acuff client.

Ginger Lehman, APA
Managing Associate

Ginger is a Relationship Manager and RM Team Leader with 30 plus years of experience in defined contribution retirement plan administration and consulting. Ginger enjoys the challenge of working with her clients to solve the puzzles in the ever- changing world of retirement plans. She enjoys leading her team through coaching and sharing her experience to provide excellent service to their clients.