"When he took the helm of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Department in 2017, he came in with the business imperative to increase change [in] that advisor demographic." she said, adding that he backed it up with metrics for accountability, importantly, and "continues to show up year after year to support us," while also backing the CFP Board's scholarships to nurture diverse talent pipelines. While other firms later latched on to the need for better DEI efforts in the wake of George Floyd's murder, Tate said, "Merrill was already doing it."