Meet the Team

About

Kevin has more than three decades of experience in the field of information technology, as a consultant and in-house manager for many companies. A well-rounded Security specialist, his background includes hands-on experience in technical management, systems architecture, program and project management, network design and deployment and ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) and SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) methodologies. His previous employers include Kratos Defense, Advisors Asset Management, Peak Wireless and Microsoft.

At PenChecks Trust®, Kevin oversees the Information Services and Technology division while coordinating infrastructure and service delivery across the company. His responsibilities include supporting all enterprise applications, data, communications, and information security. Additionally he continues to see that the PenChecks Trust system remains on the leading edge of distributions technology by developing new applications and ensuring a stable and scalable infrastructure for information security. Kevin holds an MS in Cybersecurity from Liberty University.

Executive Profile

       Information technology can be a real strength for a company – or a source of vulnerability. Fortunately, there are people like Kevin Smallen who have a real passion for data security and who devote themselves to protecting the companies they work for and their clients.

Before joining PenChecks Trust, Kevin worked mostly for large organizations like Microsoft and Kratos Defense, He also served as a consultant and in-house IT manager for many companies – including PenChecks Trust, where he assisted with system maintenance, data security and other IT tasks. When company president Peter Preovolos offered him the position of Vice President of IT in early 2016, he came aboard full-time.

“I was looking for a management position with a smaller company that would allow me to feel part of the family rather than just a cog in a huge corporate machine,” says Kevin. “I knew from my consulting relationship with PenChecks Trust that it was the type of company I wanted to work for, and the position seemed like a perfect fit.”

While Kevin still oversees system maintenance and other IT tasks, his most important challenge is keeping the company’s technology systems at the forefront of the retirement distributions industry. As with any financial services firm, this starts and ends with data security. Accordingly, Kevin’s top priority involves making sure PenChecks Trust uses the latest security technologies, including data encryption on the company’s servers and other internal protection systems.

To ensure the highest standards of security, Kevin’s first task was to develop new policies and procedures that enable PenChecks Trust to maintain its SSAE 18 certification. Created by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ auditing standards board, SSAE 18 is an industry regulation that defines how financial services companies report on their data security and other compliance controls. This certification will become increasingly important as PenChecks Trust expands it product and service offerings into new areas.

Enabling Client-Friendly Technology

Ensuring that PenChecks Trust technology is easy to use – both for internal staff and clients – is also high on Kevin’s list of priorities.

“I believe the role of technology is to support people in doing their jobs more efficiently and effectively,” he says. “The challenge is making the data as secure as possible yet easily usable by both staff and clients. Our goal is to make it simple for our clients to interact with us through the technology and allow them to do what they need to do online in a timely manner.”

A devoted husband and father, Kevin has been married 29 years and has two sons, ages 29 and 26, both of whom played baseball in college. A former baseball player as well, Kevin now participates in adult softball leagues. He also likes to spend time in the great outdoors, shooting at firing ranges and engaging in hunting and fishing.

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