Dave DeFazio

Patrick is beginning his 43nd year with the credit union movement and has worked for St. Louis Community Credit Union for the past 32 years. Patrick was appointed CEO/President of St. Louis Community Credit Union in January, 2008. The credit union has witnessed substantial growth while maintaining high levels of financial strength. Patrick and the SLCCU leadership focus on those strategies that will continue to propel their success. They are the 8th largest credit union in the metropolitan St. Louis area (including Southern Illinois) and stands at the highest level of name recognition/brand awareness among St. Louis city residents.

St. Louis Community Credit Union has 60,000 plus members and is one of the most active Community Development Financial Institutions in the area. SLCCU focuses on serving the stressed and distressed communities of St. Louis City and near County. The credit union employs 190 people, 90% of which reside in those same stressed and distressed communities.  With the credit union’s 17th branch, SLCCU has an office within two miles of 98% of the St. Louis City population.

Patrick has spoken worldwide with companies for over 25 years.  Based on your mood, Patrick is either motivating or aggravating.  His presentations are informative and urge people to have the “ah-ha” moments that lead to success.

Patrick has a beautiful wife, four grown kids and four beautiful grandkids.

Don first worked with Brett Christensen at Clark County Credit Union as one of his original hires and a member of his first sales team. While at CCCU, Don quickly moved through the ranks at the credit union, working in all areas of Sales and Lending. He eventually founded a CUSO owned by CCCU– Members Auto Brokerage Service, Inc.

Don joined up with Red Rocks Credit Union in Highlands Ranch, CO in 2007 and helped RRCU to establish a vibrant sales culture while transforming the Credit Union from full retail delivery to offering 100% of consumer loans and member service through remote delivery channels. This effort drove down operational expenses, reduced the FTE count, increased loans, total assets and net income.

During the difficult economic times of the last decade, Don navigated the organization through the muddy waters of the mortgage business by overhauling the entire Real Estate Lending program. Focusing on the core values of the organization, Don completely rebuilt this vital area of the organization by implementing a successful Consultative Lending strategy. Don’s efforts are credited with turning this failing area around and growing into the most profitable area of the credit union.

Don’s unique leadership style and passion for Sales and Leadership have made him a sought-after speaker, trainer and strategist. He works with credit unions around the country helping them grow their loan programs, organizational design, lending technology and strategic planning.

Bruce is a senior executive benefits specialist for Cuna Mutual Group, a company that specializes in the design, implementation, financing and ongoing administrative support of supplemental executive benefits programs specifically tailored to credit unions. He is located in the western region of the country. He brings to Cuna Mutual Group his experience in the financial services industry since 1982.

Bruce began with Cuna Mutual Group in 1988 as a PLAN AMERICA representative. In 1990, he became a district manager, and in 1994 he was promoted to division manager of member services. In 2003, he was a regional vice president of the western and north central regions for the financial services sector of Cuna Mutual Group. In 2006, he worked with Cuna Mutual Group's institutional advisory services, which assisted credit unions in managing their portfolios. Prior to working at Cuna Mutual Group, Bruce worked in Chicago selling life insurance, annuities and securities for Century Companies of Waverly, Iowa.

Bruce has a Bachelor's degree in business and education from Aurora University in Illinois. He is FINRA securities registered and holds a life and health insurance license. Bruce qualified seven times (1994, '95, '96, '99, 2010, '12, and '19) for The President's Council, which recognizes excellence.

Jeff Cardone specializes in representing credit unions and other community-based financial institutions with respect to various transactional matters, including credit union mergers, credit union acquisitions of banks, purchase and assumption transactions, branch sales, secondary capital/subordinated debt offerings, public stock offerings and CUSO formations.  Mr. Cardone also assists credit unions and other financial institutions with various corporate, regulatory compliance and enforcement, corporate governance, securities and executive compensation matters.  He also regularly speaks about mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, regulatory and compensation matters to various financial institutions industry groups.

Mr. Ancin Cooley, CIA, CISA, is the Founder and Principal of Synergy Credit Union Consulting, Inc. Synergy provides a suite of risk management services to financial institutions, which include loan reviews, information technology audits, internal audits, directors' exams, and regulatory compliance reviews. As principal, Ancin manages a growing portfolio of clients with assets ranging from $100 million to over $800 million dollars.

Ancin brings more than 10 years of experience to the industry. He gained deep, first-hand knowledge while serving as an examiner at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). During his tenure at the OCC, he performed safety and soundness examinations at community and mid-size banksthat ranged from $100 million to $8 billion dollars in total assets. After leaving the OCC, Ancin worked for a regional accounting firm where he led internal audits, as well as loan and pre-regulatory examiner reviews.

When not advising clients, training for triathlons, or spending time with his young son, Ancin designs and conducts trainings for the banking industry. In addition, he is a well sought-after expert contributor to a host of financial publications. He has most recently been featured in Forbes Magazine and The Independent Banker.

Ancin holds a Master’s of Accounting and Financial Management degree from Keller Graduate School and received a Bachelor of Science in Business from Morehouse College.

With his deep corporate roots, Matthew Court is a unique entrepreneur with over 25 years experience in the financial sector. Matt serves as SVP – Portfolio Analytics at nCino, and oversees the growth of analytics solutions within the company. From the infancy of internet banking to the constancy of core processing, Matt has a very diverse background to help financial institutions navigate the intricacies of the industry. Matt enjoys golfing with close friends (and anyone else for that matter), tennis with his family, and spending all the time he can with his beautiful wife of almost 30 years, Kim, and his four children.

Jim Craven is Vice President & Senior Consultant with McQueen Financial Advisors. As a seasoned professional with more than 30 years of experience, Jim is known for his deep knowledge of financial modeling, regulatory guidance and challenges facing our industry. In his current role, Jim is part of a team responsible for the company’s continuous improvement and expansion efforts. He is a regular conference speaker on a variety of topics and writes monthly industry-specific commentary. Also, Jim consults with clients on risk mitigation strategies, valuations, policy development, ALM validations, and regulatory topics. In his previous role at McQueen, Jim developed several models which monitor interest rate risk, establish value, calculate CECL allowance and monitor investment holdings.

David Dean is Chief Operating Officer of Marketing Solutions for CU Solutions Group, where he oversees Professional Media & Creative Services, GSTV, Save to Win and the Love My Credit Union Rewards program, which has empowered more than 3,000 credit unions to help more than 3.5 million members save over $1 billion.

David is also responsible for identifying and assessing opportunities to advance the company’s near– and long-term goals through strategic acquisitions, corporate partnerships and alliances, and digital product design.

Prior to joining CU Solutions Group, David was Chief Operating Officer and Head of Business Development at CU Wallet. Before professionally joining the credit union movement, David was a Vice President with Turner, where he was responsible for strategic partnerships and the development and acquisition of original content for the truTV network.

Dave DeFazio is a partner at StrategyCorps and works with bank clients to design, build and implement a variety of checking, marketing and training programs. His extensive financial services experience and continuous research in the field ensures each product and service meets the needs of today’s retail bankers.

As partner, he develops consumer sites and mobile apps that deliver value to bank customers as well as analysis tools that allow clients to have a deeper understanding of customer relationships and product profitability. He has spoken at conferences nationwide about insight and research on innovations in financial technology, retail banking and other tactics of today’s best retailer marketers. Dave received his B.A. in Economics and Mathematics from Ohio Wesleyan University.

Peter Duffy is Managing Director at Sandler O’Neill & Partners, L.P. in New York City. Duffy works with Credit Unions and banks nationwide in competitive analysis, investment portfolio development, charter decisions, board meetings, loan portfolio sales and ALM.

Duffy is the former Chairman of the Credit Union Executive Society Financial Suppliers Advisory Committee and has been a frequent speaker at credit union and bank conferences since 1996, including the November 2006 AEI Panel on the CU Charter. Duffy has worked with credit unions and banks since 1993, has written a monthly column for C.U.E.S. and has been published in C.U. Times and C.U. Journal discussing issues such as competitiveness, investments, asset/liability management, the economy, the right metrics for CUs and charter decisions.

Prior to Sandler O’Neill, Peter Duffy spent 11 years at the Procter and Gamble Company in sales and sales management where he was involved in many test market initiatives for the company. Duffy was also a Sales Manager for Sealy Mattress and National Foods. Most recently, he spent 10 years at First Empire Securities and a year and a half at KBW both in New York.

Duffy is a 1977 graduate of Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth, Texas where he earned a B.A. in Business Management with a Minor in Marketing. Duffy is a 1973 graduate of Plano High School.

Peter Duffy lives in New York, has coached youth sports for over 30 years and fly fishes whenever he can.

As President and CEO of Curql Collective, Nick cultivates opportunities to help fintech and credit unions collaborate on breakthrough technologies that minimize threats and successfully improve, disrupt and position the industry with a best-in-class member experience.

Prior to leading Curql Collective, Nick was President of The Veridian Group, Inc. (TVG), the wholly-owned CUSO holding company of Veridian Credit Union, where he led investment strategy and direction for the $5.2B institution. Based in Waterloo, Iowa, TVG’s holdings include Veridian Insurance and Veridian Fiscal Solutions with total staff over 45 strong. During his tenure, Nick managed TVG’s more than ten direct minority investments in CUSO companies, positioning the organization with direct equity stakes in Dwolla, Alkami Technology and Moov Financial and committing approximately $10MM in six venture or seed capital funds.

Recognized as one of the Top 20 Business Leaders by Valiant CEO Magazine, and featured on The Today Show, ABC, the Global BV-TV Network, Beyond the Business Radio Show, and CEO World, Dr. Troy Hall is an award-winning talent retention consultant, international speaker and multiple bestselling author.

As the founder of Cohesion Culture™, Dr. Troy has dedicated his career to establishing a cycle of culture wellness in the corporate and professional sphere. His consulting and executive coaching engagements are built on the strategic framework of Cohesion Culture™, making the concepts of belonging, value, and shared commitment easy for organizations to adopt and implement.

Following a long and productive career as Chief Economist and Chief Policy Officer for the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) in Washington DC, Bill Hampel is now an economic consultant specializing in explaining trends in the economy and financial institutions to business leaders.

​Bill served as Interim President/CEO of CUNA from June to September 2014. He was one of the association’s longest tenured executives, and a senior member of CUNA's advocacy team.

Bill is an expert on the economy and credit union issues, and has been regularly interviewed by the media for stories appearing on major national television, radio and print outlets. He has also testified before Congress about a number of key credit union issues.

Hampel holds a doctorate in economics from Iowa State University. He and his wife Diane live in Tampa.

As a purpose-driven, high-results CEO Ronaldo led Southwest Louisiana CU to become a certified CDFI and $950,000 CDFI Award-Winner working with CU Strategic Planning. His legacy at SWLACU is the development of an executive team capable of maintaining the phenomenal 1.22% ROA, 7% yield on average loans and more than 10% annual loan growth left in their hands.

Ronaldo is a thought leader and highly sought after speaker on Diversity Equity and Inclusion raising awareness of and knowledge about the practicum as a keynote speaker at CUNA Management School, SW CUNA Management School, Western CUNA Management Alumni Association, CUES, and the NCUA's Inaugural Diversity Summit. He is published in The Credit Union Journal, CU Times, CU Insight, Credit Union Magazine and CU Today. Dozens of peer CEOs receive his counsel annually including in recovering from, responding to and establishing new processes in the wake of the industry's most significant, headline-making racial crises in 2018 and 2019. He currently serves as the President and CEO of NACUSO, an organization focused on inspiring innovation and cultivating collaboration in the credit union industry.

Ronaldo received holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and Masters of Science in Human Resource Education with a concentration in Leadership Development. He is an alumnus of the Urban Leadership Development Institute and CUES CEO Institute at the Wharton School of Business.

Tim Harrington started working with banks and credit unions in 1988. Tim and TEAM Resources have a long history of helping financial institutions move forward with greater confidence, profitability and integrity, to serve their market or field of membership better. His leadership topics and board governance training have taken him beyond the financial services industry.

While there are many “speakers,” Tim “talks.” He talks from the heart. More importantly, he talks to the heart. It is the heart where each of us truly lives. Inspiring people in an organization requires first, touching their hearts. Helping them to feel and see what a group is attempting to accomplish is the key. Everyone wants to do their best – for themselves, their family, their co-workers, their customers. When their “heart is in it” their best can emerge.

In Tim’s talks, Eisenhower on Enlightened Leadership and A Higher Purpose, he inspires people to live their highest dreams and their highest ideals. He encourages individuals and organizations to live “on purpose.” To do something so someone else’s life can be better. Tim reminds people that if they help other’s achieve their dreams, they will achieve and even surpass their own.

Lynn Heckler has served as PSCU’s executive vice president and chief talent officer since May 2011. Since joining PSCU in 2001, Heckler has shared her passion for creating a culture of inclusion, leadership development and engagement in the workplace, advancing PSCU’s initiatives for inclusion and diversity, women’s leadership, learning and organizational development, corporate insurance, facilities and more.

Heckler has more than 30 years of human resources management experience. Prior to joining PSCU, she served as vice president, Human Resources at Bankers Insurance Group. Previously, she held human resources leadership positions at Vision Twenty-One and AAA.

Emily Hollis has served as a principal of ALM First Financial Advisors since the company was established in 1995. As CEO, Emily’s mantra of always putting clients’ best interests first along with her open-door management style has developed a strong and capable team of trusted, unbiased advisors. Under her leadership, the company has steadily grown to more than $50 billion of investments under management, with a client base of more than 300 financial institutions representing more than $425 billion in assets. Emily’s advice on complex issues, such as derivatives use, is sought-after by industry leaders and regulators alike.

A well-known figure in the investment community and a renowned expert in asset liability management, Emily is a popular speaker at industry functions. Speaking engagements have included sessions for the Financial Managers Society and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, as well a number of bank and credit union trade associations. Emily is also a loyal contributor to bank and credit union publications such as CU Business, CU Times, CUNA Councils, Bank ALM, Western Banker Magazine and more.

Prior to ALM First, Emily was vice president for Kidder Peabody Asset Management; chief investment officer for a large financial institution; and an investment trader for a New York Stock Exchange Company, responsible for executing trades for the firm’s fixed-income and foreign receivable portfolios. Her experience includes managing a $6 billion fixed-income investment portfolio and investing in derivatives.

Emily holds a master’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in arts from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Texas Christian University. She holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Wema Hoover is an executive who has dedicated her career to serving as a catalyst for change and as a transformational leader. Her expertise centers on diversity, equity, & inclusion, authentic leadership and women’s empowerment with a reputation for creating systemic organizational change into people, processes, and products on a global scale. Her deep experience includes leading global teams, spanning multinational, market-leading consulting, pharmaceutical, and technology enterprises. As a trusted C-suite and board-level advisor, she leverages her background to lead global DEI efforts for multiple Fortune 500 companies including Google, Pfizer, Sanofi, and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Wema has served in executive leadership roles across culture, diversity, talent and organizational development functions. Her leadership has included roles as Chief Diversity Officer, Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Global Head of Employee Engagement and Culture as well as other enterprise roles driving transformation change. Wema has led teams of more than 85 people and developed multiple Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Councils to build internal capabilities related to belonging, unconscious bias, cultural competence, and global leadership.

As a DE&I champion and thought leader, Wema has continuously led through collaboration and communities of practice securing key high-profile strategic partnerships with the United Nations, World Economic Forum and Valuable 500: Disability Awareness, among others, to develop and harness the most progressive DEI, leadership and organizational development practices.

Janclaes has spent more than 30 years in the credit union industry, starting in 1989 as an executive vice president and chief business development officer at Logix Federal Credit Union. In 2004 he took the helm as president and CEO of Partners FCU, the credit union chartered to serve Disney employees and their families. In his time at Partners, Janclaes oversaw five-fold asset growth, and the credit union today holds more than $2.1 billion of assets.

Nymbus, a firm providing technology solutions for banks and credit unions, has launched its own credit union service organization and selected John Janclaes as the first president of Nymbus CUSO. The firm is intended to help credit unions grow by connecting them with fintechs that can help grow revenue while improving relationships with members.

Since 1989, Dave has delivered educational programs on Asset/Liability Management and pricing topics to Federal Regulatory Agencies, national and state industry trade groups, Federal Home Loan Banks, and Corporate Credit Unions nationwide. Dave currently serves on the faculty of the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin – Madison as well as numerous other industry schools. In addition to his speaking roles, Dave is actively involved with Abrigo clients consulting with them on capital planning, loan & deposit pricing, and other ALM concerns in an effort to make the ALCO processes more effective. Abrigo and Dave are committed to helping the community financial industry develop workable strategies and risk management processes to improve financial performance, regulatory compliance and overall solutions to their business challenges.

James Robert Lay is the CEO of Digital Growth Institute. He is on a mission to simplify digital marketing to help financial institutions grow from good to great by building marketing systems that guide people toward a brighter financial future. James Robert has been named one of Financial Brand's "Top Global Financial Services Influencers to Follow," a CUNA "Credit Union Rock Star," and a CU Times "Under 40 Trailblazer." He has spoken at more than 150 financial services events around the world and is frequently quoted in dozens of leading publications such as US News and World Report, The Financial Brand, American Banker, CU Times, and CU Journal among many others.

Anne Legg is the founder of THRIVE Strategic Services. She is an award-winning, internationally recognized credit union industry leader who is leading change via the development of data transformation strategies for Credit Unions. She is an author, educator and marketplace presenter who holds an MBA thesis on the credit union business model as well as two internationally published whitepapers on credit union business strategy. She has worked with nearly 600 credit union senior leaders to help them leverage their data for exponential growth.

Bob Lockett is the Chief Strategy Officer and SVP of Diversified Services at Workers Credit Union, a $2.1B credit union located in central Massachusetts, improving lives and communities with the Workers WayTM life-cycle approach to financial wellness.

Having leveraged successful and rewarding careers in banking, private industry, and as an entrepreneur, Bob applies progressive strategic thinking, experienced operational leadership, and proven financial performance to lead Workers through the disruptions negatively impacting the credit union industry and into the 21st Century.

Recognized as a trail-blazer in broadening the credit union mission to embrace financial wellness as both a competitive differentiator and a profitable business model, Bob participates widely in industry groups focused on financial health, such as: the Financial Health Network, National Credit Union Foundation, Members Development Corporation, and the Callahan Sustainability Initiative. He contributed to the groundbreaking report How Credit Unions Can Become Financial Health Providers, a guide to credit union sustainability.

Bob is a practitioner of the Tim Harrington Board Strategic Governance Model, helping Boards learn new concepts regarding governance, developing clear boundaries and guardrails for operations, and becoming high-performance advocates for their credit union. He is also a leader in the Cardwell Performance Framework, developing alignment and commitment at all levels by collaboratively building a deep understanding and commitment to organizational strategy and culture through continuous planning and meaningful, ongoing involvement.

He obtained a degree in Philosophy and Comparative Religion from Harvard University, has a Master of Finance, and was certified a futurist by the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto. He has certifications from Harvard Business School on Disruptive Innovation by Clay Christensen and Sustainable Business Strategy by Rebecca Henderson, is a graduate of the Cardwell 306 Leadership group, and is a member of the CU 2.0 Credit Union FinTech Masterminds.

“Alignment, commitment, communication, execution, accountability. This is how strategy informs culture, and culture reinforces strategy.”
Professional Roles
• Chief Strategy Officer • CUSO President • Chief Financial Officer
• SVP Commercial / MBL Lending • Owner - Firehouse Charcoal • Corporate Lender / Investment Banker

Matthew Luhn is an accomplished storyteller, instructor, motivational keynote speaker, and story consultant, with over 20 years’ experience creating stories and characters at Pixar Animation Studios. Alongside his story work in Hollywood, Matthew works with Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, and other professionals how to craft and tell stories that bridge the gap between business and heart to build stronger brands and business communication.

Matthew’s most recent clients include Adidas, Target, Coke, Procter and Gamble, Facebook, Warner Brothers, Sony, and Google.

Matthew’s story credits include Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Monsters Inc., Monsters University, Finding Nemo, UP, Cars, Ratatouille and other films currently in development.

With over 20 years experience creating and developing dozens of films, TV shows, and video games, at Pixar, The Simpsons, ILM, and other studios, Matthew Luhn knows what it takes to create memorable stories with enduring characters. From filmmaking to business, Matthew’s story talks are beneficial to anybody wanting to improve their story skills, or learn the persuasion of great storytelling. In Matthew’s story seminar, he will share his process for creating new ideas and characters, how to develop great stories and story structure, and how to realize your story ideas from script to storyboards to finished product.

Founding Chair of the Global Women’s Leadership Network, & National CU Foundation’s Herb Wegner Outstanding Individual Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

Susan Mitchell is a passionate believer in making a difference! As the CEO of Mitchell, Stankovic & Associates, a consulting firm that has provided over 5,000 credit unions innovative consulting services, including strategic planning, board governance, and online education. She is a successful entrepreneur who started two companies and forged strategic alliances with Fortune 500 companies nationwide.

Susan was CEO and co-owner of O’Rourke, Mitchell, advancing leadership development and executive transitions. Mitchell facilitates the Global Future Forum, an international CU think tank and created the Underground Collision to engage thought leaders in authentic dialogue regarding industry disruption, innovation and impactful business practices. Susan is on the Board for the Worldwide Foundation and is the founding Chair of Global Women’s Leadership Network, with 2,600 members from 78 countries, 100 Sister Societies and 57 scholarships to advance women in society.

​In 2017 GWLN received the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor given globally for credit union service. Susan was nominated by CUTimes for the Final Four Most Influential People in the last 25 years, and received the inaugural Diversity and Visionary Award from the CA/NV CU League. In February 2018, Mitchell was recognized for her outstanding industry contribution with the prestigious National CU Foundation’s Herb Wegner Outstanding Individual Lifetime Achievement Award.

Erin O'Hern is the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at ViClarity, a global governance risk and compliance technology and services organization focused on supporting credit unions. Erin has more than a decade of experience working on credit union federal and state regulatory issues. Erin has trained credit union and examination staff across the country on key compliance, risk and governance issues and is a contributor to industry publications on emerging issues. Before joining ViClarity, Erin worked as a staff attorney for a Legal Aid organization handling a variety of civil law matters including consumer protection cases. She received her law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law.

As the Chief Revenue Officer at Open Lending, Matt oversees all aspects of the customer partnership model by providing high quality consultation, training, and deployment strategies for the Lenders Protection product.

Matt has been with Open Lending since 2007, serving a variety of crucial roles within the company across more than ten years. Matt works cross-functionally with Marketing, Implementation, Operations, Finance, and IT systems within the organization to collaborate with sales leaders and meet target growth.
Matt actively reviews sales and account management strategies at Open Lending and consistently identifies opportunities to increase productivity, efficiency, and enable growth. His extensive experience as both a National Account Manager and Marketing Manager within the company provides sufficient knowledge for Matt to create and oversee cutting edge marketing strategies and implementation.

Matt possesses unique skills as a system and product analyst and has experience acting as a technical contact for clients during the implementation phase. He’s also provided direction and guidance for project teams to ensure product compliance and timely execution in the areas of project management.
Matt holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He and his wife reside in Austin, Texas with their four children.

Andy Roquet is an executive benefits specialist for CUNA Mutual Group, a company that specializes in the design, implementation, financing and ongoing administrative support of supplemental executive benefit programs specifically tailored to credit unions. Andy began his employment with CUNA Mutual Group in 1988 as a developer in field systems. He then moved in to a corporate project management and product development role. Next, he held a position in information systems management and project management, during which he led large projects and IT teams for initiatives in executive benefits, pensions/401(k), and employee benefits product areas. He served as the executive benefits sales and service manager from 2008 – 2010 and was named to his present position in 2010.

Andy earned a bachelor’s degree in business and computer information systems with a minor in mathematics from Wartburg College in Waverly, lowa. He also has a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa. Andy is FINRA securities registered and holds the FLMI (Fellow, Life Management Institute) and ASC (Associate, Customer Service) designations. He received the Project Management Professional (PMP) designation in 1996 and completed a CUNA Mutual Group credit union internship at Belco Community Credit Union in Harrisburg, Pa. He has also published articles on executive benefits, and has completed the Staff Training and Recognition (STAR) coursework on Understanding Credit Union Operations.

Danielle has worked in the financial services industry since 2011 and began her career at Cuna Mutual Group in 2015. She has worked within the Executive Benefits department assisting with sales and service, until taking on her new role as an executive benefits specialist.

Prior to joining Cuna Mutual Group, Danielle worked as a financial planning assistant with Private Wealth Practice of Ameriprise Financial Services. In that role, she worked with an advisor to create holistic financial plans and reviews. She has also worked as a retail banker, helping individuals and small business owners manage daily finances and banking needs.

Danielle graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor's degree in international studies and political economics. She holds various FINRA securities registrations, the Certified Financial Planner® designation, the Chartered Financial Consultant® designation, as well as life, health, and annuities licenses.

Brian partners with industry leaders in payments and community financial institutions to create competitive payments programs, helping credit unions position themselves competitively in their own communities and maintain profitability throughout their payments programs. Brian spent 23 years in the highly competitive consumer payments marketplace and is a recognized leader in payments solutions and innovative technologies. He is a frequent speaker on the future of payments, new payments trends, mobile banking, alternative payments, and how new payments technologies will transform the current banking space.

Lawrence Spaccasi represents financial institutions and their holding companies on a wide range of strategic planning, securities, corporate, executive compensation and regulatory law matters. Mr. Spaccasi has more than 30 years’ experience with financial institutions. He has managed numerous complex corporate reorganizations by both mutual and stock banks, and has completed numerous financial institutions merger and acquisition transactions, mutual-to-stock conversions and mutual holding company reorganizations. He routinely advises boards of directors on corporate governance matters, including stockholder relations and defensive strategies in dealing with activist stockholders.

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Spaccasi was Senior Counsel with the Division of Enforcement of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Financial Institutions Fraud Task Force and Senior Attorney with the Division of Corporation Finance of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington D.C.

Mr. Spaccasi has authored numerous articles and publications and is a frequent speaker on financial institution matters before state and national banking and credit union associations and trade groups, including the American Bankers Association, Connecticut Bankers Association, Independent Community Bankers Association, Massachusetts Bankers Association, New Hampshire Bankers Association, New Jersey Bankers Association, New York Bankers Association, North Carolina Bankers Association, Pennsylvania Association of Community Banks, Pennsylvania Bankers Association, Virginia Bankers Association and Vermont Bankers Association.

Dr. Brandi Stankovic, Ed.D., is an organizational change expert, motivational speaker, artist and mommy who inspires firms globally with her models of leadership, engagement, and award-winning education. Dr. Stankovic is a trusted advisor and strategic planning facilitator who guides CEOs and Boards on risk appetite, organizational health, profitability and growth. Dr. Stankovic is the coauthor of The Strategic MVP, a book of 52 growth and leadership tools and the host of the energizing podcast, The Strategic Hotbox, designed to help executives reach their greatest potential. Dr. Stankovic is a director and cofounder of CU Pride, industry organization serving LGBTQ+ community and allies. She also serves on the CMN Hospitals Credit Unions for Kids advisory group, HRD Network Board, and is a Development Educator CUDE and I-CUDE. Dr. Stankovic volunteers for the World Young Credit Union Professionals Affiliates Council and the Global Women's Leadership Network, World Council of Credit Unions, helping advance young executives and women in leadership across the globe. Dr. Stankovic received her Bachelors in Finance and Economics at University of Nevada, TESOL and Teaching Practice Certificate from the College of Teachers in the United Kingdom, Masters of Business Administration from the University of San Diego and Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University.

Most people know Jon Taffer as a larger-than-life television personality who takes a no-holds-barred approach to helping hotels, restaurants, bars and businesses reach their full potential. He is also a New York Times best-selling author, a highly sought-after hospitality and general business consultant, and is the creator, executive producer and star of Paramount Network’s number-one show, Bar Rescue. For over four decades, Taffer has been at the forefront of the business management industry offering his expertise to hundreds of thousands of properties and Fortune 500 companies. It comes as no surprise that Taffer has been declared the most influential, trustworthy, and intelligent food & beverage television personality.

As the creator, host and executive producer of Bar Rescue on the Paramount Network, now in its eighth season, Taffer has led the show to account for nearly 25% of the network’s programing and over 900 million viewers. Bar Rescue spotlights Jon as he saves failing bars from looming closure, leveraging his four decades of industry experience and trademarked “Reaction Management” strategy. In 2021, the show will top the milestone of 200 episodes.

As an author, Jon wrote Don’t Bullsh*t Yourself, a no-nonsense guide that helps people understand and overcome the excuses holding them back from success. It became a New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal best-seller in its first week of release. Jon’s first book, Raise the Bar, an Action-Based Method for Maximum Customer Reactions, also hit the Wall Street Journal’s best-selling list. In 2018 Jon launched his podcast The Jon Taffer Podcast. Jon’s latest creation is Taffer’s Tavern, an innovative casual-dining restaurant franchise concept with a high-volume, small footprint format that uses the latest technologies to produce elevated tavern food and outstanding beverage offerings without the need for a traditional commercial kitchen. The franchise’s first location opened October 2020 in Atlanta, GA, with additional locations already secured in the Atlanta, Boston, Washington, D.C. and Las Vegas areas.

Concurrently, Jon runs Taffer Dynamics, his business operations firm where he has been brought on to offer dynamic models for a range of well-known establishments and brands, including the NFL, Anheuser-Busch, Ritz-Carlton, Hyatt, Marriott, Holiday Inn, Sheraton, Intercontinental, Fridays, Buffalo Wild Wings, Famous Dave’s Barbecue, and Wolfgang Puck Express.

When he’s not dedicating his time to bringing back businesses from the brink, Taffer volunteers his time with the Keep Memory Alive Board of Directors supporting the mission of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. He also regularly offers up his seasoned hospitality skills to the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he helps faculty develop curriculum that is in line with industry expectations and trends.

Married for over 20 years to his wife Nicole, who he fell in love with at first sight at Super Bowl XXX, Jon spends what little spare time he has traveling with her, spending time with his daughter and grandson, and occasionally sipping on his favorite cocktail: The Godfather.

A credit union veteran, Amanda has many years of marketing experience in credit unions and as a consultant. She is an entrepreneur and owner of TwoScore, a firm that works exclusively with credit unions under $100 million in assets to achieve their strategic goals through marketing. While Amanda is super-passionate about helping credit unions succeed, a larger part of her vision for creating TwoScore was to develop an outlet to inspire and encourage women of all positions in the industry and help give them the tools they need to succeed in all areas of their lives.

Amanda is the recipient of many state and national awards, including the Ohio Credit Union League Cutting Edge Marketing Brilliance Award, Trailblazer 40 Below by Credit Union Times Magazine, Crash the GAC, Crash Big.Bright.Minds and she was a finalist in the 2011 CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec competition. She is a nationally-acclaimed and recognized speaker across the country regularly speaking on marketing and leadership topics as well as those geared solely towards women in the credit union industry.

When she’s not busy helping credit unions succeed, you can find her reading history books, watching her beloved Kentucky Wildcats basketball team, trying out a gourmet recipe, shopping with her identical twin sister, or planning her next travel adventure with her husband, Herschel.

Tonita Webb was named the CEO of Verity Credit Union in early 2021, the first woman and the first Black American to be named CEO in the organization’s history. She continues to move Verity forward in socially responsible banking to create vibrant communities. Tonita brings a strong vision for harnessing financial tools, data and technology, with a passion for diversity, equity and inclusion, to enhance the lives of underserved members of the community.

Tonita came to Verity from Seattle Credit Union, where she spent the fifteen years both as Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, and formerly, the Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer.

As an Air Force veteran, an MBA and mother of four, Tonita leads by example and gives herself freely to her community work. She currently serves on boards for non-profits like Southeast Effective Development (SEED) and 21 Progress, as well as social enterprises like Pioneer Human Services. She is a champion of diversity and inclusion and is a frequent public speaker on the subject.

As important as her credentials are, Tonita learned empathy and compassion while being raised by her single mother in low-income housing projects in Virginia. Her mother’s work ethic has inspired her to lead, whether serving her country, her employers, or her members.

Tom Glatt serves as a consulting partner with particular focus on projects involving organizational strategy or governance.

Tom is the founder of Glatt Consulting Group, Inc., a credit union consulting firm specializing in distinctive strategy consulting for credit union boards and management teams. He has over 20 years of strategy consulting experience in the credit union community and focuses primarily on corporate strategy, governance, and leadership development initiatives.

Tom also developed the Credit Union Industry HealthScore. The HealthScore is a highly regarded financial performance score reflecting the financial health of US-based credit unions. It is calculated and published quarterly.

Tom earned a Bachelors of Science degree in business administration from the University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA. He also graduated from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington’s Cameron School of Business Executive Certificate Program, as well as the National Association of Federal Credit Union’s Management Development Institute.

April Clobes has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Michigan State University Federal Credit Union since March of 2015. Ms. Clobes joined MSUFCU in 1996. She moved through the organization from a marketing specialist to management and executive positions prior to being named President/CEO. Ms. Clobes is an active leader on several industry, community and university boards.

Tricia is a visionary executive leader, growth, transformation and turnaround strategist and Corporate Social Responsibility champion. She is a Certified Futurist & Long-Term Financial Analyst and Certified Chief Executive with 30+ years in diverse domestic and global leadership roles and 15+ years as a senior executive in the credit union industry.

NAFCU Professional of the Year, Woman of Influence and Global Transformation CMO of the Year are a few recent accolades. Tricia holds an MBA in Economics and Leadership, led Forbes’ #1 credit union in PA and is an Adjunct Professor for Alvernia University.

Her courage, compassion, grace and commitment to people and “the greater good” set her apart. She builds best-in-class and inclusive teams that deliver, and leads with passion, energy, agility, clarity and humility to reimagine and reinvigorate business potential by masterfully aligning and unifying across the enterprise.

She creates cultures of care, innovation and fun, and is a highly trusted strategic leader with unmatched integrity and perseverance. She inspires curiosity, courage and innovation, and has a unique ability to be wise, fearless, ferociously focused and graciously humble. As a servant leader, she leads by example and inspires, empowers and motivates people to be their best.

Tricia has been the driving force for future-focused organizations to grow, scale, advance and align strategy, people, investment, brand, CX, operations, infrastructure and technology to build resilience and deliver continuous value.

She is a pioneer in cultivating purpose and nurturing corporate conscience. A global citizen and curator of the future, Tricia engages authentically to influence at every level. She has extensive direct experience leading across all business areas including strategy, innovation, operations, finance, risk, HR, marketing, product, MX, retail, operations, lending, investment advisory, IT, BI/Data, PMO, facilities, payments, deposit ops, legal, public policy, M&A, CUSOs and DE&I.

As CEO of Coopera, Victor promotes Coopera’s approach to serving Hispanics throughout the credit union industry. This comprehensive approach has helped credit unions and credit union industry organizations position themselves for long-term growth by serving Hispanics.

With more than 20 years’ experience working with credit unions on a global scale, Victor has a proven history of finding solutions to industry challenges through collaboration. He joins Coopera from the World of Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) where he served in a variety of roles for the past two decades. Most recently, Victor was vice president of member services, education and training. As such, he managed the organization’s worldwide partnerships program, helping its more than 90 international members realize measurable value for their membership. Victor assisted in directing WOCCU’s membership communications and engagement strategy, through which he designed strategy to drive adoption and transition to digital touch points.

Victor, a certified Credit Union Development Educator, has consulted with the Credit Union National Association, as well as Coopera, on product strategy and culturally relevant translation of materials for new markets. He serves on the Member Advisory Experience board committee for Summit Credit Union in Madison, Wisc. and is an associate board director for Blackhawk Community Credit Union in Janesville, Wisc. Corro is recognized as a global credit union industry expert and is a frequent speaker within the worldwide credit union movement.

Victor came to the U.S. from Panama as a teenager to study at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on a Fulbright Scholarship. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics and Latin American studies, is an avid traveler and photographer and resides in Wisconsin with his wife and two children.

Greg Glawson is the Chief Information Officer for UNIFY Financial Credit Union (Dallas, TX) with more than 15 years’ experience in the financial services and credit union industry. Since joining UNIFY in 2017, he has overseen areas such as information security, software development, project management, and digital banking. During that time, UNIFY has implemented new innovative products such as new mortgage origination systems, buy-now-pay-later, and was the first credit union to offer bitcoin services to its members. He also serves as a member of the Technology Committee for Bonifii, a Credit Union Service Organization, as well as is a member of the Texas Blockchain Council. Prior to joining UNIFY, he oversaw software development and computer operations for a prominent Georgia credit union. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Information Systems from Kennesaw State University and is also a certified Lean Six Sigma professional.

Ms. Sattiewhite is credited for giving organizations a “new look” in the areas of customer satisfaction, employee relations, marketing materials and training materials. Ms. Sattiewhite also serves as an executive coach, mentoring trainer and assists organizations with marketing campaigns.

She is a former instructor for Spelman College’s Continuing Education Department, and a graduate of Oglethorpe University with a B.A. in Communications. Ms. Sattiewhite has presented keynote addresses at conferences held by Clemson University, the Georgia Lottery, the North Carolina Education Lottery, the United Way of Greater Atlanta, the National Credit Union Administration, Trinidad/Tobago Credit Union League, the Combined Council of Automotive Credit Unions and the AACUC. She is the past Director of the AACUC Reaching Toward the Future Internship Program. She is currently the Executive Director of the AACUC.

Jeremy Garza has been the CEO at Gulf Coast Federal Credit Union for nine years; he’s worked at the credit union for a total of 19 years. The credit union made history as the first credit union to convert from a community charter to a multiple common bond charter to obtain a larger and entirely inclusive community by adding multiple underserved areas.