First American Women's Everest Expedition Team Captain, faculty member at the Thayer Leader Development Group at West Point, New York Times bestselling author of On the Edge

Alison Levine has made a career out of breaking boundaries and inspiring others to achieve more than they ever thought possible. A history-making polar explorer and mountaineer, she served as team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition, climbed the highest peak on each continent and skied to both the North and South Poles—a feat known as the Adventure Grand Slam— which only twenty people in the world have achieved. In January 2008, she made history as the first American to complete a 600-mile traverse across west Antarctica to the South Pole following the route of legendary explorer Reinhold Messner. Levine completed this arduous journey on skis while hauling 150 pounds of her gear and supplies in a sled harnessed to her waist. She made history again in 2016 when she completed two first ascents: Hall Peak in Antarctica and Khang Karpo in Nepal. Her success in extreme environments is noteworthy given she has had three heart surgeries and suffers from Raynaud’s disease, which causes the arteries that feed her fingers and toes to collapse in cold weather—leaving her at extreme risk for frostbite.

In addition to climbing mountains, Levine has also spent time climbing the corporate ladder. She has worked for several Fortune 500 companies in both sales and marketing roles and spent three years at Goldman Sachs. She left Wall Street in 2003 to serve as Deputy Finance Director for Arnold Schwarzenegger in his successful bid to become governor of California.

When not challenging herself in the outdoors, Levine focuses on training others to become strong leaders. She spent four years as an adjunct professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point in the Department of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership. In 2013 she transitioned from training cadets to working with corporate leaders and currently serves on the board and faculty of the Thayer Leader Development Group at West Point—one of the nation’s premiere executive leader development programs. She was a contributing author to the book Leadership in Dangerous Situations: A Handbook for the Armed Forces, Emergency Services and First Responders (Naval Institute Press). She also served as a board member and Senior Fellow at the Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics at Duke University.

Levine is the founder of the Climb High Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of jobless women in western Uganda by training them to be trekking guides and porters in their local mountains, thus allowing them to earn a sustainable living wage through climbing-related tourism. Prior to her work in Uganda, women’s only avenue to earn money in this area of the country was through prostitution. Her efforts enabled the very first group of local women to climb Uganda’s highest peak—Mt Stanley. Her work to change the lives of women in Africa is the subject of the PBS documentary Living Courageously.

Levine’s newest role is that of executive producer of the upcoming documentary film The Glass Ceiling (www.theglassceilingmovie.com), which chronicles the life of Pasang Lhamu Sherpa (1961-1993), the first female Sherpa to summit Mt. Everest.

Levine was inducted into the Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame in 2018. She holds a BA from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Duke University, where she currently serves on the Board of Visitors. She is the recipient of the 2019 Ellis Island Medal of Honor which recognizes individuals whose accomplishments in their field and inspired service to our nation are cause for celebration. The Medal has been officially recognized by both Houses of Congress as one of our nation’s most prestigious awards and is annually memorialized in the Congressional Record.

A sought-after consultant and keynote speaker on the subject of leadership development, Levine has addressed audiences ranging from Fortune 500 companies to professional sports teams to the prestigious World Economic Forum at Davos. She is the author of the New York Times best-seller On the Edge: Leadership Lessons from Mount Everest and other Extreme Environments. Having spent prolonged periods of time in some of the world's most dangerous and inhospitable places, she tackles the topics of creating cohesive teams, taking responsible risks, and developing no-nonsense leaders that can succeed in times of uncertainty.

FUN FACT: Levine’s life story was the inspiration for a craft beer called Conquer the Route Chocolate Stout which is distributed by Bold Missy Brewery and features her likeness on the label.

Session Description:

On the Edge: The Art of High-Impact Leadership
Imagine yourself on the highest mountain in the world. You have to deal with the physiological effects of extreme altitude--along with bone-chilling temperatures, battering winds, and a climbing team that's counting on all of its members to make smart decisions. There's simply no room for poor judgment -- one mistake or misstep can result in an "unrecoverable error." In any situation where lives are on the line or the stakes are exceptionally high--there's no better training ground for leaders than settings where people are pushed beyond their perceived limits. Drawing on her experience as team captain of the first American Women's Everest Expedition, Alison Levine makes a compelling case that the leadership principles that apply in the world of extreme adventure also apply to today's rigorously competitive business environments.

Culture Architect, Keynote Speaker, Author and recovering Human Resource Executive

Over the course of his more than 25 years in the C-suite, he has had the privilege of leading the people-side of multiple mergers and large-scale organizational turnarounds. Through this experience, Tony came to recognize culture as the soil in which everything in your organization lives or dies. His firm Tony Moore Speaks, works with leaders who want to improve bottom-line performance by creating a culture of engagement and ownership. His goal today is simple and straightforward; present disruptive ideas that challenge our thinking, share solutions born out of experience, and provide inspiration that moves us to action.

Session Description:

A Smooth Sea Never Made a Skillful Sailor
Against the backdrop of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity of the times in which we are living, a leader’s future success is inextricably linked to their mastery of change agility. Failure to do so will turn today’s legacy into tomorrow’s corporate disaster story. In the words of Alvin Toffler, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but rather those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” Nevertheless, anxiety and distress are the common responses to the prospect of change and left unchecked they can blind us to the opportunity for growth that change provides. “A Smooth Sea Never Made a Skillful Sailor” outlines five foundational principles that when followed can serve as an anchor when the waves of change are upon us. Infused with humorous stories and valuable lessons learned through a lifetime of navigating change, this keynote will not only leave you energized, refocused, and ready to take on your next challenge, but also give you practical tools to assist you.

The NFL's First Female Official; One of the Sports Illustrated 100 Most Influential NFL Figures of All Time

Sarah Thomas changed the game in the world’s most quintessential male-dominated sport—football—when she became the first female NFL official. Now she’s inspiring others to dream big and believe anything is possible.

Officiating her first game September 13, 2015 between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans, Sarah’s hat, whistle, and flag are now on display at the NFL Hall of Fame and serve as a testament to this historic achievement. Sarah also made post-season history by being named Down Judge for the Patriots/Chargers 2019 playoff game. No stranger to being the first or breaking gender-barriers, she was the first female official to ever work a major college football game, to officiate a bowl game and to officiate in a Big Ten stadium.

Since her addition to the NFL's roster of officials, she has become a trail-blazing inspiration to women everywhere, embodying the notion that with a belief in self, inner drive, hard work, preparation, and a mindset of being the best you can be, no barrier or ceiling is impenetrable.

With the same unflappability that it takes to make a split-second call on the field, Sarah exudes equal confidence on stage as she shares key insights on overcoming adversity – and the odds – finding your passion while maintaining work-life balance, decision-making, and not only succeeding as a female in a male-dominated industry but achieving breakthrough success for males and females alike.

A Boss has the Title; A Leader has the People - Sarah Thomas

Session Description:

Breaking Through: My Journey to Becoming the First Female NFL Official
Sarah Thomas is a woman of many firsts – she was the first female official to ever work a major college football game, the first woman to officiate a bowl game, and the first to officiate in a Big Ten stadium. And as of February 7, 2021, she is the first female to officiate a Super Bowl. Now she’s sharing essential leadership lessons from her journey to the top of a male-dominated industry and vital insights on shattering the glass ceiling in the world of professional sports that can be applied to any field or industry. As an exemplar of what’s possible if you believe, Sarah brings audiences takeaways on breaking through in your own career, from staying focused under pressure and creating change to managing work-life balance and being the best you can be.

Editor and Publisher, Inside Elections, LLC

Nathan Gonzales is the editor and publisher of Inside Elections, which provides non-partisan analysis of campaigns for Senate, House, governor and president. In addition to publishing Inside Elections, Gonzales is also an elections analyst for CQ Roll Call. He offers some of the most detailed electoral forecasting in the business.

He interviews nearly all the candidates personally – from congressional and gubernatorial to state races, and using poll numbers, economic data, historical information, trends, demographics, interviews, and entertaining stories and analogies, he analyzes the current political environment, shares what you need to know about the races you didn’t even know about, and performs an election “autopsy” on the latest races, projecting what the results mean for you.

On Election Night 2016, Nathan was an on-air analyst for Newshour on PBS after working as an off-air consultant for ABC News on their Election Night Decision Desk for 14 years. Previously, he was an editor, analyst, and writer for The Rothenberg Political Report for more than 13 years before taking over the company in 2015. Additionally, he worked for CNN as a political analyst and as an associate producer for Capital Gang.

Gonzales has appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press and NBC Nightly News, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, NPR’s All Things Considered, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC, and has been quoted in The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. His work has also appeared on FiveThirtyEight, NBCLatino.com, and in Campaigns & Elections magazine.

Gonzales grew up in Oregon, earned his master of arts from The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management (Washington, DC) and his bachelor of arts from Vanguard University (Costa Mesa, California). He first came to Washington, D.C. as an intern in the White House Press Office and now lives in the city with his wife and four children.

Business Development Consultant, LEVERAGE

Donnette' Logan has an extensive and awarding career in broadcast journalism. She served 20 plus years as a sports reporter and executive producer before deciding to leave broadcasting to focus on her family. In 2017, she joined LEVERAGE as a Business Development Consultant.

During her broadcast career, she was awarded two EMMYs, an Edward R. Murrow Award and several other journalism awards. Donnette’ holds a B.S in Broadcasting from The University of Mobile. When she is not traveling for LEVERAGE, she’s doing freelance work for the National Federation High School Network, as well as the internet-based sports show, “High School Sports Weekly.”

Session Description:

Donnette’ Logan will moderate the lively and timely presentations for the Safety & Security Awareness Workshop featuring:

Jim Soenksen
CEO, Pivot Group LLC
CYBERSECURITY: The Best Controls to Protect Your Members Information Has (or Will) the Pandemic Continue to Change the Threat Landscape?

Chris Gill
Senior Manager, Risk & Compliance Solutions, America's Credit Unions Mutual Group
Preparing for the Unknowns of Employee Safety & Wellness

CEO, PIVOT Group LLC

Jim has over 20 years of experience in the information security, financial services, and technology industries. Jim, as a CPA (currently inactive), was also an internal auditor for a Fortune 100 company for 7 years. Conveying the knowledge and conviction it takes to fight cybercrime, Jim offers a realistic view of today's security, privacy, risk issues, and remedies for the business community. He blends business goals with technology, training, policies, and improved processes to provide the appropriate program and regulatory compliance for each individual company. Jim is a regular speaker and expert witness on Information Security and Data Privacy.

Jim is a subject matter expert in data privacy, information security, computer security breaches, FFIEC, Red Flags Rule, FACTA, FCRA, GLBA, PCI, NIST, COBIT 5, COSO, and ISO 27000/22301/31000. Additionally Jim has an in-depth understanding of HIPAA and HITECH Act regulatory compliance laws, and state/country data breach notification laws.

Jim conducts regular education sessions for clients and industry associations on Information Security, Data Privacy, Risk Management best practices, and Regulatory Compliance.

Session Description:

CYBERSECURITY: The Best Controls to Protect Your Members Information Has (or Will) the Pandemic Continue to Change the Threat Landscape?
As with your day-to-day operations, the pandemic has changed the cybersecurity threat landscape and the most effective ways credit unions should be protecting your members information.

In addition, the information security best practices have been challenged by your delivery/service mediums that have changed as well to meet your member’s expectations. In this session, we will look how the threat landscape has changed during this pandemic and how cybersecurity best practices have/should change as well. Additionally, we will look at what the balance of 2021 has in store to examine and adjust our current cybersecurity controls to meet the predicted upcoming threat landscape.

Senior Manager, Risk & Compliance Solutions, America's Credit Unions Mutual Group

Chris Gill is a Senior Manager in Risk and Compliance Solutions for America's Credit Unions Mutual Group. In this role, he leads a team of consultants who assist credit unions in identifying areas of risk in their operations and determining appropriate controls to reduce loss exposures.

Prior to joining America's Credit Unions Mutual Group, Chris worked for many years in both the banking and credit union industries. Chris graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and holds a MBA from the University of Mary Washington.

Session Descriptions:

Preparing for the Unknowns of Employee Safety & Wellness
All credit unions have a responsibility to protect employees, members, and visitors by taking measures to detect potential incidents and mitigate the consequences. Every office location is different which presents a different risk or threat profile; not to mention, they also all face different challenges. Think about what the safety and wellness risks are – active shooter incidents, slip & falls, workplace ergonomics, special events - and identify how to reduce that risk, because obviously you can’t take risk to zero. Additionally, the pandemic along with changing consumer, political, and socio-economic status has required change in many ways. This session will highlight some of the marketplace realities, changes and obstacles that are requiring your operational strategies and protection to be adjusted.

Preparing for the Unknowns of Employee Safety & Wellness
Despite navigating COVID-19, natural disasters, and changing business practices in 2020; emerging risks and threats are still imminent. Leverage key credit union risk learnings to help you optimize strategic decisions, minimize risks, and maintain a healthier bottom line.

• • Discuss trends, risks, and insights highlighting the importance of:
  • o Planning for the worst
  • o Having strategies in place for business resumption / recovery
  • o Ensuring robust testing
  • o Having a return-to-work plan
  • o Understanding people are as important as processes

Board Member & Past Chairman, NCUA

President Donald J. Trump nominated Rodney E. Hood for the NCUA Board on January 19, 2019. The U.S. Senate confirmed him on March 14, 2019, and he was sworn in as the eleventh NCUA Chairman on April 8, 2019. Mr. Hood served as the NCUA’s Chairman until January 25, 2021.

As a Board Member, Mr. Hood serves as the NCUA’s representative on the Board of Directors of NeighborWorks America, one of the nation’s leading affordable housing and community development organizations. This is his second time serving as the agency’s representative on the board of NeighborWorks.

Mr. Hood was previously nominated to the NCUA Board by former President George W. Bush and served from November 2005 until August 2009. During his first term on the Board, he was appointed Vice Chairman.

Immediately prior to rejoining the NCUA Board in 2019, Mr. Hood served as a corporate responsibility manager for JPMorgan Chase, managing national partnerships with non-profit organizations, financial regulators, and community stakeholders to promote financial inclusion and shared prosperity in underserved communities throughout the United States.

His previous experience includes serving as associate administrator of the Rural Housing Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In this role, he helped to address the housing needs in rural communities and administered the agency’s $43 billion mortgage portfolio.

Prior to his public service, Mr. Hood served as marketing director and group sales manager for the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company in Durham, North Carolina. He also served as national director of the Emerging Markets Group for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and served on the board of the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation. Earlier in his career, he worked for Bank of America as a Community Reinvestment Act officer and completed the management development program at G.E. Capital.

In addition to his public and private sector service, Mr. Hood served as a member of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Board of Visitors and as member of the UNC School of Arts Board of Trustees. He also served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the North Carolina Museum of Art and as a member of the Board of Governors for the University of North Carolina College System.

A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Mr. Hood holds a bachelor’s degree in business, communications, and political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Session Description:

What You Need to Know from the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA)
Haer an update from our national regulator about issues that will impact credit unions going forward.

Chief, Bureau of Credit Union Regulation, Florida Office of Financial Regulation

Ben Brinkley joined the Florida Office of Financial Regulation in July 2005. He worked as a Credit Union Examiner in the Jacksonville field office until November 2008, when he transferred to the Tallahassee headquarters to work as a Credit Union Analyst. In January 2011, he moved to the Bureau of Bank Regulation where he worked as the Administrator for the South Florida District. In January 2014, he took the position of Supervisor of the Tallahassee field office and was promoted to Area Financial Manager of the North Florida District in September 2017. In September 2019 he was promoted to Bureau Chief of Credit Unions. Before joining the Office of Financial Regulation, he worked as a loan officer in the Jacksonville office of Washington Mutual. Ben graduated from Georgia Southern University in 1998, and the Florida School of Banking in 2012.

Session Description:

Regulator Roundtable
The Regulator Roundtable is one of the largest capacity breakout sessions at SCUCE- seating up to 150. It will feature important, timely updates and information from regulatory agencies. Credit unions will have an opportunity to ask questions or provide feedback to these officials.

Deputy Commissioner for Supervision, Department of Banking and Finance, State of Georgia

Melissa Sneed graduated from the University of Georgia with Bachelors’ degrees in Finance and Risk Management & Insurance. In 1999, she joined the Department of Banking and Finance, and was promoted to District Director of the Northwest District office in 2008. In the Northwest District (including Atlanta), Melissa oversaw banks, credit unions, and trust companies in all sizes and variety of business models. In 2016, Melissa was appointed as the Deputy Commissioner of Supervision, which includes oversight responsibility for all state chartered financial institutions in Georgia. Melissa is a Certified Examination Manager.

Session Description:

Regulator Roundtable
The Regulator Roundtable is one of the largest capacity breakout sessions at SCUCE- seating up to 150. It will feature important, timely updates and information from regulatory agencies. Credit unions will have an opportunity to ask questions or provide feedback to these officials.

President and CEO, Corporate One FCU

Melissa was named president/CEO of Corporate One in 2018, after nearly two decades of working at the corporate. She joined Corporate One in 1999 following a tenure at a Big Four accounting firm. Through the years, Melissa has served in various roles, including controller, vice president of finance, and executive vice president/chief financial officer.

Melissa serves on the board of directors of two of Corporate One’s wholly owned CUSOs (Lucro Commercial Solutions and Sherpa, as chairperson), and is also a board member for eDOC Innovations, an ecommerce software development company focused on providing mobile enterprise digital transaction management solutions for credit unions and other small financial institutions.

Melissa has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting with a minor in Computer Science from The Ohio State University. She has also achieved the Certified Chief Executive designation from the Credit Union Executive Society (CUES) and is a certified public accountant in the state of Ohio.

Session Description:

The Right Time for Real Time: Understanding Real-Time Payments & the Use Cases
Real-time payments are here. Join us as our panelists discuss the newest payment rail in 40 years, The Clearing House’s (TCH) RTP® network, the benefits of real-time payments, and the cash management implications and responsibilities that come with round the clock payments. This session will close out with an overview of uses cases credit unions can pursue to deliver significant enhancements to member experiences and their overall operations.

Sales Engineer, Access Softek, Inc.

Request a demo from Access Softek and you will undoubtedly meet Marcus Bales, Access Softek’s Sales Engineer and leading demo man. For prospect or existing clients, Marcus is on top of the features and functionality of every innovative solution Access Softek offers.

With over half a decade of professional speaking experience, Marcus is sure to make his presentation a fun, educational, and a can’t-miss event at SCUCE!

Session Description:

Enhance Your Member Service and Support Experience by Offering Unprecedented Security AND Convenience
Research shows that credit union members want modern, easy to use technology features that will improve their service and support experience. Join Access Softek’s Sales Engineer, Marcus Bales, as he walks you through those research findings and shares how you can immediately solve to these member needs with Access Softek’s award-winning Biometric Authentication Manager and Conversational Banking solutions.

Chief Executive Officer, Tru Treasury

John is the Chief Executive Officer at Tru Treasury, a firm focused on enabling Credit Unions to provide business members leading treasury management solutions and advisory services. As the Chief Executive, he is responsible for the development of this company from a startup to a strategic service provider in the financial services industry.

John has spent 16 years in the financial services industry leading underwriting, treasury management, and payments organizations. Prior to joining Tru Treasury, John held multiple leadership roles at SunTrust Bank, now Truist, in the Treasury and Payments business. His roles included Vice President of Digital Money Movement, First Vice President of Liquidity Product and Commercial Card Rebate, and most recently as Head of Treasury Solutions Proposal Management. Additionally, John led an $18MM bank initiative to establish sales and product governance standards across multiple operating lines of business.

Before SunTrust, John owned, managed, and successfully exited a medical payments startup that served over one hundred providers in 12 states. He has also held roles at Amazon.com, Travelers Insurance, and the Vanguard Group. Outside of the financial sector, John is a Field Grade Officer in the Army Reserves and a veteran of the War in Iraq.

John earned an MBA from Johns Hopkins University, a Bachelor of Science from Shippensburg University, and two rotary-wing aviator certifications (UH-60 and CH-47) from the US Army Flight School.

Most importantly, John is a devoted husband to his wife of 13 years and a father of three spunky children.

Session Description:

Tapping into the Treasury Management Business
Member Business Loans and Commercial Lending have grown exponentially in the Credit Union sector over the past 5 years. While growth has been phenomenal only half business member relationship value is being realized – it is time to tap into the power of Treasury Management.

This session will explore:

• • The evolution of business services in the Credit Union space
• • Member and Credit Union value realization of a dedicated Treasury Management function
• • The treasury market potential

Principal, Synergy CU Consulting

Ancin Cooley, CIA CISA, is the Founder and Principal of Synergy Credit Union Consulting, Inc. Synergy helps credit unions grow and thrive by helping them manage risk, increase profits, and help members. Synergy accomplishes this through a suite of services that includes: Director Training, Strategic Planning, Enterprise Risk Management, Internal Audits, and Regulatory Compliance Reviews. As principal, Ancin manages a growing portfolio of clients throughout the United States and Caribbean. He brings more than 20 years of experience to the financial services industry. Ancin honed his skills while working with the US Treasury Dept. At the Treasury, he performed examinations for financial institutions ranging from $1 million to $8 billion in total assets. After leaving the Treasury Dept. Ancin worked for a regional accounting firm where he led internal audits, as well as loan and pre-regulatory examination reviews.

When not advising clients, training for triathlons, or spending time with his family, Ancin designs and conducts trainings for the Credit Union 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 Credit Union National Association. Ancin is originally from New Orleans, LA. But he currently lives in Chicago, IL.

Session Descriptions:

The Way Forward: Post Corona Strategies For Credit Union
Some things will change while others will stay the same… The presence of strong Board leadership will always create sustainable advantage for a credit union. As we venture into this post-corona environment, new strategies must be deployed.

This session will provide Board with a practical road map for knowing when to lead, when to partner, and when to stay out of the way.

In the session, you will learn about the following:

• • 2021 NCUA Examination priorities
• • Regulatory Capital Requirements and Growth
• • Implement the Risk Appetite and Risk Tolerance statements
• • Developing measurable strategic goals

What would You Do?: Situational Strategies For Boards
What would you do if your CEO left today? Or if your CEO proposed a merge with another credit union? What would you do if you credit union gets hacked? These are all instances that as Board you should have a playbook book for handling. In this session, Ancin Cooley will share his experiences as a consultant and examiner to ensure your institution is ready for what lies ahead.

Ideal Session Attendees:

• • Executive Management
• • Board Members
• • Supervisory Committee Members

Supervisory Committee Deep Dive: Beyond the Basics
Still trying to connect the dots as to what exactly you should be doing as a Supervisory Committee? Interested in learning the “Why?” behind what you are doing? You’re in luck! Ancin Cooley, Principal of Synergy Credit Union Consulting and creator of the only online Self-paced Supervisory Committee course, will walk you through the month to month skills, processes, and best practices your committee needs to be fully-functional. Ancin brings his 17 years of experience as a regulator, auditor, and consultant in an entertaining and easy to understand learning format.

Partner, StrategyCorps

Armed with a passion for banking strategy, StrategyCorps partner Dave DeFazio has found great success and satisfaction in exploring the intersection of data, marketing, and technology.

Dave’s extensive financial services experience and continuous research in the field help him ensure that each product and service meets the needs of today's financial institutions. At StrategyCorps, he leads and manages the company’s direct sales efforts while working directly with financial institutions to design, build, and implement a variety of checking solutions.

Dave downloads banking apps for fun. On the weekend. And talks about them at dinner with his family. Across the industry, Dave is a highly sought-after speaker who has shared thought leadership on innovations in financial technology, retail banking, mobile banking, customer engagement, product and customer profitability, product design, bank marketing, and changing consumer behaviors in an increasingly mobile-centric world.

He has spoken at a number of industry events, including Finovate, The Financial Brand Forum, BAI Retail Delivery Conference, the ABA Bank Marketing and Retail Conference, multiple Bank Director Magazine conferences, Credit Union Leadership Convention, National Directors and CEOs Leadership Conference, and many state association events.

His engaging, entertaining sessions are so popular that, in many cases, Dave has been asked to return year after year.

Dave graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a B.A. in Economics and Mathematics. In 2002, he was named partner at StrategyCorps, the industry-leading provider of consumer checking related analytical and mobile reward solutions that help financial institutions optimize financial productivity and enhance member engagement.

Session Description:

King of the Hill: How Mobile Banking Apps Capture Member Deposits
See how the hottest mobile banking apps advise and educate consumers while siphoning deposits from your financial institution. Right now, fintech disruptors are helping tech-savvy consumers reimagine banking tasks while enticing them with new places to keep their funds — instead of a checking account at your financial institution.

The secret to improving your future deposit growth lies in understanding the changing role of banking products in the financial lives of today’s consumers. In this session, Dave will dive into ongoing research that explains these trends — including which mobile features matter most to each generation, from millennials to baby boomers.

What You’ll Learn:

• • How the growth of app-based payments and rewards are turning checking accounts into “paycheck motels.”
• • How leading fintech apps are using your financial institution’s data to deliver new types of financial advice to your customers.
• • How the trickle-down-effect of mobile banking is helping the biggest banks widen their lead against community banking institutions.
• • How new mobile features from fintech checking accounts are expanding the definition of financial advice.
• • How faster access to paychecks is evolving as a key banking feature in the gig economy.
• • The newest tip-based pricing strategies for financial service products.

EVP/Chief Strategy Officer, Salus Group

With over 25 years in Operations Management and Group Benefits, Bridget has spent much of her time at Salus Group, an employee benefits consulting and administration Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO), managing the operations and overseeing various new business, strategic initiatives and acquisitions. In addition, Bridget manages LEVERAGE Benefits Group client services and benefit programs; a partnership between Salus Group and LEVERAGE/LSCU.

Previous experience: Managed the North American Operations for a global IT staffing firm, worked as an independent health insurance broker and was also an ISO 9000 Consultant for Tier 1 Automotive Suppliers and IT Staffing agencies. Bridget enjoys her time outside of the office with her husband, two children and their incredibly regal rescue dog – Taco Louie.

Session Description:

Healthcare: Knowledge is Power for Cost Reduction
In this session we will discuss what contributes to the high cost of health care, ways in which credit unions can reduce their benefit spend, ways in which the pandemic changed the landscape over the last year and what is anticipated moving forward.

Founder, Career Potential, LLC

Dr. Melissa Furman’s passion for guiding individuals with career, professional, and leadership development inspired her to launch Career Potential to help individuals achieve and organizations succeed. As the owner of Career Potential, Dr. Furman delivers highly engaging and interactive training and presentations.

Dr. Furman previously served as the assistant dean and currently serves as a faculty member at the James M. Hull College of Business at Augusta University in Augusta, Georgia and Georgia Tech Professional Education Division in Savannah, GA. Prior to Augusta University, she served in a variety of roles at Emory University, The University of Georgia, and Johns Hopkins University. Her research includes generational diversity, unconscious bias, career and leadership development, emotional intelligence, and assisting technical professionals transition into management roles.

With 20 years of academic training and experience, Dr. Furman is known as a subject matter expert and provides a knowledge of diverse learning styles. Using modern techniques and technology she delivers engaging, relatable content. She offers individual coaching and organizational consulting services to corporate, non-profit, and government organizations, as well as serves as a speaker at state, national, and international conferences.

Dr. Furman obtained her Doctorate of Business degree and Masters of Science degree in Professional Counseling from Georgia State University and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Susquehanna University. She is a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and has obtained multiple certifications to be able to administer assessment tools that measure behavioral styles, emotional intelligence, leadership development, and career development to name a few.

Dr. Furman was recently awarded “Faculty Member of the Year” by the Augusta University Student Government Association, designated as a “Top 10 in 10 Young Professional to Watch” by the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce, and nominated for Georgia Trend Magazine’s “Top 40 under 40”.

Session Description:

Managing & Leading a Multigenerational Workforce & Membership
Managers and organizational leaders are increasingly challenged with managing and embracing generational diversity due to differing mindsets, work styles, and communication preferences. This interactive, engaging session will provide recommendations and strategies for creating an environment that aligns with the unique characteristics of the multiple generations.

Leading from Within: Overcoming Unconscious Bias
Human brains are hardwired to make unconscious judgements and there is a direct link between our unconscious thinking and our actions and behaviors. This session provides a strong foundation as organizational leaders are launching diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and will provide strategies and techniques for addressing unconscious bias to positively impact diversity challenges, career advancement, workplace dynamics, and member relations.

Founder & CEO, Eltropy

As a former Product Manager in high tech, Ashish saw firsthand the changes that Text Messaging was bringing to the enterprise. He founded Eltropy to help Credit Unions improve efficiency, revenue and member engagement with Text Messaging.

Session Description:

Member Experience: Why Text Messaging is Essential for your Credit Union
Eltropy's CEO and founder Ashish Garg shares how our secure and compliant Text Messaging platform can assist your Credit Union communicate effectively during the pandemic era and beyond.

VP Compliance and Regulatory Services, LSCU

Laura Gober is Vice President of Compliance and Regulatory Services for The League of Southeastern Credit Unions (LSCU). Laura comes to the League through the LSCU/Georgia consolidation. Prior to joining the LSCU she was the VP of Enterprise Risk Management/BSA Officer for Atlanta Postal Credit Union, one of the largest credit unions in Georgia.

In her current role with LSCU Laura heads-up a best-in-class compliance department that serves credit unions in all three states, manages the Shared Compliance Consultant Program, and oversees the compliance products they offer.

Laura holds certifications as a BSA Compliance Specialist, Credit Union Compliance Expert and Credit Union Enterprise Risk Management Expert through the Credit Union National Association and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace through The University of South Florida.

Session Description:

BSA Basics That All CU Staff and Board Members Need to Know
This session will cover the basics of BSA and is designed to meet the mandatory BSA training requirement under the regulation- including BSA requirements for specific job functions.

Portfolio Consultant, LEVERAGE Payments Solutions

Stephanie has 15 years of experience in the credit union space and an extensive background in payments and RFP consulting. She has served multiple roles ranging from payments education and training to relationship management and consulting.

Session Description:

Five 5-Star Case Studies to Perfect Your Payments Program – Sundeep Kapur & Stephanie Hainje

The member you serve is paying for products and services every single day. They use cash, debit, credit, P2P/digital, and pay their bills online as well. They have many ways to pay and their “wallet” carries many “cards” – digital and physical.

FinTech and large financial institutions continue to pursue consumers to adopt their “superior, seamless, convenient, secure, and incentive-laden” payment instruments. Brands like Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Venmo, Cash App, and X1 continue to take our members away.

How do you compete in this arena? What would it take for you to earn your consumers’ confidence to be that top of wallet card? What would a leading with payments strategy do for your financial institution? Can you truly lead with payments?

This session will provide you with insight garnered from five champions – nimble organizations large and small that continue to fight and even beat the “big boys.” Our discussion will focus on experience, earnings, fraud, agility, and insight – five very important elements as you plan your winning strategy.

Join us for a discussion on ideal practices. Innovative, yet practical ideas to power your payments strategy. And you know this, if you own the “wallet,” you will own the relationship; lead with payments!

President, Reputation Management, LLC

Anthony Huey, CSP®, is a highly-rated international speaker who offers session attendees pragmatic communications tools, tips and techniques they can use immediately. Anthony has presented more than 3,000 paid communications workshops, seminars and speeches in his career, and was named a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) by The National Speakers Association, an honor awarded to less than 12% of its speakers worldwide.

Anthony’s 25-year career includes tenures as a news reporter and senior editor, crisis management specialist, media relations consultant and executive speech coach. He owns Reputation Management, LLC, one of the nation’s leading communications training and crisis consulting companies.

His past client work includes a wide variety of advertising, public relations and communications initiatives for hundreds of trade associations, municipalities and companies, including Nike, Victoria’s Secret, Eli Lilly, Nationwide Insurance, The Kroger Company, Procter & Gamble, and many more.

Anthony holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from The Ohio State University.

Educator & Founder, Digital Credence

Sundeep Kapur is an educator who is helping brands define their OMNI-Channel strategies. After 25 years in corporate America as a business and technology consultant, he returned to his passion – teaching brands best practices so they can achieve the same success.

From OMNI-Channel to the emerging OPTI-Channel his expertise has helped chart the course to success at many brands. He relishes his experience from engagements across industry – retail, sports, entertainment, travel, technology, education, and financial services.

Sundeep’s specialty lies in consumer engagement across multiple channels. A brand can be successful if it can engage the consumer with relevant messages across channel. “Keep it relevant, keep them engaged, and you will nurture your way to the top.”

His research focuses on seven critical elements for an FI to be successful in 2025:

1. Transformed Branch Experiences
2. Redefined Future Payments
3. Digital: Integrated & Responsive
4. Security: Authentication, Transactions, Information
5. Smarter Employees & Channels
6. Big Data, AI, Machine Intelligence, Decision Science, & the Cognitive Cloud
7. Banking Delivered in Your Pocket

Sundeep continues to study FinTech, is involved in studying consumer experiences, and continues to audit brands with the intent of providing effective feedback to drive better results.

He is an industry-recognized expert who has delivered keynotes, run panels, and delivered "relevant, inspirational, and outstanding" education for organizations around the world. In addition to direct work with clients, he writes articles for magazines, teaches yoga, and is invited to speak at a number of financial conferences.

Sundeep has a B.A. in Economics, a B. S. in Computer Science, and an MBA.

Session Description:

Reason, Season, Lifetime: Your Journey to Becoming the Primary Financial Institution

Consumers need financial institutions to complete their financial journeys. They need money that drives everyday economics - it drives their needs, helps with problems, and fuels their aspirations. The consumer we serve has a myriad of choices in who they use and they can have more than 10 financial relationships in their lifetime. And of course, 2020 has changed a lot!

How do we insert ourselves into the center of each relationship? How do we become part of everyday transactions? Do you know what these consumers truly want? How do we leverage emerging technology as an enabler? What does it take to become the primary financial institution?

Join us for pragmatic and innovative insight driven by research, including:

• a survey of more than 4000 financial institution professionals
• evaluation of fintech solutions, and investments by large financial institutions
• a deep understanding of what consumers really want

This inspirational prescriptive discussion will highlight the key challenges we face, provide anecdotal case studies, and provide us with the right questions to ask as we chart our roadmap for success.

Five 5-Star Case Studies to Perfect Your Payments Program – Sundeep Kapur & Stephanie Hainje

The member you serve is paying for products and services every single day. They use cash, debit, credit, P2P/digital, and pay their bills online as well. They have many ways to pay and their “wallet” carries many “cards” – digital and physical.

FinTech and large financial institutions continue to pursue consumers to adopt their “superior, seamless, convenient, secure, and incentive-laden” payment instruments. Brands like Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Venmo, Cash App, and X1 continue to take our members away.

How do you compete in this arena? What would it take for you to earn your consumers’ confidence to be that top of wallet card? What would a leading with payments strategy do for your financial institution? Can you truly lead with payments?

This session will provide you with insight garnered from five champions – nimble organizations large and small that continue to fight and even beat the “big boys.” Our discussion will focus on experience, earnings, fraud, agility, and insight – five very important elements as you plan your winning strategy.

Join us for a discussion on ideal practices. Innovative, yet practical ideas to power your payments strategy. And you know this, if you own the “wallet,” you will own the relationship; lead with payments!

Chief Mammal, Author & Creator of The Money Mammals and Saving Money Is Fun Kids Club

John Lanza is the author of The Art of Allowance: A Short, Practical Guide to Raising Money-Smart, Money-Empowered Kids, host of The Art of Allowance Podcast and creator The Art of Allowance Project featuring The Money Mammals — a nationwide program for credit unions that helps parents raise money-smart kids. An expert on youth financial literacy, John and his creations have appeared in the NY Times, LA Times, The Wall Street Journal and The His & Her Money Show.

Session Description:

Kids These Days: Capturing the Hearts, Minds, and Wallets of the Under 25 Set
Every financial institution wants to be there when a young person is ready to open her first credit card or get his first car loan. Consumers in the early stages of adulthood can be extremely profitable and presumably result in many more years of relational banking. Early affinity to a brand can lead to a lifelong relationship. “There’s lots of evidence that the brands you are emotionally connected to as a child you remain connected to as an adult,” says Rachel Geller, a partner and chief strategic officer at youth-oriented agency The Geppetto Group in New York. Consumers under the age of 25 present a host of opportunities for credit unions both now and well into the future.

Learn the top the things your credit union can start doing right now to attract this critical market segment.

VP, Member Success Executive, Corporate One FCU

Christine has 15 years of combined sales and sales management experience, which includes formerly leading a team of national sales executives. As the manager of Corporate One’s Member Success Team, Christine oversees advocates and consultants who generate enrichment opportunities for credit unions, resulting in increased revenue, stronger member retention, and greater member satisfaction.

Session Description:

The Right Time for Real Time: Understanding Real-Time Payments & the Use Cases
Real-time payments are here. Join us as our panelists discuss the newest payment rail in 40 years, The Clearing House’s (TCH) RTP® network, the benefits of real-time payments, and the cash management implications and responsibilities that come with round the clock payments. This session will close out with an overview of uses cases credit unions can pursue to deliver significant enhancements to member experiences and their overall operations.

President/CEO, Corporate America Credit Union

Pete was named President/CEO at Corporate America in November of 2012. He has worked in the credit union world for 30 years, 29 in corporate credit unions and 1 in a natural person credit union. Pete holds a B.S. in Finance from Cal State University and an MBA from The University of Phoenix. He has served on many committees and boards including a securities broker dealer, payment systems services corporation and a governmental affairs committee. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees on the Southeastern Credit Union Foundation. Pete is a lousy golfer, flies Cessnas for fun and takes orders from his two daughters when not at work.

Session Description:

Get Your Mind Right: Tackling Life's Challenges
It isn’t just a phrase heard on the football field or baseball diamond – “get your mind right” applies in your everyday life and career. Unexpected adversities are part of life, and confronting them requires focused time, energy, and mental resilience.

Join Pete as he shares tips from experts on persevering through personal and professional challenges and leave ready to tackle any situation!

President and CEO, Sherpa Technologies

As President and CEO, Keith brings a breadth of financial services experience spanning new product development, partnership management, consultative/direct sales, strategic planning and marketing, Keith oversees all aspects of Sherpa with a focus on the management of its enterprise innovation framework, product development and consulting with credit unions on digital transformation. Keith has more than 30 years of experience in the financial industry and possesses in-depth knowledge of digital technologies, payment processing platforms, and managed solutions offerings.

Session Description:

The Right Time for Real Time: Understanding Real-Time Payments & the Use Cases
Real-time payments are here. Join us as our panelists discuss the newest payment rail in 40 years, The Clearing House’s (TCH) RTP® network, the benefits of real-time payments, and the cash management implications and responsibilities that come with round the clock payments. This session will close out with an overview of uses cases credit unions can pursue to deliver significant enhancements to member experiences and their overall operations.

Agent, Salus Group

Frank Sorise, an agent with LEVERAGE Benefits Group, is an experienced sales and marketing professional. Driven by client satisfaction, he takes pride in understanding client needs and providing creative solutions. In addition to producing results for his clients at LEVERAGE, Frank is an avid Detroit sports fan and a passionate alumni of Michigan State University.

Session Description:

Healthcare: Knowledge is Power for Cost Reduction
In this session we will discuss what contributes to the high cost of health care, ways in which credit unions can reduce their benefit spend, ways in which the pandemic changed the landscape over the last year and what is anticipated moving forward.

Author and CEO, Category 6

Shari spent 16 years as an executive at a Seattle credit union.

Her proudest accomplishments at Verity Credit Union included being named an Innovator of the Decade by Net.Banker, heading up the successful Verity Mom campaign, and participating in Filene's prestigious i3 program.

Her first book, Motherhood is the New MBA: Using Your Parenting Skills to be a Better Boss was published by St. Martin's Press. With over 20,000 copies sold, it has been translated into Mandarin and purchased for publications in four countries.

Shari has been named a Woman of Influence by CU Times. She has been featured in American Banker, Credit Union Journal, CU Times, Credit Union BUSINESS, Credit Union Management, and The CEO Report.

She is now the CEO of Category 6 Consulting, which specializes in developing strategy with a strong focus on marketing and staff development.

Shari received her undergraduate degree from University of Washington and her MBA from Seattle University. She is also a graduate of the three-year CUES CEO Institute.

Session Description:

Kids These Days: Capturing the Hearts, Minds, and Wallets of the Under 25 Set
Every financial institution wants to be there when a young person is ready to open her first credit card or get his first car loan. Consumers in the early stages of adulthood can be extremely profitable and presumably result in many more years of relational banking. Early affinity to a brand can lead to a lifelong relationship. “There’s lots of evidence that the brands you are emotionally connected to as a child you remain connected to as an adult,” says Rachel Geller, a partner and chief strategic officer at youth-oriented agency The Geppetto Group in New York. Consumers under the age of 25 present a host of opportunities for credit unions both now and well into the future.

Learn the top the things your credit union can start doing right now to attract this critical market segment.

Managing Director-Investments, The Credit Union Investment Strategy Group of Oppenheimer & Co Inc.

Mark B. Wickard is the Managing Director of Investments for the Credit Union Investment Strategy Group of Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Since 1986, Mark has been consulting and educating credit unions nationwide. With education as the core foundation of everything he does – his clients become forward thinkers, informed buyers and sellers, and they better comprehend the nuances of investment strategies employed – and therefore are able to keep their boards more informed, educated and prepared for regulatory reviews and audits.

Mark’s team of Fixed-Income professionals brings a unique understanding of the regulatory environment credit unions work in and a comprehensive understanding of the National Credit Union Association’s (NCUA) regulations.

Session Description:

2021 Income Strategies: How to Manage Increased Deposits and Mitigate Margin Compression

This session’s goal is for each CU to come away with:

1) Immediate Income Solutions
2) Increased NIM
3) Increased ROA
4) Reversal of “bleeding” of the Net Worth Ratio

Questions every CU should ask:

· Is your credit union struggling to utilize increased deposits effectively?
· Will waiting for market “normality” be deemed the best option regarding your CU’s cash position?
· What is the effect of the recently renewed Prompt Corrective Action Relief?
· Worried about bad timing of putting cash to work when rates are at zero? Two essential strategies for CU’s to immediately employ to eliminate the risk of bad timing and to significantly increase income regardless of rate changes.
· Should you be considering floating rate investments? What is the impact of huge member mortgage refinancing in 2020 to our ALM position in 2021 & beyond?
· What will the action of a decision made today between different investment types mean 2-3 years from now from an income standpoint?

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Transacts Business on all Principal Exchanges and Member SIPC 3564796.1