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Lending Conference

Speakers

A big thank-you to the wonderful speakers at our 2023 event. Nicely done!

Keynote Speakers

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​​Kevin Brown​ ​​Kevin Brown​

​​Motivational Speaker and Author​

​​Motivational speaker and author Kevin Brown is passionate about helping people and organizations embrace a simple philosophy that separates world-class organizations and high-performance people from everybody else - he calls it The HERO Effect®. Through his books and presentations, Kevin entertains, inspires, and challenges people to show up every day and make a positive difference at work and in life.​

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Molly Fletcher Molly Fletcher

CEO, Business Author and Former Sports Agent

​​Hailed by CNN as the “female Jerry Maguire” Molly Fletcher is a  trailblazer in every sense of the word, Molly shares the business wisdom, relationship brilliance and unwavering optimism that helped her thrive as one of the first female sports agents and now as a successful entrepreneur. Molly’s fearless approach to business is illustrated in the engaging and entertaining stories about her rise to the top as a sports agent, an industry where there are actually more agents than athletes to represent. Always fascinated with how peak performers sustain success, Molly gives rare insight into the minds of some of sports’ biggest stars while sharing personal stories about her journey in a highly competitive, traditionally male-dominated industry.​

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Logan Mohtashami Logan Mohtashami

Lead Analyst

HousingWire

Logan Mohtashami is a renowned expert in the mortgage and housing ecosystem, recognized for his insightful analysis and commentary on the U.S. economy and real estate market. Mohtashami is a lead analyst for HousingWire, the most influential source of news and information for the U.S. mortgage and housing markets, and is a regular contributor on the HousingWire Daily podcast. 

With a background spanning over two decades in the mortgage industry, Mohtashami — nicknamed “The Chart Guy” — has the remarkable ability to decipher complex economic data and translate it into understandable, actionable insights. This knowledge has made him a sought-after commentator and his expertise has been featured extensively in news outlets, including CNBC, where he is a frequent guest. 

Mohtashami is a highly sought-after speaker, and has spoken at industry conferences including National Hispanic Organization of Real Estate Associates (NHORA), New England Mortgage Bankers Conference (NEMBC) and CUNA Lending Council Conference, among several others. 

His passion for data and economics, coupled with his years of direct lending experience, provides industry professionals with critical insights into the ever-evolving mortgage and housing landscape.

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Chad Williams Chad Williams

Former Navy Seal

Author

​​Serving his country proudly through multiple deployments as a U.S. Navy SEAL, on SEAL Teams One and Seven, Williams honed the qualities and values that our nation’s best adhere to. In a final operation in Iraq, his SEAL team was set up on a premeditated ambush similar to the location and scenario that took the life of his mentor Scott Helvenston, but on that occasion he and his team were able to overcome the enemy and complete the mission. Today, Chad is a bestselling author of the book, SEAL of God, and an in-demand keynote speaker. He is also a frequent guest on Fox News Channel, CNN News Room, Anderson Cooper 360, and other national news programs. Drawing from his experiences, Chad captivates his audiences as he illustrates the SEAL mindset and ethos, including leadership, teamwork, integrity, safety, mental toughness, discipline, overcoming adversity and grit. ​

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General Speakers

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John Arnold John Arnold

​​VP Business Services​

AmeriCU

Syracuse, NY

​​John has been in the financial services industry for over 30 years, and joined AmeriCU Credit Union in 2015. AmeriCU is located in Central New York State, and has used loan participations to complement organic commercial loan growth to a $375MM portfolio consisting of assets spread across CRE and C&I businesses. The department has 17 FTE, including underwriters, business development and reporting groups organized under a business leader. Although we have worked with brokers, the vast majority of transactions are direct with other Credit Unions. Participations can support geographic risk distribution, as well as mitigating concentration and other risks.​

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Brad Barnes Brad Barnes

CFO

Air Academy Credit Union

Colorado Springs, CO

Brad serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Air Academy Credit Union in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The $900 million credit union serves over 50,000 members of the military, 11 local school districts and over 250 select employee groups.

Before joining Air Academy, Brad worked in public accounting with BKD, LLP (now FORVIS), one of the 10 largest CPA firms in the country. 

Brad is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, Colorado Society of CPAs.  He is the Chairman of the CUNA Finance Council and Vice-Chairman of the CUNA Councils Executive Committee.  He also volunteers as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Challenger Learning Center of Colorado and the Audit Committee of the United States Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation.

Brad graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BS in Accounting from Missouri State University.  

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Ken Bauer Ken Bauer

​​Chief Lending Officer​

​​OneAZ Credit Union​

​​Phoenix, AZ​

​​I am currently serving as Chief Lending Officer at OneAZ Credit Union, a $3.5B Phoenix-based financial institution. In my role as CLO, I lead consumer, mortgage, and business lending, including loan production, credit risk management, and fulfillment teams. As a senior member of the executive team, I help shape the strategic direction and growth of the Credit Union, its products, and the performance of its loan assets.  
Prior to my time at OneAZ, I worked with several banks and credit unions of varying sizes, with much of my career in commercial banking. I am a graduate of Baylor University and am currently enrolled at the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University​.

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​​Peter Benjamin​ ​​Peter Benjamin​

​​President​

​​American Credit Union Mortgage Association​

​​Middleton, WI​

​​A mortgage professional with 20 years of experience, Benjamin has held various positions throughout the mortgage industry including Senior Vice President of Mortgage Lending for Lafayette Federal Credit Union in Rockville, MD. As an association, Benjamin wants to see ACUMA members continue to foster the collaborative spirit that has made the association so great and work together to support the American Dream of homeownership. He sees ACUMA as a vital education arm that helps Member Credit Unions gain market share in the mortgage industry. Benjamin holds a Certified Mortgage Banker designation and is a Six Sigma Black Belt​

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​​Josh Bisson​ ​​Josh Bisson​

​​Vice President of Lending & Collections​

​​Fort Liberty Federal Credit Union​

Fayetteville, NC

​​Josh is a seasoned leader in the world of lending & collections, with a career spanning more than two decades in the financial services industry. As the Vice President of Lending & Collections at Fort Liberty Federal Credit Union, Josh has been influential in shaping innovative lending strategies and optimizing collections processes. While Credit Unions are his first love, Josh spent eight years in the automotive finance industry as a Finance Director for several auto dealerships and manufacturers. He brings a unique perspective as an executive in both industries. 
 
After studying business at the University of Southern Maine (his home state) in the late 1990s, Josh, his wife Erin, and their three kids (Matthew, Duncan, & Sydney) relocated to North Carolina in 2018. Josh looks forward to sharing his dual industry insight in the indirect lending world with attendees to provide actionable program management strategies.​

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​​Lauren Bray​ ​​Lauren Bray​

​​Product Specialist and Counsel​

​​TruStage​

​​Grand Rapids, MI​

​​Lauren Bray joined TruStage Compliance Solutions in June 2015 and serves as Product Specialist and Counsel. Lauren is responsible for various product operations including maintaining and ensuring compliance of TruStage’s solution by researching the impact of federal and state laws on TruStage’s, leading the creation of new product offerings, and assisting with client and partner inquiries.​

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Nicole Brusewitz Nicole Brusewitz

​​Founder​

​​Maven Leadership​

​​An executive with 15+ years in the credit union industry, Nicole has worked with thousands of credit union professionals and board members to grow as leaders through conferences, workshops, service projects and development programs. She’s directed and developed leadership development programs for hundreds of emerging and executive leaders.  
 
What makes Nicole unique is that she knows more than just credit unions! She pulls from her diverse experience as a University Professor, Wellness Educator, Professional Meeting Planner, Leadership Development Designer, and Association Executive to create engaging educational experiences that provide both personal and professional development.  
 
Nicole holds a bachelor’s in business administration, master’s in holistic health education and is certified as a Professional Coach and Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE). She loves to volunteer with initiatives that develop and empower leaders and currently volunteers as an Executive Coach for the Credit Union Women’s Leadership Alliance.​

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Fred Campobasso Fred Campobasso

​​Chief Lending Officer​

​​Great Lakes Credit Union​

​​Bannockburn, IL​

Fred Campobasso serves as Chief Lending Officer of Great Lakes Credit Union.  
Prior to rejoining GLCU, Fred was Chief Lending Officer at SRP Federal Credit Union in South Carolina where he had direct responsibility for commercial, consumer and mortgage lending, as well as marketing and community development. 

Fred also volunteers his time in the credit union industry and currently serves on the Board of Member Student Lending LLC; he had previously served on the Board of Extensia Financial. 
He has been, and continues to be, actively involved in serving as a volunteer for local non-profit boards in leadership capacities, including currently serving on Esperanza Health Centers of Chicago Associate Board.  
He is a strong advocate and supporter of providing low-and-moderate income households the ability to improve their financial well-being through financial literacy initiatives, with a focus on providing credit at fair and reasonable terms for the traditionally underserved.

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​​Caleb Cook​ ​​Caleb Cook​

​​VP of Consumer Lending​

​​Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU)​

​​Costa Mesa, CA​

​​Caleb joined Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) in August 2014 and oversaw mortgage and home equity loan production and servicing for 5 years. In 2019 he transitioned over to the consumer lending area and now oversees vehicle, credit card, personal, student, and solar lending. Caleb has 20+ years of experience in the industry working in progressive roles from coast-to-coast at state and federally chartered credit unions. Caleb has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Community Development and Applied Economics from the University of Vermont. Caleb attended Western CUNA Management School and graduated in 2008 and completed the CUES CEO Institute in 2019. He currently serves on the board of directors for Worcester Community Housing Resources (WCHR) and the Association of Senior Credit Union Officers (ACUSO).​

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​​Rob Craig​ ​​Rob Craig​

​​General Manager - Portfolio Analytics​

​​nCino​

​​Lehi, UT​

​​Rob Craig is the General Manager of nCino's Portfolio Analytics business, which over 1,000 financial institutions utilize to more effectively manage portfolio risk and meet regulatory requirements. Prior to his role as GM, Rob spent a decade leading Visible Equity and nCino Portfolio Analytics' customer success team -- from onboarding and training, to ongoing data support. He earned both his M.B.A. and B.A. in Economics from Brigham Young University, and prior to nCino and Visible Equity worked as an investment analyst at Partners Group, a global private markets investment firm.​

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Megan Curtis Megan Curtis

​​Vice President of Credit Risk​

​​MSU Federal Credit Union​

​​East Lansing, MI​

​​Megan Curtis is the VP of Credit Risk at MSU Federal Credit Union, located in East Lansing, Michigan where she has spent most of her career in collections and credit risk. As the Credit Union grows and consumer and member behavior continue to evolve, Megan is focused on fostering an environment of collaboration and efficiency for the Credit Risk teams. She has grown a successful collections team that is agile and adaptable to change, whether that change be driven by the economic environment or regulatory requirements. Megan also spent some of her career on the Credit Union's Compliance team and has a zeal for ensuring the Credit Union is operating in a compliant manner and serving members equitably.  

​Megan is a servant leader and finds fulfillment in developing teams and future leaders. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where she earned her BA in Developmental Psychology.​

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Crystal Dowd Crystal Dowd

Chief Credit Officer

CU Strategic Services, LLC

​​Alexandria, VA​

​​Crystal has 20+ years’ commercial lending experience and has successfully managed and directed individual commercial lending departments as well as regional commercial lending operations supporting $75MM to $250MM portfolios in both credit union and banking industries. Her expertise encompasses commercial credit underwriting, commercial loan administration, and commercial lending training and development. Crystal’s roles throughout her career provide her with the hands-on tools needed to successfully guide all aspects of commercial lending operations. In addition, Crystal has spent a vast amount of time training and mentoring other credit union professionals in all aspects of commercial lending and imparting her knowledge at Credit Union National Association professional training events.​

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Jeff Forsgren Jeff Forsgren

Chief Lending Officer

Members Trust of the Southwest FCU

Jeff Forsgren has been in credit unions and lending for nearly 20 years filling many roles from part-time teller to his current role as Chief Lending Officer for Members Trust of the Southwest FCU in Houston. Jeff loves helping members and employees achieve their financial and career dreams. In every role Jeff seeks for efficiency, improvement, and excellence. He has excelled in all types of lending driving growth, improving the member experience, driving profitability, and reducing compliance errors.

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Kris Frantzen Kris Frantzen

​​Product Manager​

​​Temenos​

​​Malvern, PA​

​​Kris has spent nearly 25 years in the software and service space, focusing on solutions that drive efficiency and growth for credit unions and banks. This has included product strategy roles for loan and account origination and collection solutions with Metavante, FIS, and now Temenos. 
In his role as a Product Manager with Temenos, Kris is responsible for Product Strategy for the Temenos North American Collections and Origination solutions. He also manages relationships with strategic accounts and the team of Product Evangelists that drive product demonstrations, deliver request for proposal responses, and provide thought leadership content for industry articles, webinars, and conferences. The insight gathered from prospects, clients, the Temenos teams, and his experience in the industry are key components for Kris's input on the strategic direction of the Temenos solutions.​

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Ericka Gorman Ericka Gorman

​​SVP/CLO

​​Redstone Federal Credit Union​

​​Ericka Gorman is the Senior Vice President, Chief Lending Officer at Redstone Federal Credit Union. She oversees the Consumer, Business and Mortgage Lending areas as well as Business Solutions and Collections. Ericka has more than 20 years experience in the credit union industry. A transformational leader, Ericka brings a focus on member experience and efficiency. Since joining Redstone in 2021, she has led the growth of the Commercial Real Estate portfolio to more than double in size and has impacted the organization positively through a focus on value add technology.  
Ericka has a passion for serving those in the LMI community and uses her voice to advocate for their needs. Redstone is an integral part of the community and supports these initiatives through advocacy and action.​

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Nora Guerra Nora Guerra

National Affordable Lending Sr. Manager

Freddie Mac

Nora Guerra is the National Affordable Lending Sr. Manager in the Single-Family Mission and Client Engagement Team in the Single-Family organization. The Affordable Lending team is committed to ensuring Freddie Mac has the offerings to support responsible lending and provide sustainable homeownership, and to improve access to credit for all borrowers. Mrs. Guerra supports the Sales and Lending partners to develop and execute Seller plans for meeting affordable lending, community outreach and CRA goals. She analyzes market data to identify trends/opportunities and develops strategic direction from market information. 

A veteran of 25 years in the mortgage industry. Mrs. Guerra joined Freddie Mac in 2019 and has held positions of leadership in sales origination, production, and sourcing areas in a variety of areas including multicultural and low to moderate income segments. Nora recently earned the Latino Leadership Award in 2023 from Diversity Journal in celebration of her relentless activism for Latino housing equality and her work in the community to increase the financial literacy of Latino high school and university students countrywide.

Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability, and affordability to the nation’s residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Today Freddie Mac is making home possible for one in four home borrowers and is one of the largest sources of financing for multifamily housing. For more information, please visit www.FreddieMac.com and Twitter @FreddieMac.)

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​​Michael Hernandez​ ​​Michael Hernandez​

​​Consumer Lending Manager​

​​Camino Federal Credit Union​

​​Montebello, CA​

​​Meet Michael Hernandez, a seasoned financial veteran with over three decades of experience. His extensive expertise spans the gamut of finance, covering Consumer Lending, Collections, Real Estate Lending, BSA/AML Financial Crimes Risk Management, and Commercial Lending. Michael excels at building strong financial relationships with both consumers and businesses. 
 
Educated at California State University Northridge and Mt San Antonio College, Michael's achievements shine in software implementation for lending and collections. As a trusted beta tester for multiple vendors, he's contributed to the enhancement of core systems, loan origination, collections platforms, skip tracing, and insurance tracking.​

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Sarah Horten Sarah Horten

Chief Lending Officer

Kirtland Credit Union

​​Sarah Horten is currently the Chief Lending officer at Kirtland Credit Union. She is a passionate servant leader with a dream to inspire others to reach their potential. Developing strong relationships with employees and members feeds Sarah’s passion for service to others. She has over 30 years’ experience in financial institutions. Her early days working at community banks allowed her to gain experience and knowledge; however, her time participating in the credit union movement has given her the opportunity to be part of something bigger. Sarah’s dedication, hard work and determination has led her career from an entry-level bookkeeping position to earn her a seat at the C-Suite table.​

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Dennis Janikowski Dennis Janikowski

​​SVP of Lending​

Potlatch No 1 Financial CU

Lewiston, Idaho

​​As a seasoned financial leader with a track record of success spanning over 25 years, I bring a wealth of expertise and passion to my role as Senior Vice President of Lending at P1FCU. My career has been defined by a commitment to excellence, innovation, and a relentless drive to empower individuals and businesses through strategic lending solutions.  
Throughout my career, I have held various leadership positions within the financial industry, honing my skills and knowledge in lending, risk management, and customer-centric strategies.  
I hold a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Washington State University, where I gained a solid academic foundation in finance and economics. I am also a lifelong learner, staying updated with the latest industry trends and best practices to remain at the forefront of the lending industry.​

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​​Michael Lee​ ​​Michael Lee​

CEO

​​Associated Management Company | CUpartner​

​​Glendora, CA​

​​Michael Lee is the CEO of Associated Management Company | CUPartner and has over 48 years of financial industry expertise. Michael began his career in 1975 at Hughes Aircraft Credit Union (Kinecta) and later worked his way up at various credit unions before founding his own financial consulting company in 1991. His many years of experience within the credit union industry has led him to specialize in credit union collections with an emphasis on internal operations; handling foreclosures, repossessions, 3rd party collections, legal matters, and loss mitigation. His comprehensive knowledge and efficiency of operations and regulations keep his credit union partners on track in the ever-changing collections landscape.​

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Eric Liesener Eric Liesener

​​Sr. Director of Consumer Loan Sales and Underwriting

BCU

​​Eric has 18 plus years of credit union lending experience. He started in 2004 as a Consumer Loan Sales representative. As Eric progressed to his current role, he added numerous responsibilities including Consumer Underwriting, the Indirect Dealer Program, Student Loan refinances and Fintech lending partnerships. Eric received his bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Miami (FL.)​

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Rob Macari Rob Macari

Director of Sales - National Accounts

LSI

​​Rob began his career with LSI more than 24 years ago, after graduating from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, managing the Midwest region. He currently Manages LSI’s National Sales Division which is responsible for over 40% of LSI’s revenue.  
 

Rob is focused on working with his partners to help deliver positive experiences to their members through LSI's #AlwaysLIVE support. In today’s mobile world partners can be assured that their members can connect anytime, anywhere. His passion and positive attitude reflect the Best-in-Class Service, which LSI prides itself on. ​

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​​Joe Mearn​ ​​Joe Mearn​

​​Director of Product Management​

​​MeridianLink​

​​Bellingham, MA​

​​Joe brings over 20 years experience in analyst and product management roles to MeridianLink. As Director of Product Management, Joe is responsible for meeting the current and future market needs of the MeridianLink suite of products within the MeridianLink Engage and MeridianLink Collect lines of business, obtaining the voice of the customer to all product development while overseeing the product and UX functions.​

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​​Nicole Messore​ ​​Nicole Messore​

​​Consumer Lending Manager​

​​AmeriCU Credit Union​

​​Rome, NY​

​​Professional in the finance and banking space for 16 years, with the latter ten years in credit unions. Focused on consumer and mortgage lanes, Nicole has obtained higher certifications to support the administration of automated lending operating systems, to include the Meridian Link - Express Accounts certified Administrator since 2021. Nicole remains steadfast and focused on automation of consumer lending activity to include expedient loan applications consumer loan growth strategies, which include balance capture initiatives, automation ratios, merchant lending, ancillary sales, and overall lending administration efficiencies from paper to digital lien filing, same-day county recording and various changes to Loan Administration to remove paper pushing and move all functions digital. Nicole highly supports and practices Dale Carnegie and works with Predictive Index as a Certified user supporting people relations and behaviors. Nicole’s exposure includes work with CUNA Lending, Symitar, Meridian Link, AFG, Clutch, IWS, and Lee and Mason.​

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Steven Meyer Steven Meyer

VP of Consumer Lending

Truity Credit Union

​​Steven Meyer began his career at Truity Credit Union headquartered in Bartlesville, Oklahoma in 2005 as a consumer loan officer. He has been in leadership roles in Consumer Servicing, Card Servicing, Direct Lending and Indirect Lending. He implemented a robust indirect lending program at Truity that accounts for over half of their lending portfolio. He has been a member of the CUNA Lending Council for many years and is currently on their Conference Committee.​

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Brian Millar Brian Millar

​​Sr. Director Collections​

BCU

​​Deerbrook, WI​

Brian has 30 years of financial services experience, with various leadership roles focused on collections, risk and contact centers.  He currently leads BCU’s Collection and Recovery teams, focused on reducing losses, increasing recoveries, and creating efficiencies through the use of data/technology.  ​

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Scott Miller Scott Miller

​​Senior Business Banking Solutions Consultant​

​​NCR Voyix​

​​Atlanta, GA​

​​Scott has been in the financial services for 41 years. He has 25 years plus of business banking and treasury management experience. His career has included time with the OCC as a national bank examiner, time as a commercial lender and over 15 years in digital banking technology.​

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Ethan Morriss Ethan Morriss

​​EVP/Chief Lending Officer​

​​Frontier Credit Union​

​​Idaho Falls, ID​

​​Born and raised in Idaho, currently residing in Nampa Idaho. Husband of 26 years, father of three boys. Credit union employee of 26 years and I've worked at credit unions in three states: Idaho, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. I have served as a Chief Lending Officer for 18 years. Supervision of loss mitigation, wealth management, and all lending areas (commercial, mortgage, indirect, and consumer). I am best known for creating lending programs and products and growing and managing high performing loan portfolios. Studied business and English, certified commercial lender, CUNA Management School. I most enjoy dirt bike riding, hiking, and studying history.​

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Jay Mossman Jay Mossman

​​Founder/CEO​

​​AKUVO​

​​Malvern, PA​

Jay is the founder and CEO of AKUVO, a leading provider of credit risk and delinquency management technology. In 2015, he sold his last company, Akcelerant, to Temenos and led the North America team until he departed in 2019. Jay is also an investor through his investment holding company NRT Holdings. His investments and board participation are wide-ranging in real estate, technology, apparel, and food and beverage industries. 
 
Jay’s career began at Mellon Bank, followed by roles at RepublicBank and BankOne. In 1998, he founded a financial software company, which sparked his entrepreneurial journey that led to six successful ventures, creating over $100 million in value. He has received numerous awards during his career, such as Turnaround Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. Magazine and Citations from the Pennsylvania Senate and House. Jay is currently writing a book called "Packing for Life’s Journey…What’s in Your Suitcase?​

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Deedee Myers, PhD, MSC, PCC, CHIC Deedee Myers, PhD, MSC, PCC, CHIC

Founder & CEO

DDJMyers

Deedee Myers is a thought and practice leader in transformative change and organizational evolution for people and organizations. She is a catalyst for updating organizational structures that leverage people’s values. Deedee’s extensive work with boards, executive teams, and staff results in progressive yet pragmatic communication and behavioral practices that add sustainable and intrinsic value. She applies appreciative inquiry to strategic planning, succession planning from the emerging leader through the board level, generative board practices, and advancing leadership presence and execution so that individuals, teams, and organizations can organize in a shared vision for the future. Deedee contributes to advancing thought leadership through frequent speaking engagements, articles, and webinars.

Deedee has a master’s degree in organizational development, a Ph.D. in human development, a master’s level in somatic coaching, and a PCC in coaching from the International Coaching Federation.

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Kevin Nafziger Kevin Nafziger

​​VP of Lending​

​​Park View Federal Credit Union​

​​Harrisonburg, VA​

​​Kevin started at the Credit Union 10 years ago in Branch management. He soon shifted into Credit Analysis for Business Lending and developed the Credit Department from 1 person to the 5.5 people it is now. He leads the Mortgage Department as well as the Business Lending Department.​

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Perica Obradovic Perica Obradovic

VP, Mortgage Servicing

Truity Federal Credit Union

​​Bartlesville, OK​

​​Perica Obradovic is currently serving as VP, Mortgage Servicing at Truity Credit Union based out of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He has been with Truity Credit Union for 4 years and have previously served in the several leadership roles in our Credit Resolutions department where he actually started his Credit Union journey. He now oversees the entire Mortgage Servicing operations including the Loss Mitigation functions.  
 
Perica has had a privilege to be involved with several credit union professional organizations throughout his career, including CUNA Lending Council Conference Committee, which has broadened his understanding of the credit union industry and strengthened his commitment and belief in expanding the mission and the purpose of the credit unions across the world.​

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​​Brian O’Neill​ ​​Brian O’Neill​

​​Chief Client Officer​

​​Numerated​

Boston, MA​

​​Brian O’Neill is the Chief Client Officer at Numerated. As an executive with over 20 years of industry experience, Brian oversees the client experience organization at Numerated to ensure an efficient delivery of Numerated’s award-winning solutions and foster long-lasting customer relationships. Prior to joining the team at Numerated, Brian served as the EVP, Head of Global Client Engagement, where he led the Global Client Relations, Global Product Implementations, Professional Services, Client Outcomes and Learning Solutions teams at FIS for the Banking Solutions business segment. Recognized six years in a row by the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) from 2016 through 2021, Brian was named Chief Customer Officer of the Year. Brian has also been an active member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) ‘Team in Training’ for nearly a decade, raising over $100K over the years. He also serves as the board chairman for LLS North Florida.​

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Michael Orsomarso Michael Orsomarso

​​Associate Director of Lending​

​​First Source FCU​

​​New Hartford, NY​

​​Mike was born and raised in Utica, New York and is a graduate of Syracuse University. Mike currently oversees the Underwriting, Loan & Asset Recovery, Lending Administration and Real Estate teams at First Source FCU in New Hartford, NY. Having worked in the Credit Union industry for the past 12 years, Mike has a deep knowledge of the complex lending world in technology, member experience, policy, procedures, regulatory and compliance. Leadership and development are two areas that he is very passionate about and has built a strong team in the current lending division. Industry legends Rex Johnson and Ed Swanson from Lending Solutions Consulting Inc. are two of Mike's main mentors. Mike has been featured in CUNA's "2020 Lessons Learned in Lending" whitepaper and has presented at LSCI's Management Institute​.

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Robert Padula Robert Padula

​​Vice President of Mortgage Lending​

​​Empower Federal Credit Union​

​​Syracuse, NY​

​​Bob Padula is the VP of Mortgage Lending at the $3B+ Empower Federal Credit Union located in Syracuse, NY. During his 20 years in this role, he turned the credit union from a low-volume, primarily refinance lender to the number one mortgage lender in Central NY. Under Bob's leadership Empower offers a myriad of mortgage products from small FTHB loans to jumbo mortgages and developed an efficient process that delivers these products to exceed the expectations of both members and real estate community. 

Bob oversaw the credit unions project to become a CDFI and numerous successful grant applications, including the 2018 award of $776,500 to create the Financial Inclusion Mortgage Program.

​Bob is an advocate for DEI in the workplace and the real estate market and is spearheading the process to become ASIL (Accredited Social Impact Lender) certified through the North American Minority Mortgage Bankers Association.​

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Steve Pagenstecher Steve Pagenstecher

​​Chief Innovation Officer​

Point West Credit Union

Portland, OR

​​Steve Pagenstecher is the Chief Innovation Officer at Point West Credit Union in Portland, OR, a low income designated, CDFI certificated credit union. Steve oversees the credit union’s strategic initiatives, IT, and marketing, as well as leading Point West’s community, business, and product development initiatives. He previously served as the Vice President of Member Relations at Valley Credit Union in Salem, OR and has nearly 20 years of experience in financial services. Steve recently served on the board of directors for the GoWest Credit Union Foundation and Innovative Changes, a nonprofit that specialized in financial education and credit-building for underserved communities. He is a certified Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE) and received a B.S. in Marketing Communication from Oregon State University​.

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Mark Papoccia Mark Papoccia

Member Experience Officer

Vantage West Credit Union

Mark is responsible for defining the member experience through strategy creation and execution, sales effectiveness initiatives and transformation projects. Mark joined Vantage West in 2020.  
His background includes leading sales teams in addition to mandates that have included creation and management of centralized underwriting/portfolio management units. He has been responsible for merger and integration projects during his career. Mark was also instrumental in the development and execution of the business governmental programs. 
Mark graduated from Southern Illinois University with Finance and Marketing degrees and received his Masters of Business Administration in Financial Services from Dalhousie University.  
Mark has served on several economic, non-profit and business development boards. He currently serves on the boards for both Growth Corp, a SBA CDC and Youth on Their Own, an organization supporting high school graduation for youth experiencing homelessness.

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Amy Phillips Amy Phillips

CFO

On Tap Credit Union

Golden, CO

Amy Phillips is CFO of On Tap Credit Union in Golden, Colorado. As holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, she came to credit unions from a background of investment middle- and back-office, derivatives hedging, treasury, and ALM modeling, analysis, and consulting. Amy holds a bachelor's and master’s degree in finance from the University of Colorado.

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Danielle Parry-Hill Danielle Parry-Hill

Director​

​​TransUnion​

Raleigh, NC​

​​Danielle Parry-Hill, Sales Director at TransUnion, is passionate about the Credit Union mission. She has spent the last 20 years in the Credit Reporting Agency world, and is a self-proclaimed "data nerd". Danielle holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Economics from St. Lawrence University. When not assisting Credit Unions in analyzing risk and improving member experience, she enjoys working with various non-profits in the Raleigh area, with a strong focus on Financial Education. Danielle is a Governor appointed member of the Advisory Commission for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. ​

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Dan Picard Dan Picard

CEO

PCT Federal Credit Union

Dan has been employed in the credit union industry for almost 30 years working for three New England based credit unions in various Collections, Consumer Lending and Residential Lending positions. Most recently, he was with Hanscom Federal Credit Union as the SVP, Loan Servicing.

On April 15, 2024, he begins a new role as CEO of PCT Federal Credit Union, a Massachusetts based institution founded in 1962 by a group of teachers who were on a mission to help fellow educators get access to financial resources that were out of reach.

Dan has been active with the CUNA Lending Council since 2014 serving in leadership positions on the CUNA Lending Executive Committee, the CUNA Lending Conference Committee and the Member Resource Committee. He has been an active speaker for both CUNA Lending and CUNA Collection conferences as well as at regional collection events in New England.

Dan resides in Attleboro, Massachusetts with his wife Erin. He is the proud father of 2 sons, Timothy and Andrew.

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Brandon Poore Brandon Poore

​​Director CLC Lending​

​​Y-12 Federal Credit Union​

​​Knoxville, TN​

​​Have been in finance since 2002 and worked for various lending institutions that used a variety of lending methodology. Obtained undergraduate and MBA from Tusculum College (local east TN school). Have worked in multiple key positions at various organizations and the experience learned has propelled me into the role I serve in today.​

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Susan Rice Susan Rice

SVP Commercial Lending

​​Bellco Credit Union​

Greenwood Village, CO

​​Susan is the Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending for Bellco and is a part of the senior leadership team. She has been at Bellco for over six years and the department has originated and now services approximately $2.4 billion in the portfolio. Bellco is an approved Capital Provider for the Colorado C-PACE program and has funded several projects to date for approximately $12million. 
 
She has worked in the financial industry since 1991, and has had a variety of different roles, managing areas such as indirect lending, business development, operations, credit and loan governance, and audit and exam administration. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Finance and a minor in Accounting from Appalachian State University.​

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Ed Rogers Ed Rogers

Manager, Consumer Solutions/SME​

Built Technologies​

​​Nashville, TN​

​​Built's Manager of Consumer Solutions, Ed Rogers, brings over 25 years of experience in residential construction and renovation lending. Ed works closely with Lender clients as well as sales, product, and engineering teams to ensure Built’s products and service delivery add value throughout all new residential construction and renovation lending processes. Previously, Ed served as Vice President of Agency Construction and Renovation Financing at Caliber Home Loans Inc., Renovation Regional Manager at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and Vice President - Home Construction Lending Division at IndyMac Bank.

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​​Amanda Roth​ ​​Amanda Roth​

​​Director, Data and Decisioning Expert​

​​Experian​

​​Cartersville, GA​

​​Amanda Roth has over 20 years of business lending and consulting experience, with the majority of those years spent rising through the ranks at Experian. Most recently, Amanda led a team of analytical consultants that leveraged analytics to determine the best actionable intelligence for businesses. 
Today, Amanda shares her wealth of experience and knowledge with clients as a Data and Decisioning Expert. These insights allow organizations to manage risk and make strategic decisions effectively. 
Amanda has been a part of Experian since 2002, working with clients in many industries to solve challenges across the customer life cycle. Before that, she worked in commercial lending for several years. This hands-on experience is an important and unique offering that both she and her team leverage for clients.​

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Arleen Scavone Arleen Scavone

Principal

Newbold Advisors

​​Westlake Village, CA​

​​With 30 years of solutions-driven energy and expertise, Arleen Scavone is an established industry leader and go-to advisor. She leads the mortgage and fintech consultancy practice with Newbold Advisors applying a successful track record of building and managing operations, sales and service in both corporate and entrepreneurial roles. The practice focuses on enabling operational excellence through executing the transformation of people, processes and systems for credit unions, banks and IMBs specializing in LOS optimizations or implementations, large-scale servicing conversions, mortgage lending efficiency and program management for transformation projects.  

Arleen is a frequent speaker at industry and technology conferences and has also shared her insight nationally with business, women and youth foundations. ​

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Kevin Shaner Kevin Shaner

​​Managing Director, Loan Transaction Network​

ALM First

​​Dallas, TX​

​​With over 20 years of commercial and corporate banking experience, Kevin has originated, underwritten, and managed billions of dollars in the primary and secondary loan markets, across a wide variety of loan types including government contracting, C&I, CRE, SBA, construction, project finance, auto, and residential mortgages.  
He has been involved with notable public transactions including a $4B Host Marriott REIT conversion, the Smithsonian’s $86M acquisition of the Victor Building and $200M recap/bond financing, and the construction/permanent financing for Carr America’s 220,000 sq ft office building in Washington, DC 
Prior to joining ALM First, Kevin served as Managing Director, Bank Assetpoint for Promontory. He has also worked at national, regional, and community banks, including Citibank, Bank of America, BB&T, and Wells Fargo, where he was formally credit trained.​

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​​Jeffrey Smith​ ​​Jeffrey Smith​

​​Chief Lending Officer​

​​Freedom Credit Union​

​​Springfield, MA​

​​Jeff joined the credit union in 2013 and manages its commercial, mortgage and consumer lending functions, in addition to overseeing the collection and cannabis departments. He has four decades of lending experience in the financial services industry and has held several senior management positions throughout his career. 
 
After a BS in finance from the University of Maine, Jeff earned his MBA in finance from Western New England University. He has been an instructor with the Center for Financial Training since 1996, teaching courses on subjects such as real estate finance, marketing, accounting and analyzing financial statements.​

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Matt Smithson Matt Smithson

​​Director of Product​

​​MeridianLink​

​​Costa Mesa, CA​

​​Matt Smithson is a SaaS technology professional with eleven years of software management experience inclusive of product, marketing, strategy, implementation, support, and operations leadership roles. Matt has lead product management for Collections software at MeridianLink for the past two years. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and an MBA from Pepperdine University.​

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Diane Sokolik Diane Sokolik

VP Consumer Lending

TwinStar Credit Union

​​Olympia, WA​

​​Diane oversees Consumer Production, Loan Support, Product Management and Account Solutions Departments. In this role, Diane is accountable for loan growth, product design, asset management and credit risk. Responsibilities include establishing strategy, direction, objectives while maintaining frictionless member experiences, designing and implementing credit risk analytics for loan portfolio management and allowance for loan loss discussions. Diane participates on the following committees: Consumer Lending Account Solutions (CLAS), ALLL, ALCO, CUSO-CUDD Operations, and RMCO.​

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Jason Stiles Jason Stiles

Vice President of Loan Participations

SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union

Tustin, CA

​​As the VP of Loan Participations, Jason oversees the Loan Participations Department, which evaluates, underwrites, and purchases Commercial Real Estate, Consumer Real Estate, Consumer Secured (Auto/RV/Boat) and Consumer Unsecured loans throughout the United States from other Credit Unions. The department works with approximately 30 Credit Unions, CUSO’s, Brokers, and FinTechs, developing both purchase strategies for SchoolsFirst, as well as sales strategies for other Credit Unions.  
 
Jason has nearly 30 years of experience in consumer, commercial and mortgage lending, branch operations and large-scale operations centers. He is a member of the Advisory Board for the FinTech Happy Money, as well as the Business Advisory Group board for KVIE - PBS Television in Sacramento.​

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Alissa Sykes Tulloch Alissa Sykes Tulloch

​​EVP/COO​

AmeriCU Credit Union

​​Rome, NY​

​​Alissa Sykes Tulloch, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for AmeriCU Credit Union, ensures that the credit union operates efficiently, serves its members effectively, and continues to grow and thrive in a competitive market. Sykes Tulloch oversees the financial health of the credit union, including budgeting, asset-liability management, compliance, community engagement, and profitability. She is responsible for managing and providing leadership to the following departments: Financial Center Operations, Marketing, Membership Development, Member Technology Services, Insurance and Wealth Services, Lending Sales, and Strategic Partnerships.​

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Bob Thompson Bob Thompson

​​Chief Lending Officer

​​Eagle Community​

​​Bob Thompson is the Chief Lending Officer at Eagle Community Credit Union for the past 7 years. Eagle Community is a $370 million credit union serving Orange and Riverside Counties in California. He has almost 40 years of experience in the credit union industry. He has had many roles including Chief Operating Officer, Vice President of Operations, and Vice President of Branch Operations. Bob graduated from Chico State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.  
 
He has worked with ITIN borrowers for the last 10 years. Eagle Community has funded more than 2800 loans to members with ITIN'S and more than 35% of their indirect auto loans are to ITIN borrowers.​

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John Toohig John Toohig

Managing Director

Raymond James

John Toohig is a Managing Director at Raymond James, a Board Member and President of Raymond James Mortgage Company, Inc. and Head of the Whole Loan Group. 
 
John joined Raymond James (formerly Morgan Keegan) in September of 2006. As Head of the Whole Loan Group, John’s primary responsibilities include day-to-day trading of whole loan packages, portfolio analysis, transaction management and the structuring of whole loan, participation and various structured products. John’s product focus encompasses both seasoned and new production: residential mortgages (both QM and Non-QM), commercial mortgages, consumer lending, fintech lending, scratch and dent loans, and non-performing assets.

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Kymrie Turner Kymrie Turner

​​SVP Consumer Lending​

America First Credit Union

​​Kymrie Turner is the Senior Vice President of Consumer Lending at America First Credit Union. She oversees Direct Consumer Underwriting, Indirect Consumer Underwriting, Indirect Funding, Consumer Loan Processing, Consumer Loan Servicing, and the Inbound and Outbound Sales teams. She is passionate about the Credit Union industry and has spent the last 22 years of her 25-year Credit Union career at America First. 
 
In 2016, Kymrie graduated from CUNA Management School with honors and a Certified Credit Union Executive designation. She also has her Bachelor of Science in Business management from Western Governors University. Kymrie plans to graduate with an MBA in 2024.​

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Will Vickers Will Vickers

Vice President, Industry Technology​

​​Arch Mortgage Insurance​

​​Greensboro, NC​

​​Will Vickers is Vice President of Industry Technology for Arch Mortgage Insurance Company (Arch MI), where he is responsible for managing its Digital Channel, building strategic relationships with industry technology providers and providing value-added technology consulting for Arch MI customers.  
 
Will has 36 years of experience in financial services technology with Arch MI, Black Knight Financial Services, First Union Bank, Wachovia Bank Mortgage and three additional mortgage insurance (MI) firms. He is an active participant in MISMO — the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization — and is a member of both its MI Community of Practice and the Education Committee.​

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John Warner John Warner

Director of Consumer Lending

Embold Credit Union

​​Oak Grove, OR​

​​John Warner is a distinguished professional in the world of finance, currently holding the role of Director of Consumer Lending at Embold Credit Union, nestled in the city of Portland, Oregon. With an impressive career spanning 17 years, he has demonstrated unwavering dedication and expertise in the automotive, captive, and credit union sectors. 
John's journey began at the renowned Ford Motor Credit, where he spent a significant portion of his career, serving in various management capacities for 7 years. During his tenure there, he garnered invaluable experience and a deep understanding of the intricacies of the automotive and lending industries. 
He is a proud alumnus of the University of Arizona, where he earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA). His academic foundation was laid at the University of South Florida, where he completed his undergraduate studies. He resides in Portland, Oregon, with his beloved wife and three children.​

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Gerry Weston Gerry Weston

VP Consumer Loan Operations

Americas Credit Union

​​Dupon, WA​

​​With over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, I am a seasoned leader and expert in loan servicing, credit administration, and collections and delinquency management. As the VP of Consumer Loan Operations at America's Credit Union (ACU), I direct the teams that oversee the consumer lending functions and enhance the loan portfolio quality. I also hold a certification in Credit Union Enterprise Risk Management Expert (CUERME) from CUNA Mutual Group, demonstrating my proficiency in aligning operations with strategic goals and mitigating risks.​

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Herb White Herb White

President/CEO

Sharonview FCU

Herb White currently works for Sharonview FCU as their Chief Revenue Officer and oversees all lending and retail branch operations. He has a bachelor’s in economics and an MBA from Auburn University. Herb has served the CUNA Lending Council in various capacities that include serving on the annual conference committee and is now a member of the Executive Committee.

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Mike Young Mike Young

​​Head of Servicing & Collections​

​​Upgrade Inc​

​​San Francisco, CA​

​​Mike Young, Upgrade's Head of Servicing & Collections, is an experienced FinTech veteran with over 15 years in financial services to the bench. Mike previously helped scale another Marketplace Lending platform for 3.5+ years, managing consumer unsecured personal loans. He has deep roots and experience having managed debt collections and legal portfolios for some of the top five banks prior to this while at ARSI. 
Mike now oversees all of Upgrade’s Servicing and Collections efforts at their operational headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. This includes the over $24bn of credit processed since inception and current servicing book of over $10bn across a variety of consumer asset classes (Personal Loan, Card, Auto, and Home Improvement). Overseeing 400+ FTE at Upgrade’s Phoenix office, Mike’s team touches approximately 6M customers across product offerings. This includes a comprehensive oversight of all functions such as, online support, payment processing, fraud operations, card disputes, credit reporting, etc.​

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