With his trademark panache, Derreck Kayongo tells his courageous story of survival, social entrepreneurship, and humanitarianism, and the life lessons he learned along the way. 

From Ugandan refugee to successful entrepreneur, CEO, and renowned human rights activist, Derreck’s journey inspires audiences to dream big. Through personable and articulate storytelling, he shares his visionary ideas for harnessing the power of observation and creative problem solving, applicable to any organization or community. It’s all about taking responsibility while looking for opportunities to improve.  

The energy and enthusiasm levels are unmatched as Derreck brings his stories and principles to life. He identifies the key factors of his personal and professional success with the memorable acronym S.E.L.F.: Service, Education, Leadership and Faith. He calls upon his dynamic experiences to empower audiences, inspiring an entrepreneur spirit made possible only through creative problem solving. Derreck’s emotionally-packed presentations linger long after his speech, empowering audiences to invent their own self-made motto of success so they can create tangible change in the world. 

With over twenty-five years of experience in business journalism, Mehta first served as editor-in-chief of Fast Company—the publication that businesses all over the world turn to for inspiration and guidance—before being promoted to CEO of its parent company Mansueto Ventures (which also publishes Inc.). With a prolific career that includes long-term posts at Vanity Fair, Fortune, Bloomberg LIVE and The Wall Street Journal, Mehta has come to value a human-centered approach to her work, modeled by her commitment to thoughtful storytelling. In her dynamic keynotes, she draws on those stories to show the next generation of business leaders how to push creative boundaries, nurture a radical vision, and make innovation happen.

#1 bestselling author and keynote speaker Erik Qualman has performed in over 55 countries, reaching millions of people.

Erik Qualman is the author of six bestselling books. Socialnomics has been featured in publications and on programs worldwide, including 60 Minutes and the Wall Street Journal, and it is used by a wide range of organizations, from the National Guard to NBC, Nordstrom and NASA. His book Digital Leader propelled him to be voted the 2nd Most Likeable Author in the World behind Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling.

What Happens in Vegas Stays on YouTube prompted Forbes and Fortune to include Erik on their list of Top 100 Digital Influencers.  How to Sell on LinkedIn is becoming mandatory reading for sales teams. His newest book is titled The Focus Project: The Not So Simple Art of Doing Less.

Qualman was formerly a sitting professor at Harvard and MIT’s edX labs. He holds an MBA from the University of Texas, and he received an honorary doctorate for his groundbreaking work. He hosts the popular weekly podcast, “Super U,” and is the chairman of Equalman Studios, which has done film and animation work for the likes of Disney, Cartier, IBM and many other global brands. 

Credit union industry veteran, Steve Langley, is Managing Director, Strategic Advisory Services at Sievewright & Associates, an SRM Company.

Following his retirement from SchoolsFirst FCU in July 2023, Steve joined Sievewright to focus primarily on developing and fulfilling client engagements in the Strategic Planning and MergerMAP areas of our business. Additionally, Steve features as a keynote speaker in credit union industry conferences and events. 

Steve brings a wealth of experience and a highly impressive track record of success to our business. At SchoolsFirst, Steve served as SVP, Member Service Experience. Prior to that, he played a key role in the merger of Schools Financial CU (a $2.1 billion credit union) with SchoolsFirst FCU. Steve’s 30 years of credit union leadership experience also includes senior leadership roles as Chief Retail Officer, VP of Sales & Service, Branch Operations, and Training and Development. Also, Steve has merited a number of credit union industry awards and is a past member and Chair of CUNA’s Operations/Member Experience Executive Council.

Steve is a 2004 Honors Graduate of Western CUNA Management School and holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Chapman University. 

​​Mia Perez is the Chief Administrative Officer at Coastal Credit Union where she leads people operations, marketing, PR, and learning + development. She is the past Chair of the Credit Union National Association’s Marketing & Business Development Council Executive Committee. In 2016, Mia was named as a Woman to Watch by the Credit Union Times and as a Credit Union Rock Star by Credit Union Magazine. She received her bachelor’s degree in public relations from Tulane University, a master’s degree in Leadership + Human Resource Development from LSU and is a graduate of CUNA Marketing +BD School where she is currently an instructor. She is a certified Senior Professional by the Society of HR Management (SHRM-SCP) and earned her PMP certification from PMI. 

Mia is host of the Leadership Experiment with Royce and Mia podcast. Listen on iTunes or anywhere else you get your podcasts or visit www.royceandmia.com.

Kelly currently serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, overseeing Digital Product @ MACU and driving Digital Transformation.  

Prior to joining MACU, Kelly co-founded and operated Orbit Medical, quickly becoming one of the largest national durable medical equipment providers in the nation.  
 
Kelly is a holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Utah, and an MBA from Brigham Young University. He resides in Bluffdale, UT with his wife Tricia, 3 children and a lunatic bernedoodle.

Have been working with credit unions for the last 20 years. Currently oversees the Member Contact Center, Virtual Services and Member Relations Support at Oregon Community Credit Union. Active in the community as a member of Rotary and serving on its board. Coach 2nd grade girls basketball and soccer. Love living in the Pacific Northwest and all that it has to offer to enjoy the outdoors.

​​Saroop Bharwani, a tech entrepreneur and AI thought leader, is the co-founder of Senso.ai, a company that delivers generative AI solutions to the financial services sector. Saroop is also the creator of CUCopilot, an AI solution tailored specifically for credit unions. 
 
Saroop also spearheads FirstPrinciplesAI.com, an initiative dedicated to providing executives with the knowledge and skills needed to compete in the age of AI. He also actively participates in mentorship programs at global accelerators like Techstars and Founders Institute, and is a guest lecturer at institutions including the University of Toronto, Harvard, and Queen's University.​

Marc S. Bloom is an experienced technology leader with expertise in systems architecture, integration, software development, quality assurance and project management. He is results-focused with an accomplished track record of success delivering business value thru innovation. His career includes roles at Hewlett-Packard, Capital One, HCA Healthcare, and Philip Morris. Marc holds TOGAF Architecture, SAFe, Scrum Alliance, and ITIL technical certifications. He has earned Master’s degrees from Virginia Commonwealth and George Washington Universities, and a Bachelor’s degree in business from James Madison University.

Dr. Milind Borkar is the Founder and CEO of Illuma, a CUSO specializing in real-time voice authentication and fraud prevention solutions for credit unions. Author of 14 technical publications and inventor on 21 patents, Dr. Borkar launched over 50 hi-tech products during his career with Texas Instruments prior to becoming a FinTech founder. The company’s flagship Illuma ShieldTM platform replaces traditional knowledge-based authentication with an effortless and secure voice biometric solution, delivering an elevated member experience, enhanced security, and improved operational efficiency. Illuma Shield™ is frequently showcased at Finovate events and has recently won awards from VentureTech, CreditUnions.com, and NACUSO.

Buddy Bennett is the Chief Operating Officer at Cyprus Federal Credit Union located in Salt Lake City, UT. He currently provides leadership and guidance for the credit unions Branches, Contact Center, Virtual Tellers, and Facilities. He is a champion for the credit union movement because of the mission it serves, and has over 15 years of experience within the industry. In addition to his work at the Credit Union, Buddy also sits on the Executive Committee for CUNA’s Operations & Member Experience Council.

Julia Burke is the COO and CIO of the FRB Federal Credit Union, a $120 million credit union with staff of 19. She has been with the credit union since 2005. She is responsible for all of the credit union's IT operations and member services. When the pandemic hit, Ms. Burke quickly converted the credit union from on premises operations to essentially online operation: laptops, Microsoft Teams Call, etc. She also works closely with staff to help them to adapt to the new environment.

Katie Buvens is the Contact Center Operations Manager at Pelican State Credit Union. Her journey with Pelican began in 2008 as a part time teller during her college years. After graduating from Southeastern Louisiana University, she began working full time at the credit union and quickly fell in love with credit union mission. Throughout her career with Pelican, Katie has encompassed many roles including a teller, loan officer, and lending contact center supervisor and manager. She recently transitioned to the contact center operations manager overseeing the operations of 3sections including phones, digital and lending. She has passion for enhancing the member experience by optimizing member interactions.

Thomaz DeMoura is the Innovations Manager at DCU (Digital Federal Credit Union) and has worked in many different areas of the credit union for the past 17 years. Thomaz has been leading the innovation and R&D efforts for the past 5 years and manages a DCU wholly owned CUSO. The Dixital Group is focused on enabling innovation and researching technologies to solve challenges for the credit union, as well as creating new prototypes, products and services that can improve the life of employees and members.

​​Robert Eckhart is the VP of Information Security at GECU Federal Credit Union in El Paso, TX. Robert has 32 years of Credit Union experience with 26 years in I.T. and holds 5 certifications, including CISSP and CISA. He attained a Bachelor of Science in Management of Information Systems from Park University.
When starting his I.T. career, he was tasked with scripting several processes using MS-Dos batch files, VBScript, and PowerShell.​

Mr. Henson designs solutions supporting credit union operations to improve cost effectiveness, service quality, and business development. He is responsible for all aspects of the organization’s technology vision and direction. He is always interested in utilizing advanced technology to facilitate the success of the business units rather than simply promoting an IT-oriented agenda. His primary goal is to help credit unions grow by utilizing technology as a tool rather than a business goal.

Pamela Herrmann is a best-selling author and has served as Vice President of Marketing & Customer Experience for mortgage organizations providing retail, distributed retail, wholesale, TPO as well as mortgage technology.

Her book, The Customer Manifesto, how businesses have failed customers and what it takes to earn their loyalty, was ranked #3 by Business.com in their list of Excellent Customer Service Books Every Business Owner Should Read.

She has worked extensively with her colleagues who touch the customer journey, both directly and indirectly, leveraging Design Thinking methodologies, and SAFe Agile processes resulting in employees who are more connected to the customer outcomes that drive customer engagement and increase overall satisfaction.

Jessica Jacobson is the Director of Deposits, Strategy and Operations at CNote. She has twenty years of experience in community banking, with a focus on developing and scaling products and services for low and mid-income clients. Prior to CNote, Jessica led the global financial institutions team at Water.org. In this role, she worked with nearly 200 financial institutions, regional and global networks, and fintechs to provide product development tools, materials, and technical assistance.

Matt studied business/music at Grand Valley State University. That music background and 15+ years in financial services technology have contributed to this innovative presentation. Matt joined the TruStage Technology team in 2018 where he currently serves as a Portfolio Architect.

With nearly 30 years in the industry, Steve has been on every side of the credit union space, having held executive leadership positions in credit unions, served as a strategic advisor to industry leaders, and even designed, built and delivered technology that helped credit unions engage with their members. 

As a result, there is little Steve hasn't seen when it comes to developing and implementing successful consumer engagement strategies - but having experienced firsthand how quickly things change, he retains a sense of wonder and curiosity that sometimes helps him see around corners to what's coming next. He brings this curiosity and expertise, along with his quirky sense of humor, to every engagement as he shares his passion for seeing mobile banking become a tool for fostering meaningful member relationships that grow revenue, loyalty and profitability.

Mike Kundrat is the Director of Banking Sales at LinkLive. With over eight years in the telephony and digital customer service space, Mike brings a wealth of knowledge to every conversation and helps deliver the right solution to each financial institution, helping leverage LinkLive products to deliver the best customer experience.

Julie Linch is in her 40th year in credit unions, currently the SVP of Retail Operations at $1.2billion Directions Credit Union in Ohio. An original 20+ year member of CUNA Councils she has routinely volunteered on operations committees, was pleased to serve on the executive committee for 6 years, and last year was honored to be selected as the professional of the year.

Pete Lopez is the VP Information Technology at TruWest Credit Union with over 25 years of experience in the IT industry. After graduating with a BS in Electrical Engineering, Pete decided to begin his career in the IT consulting world by joining Accenture. At IndyMac/OneWest Bank, Pete was the VP Data Center Operations where he managed all aspects of the bank's data center infrastructure and Incident Management processes. Pete has been with TruWest Credit Union since 2017 and oversees the success of the IT organization, striving to bring efficient and innovative solutions to both the Credit Union's members and staff.

Scott began his career in analytics at Accenture, working with the Department of Defense on supply chain predictive analytics. He then transitioned to a medical technology company building out their analytics infrastructure and CRM. Currently at PSECU, Scott leads enterprise analytics, advanced analytics, and generative AI initiatives.

Craig McLaughlin is the Chief Executive Officer of Finalytics.ai, a company dedicated to revolutionizing the financial services industry digital engagement through artificial intelligence. Craig's mission is to help financial service firms deliver exceptional digital experiences to their clients and prospects using AI-driven solutions that drive more growth and preserve the high touch relationships community FIs have with the communities they serve.

Shawn is a visionary entrepreneur and investor. As the CEO and Co-founder of Spiral, he's on a mission to revolutionize financial services for a better world. Before founding Spiral, Shawn led two successful company acquisitions and was previously a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, where he built and headed their Technology Business Development and Innovation Offices.

Alex Michaud, SVP/CIO of True Sky Federal Credit Union, has championed a series of initiatives that meld technology with tradition. At the heart of his mission is the innovative “staffless” branch, a testament to the future of banking, bringing the power of digital integration to the forefront by integrating several video banking platforms to provide an intuitive member experience. Recognizing the ever-evolving needs of members, Alex led the implementation of the Interactive Teller Machine (ITM) program at his organization, ensuring seamless banking experiences. Under his guidance, True Sky established a comprehensive Project Management Office, streamlining operations and maximizing efficiency. Adept at navigating the intricacies of Mergers and Acquisitions, Alex has played a pivotal role in strategic growth while ensuring technology remains an embedded culture within the credit union. Alex's vision is clear: to immerse banking in the potentials of technology, making it an intrinsic part of the credit union's ethos.

Greg boasts a robust 25-year background in financial services call center leadership. For 18 years, he spearheaded sales and service contact centers for a Fortune 100 insurance firm, managing both on-site and virtual teams across the nation. More recently, Greg has dedicated seven years to leading Credit Unions in Pennsylvania, including the past two at Pennsylvania's largest credit union, PSECU. He champions coaching and development, aiming to optimize processes, enhance efficiency, and elevate member experiences. Presently as a Vice President, Greg supervises the contact center, branch operations, workforce management, quality assurance, and training units at PSECU, helping their nearly 600,000 members achieve more.

Ben Nichols is a seasoned financial services and technology expert with over 13 years of experience in software product roles, 8 years working with machine learning and AI, and 6 years working with Financial Institutions of all size. As the Head of Product at Directlink, a Conversational Banking Platform, Ben leads product management, development, and client success to drive innovation and implement industry-leading solutions. Ben was among the first hires for Directlink and has been integral in bringing this industry leading product to market. In addition to his career in FinTech, Ben also serves as a professor of Data Science at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies.

Lindsay Oparowski grew up in Miami, FL and went to college at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. She has held digital leadership roles at various companies in the hospitality, real estate and consumer package goods verticals. Oparowski joined the credit union in October 2020 and has quickly moved up positions as she showed consistency as an innovative, authentic leader dedicated to executing PSECU's member experience vision and strategy.  
 
In current her role as Assistant Vice President of Digital Member Experience, Oparowski balances the growth vision and long-term digital member experience strategy with near-term execution to create a seamless member experience.  

With more than 20 years of experience in mortgage origination, operations and SaaS technology delivery, Amy is a Senior Consultant at Newbold Advisors, a management consulting firm providing business, technology and staffing solutions nationally. As a customer centric, solution-oriented business driver, she is focused on stewarding her clients to improve efficiencies, reduce costs and increase profitability of their people, process and systems.  
 
Passionate about people and regarded as a Credit Union Champion, Amy is one of the founders of the CU:REALM (Credit Union Real Estate Lending Masters), a networking group which sources complimentary top-of-mind business critical content to its over 500 CU members. She has contributed to CU industry content on using technology to make stronger member connections, developing a more member centric model, and inspiring teams. 

With more than 20 years in the credit union industry, Ryan Pederson holds the position of Senior Development Manager at Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union. He oversees a dynamic team focused on software development, quality assurance, technical support, and automation, positioning the organization as a leader in tech-driven solutions. Ryan excels in aligning business objectives with technological capabilities, a talent cultivated through a diverse range of roles within the credit union landscape. His commitment to innovation and a culture of continuous improvement have led his team to automate over 50,000 hours in the last three years through RPA.

Kevin Polinsky is a Senior Director, Technology at TruStage. In this role he is responsible for business development, sales enablement, and go-to-market strategy for TruStage Technology. TruStage's Technology division works to address the competition and challenges financial institutions are facing by delivering end-to-end digital capabilities that meet consumers where they are on their buying, borrowing, and financial wellness journeys. 
 
Prior to joining TruStage, Kevin led the Financial Institution sales team at Compliance Systems. In this role, Kevin led sales strategy and execution including market analysis, pricing, messaging, and staffing. Kevin worked in concert with an extensive fintech partner network. Prior to joining Compliance Systems, Kevin spent 12 years at FIS/Metavante where he managed the end-to-end sales process including territory development, prospecting, solution identification, pricing/terms negotiation and contracting to deliver significant annual net new revenue. He established credible relationships with senior level/C-suite executives to learn, understand, and influence their strategy.

Becky Reed is a credit union industry veteran and thought leader with more than two decades of leadership in credit unions and CUSOs. Renowned for her unique perspective as both a credit union executive and CUSO leader, her expertise and advice are sought after by those who seek to embrace innovation. In her most recent role as the CEO of Lone Star Credit Union, Becky led the organization through a complete digital transformation.

Often dubbed the 'CUSO Queen', Becky is a co-founder of the Credit Union Service Organization, PureIT CUSO, which provides technology infrastructure support and professional services to credit unions. She is the Board Chairman of NACUSO and has contributed to multiple Advisory Boards, such as Corelation, BankJoy, Members Mobile and BankSocial. She also volunteers as the President of BlockAdvocates, a non-profit dedicated to Crypto education. Becky continues to stay at the forefront of innovation by working with emerging technologies, such as DLT and AI as well as assisting with DeNovo credit union creation. Her focus revolves around the 4 'Cs' - Credit Unions, CUSOs, Crypto and Collaboration.

Today, Becky is dedicated to supporting the credit union industry through her consulting service, Becky Reed as a Service or BRaaS, working with PureIT CUSO clients and serving as the COO of the FinTech company, BankSocial.

In addition to her credit union expertise, Becky is a coach, mentor, published author, popular podcast guest and speaker. Becky graduated Summa Cum Laude from Concordia University in Austin, Texas.

Todd Reynolds is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of expertise in the credit union industry. Holding a bachelor's degree from Penn State University, Todd has consistently showcased his analytical prowess, fostering a reputation as a self-aware visionary. As the Director of Technology & Operations, he thrives as a dedicated strategist, constantly seeking a deeper understanding of intricate processes. Todd's drive for innovation is underpinned by his profound commitment to enhancing operational efficiency. His distinct combination of qualities—analytical acumen, self-awareness, and visionary thinking—elevates him as a leader in the dynamic world of credit unions.

Jason Rogers is the SVP of Member Service at Mountain America Credit Union where he is responsible for the leadership of the Credit Union’s “frontline” including branch, contact center, sales and SEG development teams. His team members work to provide exceptional member service experiences to over one million MACU members. He enjoys coaching and assisting team members to focus on the needs of others. Jason has a passion for Credit Unions and their mission of people helping people. He is the vice chair of CUNA’s operations & member experience council and enjoys working with others in the Credit Union industry.

Joey Rudisill is the Chief Information Officer at Central Willamette Credit Union and a technology leader in the financial services sector. He has also held leadership roles in technology strategy at First Tech Credit Union, Columbia Credit Union, and Dow Jones. In his current role, Joey has overseen the implementation of cloud strategy, data intelligence, and machine learning. He leads a CUNA committee that explores the use-cases of generative AI within the credit union industry and has contributed to numerous articles and webinars on the subject. With a background in executive leadership, data strategy, and information technology and security, Joey offers a balanced perspective on the ongoing discussions and implementations surrounding generative AI in financial settings.

​​For over 25 years in the Credit Union industry, Cynthia has been helping members & employees in various ways. For the past 10 years, she has served as the EVP/Chief Operations Officer at Connect Credit Union in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Cynthia leads the branch operations, lending, collections, card services, marketing, & training functions in her role. She holds the professional designations of Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE), Certified Credit Union Financial Counselor (CCUFC), Certified Credit Union Executive (CCUE), and is an Executive Committee member of the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Operations and Member Experience Council.​

Mark Ryan is the Chief Data Officer of Finalytics.ai. As a personalization evangelist, Mark continuously explores new ways for CUs to utilize personalization to increase performance. Mark focuses on data driven personalization, ROI goals, data strategies, and digital channel reporting, thereby establishing processes for data analysis that shape the capabilities of the Finalytics.ai platform. Mark has worked with numerous high-profile organizations, including SchoolsFirst FCU, PenFed, Global CU, Visa, PayPal, BMO, LendingTree, and Yodlee.

Leticia has been in the information security industry and providing public speaking since 2011. Leticia has a passion for clear and concise communication. After earning a B.A. and a M.A. in Mathematics, Leticia joined CoNetrix, where she served as the Tandem Software Support Manager for several years. She built and directed Tandem's first team of support specialists. Leticia now serves as Chief of Staff & Chief Learning Officer where she focuses on corporate strategy, employee development, and training. One of her favorite employee development projects is the public speaking seminars she prepares for any employee of the company who will be presenting at our annual conferences. Leticia is Security+ certified, has published various security blog posts and articles, and has presented multiple conference sessions over information security topics.

​​Kathy Sianis is the VP of FI Strategy with Posh Technologies. She comes from the Credit Union Industry, where she has held several senior leadership positions, including CXO. She holds an undergraduate in Business Management and a master's in Business Administration. In her role with Posh and based on her career experience in the FI space, she works with FI's in assessing and determining how to best leverage AI within their organization, meeting business objectives such as efficiency gains, member experience enhancements, growth, retention, and much more.​

Jessica Sharon has led Pelican’s financial outreach efforts for the past sixteen years. In her role as AVP of Financial Outreach, she orchestrates the implementation of Pelican’s adult and youth financial wellness programs. She leads a team of nine credit counselors offering workshops, one-on-one counseling, youth education programs, and community financial outreach. Their award-winning programs have reached over 60,000 individuals since 2007. Jessica also serves as grant coordinator for Pelican’s CDFI grant programs and leads Pelican’s advocacy efforts in Louisiana as chair of the Louisiana Credit Union League (LCUL) Baton Rouge Chapter Advocacy Committee, and a member of the LCUL CULAC Committee. Jessica received her BA in Marketing from Southeastern Louisiana University, MBA from Louisiana State University and is a certified Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE). She is an active member of many professional organizations such as the Louisiana Jump$tart Financial Literacy Coalition and the Junior League of Baton Rouge.

South Carolina native, attended the Citadel, The Military College of SC. Started my IT career on a helpdesk, moving into hardware, ultimately settling into server engineering. Had the opportunity to work in the largest datacenter in SC before spending over a decade at Unum Group in a variety of roles, server engineering, Directing Infrastructure teams as well as Directing Application Development teams. After a brief stint managing Virtual CIO's for a Managed Services Provider, I found my way to Spero Financial (then SC Telco FCU). I knew I wanted a career in IT since the 4th grade, so I've never had a bad day at work! 
I've been married to my wonderful wife Kristin for 18 years, and we have 3 children: Brayden, 16, Carter 14, & Riley 13. We have 2 miniature dachshunds, and I love spending my time outdoors, particularly on the beach and backpacking in the mountains!

Kyle Stutzman is a seasoned community banking and credit union executive. He engages fintechs, banks, and credit unions on technology trends, data trends, automation, tech operations, and digital transformation. His interest is not just theoretical but practical application to best leverage technology for growing institutions, engaging members or customers, and preparing for the future. 

He has a love for credit unions and their service culture. He brings a wide range of knowledge and experience from insurance, investments, technical infrastructure, digital and web platforms, banking, and CUSOs.

Six years ago, Kyle co-founded Pure IT to partner with CEO and executives of credit unions to provide technology assessments and strategic roadmaps for their institutions. He co-founded Janusea in 2022, an integration platform focused on connecting innovative tech solutions and community financial institutions. As CEO of Janusea, he is focused on integrations, enabling new solutions, and removing barriers to collaboration in our industry.

​​Corey is in his 15th year leading Guadalupe Credit Union's IT services, and has led facilities management for the last 6 years. He has held previous management roles in software sales and marketing, as well as retail logistics. In his spare time Corey plays ice hockey and is an avid zymurgist​

Wayne is a graduate of Frostburg State University, in Maryland, with a BS in Accounting. He served four years with the U.S. Army before joining the NCUA as a financial examiner in 1999. In 2004 Wayne transitioned from the safety and soundness program to IT examinations where he helped develop the Regional Information Systems Officer (RISO) program. Over the next 19 years, Wayne worked as a RISO, an Information Systems Officer (ISO), and completed an 18-month detail as NCUA’s Director, Critical Infrastructure Division. He continues to further his IT examination skills on examinations and through training in IT and Business Continuity.

Cody Willis is CFM’s Senior Integration Strategist and has helped hundreds of institutions execute solutions to solve today's challenges facing Credit Unions and the retail branch. His current focus is technology and retail strategies that create exceptional client experiences. Cody is a frequent speaker on branches of the future, and how technology is evolving the status quo.

"Right now more than ever before members need a financial partner who can help them navigate how to earn/save more. Credit Unions are best positioned to do exactly this, they just need the right technology/strategy in place to give them the opportunity to better serve!"

A thought leader on transformational technology, financial innovation, regulation and laws, entrepreneurship and business, Wingate argues that society’s centrally managed gatekeepers – governments, journalists, and corporations – are incapable of imposing order on the chaos of our decentralized, online existence. His talks present an alternative in which software and algorithms, 
rather than being a threat to our way of life, can supplement and improve these outdated institutions. 
Along the way, he helps people and businesses connect new models for economic success, supplanting data-controlling middlemen and giving people access to markets and audiences on their own terms. Wingate presents a vision of what he calls Social Capitalism that emphasizes transparency, objectivity, and integrity so that human beings can thrive and participate with direct benefits in what will be an evolution of creativity and collaborative innovation.

John graduated from Texas A&M with a Degree in Computer Science.

Jason is a Senior Manager with Diebold Nixdorf’s Global Advisory Services Team.  He assists clients in building and implementing new branch strategies related to branch transformation, channel optimization, efficiency improvement and customer experience.  He has over 20 years of experience in retail banking and consulting with expertise in distribution/network planning, strategy development, customer modeling, channel analytics and marketing analytics. Jason has a passion for interpreting and analyzing data to help identify and solve business problems.

Jason has a B.A. in Geography from SUNY Geneseo, a M.A. in Geography from the State University of New York at Buffalo and an MBA from Medaille College.

David joined NCUA in February 2014 as a District Examiner in Portland, Oregon after completing a Post-Baccalaureate Accounting Program at Portland State University. He was promoted to Regional Information Systems Officer in April of 2019 and is responsible for reviewing credit union’s information security programs and compliance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and NCUA regulations.  
Prior to joining NCUA in 2014, David held positions as a Principal Engineer, IT systems administrator, network infrastructure and security administrator, SQL database manager. David is a Certified Information Systems Auditor and a Senior Fellow of the Excellence in Government Program at the Partnership for Public Service, Washington D.C. David served as an intelligence analyst during a 20-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps. He also served as the Battalion Sergeant Major, Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia before retiring in February 2002.