Speakers
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Ruby Alvarez
AVP, Community Development
Ruby Alvarez is the AVP of Community Development at GECU. She has been with GECU for twenty-five years. Ruby graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) with her BBA in 2001 and her MBA in 2006. Ruby began her career at GECU right out of high school. Her job experience includes positions in Credit Union Operations as a Branch Manager, Lending, and Community Development. Ruby is also the current Executive Director for El Paso Affordable Housing, Board Member and Former Vice President of the Money Smart Week Board of Directors, Treasurer of the Association of National Latino Credit Union Professionals, member of the Cornerstone Credit Union Foundation Financial Capability Network and member of the Texas Tech Nursing School Steering Committee.
Monica Andry
Financial Health Program Manager, University FCU
Monica Muñoz Andry has been in the financial industry for the past 19 years with specific expertise in relationship management and financial health. Her role as Financial Health Program Manager allows her to represent and lead UFCU in the effort to create, sustain, and grow financial solutions with the intention to measurably improve member’s lives. In collaboration with executive leadership, as well as with organizational product managers, she helps create a well-unified, member-centric approach, in order to create specific solutions and products that add value to our membership, and the broader communities we serve. Monica received a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters in Business Administration from Concordia University Texas.
Neda Arabshahi
Director, Inclusiv Center for Resiliency and Clean Energy
Neda Arabshahi is Director of the Inclusiv Center for Resiliency and Clean Energy. In this capacity, she is working to build a network of credit unions committed to designing and scaling solutions to climate change, with a goal of promoting affordable and sustainable energy for all people. Neda has over 17 years experience in the clean energy and sustainability space. Most recently she served as Chief Operating Officer at the energy startups Radiator Labs and BlocPower, where she helped to create financing and access to clean energy and energy efficiency retrofits for low- and moderate-income building owners.
Jim Baek
Executive Director of The Community Investment Guarantee Pool (CIGP)
Jim Baek (pronounced: “beck”) is a Senior Vice President at LOCUS Impact Investing and leads the Community Investment Guarantee Pool (CIGP) as its Executive Director. CIGP is a first-of-its-kind platform and fund that enables impact-aligned guarantors including philanthropy to unlock their balance sheets by pooling resources and sharing risk in financial guarantees that catalyze greater investment in structurally underserved or excluded communities with a focus on climate change, small business and affordable housing. Prior to joining LOCUS/CIGP, Jim headed Deutsche Bank’s US community development lending & investing efforts and served as its CRA officer. Jim has substantial community development finance, affordable housing, and impact investment experience and is committed to advancing racial equity thru his work.
Aissatou Barry-Fall
CEO, Lower East Side People's FCU
Aissatou Barry-Fall joined the Lower East Side People’s Federal Credit Union as a part-time teller in 1991. Her commitment, dedication, and hard work have been beneficial to the credit union and the communities they serve. She is an experienced team player and leader and has fulfilled multiple roles at the LESPFCU, including, but not limited to, head teller, fiscal officer, operations manager, chief financial officer and now CEO. Her qualifications and personal traits align with the credit union’s needs and mission. She pursued a degree in Linguistic at the University of Gamal Abdel Naser in Conakry, Guinea. During her tenure at the LESPFCU, in 2001, she graduated from the College of Staten Island with a Bachelor of Science degree. She also graduated from the CUNA Management School in 2005.
Cat Berman
CEO, Cnote
Catherine is a three-time entrepreneur with experience launching and building scalable businesses. Before launching CNote, Catherine served as Managing Director of Charles Schwab where she led a strategy division focused on the future of finance incorporating behavioral economics and predictive analytics. Her previous company, Global Brigades, is now the world’s largest student development firm operating in 5 countries. Over the last two decades, Catherine has held senior roles in both management consulting and venture capital.
Marla Blow
President, Skoll Foundation
Marla Blow is the President and COO of the Skoll Foundation where she leads Skoll’s program work, grants, investments, and financial management, including operations, endowment, and portfolio partnerships. Previously, she was North America lead at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, and before Mastercard, she was Founder and CEO of FS Card Inc., a subprime credit card venture (sold to strategic acquirer). Ms. Blow won the EY Mid Atlantic Emerging Company Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2018, and has been listed as one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business. Marla was featured in the April 2018 Vanity Fair “26 Women of Color Diversifying Entrepreneurship” photo shoot.
Juneau Cassandra Booth
Senior Relationship Manager, NeighborWorks America
Cassandra joined NeighborWorks® America as a Relationship Manager in 2017. Cassandra has more than 25 years of work experience in banking and finance, community and economic development industries and well as expertise in creating and administrating a down payment assistant program & lending and underwriting for community development financial lending institutes. She is an expert in consumer, commercial and mortgage lending as well as housing and real estate development financing. Cassandra holds several national certifications including Licensed Mortgage Loan Originator with the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System, Accredited Financial Counselor and Certified Housing Finance Professional through the National Development Council.
Gregg Brown
CEO, Southside Community FCU
Gregg Brown is the founding President & CEO of the South Side Community Federal Credit Union (“SSCFCU”). SSCFCU's mission is to equalize economic power and fight poverty by improving financial education and providing credit and savings services for its members. SSCFCU is an MDI, a LICU, a CDFI, an approved SBA lender, and a HUD approved Housing Counseling agency. Gregg Brown, has over 39 years of community development banking experience. Under his leadership SSCFCU has grown to over $6.2 million in assets serving close to 2000 members. It has trained over 4000 people in its free financial education classes, provided 3500 people with one-on-one housing and credit counseling, helped 100's become homeowners, and it has saved over 1500 families from losing their homes to foreclosure.
Bill Bynum
CEO, HOPE (Hope Enterprise Corporation, Hope Credit Union and Hope Policy Institute)
William J. (Bill) Bynum is CEO of HOPE (Hope Enterprise Corporation, Hope Credit Union and Hope Policy Institute), a family of organizations that provides financial services and engages in advocacy to combat the extent to which factors such as race, gender, birthplace and wealth limit one’s ability to prosper. Since 1994, HOPE has generated over $3 billion in financing that has benefited nearly 2 million people in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. Bill began his career in North Carolina building groundbreaking programs at Self-Help and the NC Rural Center. Bynum’s board and advisory service includes the Aspen Institute, Bank of America, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Prosperity Now, William Winter Institute, E Pluribus Unum, Mississippi Today, Churchill Capital IV and Churchill Capital V.
Dr. Christie Cade
Senior Director, Southern Region, NeighborWorks America
As the Southern Region Senior Director, Christie directs the deployment of NeighborWorks America’s financial and technical services throughout thirteen states in the Southeast Region of the U.S. and the District of Columbia. Christie has over 30 years of progressive leadership experience in the arenas of real estate development and financing, mortgage lending. corporate strategies and growth, business development and financial management, board governance and leading high performance teams. She has served in Executive roles for nonprofit, public, and private fortune 500 entities. Her work has been in urban, suburban and rural markets and she has provided consultation for the development of state, regional and national policies and strategies for advancing communities to thrive and residents to flourish.
Carlos Calderón
CEO/President, OASFCU
Serves as the Chief Executive Officer/ President of the Organization of American States (OAS) Federal Credit Union (1993-to Present). With 25+ years of experience as a Credit Union Executive, he is responsible for leading a $280 million multicultural and fully bilingual financial institution serving a global membership with unique financial needs and challenges. Working closely with the board of directors, sponsoring organizations and senior management, Mr. Calderon closely monitors market trends to understand, prepare and respond to global economic, financial, and regulatory movements affecting the balance sheet, members, SEGs and prospective members. In addition, Mr. Calderón is directly involved in developing the strategic plan, team motivation and building the capacity required to manage such a unique challenging environment.
Ahmed Campbell
Director of Lending Development, Inclusiv
Ahmed Campbell is Inclusiv's Director of Lending Development. With more than 30 years in the Credit Union industry, Ahmed served as a Business Development Consultant supporting Inclusiv’s Capital and Mortgage teams. He is responsible for driving the growth of CDFI community development lending business lines and supporting the capacity of members to build and grow their operations through secondary capital and mortgage secondary marketing. Prior to joining Inclusiv, he served as Chief Credit Officer at the Municipal Credit Union (NY).
Bob Carlson
SVP of IT, Hope CU
Bob is responsible for managing all aspects of HOPE’s Technology and Systems, as well as strategic and operational planning. He joined HOPE in 2007 as Senior Systems Administrator. In 2009, he was promoted to Vice President of Information Technology. During his tenure, Bob has successfully led HOPE through numerous credit union systems mergers, and the expansion to more than thirty locations across five states. Bob has more than 20 years of experience in Information Technology. Prior to his time at HOPE, Bob worked for Hood Packaging Corporation as a Computer Programmer/Systems Analyst. Bob earned a BS in Management Information Systems from Millsaps College, and serves on the Parent Advisory board of his children’s school, is involved in the Boy Scouts of America, and is a foster parent.
Paul Catalano
Director of Mortgage Lending at OnPath FCU
Monica Copeland
Senior Program Officer, Inclusiv
Monica is a Senior Program Officer at Inclusiv, where she manages initiatives providing technical assistance and resources to help strengthen and grow Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) as well as implementing special projects involving financial capability and financial technology. Prior to working at Inclusiv, Monica was a Senior Program Manager at Prosperity Now. She has also worked on asset building and access to banking for low- and moderate-income individuals at the New York City Office of Financial Empowerment, Baltimore CASH Campaign (now CASH Campaign of MD), IDA and Asset Building Collaborative of NC, and Self-Help.
Suzette Cowell
CEO, Toledo Urban CU
As Founder and CEO/Treasurer of the Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union (TUFCU), In Toledo, Ohio, Suzette R. Cowell has over 44 years of experience in the financial arena. Cowell has been a staunch supporter of the 4,484-member community development institution. She has spent the last 25 years of her career working to grow TUFCU, Toledo’s first Community Development Credit Union (CDCU) in Northwest Ohio, into the $13 million institution that it is. The first Community Development Credit Union (CDCU) in Northwest Ohio, the birth of the credit union was the vision of Cowell's pastor, the Bishop Duane C. Tisdale, of Friendship Baptist Church. Cowell, with the assistance of Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur of the 9th District, agreed that a CDCU would be best for the central city community.
Eric Darmanin
Chief Lending Officer, UNFCU
Eric Darmanin serves as Chief Lending Officer at United Nations Federal Credit Union (UNFCU), where he is responsible for developing and implementing lending strategy, namely the growth of the institution’s mortgage lending portfolio in all 50 U.S. states, its consumer lending programs worldwide, and more recently, commercial real estate lending. With 30 years of financial services experience, Mr. Darmanin’s work spans sales, operations, management and support. Before joining UNFCU, Mr. Darmanin served as senior vice president of Residential Lending at BankUnited in Miami for over ten years. Mr. Darmanin graduated from Florida International University in Miami with an M.S. degree in Finance and from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York with a B.B.A. degree in Management.
Pablo DeFilippi
Senior Vice President, Membership and Network Engagement, Inclusiv
Pablo DeFilippi leads Inclusiv’s membership development and engagement strategies and manages Inclusiv/Network, a network of community development finance practitioners that provide valuable consulting services to CDCUs. Mr. DeFilippi has more than 20 years of experience in community finance, working with regulated financial institutions both in the domestic and international arena. Originally from Chile, DeFilippi came to the US in the early 90s and almost immediately became involved in credit unions. After working at MCU, a large credit union serving New York City employees, he joined the Lower East Side People’s FCU (LESPFCU) a credit union serving Hispanics and other underserved populations in the New York City area and acted as its CEO until early 2004.
Alane Dent
Founder and CEO, Dent Strategies
Alane Dent is the Founder and CEO of Dent Strategies, a boutique government relations firm specializing in federal and state advocacy. The firm, founded in April 2020, develops and implements comprehensive legislative, coalition, and communications strategy. It also advises corporations and nonprofits on organizational mission, values and strategic planning initiatives. Mrs. Dent is a nationally recognized advocate with over twenty years of experience strategically achieving legislative priorities. Prior to founding Dent Strategies, Mrs. Dent served as the Senior Vice-President for Federal Relations at the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI). In that role, she developed and implemented strategy for ACLI’s federal lobbying efforts with Congress and the Administration.
Angelo Fanaras
VP/CIO, Public Service CU
Angelo Fanaras is the Chief Information Officer at Public Service Credit Union. He oversees IT, Infrastructure Security, and the Digital Member Experience departments. Angelo brings over 27 years of experience ushering in new technologies to Public Service Credit Union. Angelo Fanaras started his career at financial institutions working for big banks but shifted career path in 2001. Stepping away from the big institutions, he spent time consulting and helping smaller organizations with their technology projects. Connecting with PSCU, who was a banking client of his, was a seamless next step. Since then, Angelo has been instrumental in the growth and development of the credit unions digital roadmap into what it is today.
Barlow Flores
Northeast Region Lead, Citi
Barlow Flores serves as the Senior Vice President, Community Relations Northeast Leader for Citi, managing strategic relationships with key stakeholders, community leaders, NGO’s and integrating Citi business lines to further catalyze Citi’s investments and societal impact. Barlow has over seventeen years of demonstrated strategic leadership across private, public, and non-profit sectors leading complex partnerships. As an experienced bi-lingual professional, Barlow has expertise in cultivating impactful initiatives and partnerships resulting in exponential growth and sustainable metrics. Before joining Citi, Barlow served as Associate Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at the U.S Soccer Foundation and prior to that as Director of Corporate Relations and Resource Development at UnidosUS. Early in his career, Barlow worked in the private sector in Consumer Banking.
Urla Gomes
CEO, Episcopal Community FCU
Urla Gomes is CEO of Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union. She was born in Guyana, South America. She later migrated to Los Angeles, CA, graduating from Pepperdine University School of Business. She started her career in the financial services industry with Bank of America and subsequently moved to Sanwa Bank as Vice President as Branch Manager before becoming CEO of the Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union in 1994. She has been a past board member for Inclusiv and has received many awards for her work in the banking and credit union industry.
Jodie Harris
Director, CDFI Fund
Jodie Harris is the Director of the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund). The CDFI Fund generates economic growth and opportunity in some of our nation's most distressed communities. By offering tailored resources and innovative programs that invest federal dollars alongside private sector capital, the CDFI Fund serves mission-driven financial institutions that take a market-based approach to supporting economically disadvantaged communities. Jodie has worked in both the public and private sectors for over 25 years. Following her start as a commercial real estate and community development credit analyst, Jodie served as president of a small non-profit consulting firm providing technical assistance and education to small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Emma Hayes
Chief Diversity Officer, AACUC
Emma Hayes has 25 plus years of experience partnering with organizations to advance their staff both personally and professionally. Her focus on relationship-building and service is what sets her apart in her approach to designing effective strategies tailored to meet the brand, mission, and vision for each unique situation. Emma's experience includes her roles as the Director of Learning and Development with Local Government Federal Credit Union and Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) for the African American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC). Emma is a two-time graduate of North Carolina State University receiving an BS in Management with a concentration in Finance, minors in English and African American Studies, and a Master of Education in Training and Development.
Heather Hunt
Program Manager, Office of Compliance Monitoring and Evaluation, CDFI Fund, U.S. Department of the Treasury
Heather Hunt is the Program Manager for the Office of Compliance Monitoring and Evaluation at the CDFI Fund. In this role she is responsible for the management of the CDFI Fund’s compliance reporting and monitoring functions. Prior to joining the CDFI Fund, she served as a Senior Consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton, where she provided outreach and analytical post-award monitoring support to National Science Foundation (NSF). She supported task efforts to assist NSF in implementing an outreach strategy targeted to the research grants community and underrepresented populations, and also conducted post-award desk reviews of NSF award recipients to ensure they were in compliance with OMB and NSF regulations.
Blanche Jackson
CEO, Stepping Stones Community FCU
Blanche L. Jackson is currently the CEO of Stepping Stones Community Federal Credit Union, with the primary responsibility of overseeing the day-to-day operations and implementing products and services that are needed to provide financial stability in the city of Wilmington. She has been the mentor of Stepping Stones since 2009 and instrumental in its chartering in 2011. She was the Executive Vice President of the Delaware State Police Federal Credit Union, where she was employed for 20 years. At DSPFCU, she managed the day-to-day operations and was responsible for the areas of lending, operations, information technology, human resources, and compliance. She is a Certified Credit Union Executive through CUES and a certified credit union compliance officer with the National Association of Federal Credit Unions.
Tracey Jackson
CFO, Resource One CU
Tracey Jackson is the Chief Financial Officer for Resource One Credit Union. She oversees all aspects of the institutions financial functions and is responsible for financial stability, planning and statements, cost analysis, budgeting, general ledger integrity and cost control systems. Jackson worked at Delaware State Federal Credit Union, where she served as their Chief Financial Officer for two years. Prior to her time at Delaware State Federal Credit Union, Jackson worked for Atlantic Financial Federal Credit Union and MECU Credit Union.
Sarah Keh
Vice President, Inclusive Solutions, Prudential Financial
Sarah S. Keh is a vice president of Inclusive Solutions at Prudential Financial. In her current role, she leads strategic philanthropy and partnerships to help advance the company’s commitment to inclusive economic growth. She oversees program strategies to expand work and wealth opportunities, strengthen communities, improve services for veterans and military families, and support disaster response and recovery efforts through philanthropic grants, shared value partnerships, and skills-based volunteering programs. Sarah currently serves on the board of JerseyCAN and chairs the Council for Innovative Funding for Career Outcomes for Social Finance. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wellesley College and a master’s degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Cathi Kim
Director, Inclusiv/Capital
Cathi Kim is Director of Inclusiv/Capital. Cathi's work at Inclusiv is focused on connecting CDCUs to capital to strengthen their double bottom line of financial growth and community impact. Her role includes leading underwriting, market analysis and strategy development, advising on credit union regulations, business planning, and impact design to help credit unions strengthen their double bottom line of financial growth and community impact. Prior to her work at Inclusiv, Cathi worked on housing and immigrant rights campaigns and complex civil litigations.
Tom Kurian
VP of Enterprise Information Security, UNFCU & UNFCU Global Sustainability Program
Tom Kurian is the Vice President of Enterprise Information Security at UNFCU. He also leads the UNFCU Global Sustainability Program (GSP) Credit Union Industry Team. Through its flagship effort, the United in Sustainability (UIS) Network, UNFCU serves to advance credit unions’ role as authentic, values-based leaders in the financial services sector. Tom works with credit unions, credit unions suppliers, and industry groups to amplify our collective impact through community and collaboration. Tom is a Certified Sustainability Practitioner.
Cathie Mahon
President/CEO, Inclusiv
Cathie Mahon has led Inclusiv since 2012 overseeing a period of dramatic growth and expansion of the organization and network. She is committed to the Inclusiv mission of promoting financial inclusion and building more inclusive economies through community owned and controlled financial institutions. Ms. Mahon previously served as Deputy Commissioner at the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs where she started and led New York City’s Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE). Ms. Mahon was also a co-founder of the Cities for Financial Empowerment Coalition and Fund and remains an active Board member.
Dr. Atyia Martin
CEO, All Aces
Dr. Atyia Martin is the CEO and Founder of All Aces, Inc., an alternative to traditional diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting firms. Her personal mission is to unleash the invisible power that every person and organization has to intentionally act to disrupt oppression. Dr. Martin has over 20 years of experience applying the principles of racial equity and social justice during her career in resilience, emergency management, public health, and intelligence. Dr. Martin is published in scholarly journals and is the author of We Are the Question + the Answer: Break the Collective Habit of Racism + Build Resilience for Racial Equity in Ourselves and Our Organizations. Additionally, she is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Northeastern University's Global Resilience Institute.
Maria Martinez
President/CEO, Border FCU
Maria J. Martinez is the President/CEO of Border Federal Credit Union (Border FCU), a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), headquartered in Del Rio, TX, with over $210 million in assets and serving over 25,000 members. Maria has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with a major in Accounting and is a proud Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE). Her passion is making positive connections and being of service to others and she is constantly advocating for financial wellness for all within the credit union system.
Genevieve Melford
Director of Insights and Evidence, Aspen Institute
Genevieve Melford is Director of Insights and Evidence at the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program (Aspen FSP) and Director of the Expanding Prosperity Impact Collaborative (EPIC). In this role she leads Aspen FSP’s portfolio of work to illuminate household financial challenges and the kinds of solutions that can boost the financial stability and well-being of US households. Prior to joining FSP, Genevieve served as the Senior Research Analyst in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)'s Office of Financial Education, where she led the Bureau’s work to define, measure, and study the drivers of consumer financial well-being.
Teresa Metzler
Executive Director, Corporate Treasury, Comcast
Teresa has worked in corporate treasury for almost 20 years and has helped Comcast navigate everything from acquisition financing (public bonds/credit facilities) and derivatives to treasury related community development initiatives and investments. She is also a Board member and Treasurer of Family Services of Montgomery County, PA (fsmontco.org), a nonprofit with several programs and services for youth, families, and older adults. She is married and has 3 young boys, one of which is on the autism spectrum.
Sheilah Montgomery
CEO/President, Florida A&M University FCU
A strategist, communicator, partnership builder, and transformational change leader. For over four decades, Sheilah has been advancing the mission of the credit union movement, while increasing the economic viability of individuals, businesses, communities. A strategist, communicator, partnership builder, and transformational change leader, she’s dedicated her career to helping credit union boards, management, and staff provide excellent products and services to every member regardless of their economic background. Sheilah, a Certified Chief Executive (CCE), Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE) as well as an International CUDE (I-CUDE), is the President and CEO of the Florida A & M University Federal Credit Union in Tallahassee, FL.
Bob Mundy
Manager, Inclusiv/Mortgage
Bob is the Manager of Inclusiv/Mortgage having previously served as Inclusiv's Underwriting Consultant. He brings over 20 years of real estate experience as a loan specialist, processor and underwriter in both New York City and Los Angeles. Bob also co-founded The Mortgage Department, LLC which processed and underwrote all loans for various credit unions, including Actor’s Federal Credit Union, New York Times Federal Credit Union, NBC (NY) Employees Federal Credit Union, New York University Federal Credit Union and Neighborhood Trust Federal Credit Union. Bob has considerable non-traditional lending expertise holding both a BA and BS from SUNY Fredonia and is a licensed real estate salesperson in the State of New York.
Kimberly Nichols
CEO, Bridgeway CU
Kimberly Nichols is the CEO of Bridgeway Credit Union, formerly known as Phenix Pride Federal Credit Union in Phenix City, Alabama. Phenix City, with a population of 36,000 people, is based in a rural county located near Columbus, Georgia. During the past 17 years of Nichols’ leadership, Bridgeway has grown from a $2 million institution to a credit union with over $14.5 million in assets offering a wide range of financial services. Nichols has also secured multiple grants for Bridgeway Credit Union from the CDFI Fund and NCUA, and was a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) lender this past year.
Vanessa O'Bannon
AVP, CUMA
Vanessa O’Bannon is Assistance Vice President at Credit Union Mortgage Association (CUMA). She has been employed with CUMA for 18 years managing the Servicing Department. Prior to that, she worked in the banking industry. Vanessa earned her Bachelor’s Degree from University of Phoenix in Business Management. She is very knowledgeable on servicing mortgage loans and providing the best customer service. When she is not working she enjoys spending time with family and watching TV. She plans to continue her career in the mortgage industry and helping people reach their dreams of homeownership.
Ira Oskowsky
VP, Sales - Eastern Region, Arch Mortgage Insurance Co.
Ira Oskowsky is a Vice President for Credit Union Sales Eastern Region for Arch MI. He has held that position since November of 2005. In that position he is responsible for the Account Executives in the region. Arch MI works exclusively with Credit Unions to provide mortgage insurance and serve their Members. Prior to Ira joining Arch MI he held positions as President of CUMAnet, LLC, a national mortgage CUSO located in New Jersey, Vice President of National Sales at CU National Mortgage Company, an aggregator and mortgage provider to Credit Unions nationally also located in New Jersey. Ira was also Executive Director of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) and Vice President of Commercial Real Estate at Constellation Bank in New Jersey.
Paul Phillips
President and CEO, Freedom First FCU
Paul Phillips is President and Chief Executive Officer of Freedom First Federal Credit Union, where he has served since 1998. Freedom First is located in Roanoke, Virginia and has a rural district charter encompassing 19 counties and 452,000 households in Southwest and Central Virginia. During Paul’s tenure, Freedom First has grown from a small employer-based credit union to a regional financial leader with assets of $840 million and 56,000 member-owners. Since 2010, Freedom First has consistently maintained the Low-Income Designation from the National Credit Union Administration and the Community Development Financial Institution designation by the United States Department of the Treasury. Under Paul’s leadership, Freedom First’s mission has broadened beyond helping its members prosper to include developing sustainable solutions to persistent community challenges.
Donald Phoenix
Regional VP, Southern Region, NeighborWorks America
The rich career of Donald Phoenix includes experience in many sectors, including banking, public administration, nonprofit management and housing development. He served as vice president of Carver State Bank of Savannah (GA) and assistant vice president of Great Southern Federal Savings Bank in the same city, transitioned to housing director for the city of Savannah, became executive director for Neighborhood Housing Services of Savannah and then joined NeighborWorks in 1995, where he is based in Atlanta. As vice president of NeighborWorks' Southern Region, Phoenix is responsible for overseeing financial and technical services for network organizations throughout 13 states and the District of Columbia. He also led the organization’s Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Noel Andrés Poyo
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Economic Development, Office of Domestic Finance, U.S. Department of the Treasury
Noel Andrés Poyo most recently served for fourteen years as Executive Director of the National Association for Latino Community Assets Builders (NALCAB), a non-profit membership organization that is the hub of a network of more than 120 community and economic development organizations that serve geographically and ethnically diverse Latino communities. Since 2015, he concurrently served as CEO of Escalera Community Investments, NALCAB’s subsidiary asset management company, which controls social investment funds designed to capitalize affordable housing projects and small businesses. Poyo’s 22 year career has focused on integrating low-income people and immigrants into mainstream financial services and real estate sectors of our economy as well as improving the livability and economic resilience of low-income neighborhoods and affordable housing communities.
Christopher Roe
Senior Vice President of Corporate & Legislative Affairs– CUNA Mutual Group
In this role, he is responsible for the company’s legislative and regulatory
agenda and managing corporate relations within the credit union system. Before joining CUNA Mutual Group, Roe began his career at the American Insurance Association (AIA) in Washington, D.C., and served as senior counsel to the AIA Property Insurance Committee. He joined Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company (FFIC) as vice president of Government Affairs in their Washington, D.C., office, where he shaped FFIC’s federal and state legislative and regulatory policy. Roe held several other leadership roles at FFIC, including management of State Government Affairs, Regulatory Affairs, Consumer Affairs, and associate general counsel in the Legal department.
Richard Romero
CEO, Seattle CU
As the leader of one of the oldest credit unions in Seattle, Richard Romero has placed a focus on leading an organization that focuses on making sure EVERYONE prospers and not just those with easy access to financial services. He has led his organization into areas that focus on populations that are mostly ignored by financial institutions by becoming a CDFI, LDI and Juntos Avanzamos Credit Union. Additionally, his credit union has led the way in creating products such as Citizenship Loans, ITIN Real Estate Loans and ITIN auto, personal loans and more.
Alejandra Ruales
Senior Manager, Financial Health Network
Alejandra leads financial health measurement and strategy initiatives at the Financial Health Network (formerly Center for Financial Services Innovation, CFSI) including the FinHealth Score® . As the head of the Financial Health Leaders program, she has consulted with over 50 financial institutions onleveraging their customer data and market research to support business growth and impact strategies. She also conducts research and analyzes market trends to assist clients in the design and launch of high-quality and sustainable financial products that improve financial health for consumers and small businesses. Alejandra also leads the global financial health strategy at the Network; advising multilateral organizations including UNSGSA and UNCDF on global finance initiatives.
Peter Rubenstein
Director of Technology and Innovation, Inclusiv
Peter Rubenstein is Inclusiv’s Director of Technology and Innovation. In this role, Peter leads strategy and execution of our Inclusiv/Technology initiatives which leverage technology and impact data to expand financial inclusion in underserved communities. Peter joined Inclusiv in 2020 after spending 10+ years creating, marketing and operating, through a nationwide network of mission-aligned organizations, innovative online services that helped millions of financially vulnerable families and individuals achieve financial stability and significantly improve their financial health. Prior to his work in the financial health space, Peter held leadership roles in the public, nonprofit and private sectors focusing on technology, sales, marketing and public policy. He holds a BA in Public Policy Studies and Political Science from Syracuse University and a Master of Public Administration from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service.
Mike Salfity
Chief Product Strategist and EVP/GM, Finastra
Since 2018 Mike Salfity has been consulting for Finastra, Vista Equity Partners largest company in the Vista portfolio. Mike’s primary engagement is leading strategic and transformative initiatives. Mike developed the strategy, development, and launch of the financial industry’s first Open Platform, FusionFabric. Cloud, also oversaw the development and delivery of a syndicated lending exchange, Fusion LenderComm, as well as led product and portfolio strategy for Finastra. In January 2020, Mike stepped in as the SVP/General Manager for the North America Community Markets to lead transformation and growth of the NA business which includes retail banking, lending, and consumer compliance. He is also leading the Banking as a Service (BaaS) line of business.
Renee Sattiewhite
President/CEO, AACUC
Renée Sattiewhite is the President and CEO of the African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) and is responsible for the execution of the strategic vision of the Board of Directors. With over 30 years in the world of finance, she started her career as a teller trainee for City National Bank in Beverly Hills, California. She quickly moved up the ranks with various positions including bank officer. She has been associated with credit unions for over 25 years and was the first Internship Program Director for the AACUC. Renée’s background is in training and marketing, specializing in customer service, effective communication, board development, team building and strategic planning. Renée is a certified diversity professional, a credit union development educator, motivational speaker, an executive coach, mentoring trainer and assists organizations with marketing campaigns.
Andrew Schlack
Acting Program Manager, CDFI Program
Andrew Schlack currently serves as the Acting CDFI Program and NACA Program Manager at the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. Andrew Schlack joined the CDFI Program and NACA Program in April 2017 and has served as Associate Program Manager (APM) since October 2018. Prior to joining the CDFI Fund, Mr. Schlack was Director of Investments at Calvert Impact Capital (formerly Certified CDFI known as Calvert Foundation) where he managed a team of five domestic finance professionals overseeing a portfolio of roughly $120 million invested directly into CDFIs, affordable housing developers, and other social enterprises. Prior to this, he served as a Program and Loan Officer with the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund (GMHF).
Rachel Schneider
CEO, Canary
Rachel Schneider is co-author of The Financial Diaries: How American Families Cope in a World of Uncertainty. Described as a “must-read for anyone interested in causes of – and potential solutions to – American poverty” by Publisher’s Weekly, The Financial Diaries challenges conventional wisdom about inequality. Now an entrepreneur-in-residence at The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program, Rachel is launching a new effort to explore how small, strategic cash infusions can go a longer way by helping families at pivotal moments in which they simply don’t have the cash on hand that they need. She is developing hypotheses about how cash infusions can not only be stopgap measures, but also be a bridge toward stability and an investment in mobility.
Marcia Sigal
Deputy Director for Policy and Programs; CDFI Fund
Marcia Sigal is the Deputy Director for Policy and Programs for the CDFI Fund, where she oversees the efforts of all of the CDFI Fund's award programs in support of the CDFI Fund's strategic vision. She previously served as the Program Manager of the Capital Magnet Fund. Prior to joining the CDFI Fund, Ms. Sigal was the Director of the Program Policy Division for the Office of Affordable Housing Programs in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ms. Sigal's expertise as a community development policy analyst and innovator served her well as the Director of Community and Economic Development at the Council of State Community Development Agencies, an Affordable Housing Policy Analyst for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), and Management Analyst at the Fairfax, VA Department of Housing and Community Development.
Douglass Sims
Director and Senior Advisor, Green Finance Center, NRDC
Sims joined NRDC in 2010 after spending a number of years as an associate at an international law firm, where he helped finance energy and infrastructure projects in Latin America, Africa, and other emerging markets around the globe. Today, he works on a wide range of issues related to renewable energy deployment in the United States and abroad. Sims holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Stanford University and a JD from Harvard Law School. He is based in New York City.
Ed Sivak
Executive Vice President – Policy and Communications, Hope CU (Jackson, MS) - At-Large
Ed Sivak is the Executive Vice President of Policy and Communications for Hope Enterprise Corporation/Hope Credit Union (HOPE). In his capacity as EVP, Sivak manages the strategic direction and implementation of HOPE’s public policy activity and all internal and external communication with members, the media, investors and other stakeholders. Over his 17 year career with HOPE, Sivak has managed numerous community development initiatives including a $4.5 million collaborative to support the recovery of over 500 small businesses in post-Katrina New Orleans and a $5 million partnership to expand economic opportunity in the Mississippi Delta.
Cindy Shogry-Raimer
VP Director of Community Development, Greylock FCU
Cindy Shogry-Raimer is the VP Director of Community Development at Greylock Federal Credit Union. She has been with Greylock for 35 years, starting as a teller and has held a series of leadership positions throughout her career. Her experience includes Supervisor of Deposit Operations, Regional VP of Central County, Internal Auditor and VP of Operational Risk, but her favorite role is her current job in Community Development. She has an A.A.S. in Banking/Finance from Berkshire Community College, B.S. in Accounting from Massachusetts College Liberal Arts and an MBA from the University of MASS. Cindy is currently the Treasurer of PCTV, on the Board of the Coolidge Hill Foundation, Co-Chair of 1Berkshire Ambassador Committee and on the Steering Committee of Berkshire Bridges Working Cities.
Maurice Smith
CEO, Local Government FCU & Civic FCU
Maurice Smith is the CEO of Local Government Federal Credit Union and Civic Federal Credit Union. Both are financial cooperatives serving the financial needs of employees, appointed officials, elected officeholders and volunteers of local governments in North Carolina. Smith began his career in financial services as a loan officer for State Employees’ Credit Union. Smith served in several capacities including Vice President/City Executive and Vice-president of Marketing/Training.
Ann Solomon
Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, Inclusiv
Ann Solomon is Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Inclusiv. In that role, she leads design and implementation of innovative programs and products to increase the financial capability of low-income people through credit unions, including Inclusiv’s Pathways to Financial Empowerment initiative. Ms. Solomon also facilitates coordination of Inclusiv staff and resources to achieve organizational goals. Prior to joining Inclusiv, Ms. Solomon was a researcher in sustainable and responsible investing and previously developed affordable housing for low-income people in Brooklyn, NY. Ms. Solomon holds a BA summa cum laude from Amherst College and a Master’s of City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Robert Trunzo
CEO, CUNA Mutual Group
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Robert (Bob) N. Trunzo earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Kentucky in 1978 and a law degree from Marquette University in 1981. He completed the Kellogg School of Management Executive Program at the Kellogg Management Institute at Northwestern University in 2011. Trunzo became the eighth president and chief executive officer of CUNA Mutual Group on Jan. 1, 2014. The company has $3.5B in annual revenue and is located in Madison, Wisconsin. Prior to joining CUNA Mutual Group in 2005, Trunzo was one of three executive vice presidents at Frank F. Haack and Associates, which is now part of Willis Group Holdings. He served as secretary of commerce under Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson.
Kris VanBeek
CEO, USAlliance FCU
Kristin “Kris” VanBeek is an innovative thinker and a dynamic leader who can’t say no to a challenge. A lover of outdoor sports, emerging technology, and adventure, he brings an ambitious yet approachable vibe to the Executive level of any organization he is involved with. Not afraid of taking a risk, he has developed a keen eye to find that “diamond in the rough” and is never unwilling to take a chance on the underdog. In his current role as President & CEO of USALLIANCE Financial, Mr. VanBeek has taken his passion for emerging technology, out-of-the-box thinking, and attainable solutions and incorporated them into his leadership strategy. Frequently referred to as “the idea guy” among his peers, Mr. VanBeek has been able to shift the narrative on Credit Unions and bring FinTech into the forefront of the conversation.
René Vargas Martínez
Senior Program Officer, Inclusiv
René A. Vargas Martínez is a Senior Program Officer at Inclusiv. In that role, René is tasked with advancing financial inclusion for Hispanic and immigrant communities by overseeing the engagement and expansion of a national network of credit unions serving these communities. He also oversees an initiative to build a network of credit unions and cooperativas serving underserved communities in Puerto Rico, supporting their efforts to advance the island’s recovery efforts. René has extensive credit union experience at the member level. Prior to joining Inclusiv, René worked at Pentagon Federal Credit Union in Puerto Rico as a Support Representative, engaging members to solve complex financial, and service issues.
Senator Mark Warner
United States Senator, D-VA
Senator Warner was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2008 and reelected to a third term in November 2020. He serves on the Senate Finance, Banking, Budget, and Rules Committees as well as the Select Committee on Intelligence, where he is the Chairman. During his time in the Senate, Senator Warner has established himself as a bipartisan leader who has worked with Republicans and Democrats alike to cut red tape, increase government performance and accountability, and promote private sector innovation and job creation. Senator Warner has been recognized as a national leader in fighting for our military men and women and veterans, and in working to find bipartisan, balanced solutions to address our country's debt and deficit.
Sarah Willis Ertur
VP, Director of Financial Health, Corporate Responsibility at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Sarah is Director of Financial Health within the office of Corporate Responsibility and Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase. In this role, she oversees the firm’s global financial health strategy, philanthropic and impact framework, advises the business on best practices to improve products and services, and manages a portfolio of inclusive fintech initiatives that seek to produce inclusive policies, practices and private sector innovation. Prior to JPMorgan Chase & Co, Sarah was the Director of Financial Health for MetLife Foundation where she established and executed on the Foundation’s global digital and innovation strategy with an emphasis on Europe, Middle East, and Asia. She has also served as a senior associate at the Clinton Global Initiative, and authored research on private sector-led solutions to small business development for the MasterCard Center for Inclusive Growth.
Jahi Wise
Senior Advisor for Climate Policy and Finance, White House
Jahi Wise serves as a senior adviser for climate policy and finance in the Biden administration’s Office of Domestic Climate Policy. He most recently served as the Coalition for Green Capital’s policy director and was an integral part of the effort to create a national Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator, based on the proven green bank model. Jahi graduated from the joint degree program where he studied clean energy finance at Yale Law School and Yale School of Management. He is particularly interested in developing financial vehicles that enable the deployment of energy efficiency technologies in low- to moderate-income communities.