Keynote Speakers
Patrick K. Adams
CEO | St. Louis Community Credit Union
Patrick K. Adams serves as CEO of St. Louis Community Credit Union. As a full-service Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), the organization is dedicated to increasing the standard of living and bettering the lifestyles of countless consumers. St. Louis Community Credit Union offers branches in financially underserved locations, second-chance products and free financial education as part of its overall giveback to the community. Mr. Adams has devoted more than 35 years of his career to the financial services industry. Before joining St. Louis Community Credit Union in 1987, he held various leadership positions with other large St. Louis area credit unions. He was appointed President & CEO of St. Louis Community in January 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Adams was Executive Vice President of the institution. In his current role as CEO, he oversees and provides strategic direction for all aspects of the Credit Union, as well as its 501(c)(3) entity – the St. Louis Community CU Foundation. Under Mr. Adams’ leadership, St. Louis Community has grown to more than $230 million in assets and serves 51,000+ members. As one of the nation’s most dynamic and versatile credit union advocates, Mr. Adams is often called upon to deliver motivational speeches to credit union audiences throughout the United States. His high energy, enthusiasm and entertaining sessions challenge individuals to rethink old strategies and begin concentrating on the future. He has carried his pro-credit union message to countless audiences throughout the country. Mr. Adams also authors a weekly informational and empowerment blog (The P.A.), and has written numerous articles for trade and consumer publications. As an active member of the community, Mr. Adams sits on a number of local advisory committees and is involved with several community based initiatives focusing on education and social justice within the financial services arena. He is a graduate of the Focus St. Louis Leadership Class (2010-11). In 2010, Mr. Adams received an award for participation and support from the Missouri Lighthouse for the Blind’s Summer Transition Employment Program (STEP). He also serves on the board of directors for Credit Union Lending Systems (CULS).
Ray Boshara
Director & Senior Adviser | Center for Household Financial Stability, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Ray Boshara is senior adviser and director of the Center for Household Financial Stability at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The center conducts research on family balance sheets and how they matter for strengthening families and the economy. Boshara is also a senior fellow in the Financial Security Program at the Aspen Institute, where his work focuses on the future of building wealth. Before joining the Fed in 2011, Boshara was vice president of New America, a think tank in Washington, D.C., where he launched and directed several domestic and international policy programs. He has also worked at CFED, a UN agency in Rome, the U.S. Congress, and Ernst & Young. Over the past 25 years, he has advised presidential candidates as well as the George W. Bush, Clinton and Obama administrations. He has testified before the U.S. Congress several times. Boshara has written for The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Democracy, among other publications, and his media appearances include National Public Radio, CNBC, C-SPAN, and Bloomberg News. He serves on many local and national boards and commissions related to financial security, community development, and peace and justice. His book, The Next Progressive Era, co-authored with Phillip Longman, was published in 2009. Boshara is a graduate of The Ohio State University, Yale Divinity School and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
Annie Donovan
Director | CDFI Fund, U.S. Department of the Treasury
Annie Donovan is the Director of the CDFI Fund, U.S. Department of the Treasury and has deep roots in community development and finance. She was most recently Chief Executive Officer of CoMetrics, a social enterprise that provides high quality, affordable business intelligence tools to small businesses and nonprofits seeking to improve financial management, better measure social impact, and increase their capacity for innovation. Prior to CoMetrics, Director Donovan was Senior Policy Advisor to the White House, working collaboratively with the Office of Social Innovation and the Council on Environmental Quality. She was part of a team focused on advancing impact investing, social enterprise and impact data as key strategies for improving the social sector. Donovan has been Chief Operating Officer of Capital Impact Partners, a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) where she was instrumental in creating the high performing teams and strategic plans that positioned Capital Impact as a market leader in the areas of education, health care, long terms care and affordable homeownership finance. She led the company’s efforts to build capacity in fundraising, policy, and innovation. Director Donovan has also been a thought leader and a board member of many of the highest performing organizations in the community development sector, including serving as President of the New Markets Tax Credit Coalition. She has published papers and articles for the National Academy for Public Administration, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Forbes, and the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship. She has an undergraduate degree in Economics and an MBA in Finance.
Terri Friedline
Assistant Professor | University of Kansas School of Social Welfare
Today's lower-income households are navigating an increasingly complex and ever-evolving economic world that questions equal access to higher education and the value of a college degree, overemphasizes the roles of credit and debt for achieving economic goals, reveals employment landscapes with often insufficient compensation, and contains tax and policy structures that place them at a disadvantage for acquiring and accumulating wealth. It is within this context that Dr. Friedline conducts research to envision, redefine, and move financial and economic justice with households—particularly for those living in poverty that may be at a competitive disadvantage for navigating this economic world and providing opportunities for their young people. Her research aims to study financial inclusion and access as a bridge to the economic world, an alternative or complement to credit and debt for achieving economic goals, and an opportunity for acquiring and accumulating wealth. Her research has been published in top journals such as Social Service Review, Social Science Research, and Journal of Consumer Affairs and covered by national media including TIME, The Huffington Post, CBS News, and Bloomberg Business News. Dr. Friedline conducts this research as an Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare, Faculty Associate within the Center on Assets, Education, and Inclusion, and Research Fellow at New America in Washington, DC. She holds an MSW and PhD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work.
Tishaura O. Jones
Treasurer, City of St. Louis
Tishaura O. Jones is the first woman to serve as Treasurer in the history of St. Louis. She is the chief investment and cash management officer of the city, and manages the city’s parking division. Treasurer Jones was recently elected to her second term. During her time in office, she has saved the city millions of dollars through streamlining treasury operations, increased transparency in city government, modernized the parking division and opened the city's first Office of Financial Empowerment, offering free financial literacy classes and counseling. She also launched the College Kids Children’s Savings Account Program, which provides college savings accounts to all kindergarten students in St. Louis Public Schools. Each account is opened with $50 in seed money that is provided by residual revenue from the city’s parking division. That means every time someone pays a meter, parks in a city owned garage or pays a parking ticket, they are helping to send a child to college. Prior to becoming Treasurer, she established a track record of leadership in the Missouri House of Representatives. She was a Missouri State Representative from 2008-2012 and was the first African American and First Female Assistant Minority Floor Leader. As a member of the leadership team, she was the second in command of the Democratic members of the Missouri House of Representatives. During her tenure, she was a strong advocate for education, women’s reproductive rights, healthcare, and economic development. Treasurer Jones is a Henry Toll Fellow, a Rodel Fellow, a graduate of the Center for Advancement of Leadership Skills, an Alumnus of the American Council of Young Political Leaders, and is a member of the NewDEAL Leaders, a group of pro-growth progressive rising stars in the Democratic Party. Treasurer Jones enjoys an active volunteer career as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and also sits on the boards of Wyman, The Independence Center, and People’s Community Action Corporation. Treasurer Jones has a Master’s degree in Health Administration from the Saint Louis University School of Public Health, a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Hampton University, and is a graduate of the Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. She is also the proud mother of Aden.
Kirk Kordeleski
CEO & Founder | Kordeleski Consulting
Kirk Kordeleski, CEO and Founder of Kordeleski Consulting, is widely considered a breakthrough financial performer with an unmatched track record of growing credit unions and providing leadership and direction in the non-profit community. Mr. Kordeleski is a relentless bottom-line driver respected industry-wide for leading Bethpage Federal Credit Union to become the largest credit union in the Northeastern United States. As CEO of BFCU, Mr. Kordeleski steered the corporate strategic vision and operating plans for this $5.75 billion community institution. He personally led and motivated a senior leadership team of 14, and their 550+ indirect reports, to peak performance levels, ensuring world-class member service, strong financial performance, and consistent, high-velocity growth. Mr. Kordeleski elevated BFCU’s national standing to become the 15th largest credit union in the United States with more than 250,000 members. The company’s assets grew 450+% throughout his tenure, from $950 million to $5.75 billion, doubling size of the organization every five years.
Terry Ratigan
Senior Consultant | Inclusiv/Network
Terry Ratigan leads fundraising efforts for Inclusiv and plays an important role in program development, training, technical assistance, and Inclusiv’s advocacy work. As a member of the Inclusiv/Network consulting services team, he provides expertise on CDFI certification, recertification, grant writing, and strategic planning for CDCUs around the country. In 2008, Mr. Ratigan worked with Bill Myers to develop the Emerging Markets Review (EMR), an analytical tool that helps credit unions to grow by expanding services throughout their field of membership. In 2009 he developed a statistical random sampling methodology for target market analysis that has helped to double the number of CDFI certified credit unions. This breakthrough methodology also served as the basis for NCUA’s 2011 revision of the Final Rule on Low Income Designation and the 2012 CDFI Fund guidance on target market analysis for CDFI certification. Prior to joining Inclusiv, Terry worked in community development overseas as a senior manager for CARE in Bangladesh and Mozambique and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia and Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.
Renee Sattiewhite
Executive Director | African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC)
Renee Sattiewhite is Executive Director of the African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC). Ms. Sattiewhite is credited with giving organizations a “new look” in the areas of customer satisfaction, employee relations, marketing materials and training materials. She also serves as an executive coach and mentoring trainer, and assists organizations with marketing campaigns. Ms. Sattiewhite is a former instructor for Spelman College’s Continuing Education Department, and is a graduate of Oglethorpe University, with a B.A. in Communications. Ms. Sattiewhite has presented keynote addresses at conferences held by Clemson University, the Georgia Lottery, the North Carolina Education Lottery, the United Way of Greater Atlanta, the National Credit Union Administration, Trinidad/Tobago Credit Union League, the Combined Council of Automotive Credit Unions and the AACUC. She is the past Director of the AACUC Reaching Toward the Future Internship Program.
Michael Sherraden
Founding Director | Center for Social Development (CSD), Washington University’s Brown School
Michael Sherraden is the founding director of the Center for Social Development (CSD), at Washington University’s Brown School. Sherraden was educated at Harvard (AB, 1970) and the University of Michigan (MSW, 1976; PhD, 1979). Professor Sherraden has played a central role in articulating the notion of asset-based development, which suggests that policy and programs should promote not merely income and consumption, but also savings and investment. Sherraden has received many awards; in 2010 he was named as one of Time magazine‘s 100 most influential people in the world. Also awarded to Professor Sherraden are the Distinguished Faculty Award from Washington University (1994) and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the School of Social Work, University of Michigan (2002). His ideas have been presented in “Assets and the Poor: A New American Welfare Policy” (1991), “Alternatives to Social Security: An International Inquiry” (1997, with James Midgley), and “Inclusion in the American Dream: Assets, Poverty, and Public Policy” (2005). Sherraden has also studied, organized international conferences and helped write legislation for national and community service, efforts that are reflected in “Civic Service Worldwide: Impacts and Inquiry” (2006, with Amanda Moore McBride). In 1992-1993 Sherraden was a Fulbright Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore.
David Stiffler
Vice President for Global Corporate Responsibility | Equifax
David Stiffler has been with Equifax for 12 years in various roles related to Community Affairs. Currently the Vice President for Global Corporate Responsibility, David’s work is primarily focused on geographically targeted communities in its major global footprints with an emphasis on Financial Capability. Born in St. Louis, David attained his BA in English Literature from the University of Missouri – Columbia and his MA in Screenwriting from California State University – Northridge. He is the proud father of two boys(Lincoln and Langston) and proud husband of Jing Stiffler.
Rev. Starsky D. Wilson
President & CEO | Deaconess Foundation
The Reverend Starsky D. Wilson is a pastor, philanthropist and activist. He is president & CEO of Deaconess Foundation and pastor of Saint John's Church (The Beloved Community). Deaconess is a faith-based grant making organization devoted to making child well-being a civic priority in the St. Louis region. From a corpus of approximately $50 million, the foundation has invested more than $76 million to advance its mission in the area. Starsky's leadership has birthed a dynamic community capacity building model, aligning policy advocacy, organizing and community engagement with grant making. Through Saint John's, Wilson has led congregational activism on myriad issues, including youth violence prevention, Medicaid expansion, public school accreditation, voter mobilization, capping payday lending and raising the minimum wage. In 2014, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon appointed Rev. Wilson co-chair of the Ferguson Commission, a group of 16 citizens empowered to study the underlying conditions and make policy recommendations related to the issues exposed by the tragic death of Michael Brown, Jr. In 2015 they released the ground-breaking "Forward Through Ferguson: A Path Toward Racial Equity" Report, calling for sweeping changes in policing, the courts, child well-being and economic mobility. Starsky earned a bachelor of arts in political science from Xavier University of Louisiana, master of divinity from Eden Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing the doctor of ministry degree from Duke University’s Divinity School. Starsky is married to Dr. LaToya Smith Wilson and they have four children.