Speakers
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Latonya Allen
Director of Consumer Lending and Marketing, Government Printing Office FCU
Latonya Allen is the Director of Consumer Lending and Marketing for Government Printing Office Federal Credit Union, where she provides member lending services and product development. Latonya works with members to identify their financial goals and create solutions for members to achieve their goals. She also influences the strategic direction of the credit union by providing creative concept development for marketing and strategic engagement to facilitate growth and impact for the credit union members. Latonya has more than 21 years of experience in the credit union industry.
Trenton Allen
Managing Director and CEO, Sustainable Capital Advisors
Mr. Allen is CEO of Sustainable Capital Advisors. Mr. Allen founded SCA in 2012, to build upon his successful career in the financial services industry as an investment banker and financial advisor. Throughout his career, Mr. Allen has participated in over $30 Billion of financings, including public debt offerings and private placements (debt and equity). Prior to SCA, Mr. Allen was a Director at Citi where he led efforts to finance large infrastructure projects including water, wastewater, conventional and renewable energy and energy efficiency for utility, commercial and governmental clients.
Rudy Arrendondo
President/CEO/Executive Director, Latino Farmers & Ranchers International, Inc.
Rudy Arredondo is a highly motivated bilingual problem solver and advocate with a lifetime career in civil, human, labor, immigration, health care rights, focus rural communities, agriculture, farming and ranching. Specialized and equally transferable Spanish/English skills. Extremely capable of researching, analyzing and structuring resolution of difficult situations. Able to identify, assess and leverage human and financial resources. Proficient in managing millions of dollars in public project funds. Intimately familiar with federal and local protocol and sensitivities. Adept educator and communicator. Rudy is the President and Founder of the National Hispanic/Latino Farmers & Ranchers Association, founded in 2005 and its various transformations.
Karan Bhalla
Chief Growth Officer, Trellance
Karan is Chief Growth Officer at Trellance and has two decades of financial services and data analytics experience, having worked and consulted for leading corporations such as Capital One, AmEx, BT and Fannie Mae. He now uses this experience to level the playing field for small and mid-size financial institutions. He is a regular presenter at industry events that include Co-op’s Summit, Predictive Analytics World, Western Independent Bankers, NWCUA, and CCUL’s Reach among others. He has MIS and Accounting degrees from Virginia Tech and an MBA in Finance from the University of Maryland. When he’s not at work, Karan can often be found outdoors spending time with his sons.
Megan Bolado
Director of Financial Empowerment, Inclusiv
Megan is the Director of Financial Empowerment at Inclusiv. In this role she designs, implements, and executes comprehensive initiatives that support credit unions to deliver high-quality, one-on-one financial coaching to individuals and families in communities that are low-income and historically excluded from mainstream financial services. Prior to joining Inclusiv, Megan was the Head of Fintech Partnerships at Change Machine (formerly The Financial Clinic). Megan has worked in the economic justice space for over a decade to build the capacity of communities nationally and internationally to dismantle the systems that support economic inequality and create opportunities for increased financial well-being at Prosperity Now, Points of Light and the International Youth Foundation.
Alan Branson
EVP and CFO, HOPE (Hope Enterprise Corporation, Hope Credit Union and Hope Policy Institute)
Alan is responsible for the management of HOPE's Fiscal, Data Analytics, Compliance, Project Management and Information Technology functions, and has been with the company since 1994 when he joined HOPE as its second employee. Alan has more than 35 years of experience in small business lending and community development finance. Before joining HOPE, Alan worked as a commercial banker at Signet Bank, serving small and medium-sized businesses; a consultant to the micro-lending program at the North Carolina Rural Center; and a research associate at Harvard Business School.
Joan M. Brodhead
Senior EVP, Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer, Community First Fund/Community First Fund CU
Joan M. Brodhead joined Community First Fund in 2004. Over the last 19 years, in a number of roles and currently serves as Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer. One of her most significant roles has been to oversee the development, opening, and operation of Community First Fund’s credit union. In addition to these responsibilities for the credit union, Joan oversees fundraising & development, communications and marketing, and impact evaluation of lending and loan operations. Joan has more than 40 years of experience in finance and community development lending.
Scott Butterfield, CUDE
Principal, Your Credit Union Partner
Scott is a strategic advisor to more than 200 credit unions throughout the US. A respected veteran of the credit union movement, he understands the challenges and opportunities facing credit unions today. Scott and his team believe financial inclusion and social justice are critical to the larger discussion in strengthening credit unions to better serve their members and communities. Scott is a widely published credit union thought leader, and a recognized community development expert.
William J. (Bill) Bynum
CEO, HOPE (Hope Enterprise Corporation, Hope Credit Union and Hope Policy Institute)
Bill Bynum began his professional career in North Carolina by helping to establish Self-Help, a pioneer in the development finance industry, and later built nationally recognized programs at the NC Rural Economic Development Center. In 1994, he moved to Mississippi to become founding CEO of Enterprise Corporation of the Delta, and in 1995 organized Hope Community Credit Union. Today, Bill leads HOPE (Hope Enterprise Corporation, Hope Credit Union and Hope Policy Institute), a family of organizations that provides financial services; leverages private and public resources; engages in advocacy; and otherwise acts as a catalyst to fulfill its mission of strengthening communities, building assets, and improving lives throughout the Deep South.
Randy Chambers
President, Self-Help CU
Randy Chambers is the President of Self-Help Credit Union, which serves over 93,000 members through 36 branches in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Self-Help is a national non-profit community development financial institution headquartered in Durham, NC. Randy also supervises the consumer banking operations of Self-Help Federal Credit Union, which serves 103,000 members through 39 branches in California, Illinois, Washington and Wisconsin. Self-Help also includes Self-Help Ventures Fund, the nation’s largest non-depository community development financial institution; the Center for Responsible Lending, a national non-profit research and policy organization; and the Center for Community Self-Help, the umbrella organization for Self-Help, first founded in 1980. Randy was previously Self-Help’s Chief Financial Officer.
Jamie Chandler
FinHealth Fund Director, The National Credit Union Foundation
Jamie Chandler recently joined The Foundation after serving as the Senior Financial Health Program Specialist at University Federal Credit Union in Austin, TX where she led the planning, development, and management of the organization’s employee financial health program for their 800 employees and supported program development for over $300,000 members. She also served as a FICEP Certified CU financial Counselor for employees. This is after already decade long credit union career serving in multiple member-facing roles. An Army veteran, Chandler is actively engaged with several organizations that support the veteran community.
Suzette Cowell
CEO/Treasurer, Toledo Urban FCU
As Founder and CEO/Treasurer of the Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union (TUFCU), in Toledo, OH, Suzette Cowell has been a staunch supporter of the 4,900-member community development institution. With an asset size of 14 million TUFCU is credited with revitalizing the central city neighborhoods around it. 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. Partnerships were formed with several others who came together to research the concept for starting the pioneering venture, and their dreams were realized when in 1996, the institution was chartered.
Sue Cuevas
President/CEO, Nueva Esperanza Community CU
Sue Cuevas is the First CEO for the FIRST Latino Credit Union in Ohio. Nueva Esperanza CCU was a start-up credit union, chartered in 2010. Her passion and persistence in helping the Latino, immigrants and those often underserved and unbanked is what drives her to continuously share financial education and credit counseling within the community. From the beginning, Sue worked out of her car, attending every festival, church function, school program and community event sharing the “people helping people” philosophy. She has over 30 years of financial expertise working in the banking and financial industry. She has taught numerous classes on financial literacy, with a passion to help people understand finance and make savvy decisions. She has developed bilingual education programs, focusing on first-time homebuyers in northwest Ohio.
Pablo DeFilippi
EVP, Inclusiv Network, 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. From then and until the end of 2005, Mr. DeFilippi managed the World Council of Credit Unions, Inc. (WOCCU)‘s International Remittance Program (IRnet), a world-wide initiative to provide alternative remittance services to consumers both in the US and in recipient countries.
Alane Dent
Vice President, Corporate and Legislative Affairs, CUNA Mutual Group
Alane Dent is a nationally recognized advocate with over twenty years of experience spearheading legislative and communication strategies on behalf of her financial services clients. Mrs. Dent currently serves as Vice-President, Corporate and Legislative Affairs, at CUNA Mutual Group, a financial services company that provides product and service solutions to credit unions and retail customers. She advocates before federal and state legislatures, regulatory authorities, trade associations, and stakeholder coalitions on behalf of the credit union industry. She takes great pride in facilitating a partnership with Inclusiv, a trade association representing Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), to educate credit unions about the benefits of CDFI certification and inform policymakers about the critical role of CDFIs in underserved communities.
Iliana Diaz
Director of Capacity Building, Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners
Iliana is the Director of Capacity Building at Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners. She leads the Pathways Program, which supports credit unions and their associated non-profit staff to provide outcomes-driven financial counseling linked to high-impact financial products. Iliana also oversees the organization’s training and technical assistance programs, empowering Financial Coaches and improving service delivery. Prior to her current role, she was an Associate Director of Programs where she supervised a team of Financial Coaches. She started her career as a Teller with Neighborhood Trust Federal Credit Union before progressing to a Loan Officer and Financial Coach. Iliana is passionate about improving the financial well-being of underserved communities and helping individuals achieve greater financial security and has dedicated over a decade to this mission.
Suzy Fonseca
Regional President - WA, Self-Help FCU
Suzy Fonseca began her career at Lower Valley Credit Union (LVCU) as a teller in 1999. In the 24 years since, she has served as operations supervisor, chief operations officer and president and CEO of LVCU. With a remarkable focus on mission and expanding LVCU’s equity and inclusion programs, Suzy successfully guided LVCU through a merger with Self-Help Federal Credit Union in 2021. With the ideal mission alignment of Creating and protecting ownership and economic opportunity for all, especially people of color, women, rural resident and low-wealth families and communities; Suzy currently serves as WA Regional President with SHFCU.Under Fonseca’s leadership, Lower Valley’s membership grew from 5,600 to roughly 18,000; its loan portfolio increased by $74 million; and its total assets increased from $50 million to $150 million.
Rosa Franco
Director of Lending and Development, Neighborhood Trust FCU
Rosa leads the credit union's initiatives and efforts to expand access to financial products and services in the Upper Manhattan of New York. Thanks to her background in microfinance NTFCU was able to launch in-house mortgage and small business lending, which were outsourced before. The extent of the work includes ITIN holders who have equal access to financial products and services. During her years of work, Rosa played an active role in the implementation of collaborative work with Hispanic Consulates and the Juntos Avanzamos network, where she is a member of the Selection Committee. Her involvement in the Board of community-based organizations and small CDFIs, as well as advocacy groups, allows her to gain a broader knowledge of the financial needs of different groups and tailor the credit union's offer.
Brian Gilmore
Director, Commonwealth
Brian Gilmore is a Director at Commonwealth, a national nonprofit building opportunities for financial security and wealth for all. He leads a team dedicated to accelerating the adoption of financial innovations to address challenges faced by people living on low- and moderate-income. Brian works to scale these innovations through partnerships with the financial services industry, policymakers, employers, and nonprofits, with the goal of making wealth possible for everyone. Commonwealth’s efforts have spawned new financial products and policies responsible for helping millions of people save billions of dollars. Prior to Commonwealth, Brian spent a decade at forward-thinking organizations tackling a variety of social challenges including access to public benefits, youth education, and financial security.
Amanda Habansky
President/CEO, Peoples Advantage FCU
Amanda has worked in the credit union industry for more than twelve years and currently serves as President/CEO at Peoples Advantage Federal Credit Union. Amanda led the Credit Unions initiative of obtaining CDFI certification in 2018 and oversees the CDFI initiatives of delivering financial products and services to low-to-moderate income members of the community. Amanda and her team have created a unique suite of products and services that help members of modest means meet big financial goals! Amanda attended Virginia Commonwealth University and is active in the Virginia Credit Union League’s (VACUL) Emerging Professionals group where she served as chairman from 2018-2019. She previously served on the Virginia Credit Union League's Statewide Advocacy Council where she lead credit union engagement in advocacy work.
Todd Harper
Chairman, National Credit Union Administration (NCUA)
Todd M. Harper was nominated to serve on the NCUA Board on February 6, 2019. The U.S. Senate confirmed him on March 14, 2019, and he was sworn in as a member of the NCUA Board on April 8, 2019. President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., designated him as the NCUA’s twelfth Chairman on January 20, 2021. As NCUA Board Chairman, Mr. Harper serves as a voting member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council and represents the NCUA on the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council and the Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee. Prior to joining the NCUA Board, Mr. Harper served as director of the agency’s Office of Public and Congressional Affairs and chief policy advisor to former Chairmen Debbie Matz and Rick Metsger. He is the first member of the NCUA’s staff to become an NCUA Board Member and Chairman.
Corliss Hill
Senior Manager, Financial Inclusion DEI Marketing, Experian
Corliss is an award-winning, purpose-driven Marketing Maven and DE&I enthusiast on a mission to bring about positive change amongst underserved communities. As a Financial Inclusion Marketing Strategist at Experian, Corliss leads the Inclusion Forward™ initiative designed to support lenders and companies elevate their financial inclusion efforts, while also helping consumers build stronger financial pathways. The span of her career crosses over various arenas, including Publishing, PR, Healthcare and Financial Services. She has also worked with national brands, including UnitedHealthcare, the American Heart Association National Center, Change Healthcare and Essence magazine.
Jeff Ivey
President and CEO, River City FCU
Jeff Ivey is President and CEO of River City Federal Credit Union, a CDFI, MDI and Juntos Avanzamos credit union located in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 1936, the credit union serves members and businesses in Bexar County. Ivey has over 35 years in the financial industry, working at large regional and small community banks, as well as a large credit union prior to joining River City in 2018. He is a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace University and received his MBA from the University of Washington. Under Ivey’s leadership, River City has increased membership by 17.5% and has been successful with CDFI grants, totaling over $3 million between FA and RRP grants.
Alexis Iwanisziw
Senior Vice President, Policy and Communications, Inclusiv
Alexis Iwanisziw leads Inclusiv’s policy and communications strategies. Prior to joining Inclusiv, Ms. Iwanisziw served as Chief of Staff to the President at Low Income Investment Fund and was previously the Deputy Director of New Economy Project. She began her career in the Research and Statistics Group at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Ms. Iwanisziw is also a volunteer board and supervisory committee member of the Lower East Side People’s Federal Credit Union. She holds a BA in Mathematics and Economics from Bryn Mawr College and a MSW with a focus on Community Organization and Planning from Hunter College School of Social Work.
Senator Robert Jackson
State Senator, D-MS - District 11
Mississippi State Senator Robert Jackson has served conscientiously for the past 16 years. This past term Jackson was able to help bring millions of dollars to the 11th Senate District -- and this trend will continue in the next term. He supports public education, jobs, roads and bridges, and health care. He has enjoyed working with Boards of Supervisors, Chancery Clerks, Circuit Clerks, Tax Assessors, Sheriffs, Justice Court Judges, Superintendents of Education, mayors and Boards of Aldermen and the many others elected on the local level. He has also helped countless individuals with the many and varied problems that they had with local, state of federal governmental entities. Collectively, Senator Jackson has over 42 years of public service experience.
Tracey Jackson
CEO, 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. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Morgan State University and a Masters of Science in Financial Management from the University of Maryland, University College. She has worked in the Credit Union industry for eighteen years and has loved every aspect of it.
Robin Kolvek
President/CEO, VisiFI
Robin is the Chief Executive Officer at VisiFI, a technology CUSO, and a part of Dedagroup, an Italian group globally operating in the software and digital business fields. Robin believes in the credit union mission and has been a visionary and strong advocate throughout her career working on initiatives and programs to support Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI’s). Before joining VisiFI, she held many leadership positions at CUNA Mutual Group, helping credit unions deliver financial services to their members. Robin has dedicated her career to bringing people, organizations, ideas, and technology together for positive change that makes an impact.
Claire Kramer Mills
Director of Community Research and Insights, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Claire Kramer Mills is Director of Community Research and Insights at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. She directs the Bank’s analysis of ideas and strategies that have the potential to transform economic opportunity for low-and-moderate income families and communities. Her areas of expertise include small business finance and entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and climate resilience and adaptation. In 2015, she initiated a national effort to gather intelligence on small business conditions, resulting in the Fed’s annual Small Business Credit Survey. Her work has been covered in the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CNN, Washington Post, Businessweek, Inc., American Banker, and Marketplace.
Linda Levy
CEO, Lower East Side People's FCU
Linda Levy, retired CEO, Lower East Side People’s FCU (LESPFCU), has been involved in the credit union movement, and specifically the LESPFCU since 1986. She currently serves on its Board of Directors, and is Executive Consultant to the credit union. In that capacity she represents the credit union in a variety of city-wide coalitions, including Public Bank NYC and the NYS Equity Agenda. In addition, Ms. Levy consults with groups across the country who are trying to receive a credit union charter, as well as with credit unions that are seeking to become more mission focused. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the New Economy Project. Ms. Levy resides in New York City.
Aaron Long
Head of Sales, Zest AI
Aaron Long has 20 plus years in sales, business development, and consulting working for Fortune 100 companies like American Express and McKesson to help them develop new offerings and capture larger market share. Prior to Zest AI, Aaron led the credit union Vertical at Equifax where he oversaw sales, marketing and partnerships.
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. 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). NYC’s OFE was the first local government initiative in the nation with a mission aimed expressly at helping to educate, empower and protect low income residents to help them make the most of their financial resources. Mahon was a co-founder of the Cities for Financial Empowerment Coalition and Fund and remains an active Board member.
Chriselle Martinez
CDFI Program Director, Inclusiv
Chriselle Martinez, PhD is the CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) Program Director. Chriselle brings an extensive background in community development with a central focus on credit union community and partnership development. Chriselle centers her work, in the Inclusiv value “financial inclusion and empowerment is a fundamental right.” She values authentic relationship building and views credit unions as a key stakeholder in equitable community development. Chriselle has a doctorate degree from The University of New Mexico located in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is a 2020-2021 Fulcrum Fellow with the Center for Community Investment at the Lincoln Land Institute.
Terri Mickelsen
CEO, Clean Energy CU
Terri Mickelsen is the CEO of Clean Energy Credit Union, a national online only credit union headquartered in Englewood, Colorado. Terri joined Clean Energy CU in 2017, to help obtain its Federal Charter. Since chartering in 2018, Clean Energy Credit Union has gone from startup phase to a 50-million-dollar credit union with over 10,000 clean energy focused loans and serving over 8,000 members. Terri’s passion for helping members and credit unions started while working as a teller. Her roles in credit unions have centered around serving members via branches, call centers, and online/mobile banking. With a focus on helping underserved communities throughout New Mexico, she has also worked with programs such as the Individual Development Accounts (IDA).
Sheilah Montgomery
CEO, Florida A&M University FCU
For over forty-five years, Sheilah has been advancing the mission of the credit union movement while increasing the economic viability of individuals, businesses, and communities. 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 also worked to be an advocate for the underserved by encouraging credit unions to join Bank On and secure millions for dollars in grant funding to provide financial access to small businesses and under-resourced communities. Sheilah, a Certified Chief Executive (CCE), Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE) as well as an International (South Africa) CUDE (I-CUDE). Sheilah is a co-founder of the African American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC).
Karama Neal
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA
Prior to joining USDA Rural Development, Karama Neal served as president of Southern Bancorp Community Partners, a nonprofit community development loan fund and financial development organization promoting economic mobility in rural Arkansas and Mississippi. She spent twelve years at Southern and led their small business, consumer and other development lending, consumer and savings focused public policy work, and a variety of financial development services to help low and moderate wealth families and communities build wealth. In 2013, Dr. Neal started a statewide grassroots organization promoting passage of the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act in Arkansas which was passed in 2015.
Charles J. Nerko
Partner/Co-leader of the Cybersecurity Team, Barclay Damon LLP
As the Co-leader of Barclay Damon’s Cybersecurity Team, Charles Nerko is a highly skilled negotiator and litigator who assists credit unions nationwide with core processing, vendor management, privacy, and technology issues. His track record of success includes representing credit unions in high-profile litigation against some of the largest providers of core processing and outsourced technology services. Charles has a reputation for vigorously advocating for the credit union movement, often resulting in matters being resolved out of court. Charles’s advocacy on behalf of credit unions has garnered national recognition, with his work featured in the Credit Union Times, the Credit Union Journal, CU Today, Bloomberg News, American Banker, Pennsylvania Business Central, Global Data Review, Krebs on Security, SecurityWeek, CyberScoop News, Axios, CFO, PYMNTS, and S&P Global.
Rip Rapson
President & CEO, Kresge Foundation
Rip Rapson has served as president and CEO of The Kresge Foundation since 2006, transforming it from a foundation that funded building projects to one that seeks to build and strengthen pathways to opportunity for people with low incomes living in America’s cities, including in its hometown of Detroit. He previously served as president of the McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis, where he led early childhood development efforts, created a regional public-private-philanthropic economic development organization, and enhanced environmental protections along the Mississippi River. He earlier served as the deputy mayor of Minneapolis, with responsibility for designing a $400 million neighborhood revitalization program, revamping the municipal budgeting process and elevating the city’s commitment to children and families.
Terry Ratigan
Senior Consultant, Inclusiv
Terry Ratigan serves Inclusiv as a Senior Consultant and is a leading analyst of credit union performance and impact in low-income and underserved communities. In 2010 he developed a statistical methodology to evaluate credit union activities in CDFI Target Markets and eligibility for CDFI certification that has been used for hundreds of credit union certifications to date. An adapted version of this methodology served as the basis for the 2011 revision of the NCUA Final Rule on Low-Income Designation and CDFI Fund guidance on target market analysis. In 2013 he developed the Capacity and Community Development Index to help credit unions increase their impact through the targeted expansion of products and services that are highly valued in low-income and emerging markets.
Sid Ratkiewicz
Behavioral Researcher, Common Cents Lab at the Center for Advanced Hindsight
Sid is a behavioral researcher at the Common Cents Lab at the Center for Advanced Hindsight, an applied behavioral science lab at Duke University that works to make people happier, happier and wealthier. They work with credit unions and other financial institutions to design and test interventions to increase financial health.
William M. Rodgers III
VP and Director, Institute for Economic Equity at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
William M. Rodgers III is vice president and director of the Institute for Economic Equity at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Before joining the Fed, Rodgers served as professor of public policy and chief economist at the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University. His areas of expertise include compensation, pay equity, diversity and inclusion, labor market and general economic trends. Rodgers is an elected member of the National Academy of Social Insurance and served as the Academy’s board chair for the last five years. Rodgers also serves as treasurer for the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. He is a non-resident fellow at The Century Foundation and has served in many public capacities, including on President Obama’s Department of Labor transition team, and as chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor from 2000 to 2001.
Clifford N. Rosenthal
Former CEO, Inclusiv (formerly National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions)
Cliff Rosenthal joined the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions (now, Inclusiv) in 1980 and served as CEO until 2012. He drafted the original concept paper calling for a CDFI fund and served in the leadership of the CDFI Coalition for two decades. After leaving the Federation, he launched and managed the Office of Financial Empowerment of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), developing initiatives to improve access to financial services for economically vulnerable consumers. Trained as an historian, in 2018 he published Democratizing Finance: Origins of the Community Development Financial Institutions Movement (FriesenPress).
Markus Sinnuber
Director of Business Development, Posh
Markus Sinnhuber is the Director of Business Development at Posh, a Conversational AI platform focused on helping Credit Unions serve their members better. Markus also currently serves as a Sales Advisor for Invest Ottawa, a startup accelerator hub supporting over 25 startups.
Ed Sivak
EVP, Chief Policy & Communications Officer (CPCO), Hope CU
Ed Sivak is the Chief Policy & Communications Officer (CPCO) for (HOPE) Hope Enterprise Corporation and Hope Credit Union. As CPCO, Sivak manages the strategic direction and implementation of HOPE’s policy advocacy and all internal and external communication with the credit union’s 35,000 members, the media, investors and other stakeholders. Over his 21 year career with HOPE, Sivak has led numerous community development initiatives including a collaborative to support the recovery of over 500 small businesses in post-Katrina New Orleans and partnerships to expand economic opportunity in the Mississippi Delta. He also is the founding Director of the Hope Policy Institute.
Maurice Smith
Retired CEO, Local Government FCU & Civic FCU
As the retired CEO of the fourth largest credit union in North Carolina, Maurice has led expansion of the institution at an industry-leading pace—16-fold organic growth rate to current $3.8B in assets—while creating an enduring brand for 400,000 members. Maurice has accomplished this with his agile style of leadership, based on cooperative principles and values, and staying focused on maximizing member value. Credit unions rely on Maurice to connect the dots from imagination to strategy. He leverages quantitative financial acumen and qualitative leadership traits in creating cultures of collaboration and engagement. Maurice has served on numerous public and civic boards and committees where he brings a centered mindset and focused attention to topics that matter most.
Ann Solomon
Senior Consultant, Inclusiv
Ann Solomon is a Senior Consultant with Inclusiv, developing financial empowerment programming and research for the organization. Ann has a breadth of experience in the community development field, including 10 years at Inclusiv leading design and scaling of innovative products, platforms and systems that enable community development credit unions to expand their impact in LMI communities and communities of color. 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.
Graham Steele
Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions, U.S. Department of the Treasury
Graham Steele serves as the Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Prior to joining the Treasury Department, Graham was the director of the Corporations and Society research initiative at Stanford Graduate School of Business and a senior fellow with the American Economic Liberties Project. From 2015 to 2017, Graham was the Minority Chief Counsel for the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs. From 2010 to 2015 he was a Legislative Assistant for United States Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), handling the Senator’s work as a member of the Senate Banking Committee. During that time, he also spent four years as the staff director of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions & Consumer Protection. He has also worked on the staff of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and at Public Citizen’s Congress Watch.
Marilyn Waite
Managing Director, Climate Finance Fund
Marilyn Waite leads the Climate Finance Fund, mobilizing capital for climate solutions across the US, EU and China. Marilyn previously worked in renewable and nuclear energy innovation, climate modeling, and investment. Author of Sustainability at Work: careers that make a difference, Marilyn’s writing has been featured in outlets such as the Financial Times and GreenBiz, where she serves as editor-at-large. She serves on multiple investment committees and boards, including as a venture partner for Aera VC and as a board member of the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group.
Lorraine Washington
Grant Administration and Compliance Manager, HOPE
Lorraine Washington, Grant Administration and Compliance Manager is a member of the Investor Relations team, which is responsible for raising and managing grants, mission-driven debt, and deposits to drive HOPE’s mission. Lorraine serves as part of the team that is charged with securing and managing these funds and is responsible for creating and managing systems and practices to ensure HOPE’s compliance with awarded government and private grant funding. Lorraine has over 30 years of experience working in local government, with 5 years working in Grants and Compliance. Lorraine joined Hope Enterprise Corporation and Credit Union in 2022.
Sarah Willis Ertur
Executive Director, Head of Financial Health, Global Philanthropy, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Sarah oversees the firm’s global financial health philanthropic commitments, impact framework and advises the business on best practices to improve products and services. Prior to joining, Sarah was a Director at MetLife Foundation where she led the Foundation’s digital and innovation strategy with an emphasis on Europe, Middle East, and Asia. She also worked for the Clinton Global Initiative pursuing cross-sector partnerships for inclusive economic growth, and authored research on solutions to small business development in emerging markets for the MasterCard Center for Inclusive Growth and the Fletcher Institute for Business in a Global Context.
Paul Woodruff
Vice President – Community Development, St. Louis Community CU
Paul Woodruff serves as the Vice President of Community Development for St. Louis Community Credit Union (SLCCU). In this capacity, he is responsible for managing strategic initiatives which fund, support, and advance interventions designed to decrease racial and economic inequity throughout the St. Louis region. Paul began his career in 2009 as a teller at SLCCU and has subsequently worked in a variety of roles advancing community development finance objectives for the institution. In 2013, he moved into his current role as the Vice President of Community Development and as the Executive Director of SLCCU’s sister nonprofit, Prosperity Connection.