Andy Sandler is an entrepreneur, business leader and advisor, lawyer, and philanthropist. He leads Temerity Capital Partners, the Sandler family office and private investment company, which invests in and advises early-stage companies developing new technologies in financial services and achieving positive social impact. Andy owns and operates Asurity Technologies which focuses on mortgage compliance technology and RiskExec, a leading fair lending analytics SaaS software provider. He is a senior partner at the Mitchell Sandler law firm and recently founded Asurity Advisors, a financial services industry consulting firm. Andy owns three professional baseball teams: the Greensboro Grasshoppers, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers and Lexington Legends. He is actively engaged in mixed use and hotel development projects in each of the communities where he owns a team.

Andy was named a Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year finalist for representing the Navajo Nation in its breach of trust litigation with the United States. Andy and his colleagues achieved a $554 million settlement for the Navajo Nation. HousingWire Vanguard recognized Andy as “one of the biggest names in the housing industry” and Legal Times has named him as a Legal Visionary for his law firm leadership.

Andy is the founder of The Sandler Family Foundation which focuses its philanthropy on health and welfare, social entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and inclusive democracy. He holds J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Wharton School of Business, an M.A. from the University of Warwick (Rotary Foundation Fellow), and a B.A. from Union College.

Andy and his wife Andrea, managing partner of the Mitchell Sandler law firm, find their greatest joy spending time together with their family and friends at their Florida beach home and Virginia farm and traveling.

Erik Pieczkowski is Chief Executive Officer of RiskExec, Inc. where he sets the strategic vision for the company and ensures clients are able to fully realize the value of RiskExec’s powerful compliance and analytics platform to reduce risk and unlock new growth opportunities.

Erik is a seasoned executive with a proven track record of leveraging technology to drive revenue, operational excellence, and market leadership. Prior to his role at RiskExec, Erik spent nearly 16 years at ICE, where he pioneered industry-first solutions such as the CDS Clearing House to bring transparency to the market at the pinnacle of the 2008 Financial Crisis, and played a key role in the organization’s growth from $31.2M to more than $300M in revenue. Additional roles held prior to his tenure as RiskExec’s CEO include 9 years as the President and Founding Partner of Synegen, and time spent at marchFIRST Inc.

Erik holds a B.S. in Computer and Information Science from Purdue University, and a Professional Certificate in Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence from UC Berkeley. Erik lives outside of Chicago, IL with his wife and two children.

Dr. Anurag Agarwal is the Co-Founder & President of RiskExec, Inc.

He is a recognized expert in fair lending, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA), Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), and related areas. As the main architect, designer, and developer of the platform, Anurag continues to lead the development of the RiskExec line of compliance technologies.

During his career, Anurag has consulted with and advised large financial institutions in the areas of compliance, fair lending, statistical analysis, and regulatory risk management.

Ms. Anderson is a Principal in PwC’s Financial Services Risk & Regulatory Practice with over twenty-five years of financial services experience, including eight years of regulatory experience as a commissioned examiner at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Her focus is on assisting financial services firms with meeting their regulatory requirements and enhancing their safety and soundness and compliance programs. Nicole possesses product skills in the areas of enterprise risk management and compliance, information technology, audit, and asset management. At the Federal Reserve, she was a Central Point of Contact for regional banking organizations while also serving on the dedicated supervision team for a large financial holding company where she led targeted reviews and examinations/inspections. While at the Federal Reserve, she obtained practical experience in risk management, cross-functional regulatory compliance (i.e., federal banking regulations, State regulations, SEC regulations, foreign jurisdiction mandates, etc.), and internal audit. Nicole leads several compliance-related roundtables with PwC clients related to Consumer Complaints, Servicemember Lending, Community Reinvestment Act, and DFA Section 1071, among others.

David has more than 25 years of experience in banking, affordable housing finance and community development. After joining the organization in 2012 as Marketing Director, he was promoted to the role of Executive Vice President in 2014, and assumed the role of President in 2021.  David leads the day-to-day operation of Centrant Community Capital, with primary responsibility for membership, business development and strategic initiatives.

Previously, David worked at Credit Risk Management, LLC, a bank consulting and loan review firm based in Raleigh, NC. Prior to his tenure at CRM, David worked at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, where he served as coordinator for the bank’s Affordable Housing Program (AHP) and Predevelopment Loan Fund, and also a senior team leader in the Bank’s Credit, Collateral & Member Services Division.  David holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Duke University, a Master’s degree in History (Historic Preservation) from Wake Forest University, and a Master of Public Administration (Planning & Economic Development) from Georgia State University.

Grace is a risk and compliance management expert and financial services industry leader with over 30 years of global corporate and consulting experience. At banks, FinTech companies, and consulting firms, her oversight responsibilities have included risk and compliance, fair and responsible banking, CRA, deposit operations, financial crime, consumer banking, payment systems, information technology, complaints management, mortgage, consumer and commercial lending, and business strategy. Areas of focus have included risk assessments, risk mitigation and management, artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, data management, compliance management systems, and organizational transformation.

In her current role, Grace leads the Asurity Advisory practice as Executive Managing Director. In this capacity, she provides input and strategic direction relative to the Risk Exec product and leads the go to market activities for advisory service offerings.

Grace’s corporate roles have included Chief Compliance Officer of SunTrust Banks and Chief Risk Officer of Lender Processing Services (now Black Knight Financial Services, a leading FinTech company). At IBM’s Watson Financial Services Division, she led the design, development, implementation, and acquisition strategies of a number of technologies focused on regulatory compliance, risk management, and financial crime. Her consulting positions have included Partner at Guidehouse (formerly Navigant Consulting), where she led client development and relations regarding FinTech, financial crimes, and fraud. At KPMG, she was Director of the Southeast Risk Advisory Practice, focused on enterprise banking clients.

Grace is a frequent speaker on emerging technology, recently including a keynote on RegTech compliance implications at an American Banker event, as well as addressing international conferences and meetings of regulators on subjects including artificial intelligence for risk management, cognitive technology in boardrooms, and building trust and confidence in big data.

Grace earned a BS in Finance and Management from Florida State University. She has been recognized by the industry on several occasions for her technology innovation and was awarded Industry Academy Membership by IBM in 2018.

Val Buresch is the Founder and CEO of Polygon Research, a premier provider of interactive SaaS dashboards delivering actionable insights into mortgage markets, fair lending, and demographic trends. A recognized authority in mortgage analytics, she spearheaded the Polygon Affordability Index, leveraging HMDA data to assess housing affordability at granular geographic levels.

A Certified Mortgage Compliance Professional (CMCP) and Certified Mortgage Banker (CMB), Val has conducted hundreds of HMDA analyses and built a suite of proprietary tools that turn complex mortgage and demographic data into strategic intelligence for housing finance stakeholders.

Her prior leadership includes senior roles at Citibank and Bank of America. She served as 2024 Chairman of the MBA’s CMB Society and hosts the CMB Connect podcast. She co-authored the Data and AI in Housing Finance course for Fannie Mae’s Future Housing Leaders program, training 1,400+ interns since 2020.

Val holds an MBA from the University of Maryland and a BA from the American University in Bulgaria.

Jacob is the SVP, Director of Fair & Responsible Banking at Frost Bank, where he leads enterprise-wide CRA and Fair Lending strategy. In his 20 year banking career he has led CRA strategy for community and regional banks, designed and led financial institution corporate responsibility programs, and led strategy and facilitation of financial institution corporate giving and charitable foundations.

He holds a BBA in Management from the University of Texas at San Antonio and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Young American Leaders Program (’24). Jacob’s leadership has been recognized nationally and locally, including as the American Bankers Association’s National Emerging Leader awardee (’24), the San Antonio Business Journal’s Community Impact honoree (’25), and 40 Under 40 honoree (’22), and a Federal Reserve Bank – Banking on Leaders of Tomorrow (BOLT) honoree (’22).He currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors for Communities In Schools–San Antonio, and served as the 31st President of the UTSA Alumni Association. He chairs the City of San Antonio Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Coalition, serves on the Texas Bankers Association Government Relations Committee, and serves on the Child Advocates San Antonio (CASA) Advisory Board.

Jacob is an adjunct professor in the University of Texas at San Antonio Honors College where he teaches an experiential learning Community Development course. Jacob has served as music minister at various San Antonio churches for over 20 years and is a proud father and husband.

Brendan represents banks, financial services companies, and their directors and officers in enforcement actions, administrative proceedings, and investigations initiated by the OCC, FDIC, Federal Reserve, and CFPB, as well as FinCEN, FTC, SEC, DOJ, and state AGs.  Mr. Clegg assists clients in responding to supervisory findings and in navigating regulatory examinations.  He also advises banks, fintechs, and other financial service providers on a variety of federal and state regulatory issues related to consumer compliance, BSA/AML, mergers and transactions, risk management, governance, and operations.

Brendan serves as a Vice Chair of the Enforcement, Insider Liability, and Troubled Banks subcommittee of the ABA Banking Law Committee.

He was previously an enforcement counsel at the OCC in Washington, D.C.  Before joining the OCC, Brendan clerked for the Hon. Tucker L. Melancon in the Eastern District of New York.

Mary Clouthier is a nationally recognized leader in risk management practices and known for providing sound strategic direction while building consensus around solutions to complex regulatory matters. With more than 30 years of experience, she is a sought-after national speaker and published author on a variety of risk management and regulatory compliance topics. Her expertise includes cybersecurity, vendor risk management, model risk management, consumer protection regulations, BSA/AML, credit risk, liquidity management and interest rate risk. She has proven success helping banks rebuild and scale risk management programs following enforcement actions. She is particularly well-versed in fair lending data analysis and identifying solutions to strengthen performance that positively impacts communities.

Mary is currently serving as the Chief Risk Officer at Cornerstone Capital Bank, located in Houston, TX. Cornerstone Home Lending recruited Mary two years before becoming a bank to work on the business plan and navigate the regulatory application process that resulted in approval of the highest capitalized de novo bank in Texas history. Since its formation in 2022, Cornerstone has maintained capital levels well above 12%; decreased its cost of funds significantly; diversified into commercial lending; expanded business lines to include mortgage servicing, treasury management and insurance; and achieved profitability as a de novo in the most difficult mortgage rate environment in history. Mary successfully implemented a risk management framework scaled appropriately for the bank’s asset size and level of complexity, with North Star planning for future growth, that supports strategic goals and regulatory excellence.

Early in her career, Mary served as a Safety and Soundness Examiner for the FDIC and later specialized in consumer compliance as a Senior Examiner for the Federal Reserve. In her three decades of experience, Mary also served in a variety of banking roles including Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Privacy Officer, Head of Ethics and Senior Audit Manager at institutions of various sizes, including community, mid-size, large regional and international.

Mary holds a bachelor’s degree from The University of New Mexico and graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at The University of Colorado. As a life-long learning enthusiast, she continued to earn certifications throughout her career. Passionate about service, she was awarded the ABA’s Distinguished Service Award in recognition and appreciation of outstanding leadership, initiative and accomplishment in service to the regulatory compliance management profession. In her spare time, Mary enjoys being active outdoors, attending live sporting events with her husband and being the resident DJ at her sons’ hockey games.

Dr. Marsha J. Courchane, Vice President and Practice Leader of the Financial Economics Practice at Charles River Associates, is an economist and leading expert in the areas of mortgage and consumer lending, and engages in research, consulting, and litigation support with respect to mortgage markets, discrimination in lending, consumer credit, credit scoring, credit risk, and redlining issues. She has published in several academic journals. She is a member a Fellow of the Weimer School of Advanced Studies in Real Estate and Land Economics. She served as the Executive Vice President of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association (2008–2019). She has held previous positions at Freddie Mac, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and various universities in the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand.

Jim Cutillo is a mortgage-industry operator and entrepreneur with a career built on scaling companies through technology and disciplined execution. After early roles in finance and mortgage, he founded Stonegate Mortgage, where he led the company from startup to a national lender and ultimately became one of the first executives to take a mortgage company public after the 2008 financial crisis.

Following Stonegate’s exit, Jim turned his attention to modernizing valuation operations and founded Appraisal Vision, a platform designed to bring data, transparency, and workflow intelligence to the appraisal ecosystem. Building on those years of learning and firsthand exposure to operational bottlenecks across the mortgage lifecycle, Jim created Alpha7X, a data orchestration utility for the mortgage industry designed to reduce fragmentation and power more accurate, efficient decision-making across operations.

Today he leads Alpha7X with the same focus that defined his prior ventures – combining technology, process discipline, and industry expertise to help lenders reduce friction, improve quality, and operate at scale.

Troy is an Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer for Liberty Bank, the oldest and largest independent mutual bank in the country. Liberty is headquartered in Middletown, CT with 56 retail banking and loan production offices across Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Bank has over $9 Billion in assets and offers consumer and commercial banking, cash management, home mortgages, business loans, insurance and investment services. As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, Troy oversees the Enterprise Risk Management Program and leads critical second line of defense functions, including Information Security, Vendor Risk Management, Regulatory Compliance, Bank Secrecy Act, Fair Banking/Lending, Corporate Security, Fraud Intelligence, Corporate Insurance, Incident Management, and Business Continuity.

Previously, Troy was the General Auditor, directing the internal audit function and reporting to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. Prior to joining Liberty, he spent fourteen years at ING U.S. as Vice President and Division Audit Director within ING Group Corporate Audit Services, where he managed audits for U.S. Retirement Plans, ING National Trust, Broker Dealers, Annuity businesses, and led a Compliance Risk Specialty Team. Troy holds a Finance degree from Merrimack College and an MBA in Finance from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and holds a Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA).

Linda Lewis Ezuka is the Founder of CRA Today and the CRA Hub, an exclusive membership for bank professionals to master the art of the CRA, get exam ready and transform communities through the power of economic development. Linda also hosts the CRA Podcast, a podcast to elevate conversations around the Community Reinvestment Act.

Ms. Ezuka has over 30 years of community development experience, with emphasis in CRA compliance, training, community development finance and CDFI initiatives. Linda has led CRA programs within large banks and have consulted with banks of all sizes and regulators.

Ms. Ezuka currently serves on the board and investment committee of the HMSA Foundation and on the Advisory Board of the Patsy T. Mink Center for Business and
Leadership and has served chairwoman of the board for the YWCA of Oahu, Hospice Hawaii and HCRC CDFI. Linda is a past CDFI New Markets Tax Credit and CDFI Reader, a Pacific Century Fellow, SBA Financial Services Advocate of the Year Awardee and Pacific Business News 40 Under 40 honoree.

Linda is the author of the book: Outstanding: A Practitioner’s Guide to Exam Readiness.

Sarah Beth Felix has 25 years of experience in AML and sanctions with operational, audit and advisory roles, working with banks, payment firms, and global Fintechs in operationalizing AML/sanctions threats. Beyond traditional banking, she has specialized years of work in Fintechs, Lendtechs, cannabis banking, crypto, correspondent banking, and trade finance.

While managing an AML/sanctions advisory firm for 15 years, Palmera Consulting, she is also Co-Founder and Chief AML Officer for a de novo digital correspondent bank – Acceleron Bank, in formation – based in Vermont, U.S. She has a 360-degree view of banking and how money flows throughout the world. Sarah Beth and her team are building a highly compliant digital bank focused on providing cost-effective solutions to US banks.

With global speaking engagements and her years spent on the operational AML front, she focuses on impactful takeaways for creating effective AML/sanctions programs. Sarah Beth is also a frequent guest lecturer at the National War College and National Defense University in Washington, D.C., a private-sector contributor to the J5, and trains various US federal law enforcement agencies on unregulated payment ecosystems and banking funds flows.

Debra J. Geister is a recognized leader in Anti-Money Laundering (AML), fraud prevention, and financial crimes compliance. With over two decades of experience in the financial services industry, she has been at the forefront of developing risk-based compliance programs, regulatory strategies, and advanced investigative methodologies to combat illicit financial activity.

As the CEO of Section 2, Inc. Debra has spearheaded initiatives that blend cutting-edge technology with deep regulatory expertise to enhance AML program effectiveness. Her extensive career includes leadership roles in banking institutions, regulatory advisory firms, and fintech organizations, where she has built and optimized transaction monitoring, Know Your Customer (KYC), and sanctions screening programs.

A sought-after speaker and thought leader, Debra frequently presents at global conferences, including ACAMS, ABA Financial Crimes, and industry roundtables. She provides valuable insights into emerging financial crime risks, regulatory trends, and the evolving intersection of AML and artificial intelligence. Her expertise is widely recognized in areas such as risk modeling, high-risk customer management, and the convergence of fraud and AML strategies.

Debra’s passion for financial crime prevention extends beyond her corporate roles—she actively contributes to industry working groups, advises on policy development, and mentors the next generation of AML professionals. With a reputation for innovative problem-solving and regulatory acumen, Debra J. Geister continues to shape the future of financial crime compliance.

With over 20 years of experience in regulatory compliance and software development, John is responsible for ensuring that Wilqo provides clients with the solutions they need to stay compliant with complex and ever-changing regulatory requirements.

Prior to joining Wilqo, he served as the Senior Director, Product Management at ICE (formerly Ellie Mae), where he spent the better part of 12 years supporting banks, lenders and brokers in implementing significant regulatory changes that impact the mortgage industry.

In 2015 Haring was named one of HousingWire’s Rising Stars in recognition for his accomplishments in helping the industry prepare for implementing “Know Before You Owe”.

Richard H. Harvey, Jr., is an experienced executive level compliance leader and a noted expert in developing and implementing risk-based Compliance and Anti-Money Laundering programs for traditional and non-traditional financial institutions.  Richard currently serves as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Director of Compliance Risk for Beneficial State Bank. He also serves as Principal of R Harvey Associates, LLC. Prior to joining Beneficial, Richard served as the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for World Open Network. He has also served as the Chief Compliance Officer for Colonial Savings, F.A., and General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at two start-up financial technology companies – Omney, Inc., and Skrill USA.

Richard is a graduate of the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law. He served as an enforcement and litigation attorney with the Office of Thrift Supervision from 1986 to 1993. Richard joined Chevy Chase Bank in 1995 and served as the bank’s Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer until 2002. In 2002, he joined E*Trade Bank as Director, Chief Compliance Officer. In 2003, Richard joined Washington Mutual Bank and served as First Vice President, Regulatory Analysis Manager. In 2004, he joined Silicon Valley Bank serving as the Director of Compliance, CRA and Regulatory Relations. And, in 2006, Richard served as a Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for Rabobank, NA.

During his career, Richard has held key roles in many areas of bank compliance. He has had responsibility for managing his institution’s Bank Secrecy Act, Privacy, Consumer Compliance, Safety and Soundness and Information Technology examinations. Additionally, Richard is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) and Anti-Money Laundering and Fraud Professional (CAFP). He currently serves as a faculty member for the American Bankers Association (ABA) School of Compliance Risk Management. Richard has also taught a course on compliance management at the Stonier School of Banking.

In 2017, he was selected to serve on the Consumer Financial Protection Board Community Bank Advisory Council. In 2019, Richard was recognized for his service to the financial services industry with the ABA’s Distinguished Service Award. In 2024, Richard was recognized by Savoy Magazine as one of the most Influential Lawyers in the country.

Richard is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars on the topics of Compliance Risk Management, Privacy, BSA and Anti-Money Laundering and Fair Lending.  In 2001, Richard testified on behalf of the ABA before the House of Representatives Banking Committee concerning financial institution’s efforts to combat identity theft.

Thomas Healy was named Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer at Discover Financial Services in June 2024. In this role, he was responsible for managing the Compliance Program, including all aspects of the Corporate Compliance function.

Before joining Discover, Thomas worked in the financial services industry for over 20 years, holding various leadership roles. His depth of experience includes regulatory and compliance adherence, risk management, anti-money laundering, lending, privacy information security, and regulatory relations. He has a depth of experience in strengthening and maturing compliance programs in a heightened regulatory environment, as well as navigating numerous corrective action plans to address significant regulatory actions. He spent the last two years at USAA, most recently as Vice President Enterprise Compliance. Prior to this, Thomas held leadership roles at Ally, Bank of America, and Farmers & Merchants Bank.

Thomas earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Tennessee Technological University and holds a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager certification from the Institute of Certified Bankers.

Julie A. Hill is the Dean and Wyoming Excellence Chair at the University of Wyoming College of Law. She was previously a faculty member of the University of Alabama School of Law and the University of Houston Law Center. Her scholarly work focuses on the unwritten rules of banking regulation. Before entering the legal academy, Professor Hill practiced law in the Washington, D.C. office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. As part of the litigation group, she represented large financial institutions in government investigations. She also clerked for Judge Wade Brorby on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Professor Hill earned her undergraduate degree in economics summa cum laude from Southern Utah University and her J.D. summa cum laude from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University.

Jonas Hoerler is Chief Regulatory Counsel for Asurity’s RegCheck product team and Of Counsel to Sandler Law Group. He has extensive experience in mortgage lending and regulatory compliance, with a focus on automated compliance solutions. Jonas has managed mortgage lending compliance requirements for multiple federal agencies and state jurisdictions, including California, New York, Texas, New Jersey, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Federal Housing Administration, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac. He also has advised on client negotiations with major lending institutions and nationally recognized banks. At Asurity, Jonas oversees the implementation of state, federal, and agency guidelines into RegCheck, an industry-leading mortgage compliance software platform.

Jonas earned his Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington. He is admitted to practice law in California.

Nat Hoopes is a seasoned leader in public policy and regulatory affairs with extensive experience in the financial services sector. Currently serving as Vice President at Upstart, he focuses on innovative solutions for the future of banking, emphasizing AI/ML, financial inclusion, and wealth-building. With a strong foundation in legislative affairs, Nat has held key roles such as the founding Executive Director of the American Fintech Council and has worked closely with U.S. Senators on critical policy issues. His educational background includes a Master’s in International Relations from Tufts University and a Bachelor’s from Princeton University. Nat is not only passionate about finance but also about building coalitions and enhancing access to credit for underserved communities. He brings a unique blend of strategic communication and grassroots organizing to his work, making him a prominent figure in the fintech landscape.

Nikki was with JPMorgan Chase & Co. for over 23 years and is Managing Director and Head of Community Reinvestment and Community Partnerships.  Other roles include Managing Director, Head of Operational Risk for Consumer and Community Banking;  Managing Director, Head of Internal Review Group for National Mortgage Settlement;  Home Lending Executive Office; Operations Manager; and Analyst.

She has a Masters of Business Administration – MBA from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Science – BS, Business Administration and Management from The University of Kansas.

Angela M. Hudson is a seasoned compliance and regulatory risk executive with more than 30 years of experience across bank and non-bank financial institutions. She is a recognized expert in the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), Fair and Responsible Banking, (FaRB) and regulatory risk management, with a career defined by building and strengthening Compliance Management Systems that support growth while meeting evolving regulatory expectations.

Angela currently serves as a Senior Business, Risk & Controls Advisor at First Citizens Bank, where she provides strategic advisory support on regulatory risk, control frameworks, and compliance governance for complex banking operations. Previously, she served as Director and CRA Officer at Bank OZK, where she established the bank’s first enterprise CRA Compliance Management System, built a high-performing compliance, data analytics and community development team, and consistently achieved strong regulatory outcomes during periods of significant expansion.

Her prior leadership experience includes senior roles at SunTrust (now Truist), Equifax, and Fifth Third Bancorp, where she led CRA strategy, merger and acquisition due diligence, regulatory remediation efforts, and executive-level examination readiness. Angela holds the Compliance Risk Management Certification (CRCM) and is known for her practical, business-aligned approach to regulatory compliance that balances risk management, community impact, and sustainable growth.

Renee W. Huffaker is Executive Director Enterprise Risk and Compliance for Arvest Bank, a $28 billion regional financial institution. Renee has accountability for enterprise risk management, operational risk management, consumer compliance, and the Community Reinvestment Act. Renee has over 30 years of bank regulatory compliance experience, including experience as both a regulator and mid-size bank compliance officer.  Renee holds designations as a CPA and CRCM.

Stefanie Jackman is a recognized thought leader in consumer servicing and collections compliance. As a partner with Troutman Pepper located in Atlanta, Stefanie supports her clients in an array of servicing and collections issues arising across all segments of the consumer financial services industry. In addition, she brings her experience to bear when defending her clients in government investigations, navigating regulatory examinations, and resolving consumer litigation.

Patti Joyner is Managing Director of Asurity Academy, Asurity’s recently launched training and professional development arm. With over 40 years of banking experience, Patti is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM), who brings deep expertise in regulatory compliance, risk management, compliance program development, professional development training, and litigation support.

Patti is a frequent presenter for many state and regional compliance associations and the American Bankers Association, where she has served as a faculty member at its prestigious Stonier Graduate School of Banking as well as National, Intermediate, and Graduate Compliance Schools.  Additionally, Patti has been a featured speaker on a variety of compliance topics, appearing on webcasts and conference panels. Patti works with bankers across the country at large and small institutions alike to deliver compliance training to a broad array of audiences, including Boards of Directors. And regulatory and law enforcement agencies frequently invite her to speak at their events. Patti was named the winner of the ABA’s annual Distinguished Service Award for 2018 in recognition of her contributions to the nation’s banking industry.  Patti is a highly acclaimed keynote speaker, as well as a published compliance resource for many regional and national publications.  Her high energy style and sense of humor combine to provide entertaining, effective, successful and compliant solutions that will engage audiences and answer their questions.

Patti’s ability to transform complex requirements into simple, digestible, and practical solutions is rooted in a deep conviction that “excellence is not optional,” which readily translates into effective solutions for community bankers. She has the unique ability to balance without compromising compliance or business results.

Drawing on her industry knowledge and recognized domain expertise, Patti regularly partners with legal teams to achieve successful litigation outcomes.

Olivia Kelman focuses her practice on representing clients in litigation, compliance, and enforcement matters, with a concentration on fair and responsible lending and servicing. Olivia regularly advises clients seeking to identify and mitigate fair lending risk, or in defending fair lending claims, in areas relevant to the client’s business, including redlining, branching, pricing, underwriting, marketing, steering, servicing, modeling, and merger/acquisition activities. She also supports banks subject to the federal Community Reinvestment Act, and mortgage companies and credit unions subject to similar state laws, with mock CRA examinations, developing CRA programs and plans, regulatory compliance questions, and evaluating community benefits plans.

John Krenitsky is a Legal, Compliance and Risk Management Executive with over thirty years of experience in financial institutions ranging from large, complex, global institutions to community banks where he served as Deputy General Counsel, and Chief Compliance Officer. He has led programs covering Ethics, Consumer Protection, Fair and Responsible Banking, Anti-Money Laundering, International Sanctions, Operational Risk Management, and Financial Crime Prevention. Over the course of his career, John has been the Chief Compliance Officer of Freddie Mac, US subsidiaries of BNP Paribas, Discover Financial Services, and M&T Bank. He also led programs within Wells Fargo and TD Bank, NA. He is currently the Chief Compliance Officer of Apple Bank. He is admitted to practice law in New York and has experience litigating complex commercial cases in federal and state courts with a focus on creditors’ rights and bankruptcy.

Ryan Labriola is a Director with Asurity Advisors. Ryan brings broad compliance and regulatory expertise to the organization, having held progressive roles within a boutique regulatory compliance consultancy where he led multiple large-scale implementation and remediation programs. He has managed the lifecycle of complex engagements, including managing multiple concurrent workstreams against court-ordered and regulatory agency-imposed deadlines. He has assisted banks and fintechs of all sizes, concentrating his efforts on managing large-scale projects and evaluating, building, and enhancing Compliance Management Systems (CMS). In these engagements, Ryan has leveraged technology, executed regulatory testing, reviewed all elements of a CMS, and identified relevant enhancement opportunities.

In addition to his broad compliance knowledge, Ryan has particular expertise in the Servicemember Civil Relief Act (SCRA) and Military Lending Act (MLA). Ryan was a key leader on a multi-year SCRA remediation effort with a team of several hundred resources. Ryan developed a system of record to house the review, performed user-acceptance testing, and delivered training on the system. He was also primarily responsible for managing all production data across the review, including generating reporting for high-level bank executives, the Board of Directors, and regulators.

Ryan has additional expertise in the risk assessment and risk and control self assessment space. For several bank and non-bank institutions, he has implemented risk assessments for general compliance and fair and responsible banking programs. Ryan has also led numerous projects focused on file reviews, testing for compliance with applicable deposit, lending, and servicing laws and regulations. He has published numerous thought leadership pieces during his career. His areas of expertise include CMS development and enhancement, SCRA, MLA, Home Mortgage Data Act (HMDA), Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA), Truth in Lending Act (TILA), Truth in Savings Act (TISA), Unfair Deceptive and Abusive Acts or Practices (UDAAP), and sales practices and incentive compensation.

Prior to his professional experience, Ryan earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from American University in Washington, DC.

Bart Leahey is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager with 25 years of compliance, risk management, and data analytics leadership in the financial sector. He currently serves as Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) for Frost Bank in San Antonio, Texas, and joined Frost from Virginia Partners Bank, where he also served as CCO. Prior to that, Bart spent twenty years with Capital One, most recently leading risk reporting, data analytics, and innovation teams within the Corporate Compliance and Audit organizations. A native of Richmond, Virginia, Bart earned his graduate degree from the University of Richmond and his undergraduate degree from James Madison University.

John advises banks, non-bank lenders, technology enabled service providers and fintech firms on the responsible use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain, in support of commercial governance, risk, compliance, and regulatory readiness. As a former Chief Executive Officer, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, John has a deep understanding of legal frameworks, technological innovation and business requirements, as he works at the intersection of law and technology to help clients modernize their operations while managing legal and compliance risk in a practical, commercially viable manner.

Robert Maddox was one of the lead lawyers for the largest joint federal/state investigation and settlement in U.S. history.  He subsequently worked with national and international banks to build and maintain legal and compliant systems that withstood prudential regulator scrutiny and both federal and state regulatory review. This process became a hallmark of his practice by advising clients not only of the law, but working with them to identify risks, build regulatory resilience, and operationalize compliant business systems with strong reporting.

In the past decade, Robert handled more national/multi-state attorneys general investigations and related consent judgments than any attorney in the U.S. His work involves representing clients before the CFPB, DOJ, EOUST, OCC, FRB, HUD, SEC and multiple state regulatory agencies, including banking, finance and insurance agencies.

Robert is a regular speaker at national real estate programs and financial services industry conferences.  He is a teacher with the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) as a Faculty Fellow on Real Estate Law and Regulatory Compliance at the School of Mortgage Banking (SOMB), Predatory Lending and Mortgage Fraud at the Regulatory Compliance Institute, and Servicing at the State and Local Litigation Conference.

Robert is on faculty at the Cumberland School of Law, where he teaches Real Estate Transfer, Finance and Development and previously taught State Constitutional Law. He is also an adjunct professor in the Masters of Real Estate Development program at Auburn University. Previously, he was an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama School of Law from 2001 to 2006 and taught both graduate and undergraduate courses on American, Legal, and Constitutional history at the University of Alabama at Birmingham from 1998 to 2007.

Horacio Mendez is President and CEO of Woodstock Institute, a nationally recognized non-profit research and policy institute focusing on consumer financial protection and economic justice. Under his leadership, Woodstock Institute shut down the predatory lending industry in Illinois and passed a state Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) that includes credit unions and mortgage companies. Horacio was most recently the Managing Director for Corporate Social Responsibility for the Americas at MUFG overseeing CRA outreach, government affairs and reputation risk. Prior to that, he was Chief Sustainability Officer for Rabobank where he focused on rural economic development, oversaw lending and investment teams, and was responsible for CRA compliance. He was also a Senior Fellow at the Aspen Institute, the Director of Community Development at Silicon Valley Bank, Senior Investment Specialist at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco where he assisted in regulatory reform efforts including the CRA and ran Secondary Market for Continental Savings of America. He has degrees in Economics from San Jose State and Santa Clara Universities, serves on the Boards of Prosperity Now, Allies for Community Business, Housing Action Illinois, and Growing Community Media, and bartended for 5 years … a skillset he finds particularly useful as a non-profit leader. Horacio lives in Oak Park, IL with his wife, Nicole, and two boys, Alejandro and Santiago.

Jed helps financial institutions navigate complex regulatory requirements in mortgage lending and consumer finance. As a partner in our Pennsylvania office and chair of the firm’s Mortgage Lending and Servicing Practice Group, he advises banks and non-bank consumer credit providers on federal and state compliance matters, with a particular focus on mortgage lending and servicing.  Jed also works with leading service providers in the mortgage space, including LOS providers, automated compliance testing platforms, and document providers.

The CSBS Board of Directors appointed Brandon Milhorn President & CEO in December 2023.  Milhorn has nearly three decades of advocacy, policy, legal, and regulatory experience, primarily in and around Washington, D.C., including five years in critical senior leadership roles with the FDIC, seven years in the private sector with Raytheon and over a decade of public service as staff director and chief counsel for the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, general counsel for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, as an attorney at the CIA and in two prominent U.S. Court clerkships.

Andrea is a nationally recognized adviser to banks, financial services companies, and third-party service providers on enforcement, regulatory, and compliance matters. She represents clients throughout the country on fair lending, fair servicing, and responsible banking issues, including matters that involve claims of disparate impact; disparate treatment; and unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts and practices (UDAAP). Her work in this area includes advising on redlining, pricing, underwriting, steering, product development, sales and marketing, social media, limited English proficiency, artificial intelligence and machine learning, overdraft and other deposit account practices, credit reporting, servicing, collections, and loss mitigation.

She frequently advises clients on board governance and bank regulatory issues, including supervisory appeals, merger and acquisition strategy, supervisory relations, and examination management. She also assists banks with applications to change primary bank regulators and with their transitions into Consumer Financial Protection Bureau jurisdiction upon crossing $10 billion in assets.

Andrea also has conducted internal investigations and served as lead counsel on dozens of government investigations and enforcement matters.

Donna Murphy served in federal government leadership roles for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the US Department of Justice across six different presidential administrations. 

Most recently, she served as Deputy Comptroller for Compliance Risk Policy at the OCC, where she oversaw the development of policy, guidance and examination procedures for consumer protection, fair lending, Community Reinvestment Act, AML/CFT and financial sanctions issues, as well as advising the Comptroller and OCC Executive Committee on these issues. At the OCC, Donna also served as Acting Deputy Comptroller for the Office of Financial Technology, overseeing the analysis and evaluation of financial technology innovations, trends, and emerging risks, and advising on potential implications for OCC supervision and OCC-supervised banks; and as Director of Community and Consumer Law,  in which position she and her team provided  agency counsel on community development and consumer protection and fair lending issues. 

Prior to joining the OCC, in an award-winning career of more than two decades in the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice, Donna managed offices and led teams that investigated, litigated and resolved complex and ground-breaking federal pattern or practice cases involving fair lending, fair housing, public accommodations, police accountability and voting rights.  She also served as a law clerk for the Honorable Myron H. Thompson, U.S. District Judge in Montgomery, Alabama.  Donna received her law degree from Yale Law School and is a summa cum laude graduate of the American University in Washington, D.C.

Chris advises banks, financial technology companies, and financial service companies on a variety of regulatory compliance and enforcement matters, including matters involving fair lending, fair servicing, unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices (UDAAP), Community Reinvestment Act compliance, money transmission and payments, alternative credit, state law and deposit issues.

He also advises both banks and financial technology companies on the use of new technologies and digital channels, the development of novel financial products, establishing technology-based partnerships, and resolving disputes with partners and third-party service providers.

Kelly O’Brien is the Chief Compliance Officer at M&T Bank, where she leads the Compliance Risk Management Division. With more than 15 years in financial services, Kelly brings a deep understanding of regulatory strategy and risk management and works closely with senior leaders to ensure the bank’s compliance efforts support both regulatory expectations and business goals, while fostering a culture of integrity and collaboration.

Over her career, Kelly has held leadership roles in Internal Audit and Compliance, including oversight of the Regulatory Audit portfolio, Director of Compliance Program Governance, Enterprise Compliance, and Compliance Advisory Groups. Kelly holds both Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) and Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) certifications and is a licensed attorney in New York.

Outside of work, Kelly is active in the Western New York community, serving as Vice Chair of the Hospice of Buffalo Foundation Board, Board member of Hospice of Buffalo, and coaching soccer for her son’s school team.

Gary A. Pacos was named Chief Risk Officer of Five Star Bank in February 2023. Previously, he worked at Bank OZK serving as the Chief Compliance Officer since 2020. Prior, Mr. Pacos served as Senior Vice President, Compliance Executive for Fair & Responsible Banking, Risk Evaluation & Assurance, overseeing Fair Lending and Compliance testing at KeyBank from 2016 to 2020, and as Chief Compliance Officer and Senior Vice President, Director of Corporate Compliance and Ethics at First Niagara Bank, N.A. from 2010 to 2016. Earlier, Mr. Pacos served as Vice President, Deputy Chief Compliance Officer, Compliance Testing Manager at M&T Bank from 2006 to 2010. In 1989, Mr. Pacos began his career in varying roles related to compliance, consumer credit, audit and operations roles at HSBC Bank USA (Marine Midland Bank), N.A.

Mr. Pacos has held faculty and board positions on the American Bankers Association’s Regulatory Compliance Schools, and National Compliance Conference.  In 2008, Mr. Pacos also founded and chaired a National Conference for Compliance Testing.  Mr. Pacos currently serves on the Board of Directors of WNY Heroes, an organization devoted to supporting military veterans throughout WNY through various programs including the nationally renowned Pawsitive for Heroes service dog training program.  In addition to his banking career, Mr. Pacos served our country in the United States Army as a Senior Army Aviator rising to the rank of Major and remained in the New York Army National Guard until his retirement in 2008.  At the time of his retirement, Major Pacos had flown every type of helicopter in the U.S. Army.

Steve is an experienced compliance executive and attorney with over 25 years experience in banking, fintech, and consumer compliance.

Previously, Steve served as the Chief Compliance Officer of Varo Bank, NA, America’s first digital consumer bank.  Before that Steve served as the US Chief Compliance Officer for Revolut Technologies which offers a technology platform in the US that allows customers access to banking, payment and crypto services.  Prior to joining Revolut, Steve was the Chief Compliance Officer at E*TRADE Bank, NA and ran their enterprise compliance program. He has also served as a Senior Director at Treliant Risk Advisors, Deputy Chief Compliance Officer for Freddie Mac, Director of Compliance at Capital One, and has held various other compliance and consulting roles.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Duke University, Juris Doctor from University of Michigan School of Law and is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM).

Malcolm is the Associate Director for Affirmative Enforcement at the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights.  In that role, Malcolm leads the agency’s affirmative litigation and enforcement strategies. His unit conducts complex investigations of systemic pattern and practice complaints of discrimination and bias-based harassment. Prior to DCR, Malcolm was Senior Counsel in the Fair Housing & Community Development Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Washington, DC.  Additionally, Malcolm was also an adjunct professor of law at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, where he was Director of the Fair Housing Clinic.

Carl Pry, a Senior Advisor at Asurity Advisors, is a seasoned executive with banking law, corporate finance, and regulatory compliance experience in Fortune 500 institutions, regional banks and industry consulting firms. Carl advises clients on commercial compliance, fair lending, corporate treasury and risk management.

Over the last 30-plus years, Carl has held senior leadership positions including Managing Director at Treliant LLC, Senior Vice President and Compliance Manager for the Compliance and Control Division at KeyBank, Manager of Finance and Performance Management Service Line at Accenture, and Vice President of Regulatory Services at Kirchman Corporation. With strong knowledge and experience as a banking attorney and officer, Carl is a frequent contributor to and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Editorial Advisory Board for the ABA Bank Compliance magazine. As a featured speaker for numerous banking, compliance, and state bar associations, he has led training sessions across the country. Carl has served as an instructor at FDIC examiner school and back-up instructor for NCUA examiner school. He has authored training programs covering consumer and commercial compliance, audit, quality control, tax, privacy and risk management.

Carl has authored scores of articles on regulatory and financial issues, developed testing and support materials for BAI’s Anti-Money Laundering Professional certification, and served as subject matter expert for web-based compliance and audit educational testing programs for banking training firms. He is the author of “Internet Banking Manual”, a comprehensive guide to business planning, risk analysis and maintaining a presence for financial institutions on the Internet. For LexisNexis, he also authored “The New RESPA Rule: Navigating New Disclosures” and “The Evolution of Reg. Z: Increased Duties and Responsibilities for Lenders.”

James Riel is the Head of Regulatory Compliance at Column, N.A., a nationally chartered bank providing programmable banking infrastructure to leading fintech companies. In this role, he built Column’s Compliance Management System from the ground up during the bank’s early-stage development, establishing its compliance testing and monitoring program, customer complaint management program, regulatory change program, and fair lending program. Prior to joining Column, Jim spent over a decade at Citizens Bank in progressive leadership roles, including Senior Vice President and Risk Director overseeing consumer operations risk management, and Director of Compliance leading the corporate compliance program for Consumer Lending, Deposits, Operations, and Business Banking. His career spans nearly two decades in banking compliance, risk management, and internal audit, with deep expertise in regulatory engagement, fair lending, and building scalable compliance frameworks. Jim holds an MBA from Bryant University and a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Economics from Merrimack College, and is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) through the American Bankers Association.

As President and CEO, Lisa Rice leads the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA)’s efforts to advance fair housing principles, preserve and broaden fair housing protections, and expand equal housing opportunities for millions of Americans. NFHA is the trade association for over 170 fair housing and justice-centered organizations and individuals throughout the U.S. and its territories, and is the nation’s only national civil rights agency solely dedicated to eliminating all forms of housing discrimination.

Ms. Rice is a published author contributing to several books and journals addressing a range of fair housing issues including — The Fight for Fair Housing: Causes, Consequences, and Future Implications of the 1968 Federal Fair Housing Act; Designed for the Future: 80 Practical Ideas for a Sustainable World; Discriminatory Effects of Credit Scoring on Communities of Color; and From Foreclosure to Fair Lending: Advocacy, Organizing, Occupancy, and the Pursuit of Equitable Credit.

She played a major role in crafting sections of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and in establishing the Office of Fair Lending within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She also helped lead the investigation and resolution of precedent-setting fair housing cases which have resulted in providing remedies for millions of people as well as the elimination of systemic discriminatory practices involving lending, insurance, rental and zoning matters. She has received numerous honors and awards including the National Housing Conference’s Housing Visionary Award and was named as one of Time’s 2024 Closers. Ms. Rice also serves on various Boards and Advisory Councils.

Rebecca “Becky” Schauer Robertson is a 29-year veteran of the financial services industry with extensive experience in risk strategy and mitigation, and regulatory remediation, in both traditional and fintech banking. In her role as the BSA Officer and Director of Financial Crimes Compliance at Blue Ridge Bank, N.A., Robertson is responsible for ensuring the Bank’s compliance with all facets of the Bank Secrecy Act, USA PATRIOT Act, Office of Foreign Assets Control and fraud investigations, while monitoring all other related anti-money laundering (AML) laws and regulations. Prior to joining Blue Ridge Bank, N.A., Robertson was Senior Vice President, Director-Financial Investigations Unit with Atlantic Union Bank and was Executive Vice President, Director of AML Compliance at SouthState Bank for over 18 years. Robertson received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Milligan University. She holds the advanced designation of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist – Audit, and designations of Certified AML and Fraud Professional, Certified Fraud Examiner, as well as Certified Cryptocurrency Investigator.

As an industry thought leader, she frequently participates as a subject matter expert moderator, panelist, and speaker on the topic of BSA/AML, Sanctions, Fraud, and regulatory remediation. She currently serves on the ABA’s AML and Fraud School Advisory Board and Faculty, and ABA / ABA Financial Crimes Enforcement Conference Board. She also serves on the BSA Coalition Board. Robertson is the past-chair of the ABA’s CAFP Advisory Board and is a past board member of both the Carolinas ACAMS Chapter and Virginia ACAMS Chapter Boards, past president of the South Carolina InfraGard and FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association and past treasurer of the Crimestoppers of the Midlands SC Board.

Nick Roesler, CRCM, CAMS, is Executive Vice President and Fair & Responsible Banking Officer at M&T Bank, where he leads the Consumer Protection Office and enterprise compliance programs spanning fair lending, UDAAP, HMDA, CRA, complaints, marketing oversight, and other functions.

Nick began his banking career in the mid‑90s as youth apprentice and has since held leadership roles across compliance, risk, audit, and supervisory exams. Before joining M&T, he served as Fair & Responsible Banking Officer at a top‑five U.S. bank and was a Commissioned Examiner with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

Kitty is vice president and senior counsel for ABA’s Fair and Responsible Banking unit. Kitty leads the ABA’s work on section 1071, fair lending, and UDAAP matters. She joined ABA from Morrison & Foerster, where she was counsel in the financial services practice group, working on fair lending and mortgage issues. Kitty is the former Deputy Assistant Director for the Office of Regulations at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where she was instrumental in the planning and oversight of mortgage- and fair-lending related rulemakings, including mortgage servicing regulations, Truth in Lending Act-Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (TILA-RESPA) Integrated Disclosures rules and the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. Prior to joining the CFPB, Kitty served as senior regulatory counsel at JPMorgan Chase &Co., where she focused on regulatory issues impacting mortgage and fair lending issues. She also developed her extensive mortgage and fair lending related experience while with the Consumer and Community Affairs Division of the Federal Reserve Board (FRB).

Benjamin Saul is a partner in Steptoe’s Financial Innovation and Regulation practice, where he leads the Banking team. Ben has been a trusted advisor to banks, FinTechs, consumer and commercial lenders, payments companies – and their directorates and C-Suites – on high-stakes matters for over two decades.

Ben has a wide-ranging enforcement practice. He has helped clients navigate dozens of contentious supervisory, enforcement, and litigation matters involving the federal banking agencies, CFPB and state regulators, such as the New York Department of Financial Services and California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. He also assists clients regularly in contentious matters involving state attorneys general, state civil rights commissions, the DOJ, FTC, and HUD. Ben’s enforcement matters have concerned anti-discrimination and fair lending (including algorithmic bias), unfair deceptive or abusive trade practices, other federal and state consumer protection laws, BaaS banking and third-party oversight, payments issues, AML/BSA, troubled or failed banks, fiduciary duties, financial institution fraud, leveraged lending, supervisory ratings, and other safety and soundness issues. These matters often have involved parallel proceedings by multiple enforcement agencies and private parties.

Ben also advises bank and non-bank clients on cutting-edge financial product development in the credit and payments areas, including licensing and chartering, the structuring and negotiating of joint ventures, outsourcing and bank partnership agreements, enhancing compliance programs, and applying federal and state financial services laws. Ben also advises clients on bank regulatory issues, including prudential standards and Dodd-Frank Act compliance.

Matt Saunig is the Senior Assistant Director for the Connecticut Department of Banking’s Financial Institutions Division. In that role, he oversees the supervision and examination of state-chartered banks, credit unions, and trust companies. He is also involved in the legislative process and policy development. Matt is a lawyer with over a decade of bank regulatory experience. Matt received his B.A. from the University of Connecticut and J.D. from The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law.

Ken Scott is a Partner at Relman Colfax, having joined the firm in 2022. He is focused on counseling financial institutions on best practices for complying with fair lending and consumer protection laws, and on navigating financial technology issues.

Prior to joining the firm, Ken served two tours of duty as a Trial Attorney at the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Housing and Civil Enforcement Section, where he investigated and litigated fair housing and fair lending cases. Ken has also worked at a number of large financial institutions, where he served in positions ranging from fair lending counsel to head of consumer fairness compliance.

While in law school, Ken participated in the Criminal Justice Clinic where he represented indigent clients. Ken also served in the U.S. Air Force. Ken sits on the Board of the National Fair Housing Alliance and has presented at numerous conferences on fair lending and consumer protection issues.

Jon Seward (retired) was President and Founder of Win-Win Solutions, a consulting firm dedicated to assisting lenders mitigate fair lending risk, especially redlining risk.  Jon also served as Of Counsel for Mitchell Sandler.  Formerly, Jon was Principal Deputy Chief in the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice where he supervised landmark fair lending cases involving a pattern or practice of discrimination.  As the architect of DOJ’s Combating Redlining Initiative, Jon played a pivotal role in shaping national policies to eliminate discriminatory lending practices.  He has expertly navigated the complexities of fair lending enforcement across multiple presidential administrations, including those of Presidents Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden.  From 2003 to 2007, Jon was Fannie Mae’s vice president and deputy general counsel for fair lending, ensuring compliance with fair lending and related laws.  Jon received his juris doctorate degree from Rutgers Law School where he was the managing business editor for Rutgers’ Civil Rights Journal.

Krista Shonk is Senior Vice President & Sr. Counsel for Regulatory Compliance and Policy at the American Bankers Association. In this role, she leads ABA’s advocacy pertaining to the Community Reinvestment Act and third-party risk management. She also oversees content development for ABA’s Frontline Compliance Training Program and the ABA Compliance Hotline.

Ms. Shonk is a recognized authority on financial regulatory and policy matters. Her work has spanned a variety of banking issues, including bank-fintech partnerships, anti-money laundering regulation, and the CFPB’s mortgage servicing rules. Prior to joining ABA, Ms. Shonk served as Associate General Counsel for Freddie Mac, where she advised on statutory and regulatory requirements for new products and new activities and managed regulatory filings for new business initiatives. Ms. Shonk earned a B.A. from Bridgewater College and a J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law. She is a member of the Virginia Bar.

Hamza Siddiqui is a Director of Compliance at Chime, where he leads the Fairness & Business Advisory function and serves as the Fair Lending Officer, advising on product, marketing, and AI/ML compliance.  He is also Chief Compliance Officer of Chime Capital, Chime’s lending subsidiary.

In addition, Hamza serves as a Board Member and Senior Advisor at SafeAI Advisors, a consulting firm focused on AI safety and fairness.

Previously, Hamza led compliance at Step, a neobank focused on teen banking and financial literacy, overseeing banking, credit, investing, and crypto products.  Before that, he held roles at Upstart, helping lead fair lending and model fairness initiatives, along with other consulting and operational roles in financial services.

Hamza is passionate about financial inclusion and advises early-stage companies building innovative fintech and AI products.

Jacquelyn (Jackie) Smith currently serves as Managing Director of Compliance and Anti Financial Crimes at Stellar Bank. In this capacity, she has executive oversight of enterprise fraud, anti money laundering, and regulatory compliance governance, risk, strategy, and operations. Ms. Smith graduated from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin and began her career in financial services as a bank teller while she was a student there 25 years ago. She subsequently built upon that experience through various progressive roles in federal financial institution supervision, community banking, and management consulting, before returning to the banking sector in 2019. She is a Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist and holds a Money Transmitter Compliance Certification.

Kirk Stephens is Chief Compliance Officer and serves on the Senior Leadership Team for Steamboat Group/OSC and spearheads industry-leading compliance, governance, and quality control best practices for the company and risk management/compliance advisory services offered to financial service providers.  He has over 36 years of regulatory experience, having served 20 years with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).  There, he served in various roles of increasing responsibility, including Senior Advisor to the Senior Deputy Director of Supervisory Examinations in the Division of Supervision where he assisted the Senior Deputy Director in mitigating risk to the FDIC’s insurance fund through assistance to the national Supervisory Examinations office for both safety and soundness and consumer protection during a significant time when the U.S. banking system suffered the worst financial crisis in modern times.  Prior to joining FDIC’s management team, Kirk served as Case Manager in the FDIC’s Atlanta Regional Office and as an instructor for FDIC for safety and soundness assistant examiners.    Kirk is an active member of the American Bankers Association’s Flood Insurance Working Group, the National Flood Association Lender Workgroup, and has served on various boards and committees within the financial services trade industries.  Kirk is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) through ABA’s Institute of Certified Bankers, holds a BBA degree in finance with honors from Marshall University, and a distinguished graduate from Stonier Graduate School of Banking held at Georgetown University.   

Ray Strecker consults to C-suite executives and boards on challenges at the intersection of technology, risk, and compliance in the banking and finance industry. He is an expert problem solver in touch with current financial services and technology concerns related to artificial intelligence (AI), digital assets, cybersecurity, data governance, privacy, and IT modernization. He combines technical insight with deep understanding of IT regulation and guidance, compliance management systems, remediation planning, and related program development. 

Ray co-led a digital asset and crypto currency practice serving crypto firms and traditional institutions on licensing applications and regulatory remediation efforts including stablecoin introductions, AML process management, cyber and operational risk program development, technology risk assessment, risk policy development, and crypto offering due diligence. For a state banking regulator, he led development of the agency’s cryptocurrency exam manuals.

He recently assisted a $150B+ bank in developing its AI policy, framework, and risk assessment process. He worked with a US superregional to develop and implement its first AI model for AML and sanctions.

Other recent engagements include development of an IT risk operating model across the three lines of defense for a large US bank, advising a fast-growing regional bank on a $50B threshold health check of its technology and data governance process, and work with a global bank on its US branch licensing efforts. He worked closes with a top 10 US bank on its NFR risk framework and its risk and control self-assessment methodology.

Ray has worked as a partner, managing director, or senior-level advisor with Patomak Global Partners, Ludwig Advisors, Promontory Financial Group, and IBM (after its acquired Promontory). Earlier, he held senior technology roles at Tata Consultancy Services, Dell, and American Management Systems (now part of CGI).  

Ray holds an MBA with distinction from the Wharton School, an MS in Computer Science, and a BA in psychology, summa cum laude, both from the University of Pennsylvania. 

Tim Stokes is a Managing Director with Asurity Advisors. Tim brings with him 25 years of experience in consumer financial regulations, risk management and mitigation, and bank operations. Given his prior service in executive leadership roles at banks and financial technology companies, regulatory agencies, as well as professional service advisory firms, Tim possesses the experience that enables him to bring both tactical and strategic solutions to a wide array of client engagements.

Tim has assisted with the development and execution of remediation and settlement action plans for several large clients in response to regulatory or legal enforcement actions related to Unfair, Deceptive, or Abusive Acts or Practices (UDAAP), Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, consumer complaints, and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). He also served as Chief Compliance Officer and Fair Lending Officer secondment roles for mid-size banks. Tim has assisted clients with the development and implementation of Compliance Management Systems and Operational Risk Management Programs. Additionally, he has overseen the review and testing of governance, risk, and compliance frameworks for Financial Technology companies (fintechs) to ensure their products and services, operations, and compliance practices were aligned with regulatory expectations and partner bank requirements.

Prior to consulting, Tim was the Chief Compliance Officer of a Texas based community bank and the Vice President of Operations and Compliance at a mid-size credit union. In both roles, Tim was responsible for the development and implementation of the institutions’ compliance programs, regulatory exam management and response, and day-to-day management of Compliance Department activities.

Tim also served as a Senior Regulatory Outreach Specialist with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). In his role with FinCEN, he was instrumental in the development and launch of the agency’s BSA e-filing system. He also served as the designated liaison between FinCEN and the prudential regulators’ anti-money laundering divisions.

Tim has spoken at the American Bankers Association Regulatory Compliance Conference and conducted webinars on regulatory risk assessment and risk management for the Consumer Bankers Association. Tim holds a B.S. in Organizational Psychology from the University of Houston and is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager.

Jesse Van Tol is the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) President and CEO. He has been with NCRC since 2006 and has held a variety of leadership positions, eventually becoming chief executive in 2018.  His work championing fair and responsible banking has resulted in $580 billion in new investments in low- and moderate-income communities through Community Benefits Agreements with banking institutions. Through his leadership, NCRC has grown today to an organization with assets of $176 million and an annual budget of $35 million.

Jesse is a popular speaker and lecturer, and has testified before Congress, appeared on NPR, Financial Times Films and Bloomberg TV, and been interviewed in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg, the Financial Times, the AP Newswire, Politico, the American Banker and many other news outlets. He has had opinion pieces published by the Washington Post, the New York Times and the American Banker.

He also sits on a variety of advisory boards, including the Federal Reserve Board’s Consumer Advisory Council, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s Affordable Housing Advisory Councils. He is a member of the consumer advisory councils of Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Truist, TD, Fifth Third, Huntington National Bank, First Horizon, Quicken Loans, Santander, and numerous others. Jesse was also a Senior Fellow with Humanity in Action, an international human rights group, and a communications institute Fellow with Opportunity Agenda.

Jesse received his bachelor’s degree in History and International Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and received an executive education certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School as part of NeighborWorks’ Achieving Excellence.

Schuyler serves as Co-Head of Community Lending at City National Bank, where he plays a pivotal role in driving the bank’s commitment to empowering communities through accessible financial solutions. With over 30 years of experience in the banking and financial services sector, Schuyler is dedicated to fostering economic growth and development in underserved markets by building and leading high-level sales teams.

Before joining City National Bank, Schuyler held key positions at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) formerly The PrivateBank and Trust Company, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo, where he successfully led CIBC to earning the inaugural Diversity and Inclusion award from the Mortgage Bankers Association. His efforts contribute to accelerating lending growth by developing innovative mortgage offerings, recruiting and retaining highly productive sales teams, while effectively managing risk.  Schuyler’s expertise in community engagement and relationship-building has established strong partnerships that contribute to the overall success in community lending efforts.

Brian Vieaux serves as President of MISMO (Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization), where he leads the organization’s mission to drive efficiency, transparency, and interoperability across the real estate finance ecosystem. In this role, he focuses on expanding industry awareness of MISMO’s critical value, ensuring every participant, from lenders and servicers to technology providers and investors, benefits from trusted data standards and a more seamless digital mortgage experience.

A Certified Mortgage Banker (CMB) since 2005, Brian brings more than 30 years of executive experience spanning mortgage origination, fintech innovation, and channel development. Prior to joining MISMO, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of FinLocker, a financial fitness and homeownership readiness platform that empowers lenders and loan officers to engage consumers earlier in their homebuying journey through data-driven insights. Before FinLocker, he was Senior Vice President of Third-Party Origination (TPO) Lending at Flagstar Bank, where he led national account strategy, wholesale & correspondent lending, and strategic partnerships.

Brian is also the co-author of Rethink Everything: You Know About Being a Next Gen Loan Officer, a book that challenges industry professionals to modernize how they educate, engage, and empower today’s homebuyers. His leadership is marked by a “Point of Thought, not just Point of Sale” philosophy, emphasizing education, empowerment, and responsible innovation as the foundation of sustainable homeownership.

An active contributor to the mortgage and fintech communities, Brian serves on the Board of Directors for the Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association (MMLA) and DBG Detroit, an after-school education and mentorship program. He also hosts several industry podcasts and authors thought leadership content focused on technology adoption, consumer-permissioned data, and the future of lending.

Cecil Williams, CRCM, serves as Executive Vice President and Compliance Executive for Regions Bank, leading governance and oversight of fair banking compliance. Since joining Regions in 2011, he has directed key regulatory programs including fair lending, CRA, UDAAP, and privacy. Williams previously spent 12 years at Wells Fargo in compliance and risk leadership roles. He holds a B.S. in Finance from Arkansas State University, is a CRCM, and is a graduate of the CBA Executive Banking School.

Chris is the co-leader of the Consumer Financial Services Regulatory Practice Group at the firm. He advises financial services institutions facing state and federal government investigations and examinations, counseling them on compliance issues including UDAP/UDAAP, credit reporting, debt collection, and fair lending, and defending them in individual and class action lawsuits brought by consumers and enforcement actions brought by government agencies.

Chris also leverages insights from his litigation and enforcement experience to help clients design new products and processes, including machine learning marketing, fraud prevention and underwriting models, product structure, advertising, online application flows, underwriting, and collection and loss mitigation strategies.

Chris brings a highly practical focus to his legal advice, informed by balancing a deep understanding of the business of consumer finance and the practical priorities of federal and state regulatory agencies.

Chris speaks frequently at conferences across the U.S. on consumer financial services law and has been featured in numerous articles in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, American Banker, National Law Journal, BNA Bloomberg, and Bank Safety and Soundness Advisor.

Lynn Woosley is a Managing Director with Asurity Advisors. She is a seasoned executive with extensive risk management experience in consumer protection, regulatory compliance, consumer and commercial credit risk, credit and compliance risk modeling, model governance, regulatory change management, acquisition due diligence, and operational risk in both financial services and regulatory environments.

Over the last three decades, Lynn has held leadership positions including Senior Vice President and Fair and Responsible Banking Officer; Group Vice President for Wholesale Transaction Modeling; and First Vice President for Portfolio Management within the Enterprise Risk Management division of a top 10 bank. Prior to joining the private sector, Lynn served as Senior Examiner and Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. She also has 6 years’ experience in financial services consulting.

With strong knowledge and experience across multiple risk disciplines, Lynn has been a featured speaker for several banking, compliance, and CRA conferences across the country. Lynn has authored numerous articles and presentations on financial institution risk management and consumer protection issues. She has also developed training materials related to fair lending, fair housing, UDAAP, credit risk management, credit scoring, and consumer protection topics.

Lynn holds a BBA and an MBA from Middle Tennessee State University and an MS Finance from Georgia State University. She is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager and a Commissioned Examiner of the Federal Reserve System. Lynn has also served as both Chair and Vice-Chair of the Consumer Bankers Association’s Fair and Responsible Banking Committee.