Joe Theismann is an entrepreneur and the former star quarterback. Most recently, he spent the last 2 decades working for ESPN and the NFL Network as an NFL analyst.

Joe graduated in 1971 from the University of Notre Dame, where he received All-American honors in both Football and Academics. That same year, he was runner up to Jim Plunket for the Heisman Trophy balloting. Joe chose to begin his career with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League after being drafted by the Miami Dolphins and Major League Baseball’s Minnesota Twins.

A 12-year NFL veteran, Joe played in 163 consecutive games from 1974-1985 in the NFL and holds team records for passing yardage (25,206), completions (2,044) and attempts (3,602). He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and Pro Bowl MVP leading his team to a 27-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl 17.

Joe was selected as the NFL’s Man of the Year in 1982 for his community service and dedication to the health and welfare of children. In 1983, he won the league’s Most Valuable Player Award, leading the team to a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance. Joe Theismann’s career ended abruptly in 1985 after sustaining a badly broken leg during a Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants on national television. In 2003, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and in 2013 received the Walter Camp Football Foundation “Distinguished American” Award.

With every chapter of his life, Mr. Theismann evolved from athlete to the ultimate businessman. An Emmy award winning analyst, entrepreneur, and athlete, he utilizes his gifts, talent and high energy to share his strategies for handling unforeseen change.

Joe’s book “How to Be A Champion Everyday” was released in June of 2020.

Mary C. Daly is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. In that capacity, she serves the Twelfth Federal Reserve District in setting monetary policy. Prior to that, she was the executive vice president and director of research at the San Francisco Fed, which she joined in 1996.

Ms. Daly has served as an advisor to the Congressional Budget Office, the Social Security Administration, the Institute of Medicine and the Library of Congress. She has also been a visiting professor at Cornell University and the University of California, Davis. Ms. Daly holds a Ph.D. in economics from Syracuse University, an M.S. degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a B.A. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She completed a National Institute of Aging post-doctoral fellowship at Northwestern University and is a research affiliate at the IZA Institute of Labor Economics.

Ms. Daly’s research focuses on employment and wage trends, economic growth, and economic shocks. Her research has advanced understanding of the Federal Reserve’s maximum employment and inflation mandate.

She regularly speaks across the U.S. and internationally. She also travels through the Twelfth District to hear first-hand how businesses and households are experiencing the economy. She hosts an award-winning podcast, Zip Code Economies.

Ms. Daly grew up in Missouri. When she was 15, she dropped out of high school and started working several jobs to help support her family. She went on to earn a GED and begin her career in economics. She brings her life experience to her work, remembering how critical economic opportunity is for all Americans.

With over 26 years of experience, Krista Snelling serves as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board of Directors of West Coast Community Bank. Ms. Snelling joined the Bank in March 2021.

Ms. Snelling currently serves as Board Chair of the California Bankers Association. Additionally, she serves on the Board of the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, the Finance Committee of the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, and the Executive Advisory Council of the University of the Pacific Eberhardt School of Business, where she is a frequent guest lecturer. She is a member of the Cabrillo College Foundation President's Circle and Rotary Club of Santa Cruz.

Ms. Snelling graduated from the University of the Pacific with a Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in Mathematics and Economics. She also holds a Master of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, Davis and is a California Certified Public Accountant (inactive).

Ms. Snelling was named in American Banker Magazine's Most Powerful Women in Banking Watch List for 2024, for the second year. Additionally, Ms. Snelling and members of the Bank's executive team received American Banker Magazine's Most Powerful Women in Banking Top Teams Award for 2023. Ms. Snelling was recognized by the Silicon Valley Business Journal in 2023, making their Power 100 List, and in 2022 as a Woman of Influence. In 2020, she was named as a Sacramento Business Journal Woman Who Means Business and was awarded the Nancy Hotchkiss Woman of Impact Award by Commercial Real Estate Women, recognizing her impact on the commercial real estate industry. In 2019, she was recognized as CFO of the Year by the Sacramento Business Journal.

Jim Davidson is a resilience expert who has survived not just one epic mountain disaster, but two. From his real-world survival experiences, he distills hard-won lessons about forging the resilience to overcome change, challenge, and uncertainty.

While climbing Mount Everest, Jim and his team survived massive earthquakes and avalanches on what became the mountain’s deadliest day ever. Jim later returned to Everest and summited successfully. His riveting survival stories have been featured in documentaries for National Geographic, Smithsonian Channel, Netflix, and Discovery’s hit show, “I Shouldn't Be Alive". Jim has been featured on NPR, CBS, CNN, and hundreds of other media outlets.

From his 42 years of adventures, Jim shares compelling stories and practical tips about how to persevere and how to endure uncertain times through resilience strategies and post-traumatic growth. Davidson provides motivating keynotes and interactive workshops on resilience, teamwork, leadership, and change management. His energizing messages have been shared in-person and virtually with audiences in more than 35 countries.

Jim has scaled high peaks from Argentina to Nepal, and from Bolivia to Tibet. While leading expedition teams around the globe, Jim has guided his teammates through storms and setbacks to reach lofty summits. The U.S. National Park Service has commended Jim twice for volunteering on successful high-altitude rescues in Colorado and Alaska.

His latest book, The Next Everest, was published in six international editions and was selected as an Amazon Editor’s Pick. Jim’s survival memoir, The Ledge, was a New York Times bestseller. He worked for twenty years as a hydrogeologist and managed his own environmental consulting firm. In his youth, Jim worked for his father painting high-voltage electrical towers carrying 230,000 volts.

Paul Worthing serves as the Regional Director in the San Francisco Region of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). He has been with the FDIC for approximately 35 years and is responsible for the supervision and oversight of financial institutions in 11 Western States and the territories of Guam and the Federated States of Micronesia.

Prior to serving as Regional Director, Paul served as Deputy Regional Director for six years (2017-2023) where he was responsible for overseeing the risk management examination and supervision functions in the San Francisco Region. From 2010 to 2017, Paul served as Assistant Regional Director (ARD) responsible for supervising financial institutions in the states of Alaska, Oregon, and Washington. Prior to his appointment as ARD, Paul was a Senior Case Manager, Case Manager, and Examination Specialist in the San Francisco Regional Office. He served as a field examiner in both the Dallas and San Francisco Regions from 1990 to 2000.

Paul graduated from the University of Nebraska-Kearney, Kearney, Nebraska in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science degree: majoring in accounting and finance and a minor in economics. He is also a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin (2002).

Mongkha Pavlick serves as Senior Vice President in the Supervision + Credit Group at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. She oversees teams with responsibilities for community and regional institution supervision, consumer compliance supervision, formations + transactions, and enforcement.

Mongkha joined the SF Fed in 2001 as an intern, where she, shortly thereafter, began her career as an associate examiner. She earned her safety and soundness commission and deepened her experiences by serving as an examining manager during the financial crisis, where she oversaw a portfolio of troubled community banks and bank holding companies. From 2014–2018, she served as Director of the SF Fed’s supervisory program for community banking organizations. Most recently, she was Group Vice President and provided strategic oversight to the Fintech, Country Analysis, and Outreach team, Credit Risk Management (“Discount Window”) team, and Supervision + Credit’s business and operational support functions.

Mongkha graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California, with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and a minor in East Asian languages and cultures.

Richard Dixon has been an associate deputy comptroller in Midsize and Community Bank Supervision of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) since December 2023. He supervises assistant deputy comptrollers in the Midwest Region who manage offices in Downers Grove and Peoria, Ill.; Milwaukee; Overland Park and Wichita, Kan.; St. Louis; and Omaha, Neb. Those offices supervise community national banks and federal savings associations in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.

Mr. Dixon previously served as assistant deputy comptroller for 13 years managing offices in southern California, supervising financial institutions in that state as well as Arizona and Hawaii. He joined the OCC in 1989 as an Assistant National Bank Examiner in Los Angeles and was commissioned as a National Bank Examiner in 1995. He has a broad supervision background, including supervision of national community banks of all sizes and complexities throughout southern California, as a member of the resident examination team at a large bank and as a midsize bank examiner-in-charge.

Mr. Dixon is a native of southern California. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Loyola Marymount University.

Stan Ivie is Executive Vice President and the Head of Government and Regulatory Affairs for Banc of California and its holding company, Banc of California, Inc. He leads the bank’s regulatory strategy and serves as a liaison to legislative and regulatory agencies. Mr. Ivie also oversees the bank’s Community Reinvestment Act and environmental, social and governance programs. In addition, he is the Chairman of the Banc of California Foundation and guides its charitable giving program. He is a member of the bank’s Executive Leadership Group.

Before joining Banc of California in November 2023, Mr. Ivie had been Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer of Pacific Western Bank and PacWest Bancorp since March 2016. In that role, he oversaw the bank’s risk management strategy, as well as the policies and practices that assess and mitigate financial, operational and strategic risks. Previously, Mr. Ivie held various leadership positions with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), including Regional Director for the FDIC’s San Francisco and Dallas regions, and Deputy Director for the Division of Resolutions and Receiverships. Earlier in his career, he served as interim Director of the Office of Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., and as a professional staff member for the Financial Services Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives under a fellowship program.

Mr. Ivie is an active leader in the banking industry. He is the immediate past Chairman on the Executive Committee for the California Bankers Association and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Pacific Bankers Management Institute at Pacific Coast Banking School.

Mr. Ivie earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from Southern Oregon University.

Chang M. Liu is president and chief executive officer of Cathay Bank and its holding company Cathay General Bancorp, where he serves on both entities’ board of directors. Mr. Liu has over 31 years of experience in the financial services industry. Mr. Liu joined Cathay Bank in 2014 as senior vice president and assistant chief lending officer. He has held various leadership positions of increasing responsibilities, including executive vice president and chief lending officer in 2016 and chief operating officer in 2018. Before being named president, Mr. Liu was responsible for managing and overseeing all commercial and real estate lending, business development, and various operations. Mr. Liu also serves as a member of the California Bankers Association board of directors and the American Cancer Society’s CEOs Against Cancer group, on the board of advisors for the UCLA Anderson Forecast, and serves on the board of directors of Foothill Family Service.

Chris Wong is currently leading Bank of America’s comprehensive Los Angeles (LA) wildfire response and rebuilding efforts to support clients, employees, and impacted communities. His responsibilities include program development, strategy, and execution to ensure we meet the financial needs of our clients.

Chris joined Bank of America in 2011 and most recently, was the Head of Business Banking Products. Previously, he was a Senior Vice President in Bank of America’s Deposit Pricing and Service Charge group where he was responsible for pricing strategy, initiatives, and execution for Consumer and Small Business Deposits.

He is active in the Southern California chapter of the Asian Leadership Network (ALN), serving as an active annual mentor for the group’s Leadership Development Program.

Chris received a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Purdue University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of California, Riverside (UCR).

Chris and his wife Ariana, live in Moorpark, California with their daughter. 

Anders Corey currently serves an advisor to Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger focusing on housing, land-use, legislation, development and the County’s emergency response. He began his career as a Campaign Manager for Supervisor Barger in her first campaign in 2016 and went on to serve as her Deputy following her election. Anders also manages the Supervisor’s political strategy, including her 2024 re-election campaign. He has served as a commissioner on the LA County Mental Health Commission, and also currently serves on the Board of the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency.

Supervisor Barger was re-elected in March 2024, and represents the Fifth Supevisorial District, encompassing the San Gabriel, San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys.

Anders is a graduate of Biola University where he graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Humanities before he went on to receive his Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Christine Kwon serves on the leadership team of the Department of Angels, an independent nonprofit created to empower communities impacted by 2025 the Los Angeles megafires to lead their own recovery. The Department provides support, resources, and expertise toward community organizing and policy advocacy so fire-impacted communities can rebuild stronger. Christine previously served as Counsel at Protect Democracy, focused on impact litigation and policy advocacy to defend democratic laws and institutions, and taught at Harvard and Yale Law Schools.

Scott Anderson is BMO’s Chief U.S. Economist and Managing Director. He analyzes and forecasts U.S. national and regional economic trends, and regularly authors reports on prominent U.S. economic issues, monetary policy actions, and bank lending and credit conditions. He also spearheads periodic regional outlook reports on California and other regions.

Scott has been consistently recognized as one of the Top economic forecasters in the U.S. and was named the Most Accurate Forecaster by the National Association of Business Economics for 2019. His work is widely read and cited by the financial and business communities and has appeared in numerous media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, New York Times, Washington Post, Bloomberg, CNBC, BBC, and NPR.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Commonwealth Club of California. He was appointed Chairman of the American Bankers Association Economic Advisory Committee in 2012 and has served on the Committee since 2004. In 2015, he was appointed to the California Council of Economic Advisors. He has also been a member of Stanford’s Institute for Economic Policy Research (SEIPR) since 2012.

Prior to joining BMO, Scott was the Chief Economist at Bank of the West, and prior to that, a Senior Economist at Wells Fargo and Wells Fargo Securities. He has also held positions at Moody’s Analytics and the IMF.

Aaron J. Axton joined KBW in 2000 and is a Managing Director in the Depositories Investment Banking Department, serving banks in North America and Europe. Aaron has been providing strategic advice to West Coast banks, thrifts and financial institutions for over 20 years.

Aaron is based in the San Francisco office, and specializes in M&A and capital solutions for the financial services industry, having recently advised on several of the largest transactions on the West Coast. He also has significant expertise in strategic advisory work relating to activism defense and restructuring.

He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.

John Asbury is Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation (NASDAQ: AUB), having joined the company in October, 2016.

Asbury came to Atlantic Union as part of a planned succession for the former CEO, who retired following 26 years in role. Asbury is a career banker with over 35 years of experience in commercial banking. Previously, he was President and CEO of privately-held First National Bank of Santa Fe, a multi-state bank with locations in New Mexico and Colorado. Prior to that, he was Senior Executive Vice President and Head of the Business Services Group at Regions Financial Corporation, one of the nation’s largest full-service banks. At Regions, Asbury led all lines of business that serve the company’s business and commercial banking customers. Prior to Regions, he spent 17 years at Bank of America, ultimately leaving as the Pacific Northwest Region Executive for Business Banking in Seattle, Washington. Asbury began his career in the management training program at Wachovia Bank & Trust in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Active in civic and industry affairs, Asbury is prior Chairman of the Mid-Size Bank Coalition of America, and is a prior Chairman of the Virginia Bankers Association. He also serves on the board of directors of a number of not-for-profit organizations, and was appointed by the Governor of Virginia to the Port of Virginia Board of Commissioners, where he currently chairs the port’s growth committee.

Asbury holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from Virginia Tech and an MBA from The College of William & Mary. He is a native of Virginia, born in Radford.

Rick Sowers serves as President and CEO of CalPrivate Bank. He is a Southern California native and 1995 graduate of UCSD. He applied his BS in Economics first with Accenture Consulting in Los Angeles then joining CAST Management Consultants, where he spent a decade as a VP/ Associate Partner. He specialized in creating bank efficiencies, profitability and optimizing customer focus and experience. In 2008, Rick joined Bank of Manhattan / Manhattan Bancorp as EVP & Chief Banking Officer. He became President of the Bank prior to its merger with Plaza Bank – Irvine in 2015. There Rick held positions starting from EVP & Chief Strategy Officer to Chief Operating Officer. He served as the Bank’s President until Plaza Bank was successfully sold in 2017.

Carey Ransom is the Managing Director of BankTech Ventures, a $115M strategic investment fund and market intelligence firm focused on compelling, transformative solutions for community banks, backed by over 100 banks, and founded and led by leaders in the community bank & fintech ecosystem. He is a technology entrepreneur and investor, and has started, grown and / or led 8 B2B and consumer tech companies. Five years ago he founded Operate, a SoCal venture studio and fund, where he and his team invest themselves into founders of exciting data-centric SaaS and fintech startups – so far with 30 companies. 

Prior to Operate he was COO at Aspiration, the leading “consumer financial firm with a conscience,” where he led the firm’s growth from 20 to 200 people and the build out of infrastructure and approval as a FINRA-regulated broker-dealer.  He was also CEO of RealPractice, a venture-backed SaaS company, which he sold to ReachLocal (RLOC); Chief Product & Innovation Officer of Experian Consumer Services; and founding CMO of Happy Money, a venture-backed consumer fintech company that innovated in lending and financial health.

Carey's 25-year career spans executive roles in product, marketing, business development, strategy and corporate development. He was VP Business Development at Brand Affinity Technologies (BAT), an Internet advertising and celebrity endorsement business; VP Marketing and Corporate Development at WebVisible, where he forged new partnerships with AT&T, American Express and Microsoft and led them to nearly 10X revenue growth; VP Sales and Marketing at MessageRite, security compliance SaaS business acquired by Frontbridge Technologies, and then Microsoft.

Carey is active in the SoCal startup and investment community – Alliance for SoCal Innovation, CEO Leadership Alliance of Orange County (CLA-OC), and has been an instructor or guest lecturer at numerous schools including UCLA, USC, UC Irvine, Chapman, Cal State Fullerton, Biola and Vanguard. He has recruited and hired nearly 500 people in the last 20 years, and passionately believes in purpose, culture and team as key ingredients to successful companies. He has frequently spoken at financial, software and other conferences such as Finovate, Fintech Meetup, Fintech Nexus, AltFi, SaaStock and Recurring Revenue.

Carey is also host of Operate Podcast, which features innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders.  He has an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management, and B.A. in Economics from Indiana University. His real education, though, was growing up in a multi-generational retail family business.

Mike has been a private equity investor and investment banker in financial services for over 35 years. Prior to co-founding Strandview in 2016, Mike co-founded and managed three special opportunities funds aggregating over $250 million for Jacobs Asset Management (“JAM”), where he developed and executed investment strategies in sectors such as mortgage, asset management, financial technology, and management of distressed loans. While at JAM, Mike served as a highly proactive and strategic board member for nine companies which, at their peak, generated over $400 million in aggregate revenues employed approximately 4,500 people and managed over $3 billion in assets. Prior to joining JAM in 2006, Mike founded and built Sekits Capital, which provided capital and strategic consulting services to financial technology and consumer businesses. Previously, Mike worked in the financial institution’s groups at Bear Stearns, PaineWebber and Dean Witter, and for private equity firm The Shansby Group (now TSG Consumer Partners).

Mike serves on the Boards of Insellerate, Raiven, and Coverance Insurance. He previously served on the Boards of LRES (a national appraisal and e-valuation company), the Closing Exchange, and Evergreen Goodwill.

Mike received his Bachelor of Arts in economics and accounting from Claremont McKenna College with the Phi Beta Kappa distinction, and he has served on the Board of Directors for Goodwill Industries International ($5 billion in revenues, 3,000 locations and 125,000 employees) since 2014.

Jonathan is responsible for the management of EJF Ventures. Jonathan joined EJF in 2009 as an analyst covering the financial sector and was also involved in the portfolio management of financials-focused hedge and private equity funds.

Jonathan presently serves on the boards of Verady, Inc. (dba. Ledgible) and Original Tech, Inc. (dba Prelim). He previously served on the board of Texan Bank, a Houston-based community bank and was a board observer for several other investments. Jonathan holds a BBA in Finance and Real Estate from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University and is a member of the Milken Institute Young Leaders Circle.

Martin Plourd is President of Community West Bancshares. Mr. Plourd previously served as CEO of Community West Bank since 2011, after a career in California’s Imperial Valley, which included 30 years of commercial and retail banking experience. Mr. Plourd’s banking experience includes operations as well as consumer, commercial and agricultural lending. Beginning with Security Pacific Bank and First Interstate Bank, Marty became Executive Vice President of Valley Independent Bank. In 2009, he was named President and Chief Operating Officer of Temecula Valley Bank, where he served until joining Community West Bank. He is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University and Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

Thomas V. Wornham was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer effective April 1st, 2015. Mr. Wornham has a distinguished background in banking, public infrastructure and community service leadership positions in San Diego. He has built banking organizations through organic growth and acquisition integration during his exemplary career at Wells Fargo, which spanned three decades. Mr. Wornham’s reputation and ability to build quality teams and coalitions to achieve consistently outstanding results has been displayed in banking as well as numerous civic and political organizations.

A native San Diegan, Mr. Wornham has been active in local government and spent decades commuting to Sacramento and Washington D.C. conducting Government Relations for both the Private and Public Sector. Most recently he was Chairman of the San Diego County Water Authority. Tom Wornham has chaired many noteworthy community service organizations including San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, San Diego Regional EDC, The United Way of San Diego 2001/2 Campaign, Century Club of San Diego; co-chairman San Diego Championship Golf, and 2004 Prop “A” Trans-net; and has been a member of UCSD Rady School of Business Advisory Board and a Trustee on The Bishop’s School Board of Trustees in La Jolla.

Adam Keefer is a managing director in the financial services group at Piper Sandler.

Previously, he was a managing director in the investment banking group of Sandler O’Neill + Partners, L.P. Since joining the firm in 2004, Keefer focused on financial institutions in the western region. He has extensive experience serving as an advisor in mergers and acquisitions, public and private capital raising transactions, recapitalizations, restructurings and other strategic initiatives for Sandler O’Neill’s clients, including the $2B merger between Umpqua Holdings Corp. and Sterling Financial Corp., Pacific Capital Bancorp’s $1.5B sale to Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. and Washington Banking Company’s $265M strategic merger with Heritage Financial Corp.

Prior to joining Sandler O’Neill, Keefer served as an investment banking analyst for D.A. Davidson & Co.

Following a year of study at the London School of Economics, Keefer graduated with honors from Trinity College in Connecticut with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He has also completed Pacific Coast Banking School’s graduate program in banking at the University of Washington.

Ravi Kumar is the Chief Digital Officer for First Citizens Bank and head of CIT Bank, a division of First Citizens Bank, which has been listed among the Top 10 online banks in the nation and has received numerous third-party accolades for its digital convenience and competitive interest rates. California based depositors are amongst the biggest states represented at CIT Bank where customers take benefit of the bank’s innovative products and digital experience.

As Chief Digital Officer Ravi is responsible for all Digital Platforms for First Citizens Bank. For example, Ravi and his team developed an innovative digital banking platform, SVB Go, which is a simple and secure way to manage cash flow, issue cross-border and international payments, build custom reports in real-time and mitigate risk proactively, via an intuitive digital banking platform. The platform has been rolled out to tens of thousands of early-stage startups, venture funded firms and corporate banking clients based in California and across US. Celent named the digital banking platform SVB Go a leader in cash management, awarding it the 2024 Model Bank Award.

As head of CIT Bank, Ravi is responsible for the bank’s strategic direction and profitability, focusing on product innovation, pricing and digital experience. Ravi has led CIT Bank in growing deposits, managing interest expenses and achieving marketing efficiencies, while ensuring all activities are consistent with high standards of safety and soundness. Today CIT Bank is ranked as one of the top digital banks in the US by deposits balances (as of end of Q3’2024).

Ravi’s efforts were recognized in 2022 by American Banker in a research report on customer experience that ranked CIT Bank #1 out of 50 banks for delivering the best humanized experience in banking and was also recognized in 2024 by Los Angeles Business Journal as a Leader of Influence: Banking and Finance.

Ravi’s strategic vision, innovative thinking and digital experience have helped drive recognition for CIT Bank as an online bank with unparalleled digital convenience and highly competitive interest rates. This is repeatedly proven by industry awards, including a recent recognition by The Ascent, a service of The Motley Fool, which named CIT Bank’s accounts as the Best Online Savings Account and Best High-Yield Savings Account and Platinum Savings, CIT Bank’s lead savings product, named a Money Magazine 2024 Best Savings Account

Prior to CIT, Ravi had a 25-year career serving several financial institutions in leadership roles including head of business, digital executive, and product, marketing and customer experience executive.

David Schiff has more than 20 years of experience conceiving, designing and executing transformational initiatives across the financial services industry. Mr. Schiff has a proven track record of increasing revenue, driving efficiency and mitigating risk by aligning groups with competing interests and priorities to achieve critical enterprise objectives.

Focused on achieving compliant profitability for the companies and clients he advises, Mr. Schiff is highly proficient in growing balance sheets while improving efficiency ratios, with a dual focus on expense reduction and revenue growth. He is an expert at functions across the transformation agenda, including defining strategies, developing roadmaps, driving day-to-day execution and defending and sustaining business cases.

Mr. Schiff has significant experience across retail and commercial banking, consumer lending, payments, wealth management and fintech. He has advised global, national, super-regional, regional and community banks, in addition to credit unions, mortgage companies, auto finance providers, payments issuers and networks, fintechs, private equity firms and other specialized players.

Previously, Mr. Schiff was a senior partner and the national head of retail and consumer banking at West Monroe Partners, where he led transformational initiatives that addressed clients’ most critical challenges, including enhancing balance sheets, reducing costs, optimizing operational risk and improving regulatory readiness. Prior to this role, he was a principal and served as the banking experience transformation lead at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Steve Schwimmer is Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Banc of California. He oversees the bank’s information technology infrastructure, operations and strategy, as well as its digital banking platform and application environment. He also has responsibility for teams across bank operations, payment operations, loss prevention and product. He is a member of Banc of California’s Executive Leadership Group.

With 30 years of experience in banking and financial services, Mr. Schwimmer is an accomplished leader known for driving large-scale transformation, business process change and organizational change. Prior to joining Banc of California in November 2023, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at Pacific Western Bank. Before that, he was Senior Vice President and Head of Technology and Operations for CIT’s Consumer Bank and Treasury Payment group. He also held leadership roles at OneWest Bank and was a Senior Manager at Accenture focused on banking.

Mr. Schwimmer earned his bachelor’s degree in finance and real estate from California State University, Northridge.

Mitch is the EY Global and Americas Consumer Banking Leader and has 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. His focus is on next-generation digital banking transformation intended to drive revenue growth, cost efficiencies and enhanced client experiences. He is well versed across the spectrum from strategy through execution and has detailed knowledge of the market landscape and independent software vendor ecosystem. Prior to this role, Mitch was co-leading Payments for the EY organization, which achieved 26% year-over-year growth during fiscal year 2024.

Mitch earned his BBA in Accounting from the University of Georgia, his MBA in Strategic Management from Georgia State University, and completed executive leadership programs at Yale and Cornell.

Mr. Aldrich is a principal of the law firm of Aldrich & Bonnefin, PLC, specializing in financial institution regulatory issues, commercial lending and corporate and securities matters. Mr. Aldrich actively advises California financial institutions, including both commercial banks and credit unions, their boards of directors and audit committees. Mr. Aldrich is part of the firm’s Corporate Practice Group which includes commercial lending and corporate securities. Mr. Aldrich has also handled bank formations, securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions of financial institutions, as well as bank regulatory and enforcement matters. Mr. Aldrich was the Course Instructor for the California Bankers Association Director Certification Program for 14 years. He is also the Founder of the firm.

Mr. Cook is a principal of Aldrich & Bonnefin, PLC, and manages the firm’s Corporate and Lending Practice Group which includes corporate securities law and commercial and consumer lending. Mr. Cook regularly advises financial institutions and their boards of directors on various matters, including corporate governance issues, commercial lending matters, contracts and bank regulatory matters. He also advises on new banking products and services. Mr. Cook frequently speaks at events in the financial industry, including Bankers’ Compliance Group® events. Mr. Cook is a member of the State Bar of California and the Orange County Bar Association. He led the OCBA’s Banking & Lending Section as its Chair for 2018, having previously served as its Vice-Chair and Treasurer. Mr. Cook is also the President and Chief Executive Officer of the firm.

Lauren Sarkisian is a Business Development Director at CSI, Inc., bringing nearly two decades of comprehensive experience in the banking industry. Her multifaceted career encompasses pivotal roles such as banker, branch manager, commercial treasury management specialist, underscoring her adeptness in retail banking, before she transitioned to a more strategic role supporting banks across the country. Lauren has consistently demonstrated a fervent commitment to community enrichment through philanthropy and volunteerism. Moreover, she has been instrumental in championing initiatives that amplify the presence and influence of women within the financial industry.

Jessica Defraties is a Business Development Director for CSI’s Managed Services Division, where she partners with financial institutions to enhance operational efficiencies and strengthen IT strategies. With a passion for building long-term relationships, Jessica focuses on solving complex challenges that help banks navigate the ever-evolving technology landscape. Before stepping into the world of Financial Technology, Jessica built a thriving career in hospitality, working in hotels, casinos, and restaurants, and most recently leading an Event Production Team for Convene. Jessica is excited to share her experience navigating a career shift into FinTech, an industry where making the leap isn’t always easy. She hopes to inspire others to embrace change, take risks, and leverage their unique backgrounds to carve out their own paths to success.

Ms. Edythe Repoff is the President & Chief Operating Officer of New Omni Bank, National Association, a minority depository institution headquartered in Alhambra, California.

Ms. Repoff has served on the Board of Directors of New Omni Bank since 2011. Ms. Repoff joined New Omni Bank’s management as Executive Vice President/General Counsel, was promoted to the role of Senior Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer & Corporate Secretary, and then to President & Chief Operating Officer. In her role as President and Chief Operating Officer she is responsible for the implementation of the strategic vision through the day-to-day operations of the Bank. She has worked on deals to raise $50 million in Tier 1 Capital and been part of the growth of the institution from $150 million in assets to $600 million in assets.

Ms. Repoff serves on the Board of Directors of the California Bankers Association and Board of Directors of the National Association of Chinese American Bankers. She volunteers with the Lycee International de Los Angeles as the head of the Bookshelf, a curated monthly children’s booklist that focuses on belonging and inclusion and with the National Diversity Coalition as a member of the Advisory Board. She has been a panelist and speaker with the California Council on Economic Education and chaired the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s LA Reach’s MDI Technical Assistance Working Group.

Prior to joining New Omni Bank, Ms. Repoff was an Associate at a law firm in Los Angeles where she worked in litigation and on international transactions matters. She is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School, has a Juris Doctorate from Rutgers University School of Law, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Race & the Law Review, and a bachelor’s degree in History, cum laude, from Loyola Marymount University.

Mr. McGuire is an experienced C-Level Executive with demonstrated success in information technology service-based industries. He is skilled in executive leadership, strategic business planning, financial and operations management, and organizational turnarounds; all with an entrepreneurial focused mindset.

Mr. McGuire has more than 25 years of entrepreneurial and business leadership in developing, growing, and managing business ventures, with 20 of those years serving as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Information Officer, and other senior leadership roles.

In mid 2023, Mr. McGuire made an equity investment and accepted a role as the Chief Information Officer at HCN Bank where his focus is on leading a digital transformation with an emphasis on enhancing the clients’ experience, creating efficiencies, and improving value throughout the organization. While he is responsible for all aspects of information technology, he directs IT Strategy, Cyber Security, Business Continuity, and IT Governance at the bank; while also serving as the Bank’s CISO. Mr. McGuire has expanded his role at HCN in early 2024 to serve as the head of Bank Operations.

Prior to HCN Bank, Mr. McGuire acquired the assets of Acorn Technology Services in 2008, performed a critical organizational turnaround, and established Acorn as a leading IT Services firm; growing its customer base into 18 states, Canada, and Germany. As CEO, Mr. McGuire developed a strategy to expand Acorn’s IT Service offerings to clients in various industries, including governmental agencies, municipalities, non-profits, and private enterprises. Mr. McGuire orchestrated the sale of Acorn to a group of investors in 2022 and exited the organization in early 2023.

Mr. McGuire has held leadership/ownership positions within the publishing industry and within the retail video game entertainment market.

In his career Mickey has worked with federal agencies such as Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the Secret Service, the SEC, the FBI, and the White House Communications Agency.

Mr. McGuire is, and has been, an active member of the Inland Southern California community. He currently serves on the board of the Riverside Dollars for Scholars and is a judge for the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Award for the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship. He has also served on community boards with the UC Riverside School of Business, the American Marketing Association, and the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. McGuire’s passions include backpacking, travel, poker, real estate, and working on his property.

Vida Villanueva is a seasoned strategy and transformation executive with over 25 years of experience as a trusted advisor. She has a proven track record of driving change, enhancing operational efficiency, managing finances, fostering talent development, and spearheading organizational growth. Vida began her career at Providian Financial, where she honed her skills before transitioning to HSBC. At HSBC, she pursued an international career, eventually rising to the position of COO for the Americas and Country COO for Kuwait, thanks to dedicated mentorship and development.

In 2020, Vida joined 1st Capital Bank as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, playing a pivotal role in the bank's transformation and growth to $1 billion. Following the acquisition of Monterey County Bank in late 2024, she continued her leadership as EVP and Chief Operating Officer. In her current role, Vida focuses on leading enterprise-wide operational, technological, and cultural changes, ensuring the organization remains agile and forward-thinking.

Joan Reukauf is the President and Chief Executive Officer for Pacific Coast Banking School. With over 30 years of experience in the banking sector, including serving as CEO of an Oregon-based community bank, Joan has held executive positions with responsibilities in areas such as IT, bank and branch operations, human resources, treasury management, and marketing. Prior to joining PCBS, Joan was immersed in education, teaching leadership courses for the American Bankers Association and the capstone course of the MBA for Professionals program at Willamette University. In 2019, Joan joined PCBS as a LeaderSim instructor. She holds a BA in Marketing from Boise State University and an MBA from Willamette University. Joan is also a 2006 PCBS graduate.

Michael Stevens is the president of the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado (GSBC). He was appointed to this position by the Board of Trustees in November 2020 and officially became the president of GSBC on August 1, 2021. Mike is responsible for the curriculum and overall direction of all GSBC programs. Working with an experienced team, he leads the school’s marketing strategy, financial management and corporate governance. Mike serves as a member of the GSBC Board of Trustees.

Prior to GSBC, Stevens served as the senior executive vice president at the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) where he was responsible for leading the organization’s government relations, communications and professional development functions. Stevens also served as the principal deputy to the state banking member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council.

Mike is a frequent instructor and speaker on banking policy, examinations and financial analysis and has served on the faculty of GSBC since 2004. He began his regulatory career as a bank examiner for the Iowa Division of Banking, where he served 11 years.

Mike is a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He lives in Leland, North Carolina with his wife Becki and has two adult children.

Kathleen Berman has 25 years of experience in financial services education and has been at the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 2008. As vice president, marketing and communications, she oversees student recruitment, corporate sponsorships, media relations and alumni engagement for the school.  

Berman holds a Certificate in Applied Marketing from the Wisconsin School of Business’ Center for Professional and Executive Education and a Bachelor of English degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

In her personal time, she serves as a CASA volunteer for children in court-ordered protective service and is raising a Labrador Retriever puppy for OccuPaws, an organization that trains guide dogs for the blind. Berman is an avid traveler and enjoys spending time with her husband and their blended family of 7 adult children and 3 grandchildren.

Jason Lane is senior vice president, director of government relations for the California Bankers Association and leads the advocacy efforts for CBA, which involves analyzing legislation and regulatory activity, and the development of policy positions. Lane is one of three lobbyists at CBA, and he also lobbies on behalf of the association on issues related to the state budget, privacy, bank operations and consumer lending legislation. 

Before joining CBA in May 2006, Jason Lane served as director of government affairs for Providian Financial and managed the bank’s financial privacy compliance program, as well as tracked and analyzed the impact of federal legislation and rulemaking for the company.

Max Damm joined IntraFi in 2004 and currently holds the position of Managing Director for California, Hawaii, and Alaska. Max has 25 years of experience in financial services, working at national and community banks along the way. Max earned his undergraduate degree in International Studies and Spanish/Latin American Studies at American University in Washington, DC. He is a proud husband and father to two young boys.

Max has served in various capacities while at IntraFi, working on the Inside Sales Desk, Treasury Desk, Product Management Team and now as Managing Director.  As Managing Director, Max works hand in hand with banks on numerous activities including C-level deposit strategy, liquidity management, new product rollout, sales training, and end client education.  In the area of end-client education, Max joins banks of all size in customer outreach related to IntraFi’s products and has spoken at numerous events for CPAs, Public Agency Finance Officers, Businesses, Law Firms, Non-Profits, and Fiduciaries.

Michele Andujo Gil is Managing Partner and majority equity owner with more than 25 years of recruiting and management experience at the Los Angeles-based Chrisman & Company, a national executive search consultancy to financial and related industries. She leads the firm’s board of directors practice as well as searches for senior/executive management positions including C-level positions for prominent clients in banking and financial services. Clients include regional and community banks, investment banks, wealth management, FinTechs, credit unions, as well as other sectors in the financial services industry. Mrs. Gil has experience working with bank regulatory agencies (FDIC, OCC, Federal Reserve and DFP&I). She consults with boards of directors and executive teams on issues concerning succession planning, leadership development, and human capital strategies.

Mrs. Gil began her career at Chrisman & Company in 1992 as a part-time research assistant, joining the firm full-time immediately following her graduation from the University of Southern California. Working closely with the firm’s founder, Timothy Chrisman, a search industry veteran, Mrs. Gil has developed extensive knowledge of the search and recruitment process and its internal and external complexities.

 Mrs. Gil holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Southern California. She has served on the Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Committee and the Women in Banking Committee for the California Bankers Association and has been a guest speaker to financial institutions and banking associations.  She currently serves as a board member of Sierra Bancorp/Bank of the Sierra (NASDAQ:  BSRR) and the International Bankers Association of California.  Mrs. Gil and her family reside in Pasadena.

Brandon Biegenzahn is the President of McDermott + Bull Executive Search, one of the largest executive search firms within the Hunt Scanlon Top 50 Recruiters list, as well as one of Forbes’ “Best Executive Recruiting Firms.”   McDermott + Bull is a full-service retained executive search firm serving businesses throughout North America and Europe to identify and recruit executives for permanent and interim roles. 

The firm serves clients throughout the entire corporate life cycle through consultative advisory services that include:

• Executive-level Search;

• Interim Executive Placement (consulting services);

• Board and Senior Management Succession;

• Executive Assessment; and

• Performance Coaching.

Brandon holds dual roles as President of the firm and Chair of the Financial Services Practice Group. As President of McDermott + Bull, Brandon leads the market-facing side of the business, including the strategic buildout of the firm’s team of Managing Directors. As chair of the firm’s Financial Services Practice Group, he is a partner to an array of financial services firms including community and regional commercial banks, private banks, investment banks, credit unions, investment managers, and fintech companies. His clients include the likes of Guggenheim Partners, Green Dot, Houlihan Lokey, Columbia Bank, Moelis & Company, Envestnet and Farmers & Merchants Bank..

Brandon is a corporate attorney by trade having practiced with Sheppard Mullin, and Buchalter in their corporate finance departments. As corporate counsel, he advised his clients in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, asset-based financing, and real property purchase and sale transactions. 

In addition to his work at McDermott + Bull, Brandon is a frequent guest lecturer on the topics of leadership and career development at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business’ Executive MBA program, and at Penn State Dickinson Law. He is a member of the California Coast Chapter of YPO.  And he currently sits on the Mission Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, and Penn State Dickinson Law’s Board of Advisors. 

Brandon received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Southern California and his Juris Doctorate from Penn State Dickinson Law. He lives in Coto de Caza, California with his wife, Alexa, and their sons, Bowen and Beckett.

A visionary leader dedicated to enhancing companies' agility and efficiency through innovative IT systems. With a background in software development, he led a team that created a multiple award-winning automated computer Migration Tool, recognized by prestigious organizations.

Jarrod's expertise in IT management has been sought (and engaged) by diverse entities, ranging from the Department of Finance for the State of California to Fortune 1000 companies like ABM Industries and niche organizations such as Death Row Records. He’s a compassionate leader with a keen attention to detail, nothing falls through the cracks with Jarrod.

Michael has extensive experience in the human resources field and has conducted or supported over 500 compensation planning, market research, and organizational development projects over the past twenty-five years, with over twenty years specific to the banking industry. Mike has presented to various national and state banking associations including Bank Director, American Bankers Association, the Sheshunoff CEO Conference, the Bank CEO Network and over 20 state banking associations on a variety of bank compensation topics. With a master’s degree in advanced industrial and organizational psychology, Mr. Blanchard’s experience includes advising clients on assessing and designing executive, director, and staff compensation plans.

David Wexler is the CEO and Co-Founder of PortX.

David Feaster joined Raymond James in 2008 and currently serves as an analyst covering the banking sector, including the technology-enabled banks. Prior to joining the bank team in 2014, he covered coal miners and oilfield service companies with our energy team in Houston, TX from 2011 – 2014.  Feaster graduated from The University of Florida with a B.S. in business administration, majoring in finance, and earned his MBA from the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida in 2017. He has been a CFA charterholder since 2012.

Thomas Whitesell is the Head of the Debt Investment Group at Kennedy Wilson. Thomas is responsible for the oversight and direction of debt business origination and portfolio management throughout the United States. 

Previously, Thomas built and led construction, bridge, and mezzanine lending groups at banks and debt funds and has originated and managed over $35B of construction and bridge loans. He has also practiced law in Iowa and California, representing life companies, banks, and other lenders in loan documentation, restructures, and workouts.

Thomas earned his BA in Business Management and Political Science at Luther College and his JD at the University of Iowa.

Mark Fluent is a Vice Chairman at CBRE.