Ryan McManus is a technology entrepreneur, executive, investor, board director and advisor. He is the founder of techtonic.io where he advises Fortune 500 companies, governments, startups, and private equity investors on emerging technologies, digital transformation, business model strategy and generating speed within their organizations. Ryan is a member of the Board of Directors of Nortech Systems where he is the founding chair of the science & technology committee; President of the NACD New York Chapter board of directors and sponsorship committee chair; chairman of the board of EMPOWER, and chair of the advisory board of the Columbia University Technology and Growth Hub.

He was previously the head of corporate development and partnerships at EVRYTHNG and founded Accenture’s Digital Transformation practice after serving as the Accenture Strategy COO and a leader of their Corporate Strategy and International Expansion practices.

Ryan is the author of numerous articles on artificial intelligence, digital transformation, emerging technologies, sustainability, governance, strategy, and leadership and has worked with over 10,000 leaders in partnership with Columbia University Business School, Duke CE, the NACD, G100 and other institutions. Ryan earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, has worked on the ground in over 50 countries and is fluent in English and French.

Ryan was recognized as one of the top 100 most influential corporate directors by the National Association of Corporate Directors in 2023. McManus joined the PCBS faculty in 2022.

Dr. Anne Macy joined the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business at West Texas A & M in 1998. In addition to her research and teaching commitments, Dr. Macy is the Director of the Amarillo National Bank School of Accounting, Economics, and Finance.

Dr. Macy completed her undergraduate work at the University of South Dakota, graduating summa cum laude and as an Honors Scholar with a B.A. in economics. She completed minors in business administration, German, and classical humanities at USD. She has a master’s degree in economics and a Ph.D. in economics with a minor in finance from Texas Tech University. She was named the Edwards Professor of Finance in 2008.

Dr. Macy is also a faculty member at the Pacific Coast Bank School hosted by the University of Washington.

Dr. Macy is currently the editor of the Southwestern Economic Review and Secretary/Treasurer of the Southwestern Society of Economists.

Dr. Macy is also a frequent speaker for various community organizations. Each year for over twenty years, she has presented economic outlooks for the Amarillo Realtors Association and the Texas Panhandle Builders Association.

She was the recipient of the Engler College of Business Teaching Excellence Award in 2012 and the Engler College of Business Professional Service Award in 2010, 2016, and 2021.

Tony DeSanctis is a Senior Director at Cornerstone Advisors. Tony also leads the education practice facilitating a number of classes including Payments School, Digital School, and Disruption University. Tony also facilitates the C-suite level roundtables for Cornerstone Advisors. Tony is a 20+ year seasoned senior financial services executive with a track record of managing product, operational and analytical organizations, re-engineering processes, launching products, optimizing customer relationships, and generating incremental revenue. He brings an extensive background in product management, sales strategies, existing customer marketing and customer retention. 

His prior experience includes SVP of Payments, and Mobile Banking at Bank of Hawaii. Additionally, he held the role of, Consumer Bank and Card Marketing Operations Director, Customer Marketing at Bank of America. 

Tony is a contributing writer for Gonzobanker and is frequently quoted in industry periodicals including ABA Banking Journal, Financial Brand, American Banker and Credit Union Times. DeSanctis joined the PCBS faculty in 2022.

With over 25 years of experience in balance sheet and model risk management, and hands-on experience in audit and leading the operations of DCG’s Financial Analytics Department, Mark has unique expertise for optimizing and “right-sizing” risk management in the community, mid-size, and large banking space.

In his current role, Mark facilitates educational programs and collaborative workshops and is a trusted resource for financial institutions, industry, and state trade associations, as well as regulatory agencies on a variety of balance sheet and model risk management/validation topics, including IRR, Liquidity, CECL, BSA/AML, MRM/ERM and ALCO.

Mark is a frequent author and top-rated speaker on a vast array of risk management topics and is a member of the Financial Managers Society’s Board of Directors and California Bankers Association’s Enterprise Risk Management Committee. The son of an educator, Mark’s passion for teaching drives his desire to work with bankers to strive for excellence within their organizations.

Mark is a graduate of St. Michael's College in Vermont with a degree in accounting and joined the PCBS faculty in 2022.

Yves Mombeleur is Managing Director and Fund Manager at FVLCRUM where he acts as liaison between FVLCRUM and our financial institutions, community partners, and community-based organizations. In addition, Yves heads the CCDFI FVLCRUM Fund partnership. His strong analytical background includes risk assessment, budgets, financial management, and negotiation.

Yves has diverse background in community development, brand/reputation risk management, diversity/inclusion initiatives, operational management, and business development. He is also an expert facilitator and coach possessing an acute community awareness critical to the advancement of ongoing CRA initiatives and CSR strategies.

Yves earned an MBA from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management-Chicago, IL and Jurisprudence from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

In 2022 Mike Hendren retired after 40 years in commercial banking. Most recently he served as Senior Real Estate Credit Officer at Pinnacle Financial Partners - a $42.0 billion commercial bank headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Over the past decade at Pinnacle Hendren approved over $10 billion of real estate credit with zero credit losses and no criticized or classified loans. His instruction and comments are from the perspective of a practitioner with heavy emphasis on anecdotal experience. Hendren is also a faculty member of The Graduate School of Banking, The Southeastern School of Advanced Commercial Lending and the Southeast School of Commercial Lending. He was awarded the Bachelors of Science and Masters in Business Administration and Doctor of Jurisprudence degrees from the University of Tennessee. Hendren joined the faculty of PCBS in 2004.

Joel Cook became a principal of Aldrich & Bonnefin, PLC* in January 2018, having joined the firm as an associate in 2011. Mr. Cook manages the firm’s Corporate Practice Group, specializing in corporate and commercial lending matters.

Mr. Cook regularly advises financial institutions and their boards of directors on corporate governance issues, securities, insider and affiliate transactions, bank powers and other regulatory matters.

He also advises on commercial lending matters, including with regard to commercial and industrial loans, real estate loans, loan participations, loan workouts and letters of credit, and the various related bank regulatory matters (such as lending limit requirements, Customer Identification Programs, and real estate appraisals). Mr. Cook also often works with financial institutions on new products (such as those involving virtual currencies), and reviews and drafts contracts.

Mr. Cook graduated from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles in May 2011. While at Loyola, he was the Chief Research Editor of the Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review and a member of the journal’s executive board. He also completed an externship at the California Department of Real Estate. He received his bachelor’s degree from California State University of Fullerton, College of Business and Economics in 2007.

Prior to law school, Mr. Cook worked as a banker with Bank of America from 1998 to 2007. During his tenure at the bank, he became familiar with the many banking services and products in the industry. Towards the end of his banking career, he was an Assistant Vice President in operations analysis and had extensive dealings with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. He also lived abroad in London, United Kingdom.

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 an Orange County native and presently lives in Costa Mesa, California with his family.

Laurel Sykes is the Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Officer for American Riviera Bank. She holds the designation of Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager, with more than 30 years of experience in the banking industry. During her career she has implemented enterprise-wide risk management, compliance, fraud, anti-money laundering, vendor management and business continuity programs for banks ranging from $1 billion to $7 billion in assets. She currently oversees regulatory affairs and enterprise risk management for American Riviera Bank and leads the Bank’s consumer compliance function and the anti-money laundering/financial crimes unit. Also reporting to Laurel are the Bank’s Human Resources and Employee Learning departments, as well as the Marketing and Product Management functions. She graduated with a degree in Business Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara and is currently pursuing a Juris Master’s in Financial Regulation and Compliance from Florida State University.

Sykes joined Santa Barbara Bank & Trust in 1995 and moved into the bank’s consumer compliance function in 1997 after completing an engagement on the bank’s merger and acquisition team. She worked for 14 years at Santa Barbara Bank & Trust and its parent company, Pacific Capital Bancorp, where she rose to the position of Director of Regulatory Affairs before accepting a position in 2009 with Montecito Bank & Trust as SVP, Chief Risk Officer. There, she was responsible for risk management, compliance, regulatory affairs, information privacy, fraud mitigation, and the financial elder abuse prevention program.

As American Riviera Bank’s Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Officer, Laurel volunteers her time to teach financial literacy throughout the Bank’s market and has presented both locally and nationally on programs to prevent financial scams targeting seniors. She is the Bank’s Security Officer, and a member of the Central Coast Scams Against Seniors working group, which is co-facilitated by the FBI and the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office. She lends her expertise in elder financial abuse and consumer compliance to the California Bankers Association as part of a working group that is currently advocating for changes in state laws to improve multi-disciplinary collaboration to combat elder fraud and financial abuse. She is also a member of the National Adult Protection Services Association’s Financial Exploitation Advisory Board.

Laurel is on the Board of Directors of the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce, where currently serves as Treasurer. She is also a member of the Public Policy Committee, the Executive Committee, and the Finance Committee. Laurel is active in the local non-profit community, serving as a Board member for 2nd Story Associates, the non-profit arm of the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara (HACSB). She also sits on the Program Coordinating Committee for the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program of the HACSB. She is a past board member and Treasurer for the Goleta Valley Girls Softball Association.

Laurel was honored as one of three finalists for the Western Bankers Association (WBA) Banker of the Year award in 2017 and was recognized as one of the Top 50 Women in Business by the Pacific Coast Business Times in 2024. She delights in spending time with husband Tom and their two daughters, and enjoys distance running with their two Siberian Husky rescue dogs.

.

Carl Pry is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) and Certified Risk Professional (CRP) who is a Senior Advisor for Asurity Advisors in Washington, DC. Through his more than 30-year working career, as well as through his experience as a banking attorney and officer, he has provided a variety of regulatory compliance and financial performance services to financial institutions and other clients throughout the country. He has written extensively regarding consumer and commercial compliance, tax, audit, and financial institution legal issues, and is a frequent contributor to and currently serves as the Chair of the Editorial Advisory Board for the ABA Bank Compliance magazine. He has spoken at scores of banking, compliance, and state bar associations, and has conducted training sessions for financial institutions across the country.

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 over 33 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 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).

Karen Boehler is the Deputy Comptroller for the West and Midwest Regions of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

In this role, Ms. Boehler is responsible for the supervision of over 300 institutions located in 22 states with assets totaling $297 billion. She is based in Denver, Colorado, and supervises a staff of nearly 350 people, who operate out of 24 office locations. She took on these duties in January 2021.

Prior to becoming the Deputy Comptroller, Ms. Boehler served as the Associate Deputy Comptroller for the Western District. She served the OCC in a variety of bank supervision and leadership roles throughout her 38-year OCC career. Ms. Boehler earned her National Bank Examiner commission in 1989 and the Federal Thrift Regulator certification in 2013.

Ms. Boehler is a graduate of the University of Colorado in Boulder.

Keith Dudley is an Assistant Vice President in the Supervision + Credit Group at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. He oversees a team of examination staff responsible for a portfolio of Twelfth District regional and community banking institutions. Keith is a commissioned bank examiner, with financial institution supervision experience across multiple business lines, including community, regional, foreign, and large banking organizations.

Keith earned a BA degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a MBA with a finance focus from Saint Mary’s College of California.

Mike is a Principal and the Director of the Strategic Management Services group where he is responsible for leading the delivery of existing vSuite of managed services and advisory engagements, and the innovation of new services in a fast-changing environment. He actively participates in many of the group’s client engagements, including enterprise risk management (ERM), climate risk, virtual CRO, board training, and others for banks, credit unions, technology firms, and professional service organizations. With over 25 years in the banking and technology industries, he has extensive knowledge in strategic planning, corporate governance, technology strategy, and fintech management issues. Mike also regularly presents strategy and ERM trends and techniques at national and regional conferences for industry professionals.

Mike is an avid extreme adventurer, enjoying snowboarding, rock climbing, and acting as a high mountain alpine guide. He has successfully convinced his children that mom is really going ice climbing on the family vacation.

With over 20 years of experience in the banking industry, James Jefferson currently serves as Senior Vice President Chief Risk Officer, for Montecito Bank & Trust (MB&T), a $2.2 billion bank which operates 16 branches in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. James began his banking career right out of college and holds the designation of Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager. He currently oversees enterprise risk management and regulatory affairs for MB&T and leads the Bank’s AML/BSA, fraud, information security, and regulatory compliance teams. James lives in Solving with his wife and two sons, and enjoys playing (and watching) hockey, kayaking, and brewing his own beer.

Lori Shao stands at the helm as the CEO and Founder of Finli, a distinguished Certified B Corp committed to reshaping the landscape for small, medium-sized, and micro businesses. At the core of Finli’s offerings is a cutting-edge platform that serves as a digital back-office, empowering businesses with an array of tools including CRM, billing, versatile payment collection methods (via invoicing, QR code, SMS, and email), inventory management, quotes/estimate management, and a host of other invaluable features. With an extensive background spanning over 22 years in the financial industry, Lori is a seasoned expert in crafting scalable technology solutions that cater specifically to the needs of the business community. Beyond her role in steering this venture-backed technology company, Lori embraces the role of a devoted mother to two human children and caretaker to 10 non-human children, in the form of cherished pets.

Anthony has practiced public accounting since 2007. He manages financial and operational audits, with related cost savings and efficiency improvements recommendations, for financial institutions. Anthony has experience with SEC filings and registration statements, mutual-to-stock conversions, and mergers and acquisitions. He is proficient in all phases of audits, including HUD reporting, Sarbanes-Oxley and FDICIA control testing, fieldwork, and report preparation. He has worked with many financial institutions including community banks, thrifts, mutual banks, SEC public reporting banks, and mortgage banking companies.

Deborah Thoren-Peden focuses her Chambers-ranked corporate practice on banking, electronic commerce, privacy, anti-money laundering and Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations.

Deb co-leads Pillsbury’s Cybersecurity, Data Protection & Privacy team; its Fintech, Payments & Blockchain team, its Consumer & Retail industry team, and its Unclaimed Property Team. She represents and advises fintech companies, bank and non-bank financial institutions (both domestic and international), money transmitters, retailers, automotive and a variety of other types of companies. She is also a recognized authority with respect to the Bank Secrecy Act and the Patriot Act.

Deb is one of the leading attorneys in the country in the field of electronic payments, stored value/prepaid access, gift and rewards programs. Her area of practice includes the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, state money transmitter licensure laws, NACHA Rules, state and federal laws and regulations related to money services businesses and financial institutions. She is an advisor to the board of WesPay and is a member of NACHA’s Payment Innovation Alliance and other payments-related working groups.

Brian Montgomery utilizes his background in financial services regulation to strategically advise businesses on federal and state regulatory compliance.

Brian’s practice focuses on representing and advising banks, non-bank financial institutions, fintech companies, money services businesses and other businesses on regulatory and compliance matters, with a particular focus on consumer financial products and services. He regularly advises companies on how to navigate regulatory issues as they bring innovative financial products and services to market. Brian also counsels clients on compliance with regulators’ cybersecurity, information technology and third-party risk management requirements.

Prior to joining the firm, Brian served in several senior positions at the New York Department of Financial Services, including leading the department’s program to examine regulated institutions for compliance with federal and state consumer financial laws. Brian also supervised a group that conducted investigations and brought enforcement actions involving consumer financial products and services.

Konrad Alt leads enforcement action compliance, risk governance & board advisory services.

Konrad has been a trusted advisor to the boards and senior executives of financial institutions and fintech companies ranging from small startups to multinational banking organizations, assisting them with their most complex regulatory, corporate governance and risk management challenges, including helping numerous companies explore and pursue strategies for entering the banking business via both de novo charters and acquisition. Before co-founding Klaros, Konrad served as Chief Banking Officer of the Green Dot Corporation, and Vice-Chairman of the Green Dot Bank board of directors. Immediately before joining Green Dot, he was Chief Operating Officer of Merlon Intelligence, Inc., a regtech startup. Konrad founded and led the Promontory Financial Group’s San Francisco office from 2004-2015, and served as Promontory’s COO from 2014-2016. Before joining Promontory, Konrad served as Executive Vice President and Chief Public Policy Officer at Providian Financial Corp., and as a Senior Vice President at Golden West Financial Corp. From 1989-1996, Konrad was in public service, first as counsel to the U.S. Senate Banking Committee and later as Chief of Staff and Senior Deputy Comptroller at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Konrad received his BA in Political Science from Reed College, where he is currently a trustee, his JD from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review, and his MPP in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government.

.

Merry is a Principal in Wolf’s Advisory Group and serves on the Firm’s Internal Audit Team, where she provides internal audit, consulting, and risk management services to clients. She also oversees the Firm’s data analytics team—combining operational and technological knowledge to perform model validation reviews, conversion testing, and incorporate analytics into audits. With over 13 years of experience in the field, Merry works with clients to provide full internal audit services, supplement internal audit capabilities, assist with specialized reviews, and develop risk-based audit plans with outsourced and co-sourced internal audit departments.

Merry lives in Bellingham, Massachusetts with her husband and three children. When she’s not at work, she enjoys playing on the Wolf soccer team, spending time outdoors with her family, running, and solving puzzles.

Jason Lane is senior vice president, director of government relations for the California Bankers Association and manages California state tax policy for the association, which involves analyzing legislation and regulatory activity, and the development of policy positions for the association. Lane is one of three lobbyists at CBA and, in addition to his primary focus on taxation, he also lobbies on behalf of the association on issues related to the state budget, and consumer lending legislation. Lane has significant expertise in handling legislative issues including taxation, data security, identity theft, and housing.

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.

Melanie Cuevas brings over a decade of political experience to CBA’s government relations team, including serving as legislative staff in the California State Senate and State Assembly. Before joining CBA, she honed her advocacy skills as a contract lobbyist representing a wide variety of clients and industries.

Melanie graduated from San Francisco State University with honors, worked in news media as an award-winning editor, and spent several years as a professional athlete. She is active in local professional associations, including the Institute of Governmental Advocates and SheShares, where she serves as a mentor to young women beginning their careers in California’s Capitol.

Vanessa Lugo serves as senior legislative advocate for the California Bankers Association (CBA). Her advocacy portfolio includes housing, economic development, labor and employment, trust and estate, public contracts, and corporate governance.

Before joining CBA, Vanessa worked for the California State Legislature, representing the most competitive district in the state and the Majority Leader of the California State Assembly. During her tenure in the legislature, her portfolio included agriculture, government and organization, banking and finance, economic development, insurance, and other issues.

Most recently she spent 12 years in government relations, working for Check Into Cash and Equifax. Vanessa graduated from CSU Sacramento with a degree in English and a minor in Political Science.