As the lead solo pilot for the legendary Blue Angels flight team, John “Gucci” Foley exemplified the pinnacle of excellence, mastering the art of flying among the top 0.01% of US military pilots.

John was named a “Top Ten Carrier Pilot” six times before leaving his mark as a Marine Instructor pilot and then Lead Solo pilot of the Blue Angels. His expertise even extended to the silver screen where he piloted jets in the iconic film Top Gun.

With an unwavering commitment to exceptional performance, John knows firsthand what it takes to reach and sustain the highest levels of achievement, performing at a level of excellence few people have ever experienced.

After completing his service in the Navy, John studied at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Naval War College, earning multiple degrees and seamlessly integrating the invaluable lessons learned from the Blue Angels into the business realm, he has become a trusted advisor to global business leaders, impacting organizations worldwide.

John has captivated audiences across the globe, including at BMW, Mercedes Benz, Google, Microsoft, Intel, General Electric, Bank of America, IBM, and Coca-Cola.

An innovative and visionary leader, best-selling author, master of mindset, and a catalyst for organizational growth, John delivers his awe-inspiring and transformative message to organizations around the world, inspiring individuals and teams to achieve elite performance.

Christopher Thompson is a master facilitator, keynote speaker, and executive coach with deep cross industry experience spanning finance, healthcare, higher education, technology, and faith-based organizations. As the founder of CORE Inclusive Consulting, he partners with senior leaders and emerging talent to strengthen culture, elevate performance, and build leadership practices that endure.

A former senior leader at JPMorgan Chase, Christopher led large scale talent engagement and leadership development initiatives that influenced culture across multiple lines of business. He has designed and facilitated high impact learning experiences, coached executives through complex transitions, and advised leaders navigating growth, change, and organizational evolution. Christopher’s work focuses on strengthening a leader’s internal foundation, so their external influence remains steady under pressure. Through executive coaching, keynote speaking, and strategic consulting, he helps organizations cultivate clarity, resilience, and inclusive leadership in environments where expectations are high and the pace of change is constant.

As a faculty member at Pacific Coast Banking School, Christopher teaches core curriculum courses for second year graduate students and leads elective coursework for both second- and third-year students. His instruction centers on the role of culture, community, and connection in sustaining leadership effectiveness within the banking industry.

Known for his dynamic presence and practical insight, Christopher is sought after for his ability to align strategy with humanity, foster collaboration, and inspire measurable impact.

Certified by the International Coaching Federation and other leading professional organizations, Christopher is committed to equipping leaders with the courage, discipline, and self-awareness required for long term success. He is currently authoring his debut leadership book, Strong Core: The Inner Work That Grows Lasting Leaders, set to release in the summer of 2026. The book explores the unseen work of leadership, the stories that shape us, and the resilience required to lead from within, offering both personal reflection and practical strategies for leaders who want to last.

Phil Mackintosh is the Chief Economist and a Senior Vice President at Nasdaq. He manages Nasdaq’s microeconomic research to encourage capital formation and increase investor returns through better market structure. His weekly newsletter, Market Makers, is read by more than 66,000 subscribers and covers topics ranging from IPO markets, ETF trading, retail investor activity, why Nasdaq has the best markets, and more.

Phil’s ability to simplify the complicated and explain what the economic data really means is highly regarded. He is frequently a featured speaker at conferences and often speaks with the media on macroeconomic themes and outlooks.

Phil joined Nasdaq in 2018, bringing over 30 years of financial, operational and trading experience. He has held senior trading and research roles at KCG/Virtu Financial, Credit Suisse and County Investment Management. He started his career at KPMG and is also a Chartered Accountant.

Kelly Motta joined KBW in 2011, and covers SMID-cap banks. Before joining the banks team in 2015, Kelly started her career at KBW in the quantitative research group. She received an AB in Mathematical Economics from Colgate University.

Preston Afrank, Senior Executive Vice President, leads the team focused on helping financial institutions execute growth strategies aimed at improving overall performance. Preston has in-depth experience in credit analysis, asset/liability management, interest rate risk and forecasting, as well as investments and liquidity management. With more than 15 years of experience managing complex financial strategies, Preston brings a real-world, hands-on perspective with a track record of success in helping client institutions improve profitability by lowering cost of funds and growing noninterest income. He holds a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s of Business Administration degree from the University of Nebraska.

Casey is an assurance partner in the Financial Services Practice at Forvis Mazars. He has more than 15 years of experience serving financial institutions, including prior service as assistant chief risk officer of a publicly traded financial institution. Casey delivers accounting, assurance, and advisory services to public and private banks, helping executive teams and audit committees enhance financial reporting confidence, strengthen internal controls, and stay prepared for regulatory and stakeholder scrutiny.

He provides audit and assurance services and advises clients on FDICIA and SOX internal control design and evaluations, allowance for credit losses methodology reviews, and accounting standard implementation. Casey’s public company and SEC experience includes initial public offerings and periodic reporting requirements.

Casey is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Oklahoma Society of CPAs, the Board of the YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City, and the Oklahoma Christian University Accounting Advisory Board. He is a graduate of Oklahoma Christian University, Edmond, with a B.B.A. in accounting and finance.

Bryan brings over thirty years of financial technology and banking expertise to Empyrean, where he helps shape product strategy and design for Empyrean’s performance management solutions. He partners with clients and prospects to better understand how Empyrean solutions can help unlock insights that drive performance improvements. A recognized thought leader in the industry, Bryan is a frequent speaker at national and regional conferences and has authored numerous articles for industry publications.

Prior to joining Empyrean, Bryan worked for Axiom Software and Fiserv in both market facing and product management and strategy roles. He holds an M.B.A. in Global Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and a B.S. in Business Administration from Pepperdine University.

Paul Worthing serves as the Regional Director in the San Francisco Region of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), where he oversees the Risk Management Supervision and Consumer Protection Divisions.  He has been with the FDIC over 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).

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.

Roberta Hollinshead serves as Senior Vice President, Community and Regional Institution Supervision at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. In this capacity, she oversees consumer compliance supervision, formations + transactions, enforcement, and community and regional institutions throughout the Twelfth Federal Reserve District.

Before her current role, Roberta spent nearly a decade as Director of Banks for Washington Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) where she was responsible for chartering and supervising the activities of all Washington state-chartered commercial banks and trust companies. In this role, she worked closely with stakeholders to promote sound economic development in the banking industry, supporting a prosperous economy in Washington. 

Roberta joined DFI in 2001 as a financial examiner, where she worked her way up the ranks and prior to becoming the Director she served as the Chief of Examination for the Division of Banks. 

Roberta holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, with a Finance concentration, from the University of Washington. In addition, Roberta has a master’s in business administration from Seattle University and a degree from the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado.

Kevin Gould is the president and CEO of the California Bankers Association (CBA). In his role, he is responsible for executing the association’s mission and vision. Kevin works closely with CBA’s executive committee and board of directors to develop and implement strategic plans to serve our members and the banking industry.

Joining the CBA in 2004, Gould is involved in all aspects of the association’s operations, including advocacy, professional development, finance, external communications, and human resources. He has more than 25 years of public policy experience, 19 years of which have been dedicated to advocating for the CBA.

Before being named president and CEO, Kevin led the association’s state and federal government relations department. He continues to serve as one of CBA’s three registered lobbyists and remains engaged in the association’s advocacy efforts.

Gould is a member of the 2009 graduating class of the Pacific Coast Banking School and is the 2016 recipient of the Almon McCallum Award for distinguished and meritorious service to the California banking industry.

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 four 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.

Michel Jacobs serves as CSI’s chief strategy officer. In this role, he leads CSI’s Corporate and market strategy with a focus on business value driven outcomes for CSI customers and their retail and business customers. He also provides direction on CSI’s product and market development, M&A initiatives and strategic partnerships.

Before joining CSI, he was an independent consultant working within the financial services sector. He has served in various roles, leading corporate and market strategy, product strategy and go-to-market execution. These include chief sales officer at Technisys, executive vice president at Intellect iGTB, EVP of Product and Market Strategy at FIS and SVP of New Solutions Development at eFunds.

Jacobs is from the Netherlands, where he graduated college with a degree in computer science. He also served in the Dutch Air Force before moving his family to the United States in 2000. Jacobs calls St Augustine, Fl., his home, where he and his wife enjoy riding their motorcycles along the scenic coastal highways, building and restoring classic cars and spending time with their children and grandchildren.

Mr. Ashworth has 27 years of experience in the financial services industry, including 25 years in banking where he was a commercial banking executive for regional and community banks. His bank lending experience includes a variety of commercial loan types (CRE, Construction and Development, C&I, ABL, Leverage Lending, Fund Finance, SBA and Government Guaranteed, and Equipment Finance). More recently he spent more than two years with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) as a specialist bank examiner focusing exclusively on commercial credit, asset quality, and credit risk management in his work with community, complex, and mid-size banks primarily in Southern California, Arizona, Hawaii, and Nevada. Matt is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington and the University of Georgia where he obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Finance. He lives in Long Beach and enjoys running and reading.

Kaley Childs Karaffa is the Head of Board Advisory, Americas for Nasdaq. She advises boards on corporate governance, board effectiveness, CEO performance, strategy, and compliance and risk matters. Kaley works with public, private, and nonprofit corporations in a wide range of industries and in countries globally. Prior to Nasdaq’s acquisition of Center for Board Excellence (CBE) in October 2019, Kaley was CBE’s Vice President, Client Services, Business Development & Legal from September 2015 through 2019. Prior to joining CBE, Kaley served as General Counsel of Clarolux. Before beginning an in-house practice, she practiced law in New York City with a focus in real estate, banking law, and litigation. Kaley served as Program Director of Jefferson County Teen Court prior to attending law school.

Kaley serves on the Nasdaq Center for Board Excellence Insights Council, the Board of Directors of Horizon Education, as Board Chair of the Northside Charter High School in Brooklyn, NY, member of the Advisory Board for Firstboard.io, on the patient advisory board for a privately held pharmaceutical company, and as Co-Chair of the Patient Advisory Board, for Fred Hutchison Cancer Center as well as member of its Patient Safety Committee and a member of the Steering Committee of ImmunOptimize. She served as Co-Chair of the CLE Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association Corporate Counsel Section from 2015 through 2017. Kaley founded and served on the Board of Directors of YP Civitan of Greensboro from 2013 through 2016. Kaley volunteers with many leading civic and philanthropic organizations.

She publishes articles and speaks publicly on corporate governance topics with many leading governance and business organizations, including Corporate Board Member, Competent Boards, Society for Corporate Governance, NACD, TechGC, Equilar, and Wall Street Journal, among others. Kaley received a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in Political Science from Samford University and a Juris Doctor from Pace University School of Law. She is admitted to practice law in the State of New York.