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.

Chris Shultz joined the California Bankers Association in December of 2024. As vice president of government relations, he lobbies on a wide range of issues impacting the banking industry.

Chris has expertise in financial regulation, insurance, consumer financial protection law, cannabis regulation, affordable housing, and California’s rulemaking process. Before joining CBA, Chris served as chief deputy director at three state departments, including the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. He also served at California’s housing finance, consumer protection, and insurance departments. Earlier in his career, he was a contract lobbyist in Oregon, advocated for a technology trade association in California, and was a chief of staff and legislative director in the state 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.

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.

Angela Rudd is the Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer at Tri Counties Bank. Ms. Rudd oversees the Enterprise Risk Management Organization, which includes oversight responsibilities over Enterprise Risk Assessment, Model Risk Management, Third Party Risk Management, Business Continuity, Insurance Risk, and the overarching risk programs across the company. Also reporting to Ms. Rudd are the Compliance Risk Management, BSA, and Mortgage QC programs. Ms. Rudd provides oversight and thought leadership to other risk functions, including Information/Cybersecurity and the bank’s Fraud Investigations Unit. She is a member of the Bank’s Executive Leadership team, and the regulatory liaison where she serves as the intermediary between the Bank and regulatory authorities such as the FDIC, state of California, and the Federal Reserve. 

Before her current role, Ms. Rudd served as the Chief Audit Executive at Tri Counties Bank, where she transformed the Internal Audit function. She has also held various leadership positions at SVB Financial Group, Protiviti, Grant Thornton LLP, and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

With over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry with a focus on audit, enterprise risk, regulatory compliance, accounting, and internal controls, Ms. Rudd has a proven track record of developing and implementing enterprise-wide risk management and internal audit programs.

Ms. Rudd holds a Bachelor of Commerce with Honors in Accounting and Marketing from the University of Manitoba.

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.

Harijot “Harry” Khalsa joined Aldrich & Bonnefin, PLC* in 2023. He is part of the firm’s Consumer Lending Practice Group.

Mr. Khalsa obtained his juris doctor degree from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 2007, Cum Laude. While at New Orleans College of Law, he served as Managing Editor for the Journal of Public Interest Law. Mr. Khalsa went on to obtain an LL.M. in Property Development Law from the University of Miami School of Law in 2008. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Mary Washington in 2003.

Prior to joining Aldrich & Bonnefin, PLC, Mr. Khalsa worked as Senior Counsel in the commercial workout section of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Throughout his career he has also worked for several law firms serving clients in the banking and financial services industry.

Mr. Khalsa is a member of the State Bars of California, Virginia, Florida and the District of Columbia.

Tricia Engelhardt is a principal of Aldrich & Bonnefin, PLC*, specializing in consumer finance and banking operations.

Ms. Engelhardt graduated from Whittier Law School, Summa Cum Laude. She was the valedictorian of her law school's graduating class and served as Executive Editor of the Whittier Law Review. She received her bachelor's degree from Framingham State College, Framingham, Massachusetts in 2002. Prior to law school, Ms. Engelhardt worked as a senior auditor at a regulatory compliance firm in Boston.

In 2017, Ms. Engelhardt was appointed co-chair of the State Bar of California’s Consumer Financial Services Committee. She has been a member of that Committee since 2015.

Ms. Engelhardt is a member of the State Bar of California and the Orange County Bar Association.

John Davis is a principal of Aldrich & Bonnefin, PLC. Mr. Davis is part of the firm’s Banking Operations & Fintech and Corporate Practice Groups, specializing in corporate governance operation matters, and regulatory compliance, including banking operations, bank powers, legal processes, third party risk management and contract negotiations. Mr. Davis also regularly advises clients on matters related to data privacy and information security laws, including with regard to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and the California Consumer Privacy Act. He also has expertise in state licensing laws applicable to non-bank lenders, such as the California Financing Law.

He joined Aldrich & Bonnefin, PLC in May 2017 as a Summer Associate and remained with the firm as a law clerk until he became an Associate Attorney in June 2019. Mr. Davis graduated from Whittier Law School, Summa Cum Laude in December 2018. While at Whittier he served as a fellow at the school’s Center for Intellectual Property Law. He received his bachelor's degree from Boise State University in 2013.

Mr. Davis is a member of the State Bar of California and the Orange County Bar Association. Mr. Davis is also a member of the California Bankers Association Privacy Committee on Legal Affairs.

Jennie Bailey is the Director of Tri Counties Bank’s Financial Investigations Unit (FIU). The FIU investigates all types of financial crimes including fraud, elder abuse, ID theft, cyber-enabled crimes against customers, and potential money laundering. Jennie has been with Tri Counties Bank for 8 years and in anti-financial crimes for over 20 years.

Crystal is a managing director with Baker Tilly’s risk advisory practice. She has more than 20 years of experience working with financial institutions, focusing on financial crime compliance. She leverages her industry experience and deep regulatory knowledge to lead and transform Bank Secrecy Act (BSA)/anti-money laundering (AML), sanctions and fraud compliance programs for financial institutions of all asset sizes, from community banks to global investment firms. Crystal has a proven track record of delivering innovative solutions that exceed regulatory expectations and enhance business performance.

Jennifer Reed is Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer at Tri Counties Bank, where she oversees enterprise compliance risk, Fair Banking and adherence to the BSA/AML/CFT.  Her background includes service as a Financial Institutions Examiner for the State of California as well as examination management for a $70B international bank. Drawing on experience as both a banker and an examiner, Jennifer brings a practical perspective to navigating deregulation, anticipating examination expectations, supporting responsible growth, and preparing organizations for future changes in the regulatory environment.

Jessica Lamoreux, JD, CRCM is Director of Education and Deputy General Counsel at Compliance Alliance. She earned her law degree magna cum laude from Case Western Reserve, where she was a law review editor, and holds a Political Science degree from Kenyon College. Licensed in Ohio, Jessica has worked in bankruptcy court, a debt collection law firm, a consumer lender, and as Director of Risk & Compliance at an SaaS startup. Her work focuses on compliance training and policy drafting. She’s a featured author and frequent speaker on regulatory issues.

Charles LeFevre is the Director of Compliance Operations at Kadince, where he helps build software that empowers banking professionals to manage compliance and marketing more effectively. Charles has been in the banking industry for over 20 years and has worked as a Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Operating Officer, FDIC examiner, and compliance consultant. Charles specializes in CRA compliance, marketing compliance, and fair lending. Charles brings rare perspective to the intersection of compliance, operations, and marketing. A longtime instructor at the ABA Bank Marketing School, Charles is known for making complex topics clear, actionable, and fun. Charles is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM), has an MBA from Louisiana State University, and is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. He’s been a faculty member at the ABA’s Bank Marketing School since 2018, has previously served on the ABA’s Regulatory Compliance Conference Advisory Board, and is recognized for contributing his expertise to the ABA's Marketing Financial Services (9th edition) textbook.

Bob Mooney is a manager in Crowe’s Consulting Practice within the Cyber Market Platform, supporting organizations in maturing their third party risk programs. Bob manages teams of on and offshore consultants to perform outsourced assessment support, conduct third party risk program evaluations, and more.

Paul Abramson is the Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer for American Riviera Bank. He is leading our bank in technology and cyber security strategy. Mr. Abramson comes to us with over 20 years of experience in the Technology and Cybersecurity industries, of which 13 years has been in banking. He previously served as the lead technologist and cybersecurity architect for Montecito Bank & Trust, and before that worked for a network security solutions provider designing and implementing threat management deployments for large enterprises. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in Business Economics, and recently completed the Western Bankers Association Executive Development Program. He frequently shares his cybersecurity expertise at community events to help prevent fraud and financial crime in the local area, and has been invited to present to industry groups including the FDIC.

Doug DePeppe is a Special Counsel in the Firm’s Denver office with a national practice in data rights, data protection, sports data and licensing, and cybersecurity law. He is Co-Chair of the Firm’s Privacy & Data Security Group and a member of the Sports Industry, and Artificial Intelligence Practice Groups.

A retired Army Judge Advocate and national security attorney, Mr. DePeppe’s military cyberlaw career began with his Army-funded Master of Laws (LLM) degree from The George Washington University Law School with a cyberlaw focus, followed by his leading the Army JAG Corps’ development of a cybersecurity law practice. He next helped develop cybersecurity law capabilities in the cybersecurity divisions at Homeland Security, including serving as the legal advisor to US-CERT.

In his cybersecurity law practice, Mr. DePeppe assists clients in data breach investigations, orchestrating the incident response and crisis management as a Breach Coach. Mr. DePeppe has assisted clients with cyberattack response services for twenty years. He is well known and respected in the field, has presented at major conferences on nearly every continent across the globe, and has published in Forbes, trade journals, and other online magazines.

Mr. DePeppe also assists clients with data privacy prevention and compliance. Leveraging his interdisciplinary knowledge and cybersecurity resource network, he helps clients with risk assessments, leadership and boardroom training and mentoring, third-party contract and supply-chain risk review, cyber due diligence for mergers and acquisitions, and other cyber risk advisory and services.

With his background in data rights, Mr. DePeppe also advises clients concerning name-image-likeness (NIL) protection and licensing. Universities, collectives, athletes, sports entities and associations, and sports agents have growing needs to protect NIL monetization efforts from infringing misappropriations.

While a Judge Advocate, Mr. DePeppe was a trial attorney in courts-martial for five years and became a certified capital case defense counsel. This criminal law experience aids his client advice concerning cybercrime. Additionally, Mr. DePeppe has used his litigation experience in the representation of sport sector mediations and arbitrations. In particular, he has successfully represented several soccer clubs and athletes in administrative disputes arising from the Ted Stephens Amateur Sports Act and SafeSport.

A life-long soccer player and enthusiast, Coach DePeppe also enjoys helping youth players pursue their dreams as a youth soccer coach.

Aaron Schneider is a seasoned technology executive and the driving force behind Helixstorm, a leading provider of Managed IT Services, CoManaged IT, and Cybersecurity solutions. With nearly two decades of experience, Aaron has built Helixstorm into a client-first organization dedicated to helping businesses thrive in today’s complex digital landscape. Under his leadership, Helixstorm empowers companies to stay productive, compliant, and secure—while reducing costs and driving growth. Aaron’s strategic vision centers on delivering scalable, end-to-end IT solutions tailored to each client’s unique needs, from infrastructure management and network monitoring to data backup and disaster recovery. Known for his proactive approach and commitment to excellence, Aaron leads a team that works behind the scenes to ensure clients’ systems run at peak performance. With 24/7 support and cutting-edge technologies, Helixstorm helps businesses focus on what they do best—while Aaron and his team handle the rest. Whether you're a startup or an enterprise, Aaron is passionate about helping organizations leverage smarter IT strategies to protect their data, stay compliant, and unlock new opportunities for growth.

Thomas Egu worked in the banking industry in Ghana for six years after receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Ghana. Thomas continued his banking career in the United States in 1998, working in branch retail with American Savings Bank in Los Angeles, later acquired by Washington Mutual (WAMU). A four-year stint with WAMU ended as Branch Operations Supervisor.

Thomas went on to pursue an MBA degree in Finance from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management.  

Joined US Bank, N.A. in the Los Angeles Region as a Retail Branch Manager in February 2004. In March 2005, joined the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), now Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) as a Financial Institutions Examiner and was promoted to Senior Financial Institutions Examiner in February 2009, and subsequently to Assistant Deputy Commissioner (Financial Institutions Manager) in February 2016 to current.

As Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Thomas is responsible for regulatory oversight of assigned portfolio of California-licensed financial institutions, and duties include processing applications, examination reports, monitoring condition, and other assigned duties. Exercise direct oversight of eight commercial banks, four trust companies, and four branches of foreign banking organizations (FBOs).

Obtained various certifications from Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) certifications, including Certified Examiner-in-Charge. Also obtained Certified Fiduciary & Investment Risk Specialist (CFIRS) designation awarded by Cannon Financial Institute.

Sam currently serves as a DCP ARD in the San Francisco Region overseeing FDIC-supervised institutions in the Los Angeles Territory (Southern California, Arizona, Pacific Islands, and Southern Nevada) and the Seattle-Portland Territory (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska).  Sam started his FDIC career as a Compliance Examiner Trainee in the Fargo, ND Field Office in 2003 and earned his commission in 2005.  Other roles Sam has performed include Acting Supervisory Examiner (Philadelphia, PA; Jackson, MS; and Windsor, CT field offices) and Senior Examination Specialist in the Washington Office.  

Sam has led significant FDIC projects and contributed to over 100 Washington Office/Regional Office consultations on various topics including HUD and CFPB referrals, complex Flood Insurance and Truth in Lending issues, and violations involving Unfair and Deceptive Acts or Practices (UDAP).  Sam also played a critical role in several formal enforcement actions, including Civil Money Penalties and formal orders for restitution.  

Sam earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration and Computer Science from Mount Marty University, Yankton, SD and a Master of Business Administration from the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD.

Casey Lilenfeld is a Senior Manager with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (SF Fed), focusing on IT / cybersecurity and money laundering / terrorist financing risk.  As a leader within the SF Fed’s risk function, he leads a team of subject matter experts covering IT operations and cybersecurity, third party risk management, and governance and controls functions (enterprise risk, model risk, internal audit). He also drives strategic leadership by monitoring banking risk exposures and trends, evaluating supervisory findings, providing guidance to Federal Reserve supervision personnel, and working with counterparts across the Federal Reserve System to develop and enact regulatory guidance.   Prior to joining the Federal Reserve in 2019, Casey worked with the State of California for 11 years as a Senior Financial Institutions Examiner.  Casey received his BA in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.