Conference Speakers

Andy Benhardus, AAP, APRP, NCP

Associate Director of Compliance Services (Team Lead) - UMACHA

With over 14 years of banking experience, Andy started his career as a teller at a community bank and worked his way up to bookkeeper. His favorite things about his job are his co-workers and the opportunities to meet and help others. Andy finds it highly rewarding to work with a team of auditors and interact with members while conducting audits. He strongly believes that determination - with an easygoing and friendly approach - is key to professional success. Not letting himself or others down is a major motivator for Andy.

Apart from his professional life, Andy loves spending time with his family and enjoys outdoor activities like attending sporting events, going to stock car races, and baseball and basketball games with his friends. During summers, he visits his wife’s parent’s farm in South Dakota with his family.

James Bi

Marketing Manager, Fraud Detection Specialist - OrboGraph

James is a seasoned Marketing and Sales professional with more than 15 years of experience in the financial services and healthcare industries. James joined OrboGraph in February of 2015, and currently serves as their Marketing Manager and Fraud Detection Specialist -- contributing to the strategic planning and execution of marketing, lead generation, and product development for the organization. James played a pivotal role in the development and execution of the go-to-market strategy for OrboGraph’s OrboAnywhere suite of check automation and fraud detection solutions and its underlying OrbNet AI and OrbNet Forensic AI technologies. 

James holds a Bachelors of Arts in Communication – Advertising Concentration, from the University of Hartford, and a Master’s of Business Administration -- Marketing concentration, from Bentley University.

Nell Campbell-Drake

Vice President, Industry Relations - Federal Reserve Financial Services

Nell Campbell-Drakeis Vice President of Industry Relations for Federal Reserve Financial Services (FRFS).  She has responsibility for FRFS relationship management including Nacha, Payments Associations, industry trade groups, and other business partnerships.  Additional responsibilities include the FRFS speaker’s bureau, FRFS payments improvement outreach activities, and FRFS hosted industry advisory councils.  Nell represents the Federal Reserve Banks on numerous payments industry groups.  Before joining the Bank, she worked at Merrill Lynch Brokerage Firm in a variety of capacities.

Nell is an avid bowler and welcomes the opportunity for a challenge!

Jason Carone, AAP

Senior Vice President, ACH/EPN Product Management - The Clearing House

Jason Carone is a Senior Vice President at The Clearing House, responsible for EPN, the only private-sector ACH Operator.  In his role, Mr. Carone is responsible for strategy, plans and execution of initiatives for growth, efficiency, safety and new capabilities.  He works closely with industry groups, senior managers, regulators and other influencers to enhance the security and functionality of the ACH Network. Mr. Carone participates in industry forums and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, meetings and events.  

He has more than 25 years' experience in bank product management, operations, consulting and digital banking, for various firms, including Silicon Valley Bank, Zions Bancorp, P&H Solutions, and U.S. Bank.  He received his undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Utah and holds the Accredited ACH Professional, Accredited Payments Risk Professional, and Certified Treasury Manager certifications.

Paul Carrubba

Of Counsel - Adams and Reese LLP

Paul Carrubba is Of Counsel in the law firm of Adams and Reese LLP.  His primary focus is on Banking Law and legal issues dealing with payments system laws and regulations and bank operations issues.  He has over 50 years of experience in the banking industry as a Bank Operations Manager, a consultant, an author, and an attorney.  Mr. Carrubba is the author of six books including: Revised UCC Article 3 and 4, A Banker’s Guide to Checks and Principles of Banking.  He is the co-author, with Dan Fisher, of both Remote Deposit Capture – Practical Considerations and most recently, Risk Management Series – Remote Deposit Capture.

Steve Cree

Vice President, ECCHO Rules and Member Governance - The Clearing House

Steve Cree manages the ECCHO Rules and member governance. In this capacity, he oversees the ECCHO Business Committee, ECCHO Operations Committee, Exceptions & Fraud Working Group and the ECCHO Legal Work Group. 

Mr. Cree began his Item Processing career in 1983. Prior to joining ECCHO he was Director of Items Processing in the Technology Advancement Group of Umpqua Bank.  During his approximately 24 years at the bank, he held responsibilities for: IT Operations, Item Processing Operations, Returns, Research, Adjustments, GL Reconciliations, Exceptions, Non-Post, Credit Card Payment Processing, Lockbox and Enterprise Automation. 

Prior to joining the bank, Mr. Cree was President of Credit Union Support Services and Account Executive with Burroughs/Unisys. In addition to participating in numerous industry committees, he has held leadership roles within the industry including: Chair, Viewpointe Users Group; Chair, NCHA/Payments Nation Image Committee; Vice Chair, Endpoint Exchange Advisory Counsel; President - Advanced Financial Solutions National Users Group; Chair of Spokane Clearing House.

Lori Crever

Founder, Author of "Protégé Power: A Roadmap for Mentorship" - Protégé Power LLC

Lori Crever is the author of Protégé Power: A Roadmap to Mentorship, a Twin Cities performer with Jesters Comedy Improv, and Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Center for Mentoring Excellence. Prior, Lori spent two decades managing communications, employee engagement, and global philanthropy programs for the international division of Wells Fargo.

Ashley Cvrkel

Director, Sales and Business Development - The Clearing House

Ashley joined the sales and business development team at The Clearing House in March of this year. Over the past few months in her new role, Ashley has been working with medium to large sized Financial Institutions to help them understand, adopt, and expand RTP use cases. Prior to joining the Clearing House, Ashley spent 12+ years on the consulting and vendor technology side of banking, specializing in cloud-based solutions.

Peter Davey, AAP

Founder & CEO - Alloy Payments Founders; Venture Partner - Alloy Labs

Peter is a Venture Partner at Alloy Labs focused on enabling platforms that make technology more accessible for community banks and credit unions to succeed in payments and identity.

Previous to Alloy Labs, Peter was Head of Product Innovation and Labs at The Clearing House. He is credited as one of the original architects involved in designing and launching RTP®, the first real-time payment system in the US.

Peter has a wide breadth of experience in banking and payments across all payment types, services and networks with a proven track record of building organizations, driving consensus and providing thought leadership.

He is a tireless advocate for the advancement of community banks and credit unions leveraging new technologies to propel banking and payment industry forward.

Eric Dotson

Co-Founder & Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing - Aptys Solutions

Eric Dotson, Co-founder and EVP of Sales and Marketing at Aptys Solutions, leads the company in providing cloud-based payment solutions to over 5,500 financial institutions. With 30+ years of global experience, including as VP of Sales at Goldleaf Financial Solutions, Eric has spearheaded initiatives in clearing services like Image Exchange, ACH, Wire, and Fed services. His influence extends to modernizing payment infrastructures in the Caribbean and Latin America. A graduate in international relations from Brigham Young University, Eric leverages his expertise to drive business development and nurture client relations at Aptys Solutions.

Kimberly Ellis, AAP, APRP, NCP

Director of Education Services - UMACHA

Kimberly is a seasoned banking professional with experience in various areas of deposit operations, risk management, and deposit compliance. Kimberly uses her knowledge and experience to educate members and provide them with solid advice and fully explained answers to payment-related questions.

Kimberly's best skills are her years of knowledge and experience, and the professional accomplishment that she is most proud of is passing all her accreditations. She loves what she does and loves sharing her knowledge with others. Her goal is to make members more confident in their work by sharing experiences, knowledge, and advice.

In her free time, Kimberly enjoys spending time with her family, preferably outside in the warmer months. She also likes to watch documentaries, biographies, and other non-fiction movies and shows.

Angi Farren, AAP, APRP

President & CEO - UMACHA

Angi brings over 25 years of payments experience to her role at UMACHA. As the association’s leader, Angi is responsible for the people and culture of UMACHA, and she takes that responsibility seriously. Speaking your mind, creating healthy boundaries, and not devaluing yourself are the keys to professional success according to her. 

Helping people around her grow and serving UMACHA members motivates her. Angi’s goal is to reach as many industry stakeholders as possible with ACH education and compliance services. She likes bringing people together to work on a common goal and seeing the results.

The payments industry is always changing and evolving, and Angi enjoys transferring knowledge and helping to educate others. As the CEO, Angi is most proud of building an amazing team. The best part of her job is seeing UMACHA members served by her awesome staff.

Outside of work, Angi enjoys spending time with her husband and working on her self-care by taking time to be still and quiet in nature while looking for eagles and other birds around water.

Jonathan Ferris

Supervisory Special Agent - Minnesota Commerce Fraud Bureau

Jonathan Ferris graduated from Minnesota State University-Mankato in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice.  He began working as a state trooper for the Minnesota State Patrol in 2000.  In 2007, he was promoted to technical sergeant, serving as a district investigator for the East Metro District of the State Patrol.  He started as a special agent at the Commerce Fraud Bureau in 2010, and was promoted to supervisory special agent in December 2012.  He has been a policy fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Center for the Study of Politics and Governance. He has significant experience conducting state and federal financial crime investigations.

Lori Frank

President & CEO - Argos Risk

Lori Frank serves as the President and CEO of Argos Risk, a leading provider of Third-Party Risk Management Services based in Edina, Minnesota. She is a nationally recognized expert in banking technology and innovation and has spent the last 30 years helping banks to improve upon operational efficiencies utilizing automation.

Lori has led the industry in the development and implementation of innovative software programs and tools; saving financial institutions significant money while minimizing risk using data insights as key performance indicators.

Mary Gilmeister, AAP, NCP

President & CEO - Macha

Currently Mary is the President of Macha, and an Accredited ACH Professional and a National Check Professional (NCP).   Mary has been President of WACHA/Macha for 31 years. Mary is also President of Payment Advisory Resource (PAR) a subsidiary of Macha.   Mary has served on the Nacha Marketing Committee, the Nacha Board of Directors and chaired a Nation Wide Direct Deposit Campaign in 1998 and participated on the Federal Debit Collection Improvement Act of 1996.  In addition, Mary has chaired many national rule making committees for Nacha and has served on many panels. Mary has participated in developing a program with the State Bar Association of WI and participated on a program for the state to change legislation on Financial Elder Abuse.  She is actively working with the CFPB in establishing networks and speaking on Financial Elder Abuse. Mary speaks nationally at the Nacha conference, and other conferences nationwide. 

Jamie Herbert, AAP, APRP, NCP

Director of Compliance Services - UMACHA

With an extensive knowledge of ACH and a positive outlook, Jamie's career in the payments industry has been defined by a commitment to helping others. One of the things Jamie enjoys most about her job is the opportunity to learn something new every day. Always striving to be approachable, Jamie seeks to be a go-to resource for others in the industry.

A key to Jamie's professional success is staying up to date on industry changes and maintaining a positive work environment. She is particularly drawn to the evolution of the payments industry and takes pride in passing the NCP exam. Her helpful coworkers and the great UMACHA members are the best parts of her job.

Jamie finds that being outdoors with family and animals is the perfect way to unwind outside of work. She also loves watching car racing and is skilled at working on cars.

Matt Herren

Director of Payment Strategy - CSI

Matt Herren is the Director of Payment Strategy at CSI. With a strong focus on emerging technologies and how they apply to the financial industry, Matt has led CSI’s effort to drive innovation in the payment space. In his role, Matt has worked to enhance customer experience and helped direct innovative product offerings to increase bank profitability, allowing banks to realize industry-leading results and maximize program performance. Matt has been with CSI for 14 years and graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Economics before receiving his MBA from Purdue University. Over the past decade, he has spoken at dozens of state and national conferences on the future of banking and is bizarrely passionate about innovation and consumer experiences. 

Faruk Husejnovic, AAP

Digital Services Quality Analyst - Bell Bank

Faruk Husejnovic is an AAP, working as a quality analyst in Digital Services department at Bell Bank. He excels at keeping teams connected, implementing and testing new systems and training team members. With a strong passion for his work, Faruk enjoys collaborating with talented individuals to enhance customer experience and improve productivity. His expertise and dedication make him a valuable contributor to the UMACHA Navigating Payments conference, where attendees can benefit from his insights.

Jason Johnson, AAP, APRP, NCP

Associate Director of Operations - UMACHA

Jason is a highly experienced and knowledgeable member of UMACHA, having joined the organization in 2019 as the Associate Director of Education. During his three years in this role, Jason helped UMACHA members navigate the complex world of electronic payment rules and regulations. Recently, Jason made the lateral move to his current position in operations where he continues to play a vital role in the association.

Despite his busy schedule, Jason remains committed to continuing his work in education, and can often be found assisting UMACHA members with their inquiries through the member hotline and email inbox. His extensive experience in the financial industry has given him a deep understanding of the challenges facing both individuals and organizations in the payments sector.

When he's not working, Jason loves spending time with his wife Nicki and their dog Colby Jack. Together, they enjoy staying active through road trips, hiking, skiing, and kayaking.

Scott Jones

Partner - Adams and Reese LLP

Scott Jones is a partner on the Financial Services Team at Adams and Reese LLP and is licensed in DC, TN and MS. He works with financial institutions throughout the United States on payment systems, payments fraud, and bank operations, including treasury management services, instant payment services (RTP and FedNow), wire transfers, ACH transactions, online banking, mobile banking, and emerging payment systems. Scott assists financial institutions with agreements for each of the following products and services and he also works directly with financial institutions and companies in responding to potential losses arising from payments fraud.  He began his practice as a litigator and has approximately 20 years of experience advising clients on risk-minimization and best practices for avoiding litigation. Scott regularly speaks at payments-related conferences across the United States.

Nanci McKenzie, JM, AAP, APRP

Payments Expert, Research Division - Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Nanci McKenzie is an experienced speaker and a recognized expert in the field of payment technology. With over 38 years of experience in the payment technology industry, Nanci has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in payment processing, fraud prevention, and risk management.

Prior to her current role, Nanci was with Affirmative Technologies. Nanci held senior leadership positions at financial institutions and payment technology companies, where she oversaw product development, strategic planning, and deposit operations. Her experience has provided her with a deep understanding of the payment technology landscape and the challenges that financial institutions face in this rapidly evolving industry.

Nanci holds a B.S. in Business and Information Management from Seminole State College and a Juris Master's degree in Financial Regulation & Compliance from Florida State University College of Law. She is currently working toward her Master of Legal Studies from Thomas R. Kline College of Law at Drexel University in two concentrations, Financial Regulatory Compliance and Cybersecurity and Data Privacy. She is also an Accredited ACH Professional (AAP) and an Accredited Payments Risk Professional (APRP).

Cathy McNickle

Director, Risk Services - Nacha

Cathy McNickle is one of the product owners and a subject matter expert on the design and capabilities of Nacha's Risk Management Portal (RMP). Cathy also manages the support of the RMP, working as a liaison between the financial institutions and other industry users and the technical team. The Risk Management Portal is a leading industry tool facilitating Convenience, Compliance and Communication since 2018. Previous work at Nacha included The Electronic Check Council, Affiliate Program, and the Risk Management Advisory Group (RMAG).

Jennifer Miller, AAP, APRP, NCP, PMC

Senior Director of Services - UMACHA

Jennifer is a highly experienced professional with an impressive 31-year career in banking and a particular focus on financial software. She has held various leadership positions throughout her career, including her current role as Senior Director of Services. In this position, Jennifer is responsible for overseeing publications, electronic payment compliance services, member training programs, and marketing.

Jennifer's expertise in cash management and software development and her progressive leadership style make her an asset to UMACHA. She is an electronic payment evangelist, and her ground-breaking ideas have been at the forefront of many new and innovative ways to make payments. Her dedication to electronic payment innovation and her commitment to ensuring compliance and member training programs are top-notch, make her a key player in the financial services industry.

On the weekend and evenings, Jennifer is active in her community and civic leadership.  She also enjoys gardening and yard work in the summer.

Kevin Miyamoto

Co-Founder & COO - Identifee

Kevin Miyamoto is Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Identifee, responsible for all operational and administrative procedures. Prior to working at Identifee, Kevin worked at Corporate Executive Board (now part of Gartner), and spent a number of years working in multiple roles in Wells Fargo’s Payments, Virtual Solutions, and Innovations Team. Most recently, Kevin was the Business Manager in Wells Fargo’s Sponsorship Team, managing over $850B of payment volume.

Kevin Moland, AAP

Senior Advisory Product Strategist, Payments - Jack Henry

Kevin Moland is a Senior Advisory Product Strategist for Jack Henry’s Payments Strategy team, where he brings to bear four decades of experience helping financial institutions and financial services providers deliver and implement payment solutions. Throughout his career Kevin has been a key player in the digital services revolution, providing product direction and design oversight for some of the nation’s premier banking and payments solutions. A former Director of Product Management, Kevin is intimately familiar with designing and delivering digital solutions. In his current role he provides strategic input on payments topics to individual Jack Henry business units while also serving customers and the industry at large by sharing his expertise and insight. He is a featured presenter at conferences and industry events and has served as an adjunct faculty member for several prominent banking schools. His informal style and keen story-telling skills make him a sought-after speaker, teacher, and emcee.

Anne Nehring, AVP, AAP

Operations Manager, ACH Database Maintenance, ACH, ECS, & Instant Payments Operations - Wells Fargo

Anne has been with Wells Fargo for 37 years and spending the most recent 15 years in ACH. She is responsible for managing a team of individuals providing data entry for our originator company and account set up. Prior to being a manager in ACH, Anne worked with training for ACH facilitating CliftonStrengths, Franklin Covey, and Love em’ or Lose em’ sessions for managers and employees.

Richard Oliver

Retired

Richard Oliver, payments system and strategic planning consultant, retired in 2011 as an Executive Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, where he spent 38 years overseeing technology and payments system services, including check, ACH, and wire transfer. From 1998 to 2010, he was the Federal Reserve System’s Retail Payments Product Manager with profit and loss responsibilities for the Fed’s $750 million check and ACH businesses. During 2010-2011, Oliver served as head of the Retail Payments Risk Forum, where he co-led a mobile payments industry effort to explore the evolution of mobile payments in the United States. Over the past several years he has delivered many industry speeches, taught at industry schools, and facilitated nearly a dozen strategic planning initiatives for payments organizations, banks, and universities. In 2010, he received the prestigious George Mitchell Payments System Excellence Award from the National Automated Clearinghouse Association. He and his colleague George Warfel have published a book on payments, The Story of Payments.

Jackie Pagán, NCP

Vice President - The Clearing House

Jackie Pagán is the National Check Professional Certification Program Director at ECCHO, a business-line of The Clearing House. With over 33 years of financial industry experience, she's a certified National Check Professional since 2011. Her expertise spans change management, strategic planning, client services, and more. She began her career at Bank One in Columbus, Ohio, and later managed check processing operations at Chase. She's also a vital member of Accredited Standards Committee X9, focusing on check image standards and community service. Jackie is a bilingual life coach, a two-time marathon runner, and enjoys various outdoor activities.

Norman Robinson, AAP

Retired

Norman is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a BS in Business Management and a minor in accounting.  He served in the Army Reserve 1972-1979. He worked for the Richmond Federal Reserve 1973-1979, in a management training program with work in Check Collection, Staff Training, Float Analysis, and Internal Audit.  He joined the Virginia ACH Association in 1979 as Executive Director, concurrently serving as Vice President of the Virginia Bankers Association.  Served as President of the Commonwealth Assoc of Financial Professions. Certifications: Bank Management Certification, AAP, CTP.  Merged in WV, NC & FL changing the name to EastPay.  After 38 years leading the association as President & CEO of EastPay (now ePayResources) he retired in 2016 as President Emeritus.  

Norman lives in Richmond, VA and is married to Joan (49 years) with four children and nine grandchildren.  In retirement, Norman earned a certification as a Master Gardener and always has his hands in the dirt!

Pam Rodriguez, AAP

President & CEO - Southern Financial Exchange

Pam has a Passion for Payments and People and has over 30 years of experience conducting audits, risk assessments and speaking sessions for financial institutions and third-parties engaged in the ACH Network.  She has served on Nacha’s Payments Institute Board of Regents and APRP Oversight Panel.  She currently serves on Nacha’s Risk Management Advisory Group.

Pam is President & CEO of Southern Financial Exchange (SFE).  Prior to joining SFE, Pam was President & CEO of ePayAdvisors and former EastPay Advisory Services and Executive Director of the Alabama ACH Association.

Pam is a lover of music, enjoys gardening and the outdoors and spending time with her family.  In her spare time, she volunteers as a Magic Maker for Magic Moments, whose purpose is to provide happiness to children throughout the state of Alabama who have been diagnosed with chronic life-threatening illnesses.

Debbie Smart, CTP

Senior Product Marketer - Q2

As a senior product marketer at Q2, Debbie Smart serves as the voice of the modern banking customer and the evolving financial services industry. With more than 40 years of banking and treasury management experience, Debbie works to deeply understand Q2’s existing and desired customers, leveraging market research and competitive intelligence to forge new partnerships and influence product capabilities across Q2’s business product suite.  

Prior to joining Q2, Debbie served in multiple senior management roles in the financial services industry where she guided product development, payments innovation and more. She also spent many years at an FI managing the treasury management department and operations for electronic payments.

Throughout Debbie’s career in financial services, she has been a featured speaker at numerous industry-wide conferences and has served on multiple boards, councils and task forces.  In her free time, Debbie is an avid scuba diver and traveler.

Angie Smith, AAP, NCP

EVP, Education and Events - Wespay

Angie is a recognized industry expert in both paper and electronic payments regulation. She has over thirty-seven years of payments experience and has worked for leading payments organizations, including Federal Reserve Bank, Viewpointe, and MACHA-The Mid-Atlantic Payments Association. Angie has an extensive background in the development and implementation of policies and procedures relating to check/image processing, exception processing, and Remote Deposit Capture product offerings.

Angie currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Education ad Events at Wespay, where she is responsible for member education and programs supporting the AAP, APRP and NCP accreditations.

Angie currently serves on the ECCHO Editorial Board for the NCPC Program, the ECCHO Ops Committee and the ECCHO Exceptions Working Group. Angie is currently a member of the Payments Innovation Alliance and Nacha’s AFPP Advisory Group. She also holds an AAP and NCP accreditation.

Brad Smith, AAP

Senior Director, Industry Engagement and Advocacy - Nacha

With more than two decades of payments industry experience, Brad Smith currently works to raise awareness of the benefits of ACH.  As Senior Director, Industry Engagement and Advocacy, at Nacha, his focus includes increasing EFT usage in the Dental and Medical industry as well as nonprofits and subscriptions, and higher education.

During his career, Brad helped analyze payment trends and educate financial institutions on ACH, emerging payment trends and technologies. 

Brad is an Accredited ACH Professional (AAP) and has held leadership roles in the Payments Innovation Alliance. 

Kim Stachak, AAP, APRP, NCP

Associate Director of Compliance Services - UMACHA

Kimberly brings over 25 years of banking and customer service experience to her role at UMACHA. She was able to acquire and practice her payments knowledge in several organizations. She decided early on that the banking industry was her career path and earned her AAP in 2005.

After 23 years of working in multiple departments, ACH operations, accounting, card services, and finance, Kimberly decided to complete the banking circle by becoming a compliance auditor for UMACHA in 2021. She continued to focus on her accreditations by earning her APRP in 2021 and her NCP in 2023.

During her free time, Kimberly likes spending time with her family, playing with her two grandchildren, and going to antique malls and flea markets with her husband.

Jennifer Stadler, CPP, CCE

EVP, Education, Marketing, Member Support - PaymentsFirst

Jennifer Stadler stands at the helm of PaymentsFirst as its Executive Vice President, overseeing critical functions such as Education, Marketing, Member Support, and Operations. With a robust background in the payments industry and a portfolio of certifications, Stadler is a leader who combines strategic vision with hands-on expertise. Her credentials include the Certified Payments Professional designation from the Electronic Transaction Association and certification as a Cryptocurrency Expert, positioning her as a forward-thinking authority in both traditional and emerging payment realms.

Stadler's influence extends beyond her executive role. She actively participates in industry workgroups, contributing to discussions on payment trends, regulations, and consumer behaviors. Her insights help shape the future of the payments sector, ensuring it remains responsive to the evolving needs of both businesses and consumers.

Mike Timoney, CFE, CTP

Vice President, Secure Payments - Federal Reserve Financial Services

Mike Timoney is Vice President of Secure Payments for Payments System Improvement within Federal Reserve Financial Services.  Mike has a responsibility to understand the payments and fraud landscape and identify areas where security must be improved. Mike is responsible for designing, developing, and implementing key elements of the Fed’s Payment Improvement strategy for payment security including improving fraud data, researching security and fraud trends, and evaluating emerging security and fraud technologies. He identifies and contributes to opportunities for collaboration with the payments industry to improve overall payments security. Mike is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Certified Treasury Professional (CTP).

Jack Uldrich

Global Futurist, Speaker, Author

Jack Uldrich is a well-recognized global futurist, speaker, and the author of 14 books, including award-winning best sellers. He is a frequent speaker on technology, change management and leadership and has addressed hundreds of corporations, associations and not-for-profit organizations on five continents. 

He regularly makes appearances on major media outlets and is also an ongoing contributor on emerging technologies and future trends for The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Wired Magazine and Inc.

Jack is a former naval intelligence officer and Defense Department official. He served as the director of the Minnesota Office of Strategic and Long-Range Planning under Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura. His book Business as Unusual: A Futurist’s Unorthodox, Unconventional, and Uncomfortable Guide to Doing Business has helped many navigate trends that emerged and converged during the past four years. His most recent book A Smarter Farm: How AI is Revolutionizing the Future of Agriculture was released in November 2023.

Danny Vallejo, CAMS

Vice President, BSA Officer - Bridgewater Bank

Daniel Vallejo, CAMS, is the BSA Officer at Bridgewater Bank, where he oversees the bank’s compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and other anti-money laundering and sanctions laws and regulations and advises the bank on financial crime risk matters. Prior to his role at Bridgewater Bank, he worked in the FinTech industry managing financial crimes quality control operations at a cross-border payment company, and at large-size bank working in financial crimes risk functions within a private banking office. In addition to his role at Bridgewater Bank, he coaches the Jessup International Law Moot Court team at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. He is a member of ACAMS, the ACAMS Greater Twin Cities Chapter, and the Minnesota Bankers Association’s BSA/AML Committee.

Eric Wester, AAP, APRP, NCP

Associate Director of Education Services - UMACHA

Over his eight years working in the payments industry, Eric has gained immense knowledge and experience. He believes that networking with peers in the industry is crucial, as the connections built can help in unexpected ways. As a payments professional focused on education, Eric's goal is to share knowledge and create peace of mind for industry stakeholders and members. He genuinely cares about the work he does and those he works with and believes this is the key to professional success. 

The wants, needs, and demands of the payments industry continue to evolve. What excites Eric most about working in the industry is the ongoing innovation to make payments simpler, more transparent, faster, and in line with end-user expectations.

Outside of work, Eric loves to travel, explore new cultures, and try different cuisines.

Bradley Wilkes

Co-Founder & CEO - Open Payment Networks, Inc.

Bradley Wilkes, the CEO and co-founder of Open Payment Network, Inc. OPN®, provides next-generation real-time payment for financial institutions and their customers. OPN is a founding sponsor of the US Faster Payments Council. Before founding OPN, Bradley founded ProPay, Inc., a registered ISO/MSP and third-party payment processor for payment card networks and their member Financial Institutions. He's been awarded six payment-related patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He received an MBA in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Science from Brigham Young University.