James This is a nationally recognized consultant, facilitator and trainer in the areas of strategic planning, leadership development, interpersonal communication and marketing.  Jim is one of the principals of James L. This and Associates.  He is probably best known as a founding partner of The Paragon Group – one of the most respected consulting firms in the credit union industry.  Through these companies, Jim has helped credit unions for over thirty years.

Jim’s specialties include strategic planning, executive recruitment, leadership development and executive assessment.  He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and schools and one of the creators of the Volunteer Leadership Institute.  The Institute is the premiere source of continuing education for credit union volunteers.

Jim earned his BA from Wake Forest University and his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California.  He holds the title of Senior Professional in Human Resources from the Society for Human Resource Management.

Jim’s career has found him in three arenas—financial services, teaching and management consulting.  During his long association with the Washington State Employees Credit Union he held key positions as Marketing Manager and Executive Vice President.  He has taught at the University of Southern California, the University of Texas, Permian Basin, St. Martin’s College, South Puget Sound Community College and The Evergreen State College.

Todd M. Harper was nominated to serve on the NCUA Board on February 6, 2019. The U.S. Senate confirmed him on March 14, 2019, and he was sworn in as a member of the NCUA Board on April 8, 2019. President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., designated him as the NCUA’s twelfth Chairman on January 20, 2021.

As NCUA Board Chairman, Mr. Harper serves as a voting member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council and represents the NCUA on the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council and the Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee.

Prior to joining the NCUA Board, Mr. Harper served as director of the agency’s Office of Public and Congressional Affairs and chief policy advisor to former Chairmen Debbie Matz and Rick Metsger. He is the first member of the NCUA’s staff to become an NCUA Board Member and Chairman.

Mr. Harper previously worked for the U.S. House of Representatives as staff director for the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises and as legislative director and senior legislative assistant to former Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pennsylvania). In these roles, he contributed to every major financial services law, from the enactment of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act in 1999 through the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2010.

During the Great Recession, Mr. Harper coordinated the first congressional hearing to explore the creation of a Temporary Corporate Credit Union Stabilization Fund. He also spearheaded staff efforts in the U.S. House to secure enactment of a law to lower the costs of managing both the Corporate Stabilization Fund and the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund.

Mr. Harper led staff negotiations over several sections of the Dodd-Frank Act, including the Kanjorski amendment to empower regulators to preemptively rein in and break up “too-big-to-fail” institutions and proposals to enhance the powers of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He also developed the legislative framework for the bill that created the Federal Insurance Office to monitor domestic and international insurance issues.

Mr. Harper holds an undergraduate degree in business analysis from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and a graduate degree in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Brian Knight was appointed President and CEO on January 1, 2022. He joined NASCUS in 1998 and has served as NASCUS’ general counsel since 2007. In 2014, Mr. Knight was also named executive vice president. In addition to managing NASCUS’ legal affairs, Mr. Knight oversees NASCUS’ legislative and regulatory analysis, policy development, advocacy, and compliance guidance. He also oversees NASCUS’ professional development department and Accreditation and State Programs department.
With an extensive background in both legislative and regulatory analyses and a comprehensive knowledge of the state and federal credit union regulatory system, Mr. Knight often represents NASCUS speaking at seminars, trade association meetings and conferences. Mr. Knight has testified before numerous state legislatures on behalf of state regulatory agencies and participated in industry strategic planning sessions.
In 2005, Mr. Knight developed a Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering compliance conference for examiners and credit unions. Held in partnership with CUNA, the conference today remains the largest credit union specific BSA training in the country.
Mr. Knight earned his law degree from the College of William and Mary school of law. Prior, he earned a B.A in history and political science from Hope College. Mr. Knight is a member of the American Bar Association and the District of Columbia Bar.

Byron Gangnes is UHERO Senior Research Fellow and Professor Emeritus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He specializes in international macroeconomics and forecasting and is also a leading authority on the economy of Hawaii.

 Byron earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Puget Sound and a Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. He has held visiting appointments at several prestigious institutions and has been an affiliated researcher with the United Nations macroeconomic forecasting program.

He has written extensively on economic policy issues affecting the U.S. and Asian economies. Recent articles study the impact of aging on global patterns of trade and finance, the effect of COVID-19 on trade and the economy, and the implications of global value chain production arrangements.

For his numerous outreach activities, Byron was awarded the Hung Wo and Elizabeth Lau Ching Award for Faculty Service to the Community. He is the recipient of a College of Social Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award, and he is an alumni member of Phi Beta Kappa. He has served in volunteer leadership roles with academic, religious, and community organizations.

Byron and his wife, Hilary, now live in New Mexico. They have two adult daughters.

Sarah W. Anderson owns SWA Law LLC and www.LegallyCyber.com, representing public and private entities on cyber incident response, regulatory compliance, and contract negotiations involving technology products and services. Sarah teaches seminars on cybersecurity law across the United States, for non-profits, corporations, trade associations, and government entities. Assisting with over 100 cyber incident responses, Sarah advises leaders and technology professionals on preventing and mitigating liability before, during, and after a cyber incident. She is the author of several items of cybersecurity legislation in Louisiana, recipient of the United States Secret Service Director’s Honors Award for Cybersecurity, and is GIAC certified in the Law of Data Security and Investigations. She is a veteran, continuing to serve in the U.S. Army Reserves at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Prior to founding SWA Law, Sarah was in-house counsel with a technology non-profit and a “big law“ equity partner, focused on toxic tort and property litigation. Sarah is licensed to practice law in Louisiana and Texas, with applications pending in Pennsylvania and Illinois. She graduated from Louisiana State University’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center cum laude and the University of Georgia Honor’s College, magna cum laude, where she was also a Distinguished Military Graduate.

John DeLoach is the Managing Shareholder of the Corporate Compliance Practice Area of the Williams Gautier law firm in Tallahassee, Florida (http://www.williamsgautier.com).  Williams Gautier attorneys have represented more than 100 credit unions in Florida, Georgia and throughout the United States over the last 40+ years. John has focused his practice for 30 years on helping credit unions find solutions for compliance, contract, transaction and corporate matters. He also conducts numerous seminars and training workshops throughout the country on credit union laws and operations and, in particular, the various compliance issues facing credit unions.

Amy Hillman is a professor of corporate strategy and former dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.  She received her PhD in Strategic Management and Business & Public Policy, holds an MBA, and is a world-renowned management expert and active consultant in the areas of corporate strategy, corporate governance and ESG. She leads The New Governance Lab at Arizona State University, a research institute designed to advocate for better forms of governance. She also leads Filene’s Center of Excellence in Leadership, Strategy and Governance for credit unions.

Amy brings a unique combination of scholarly and personal expertise as a director of multiple public, private and not-for-profit organizations. Amy has published over 30 peer-reviewed publications on the topics of corporate strategy and governance.  She’s a founding Fellow of the International Association of Corporate Governance and a Fellow of the Academy of Management and the Strategic Management Society. She also serves as Past-President of the Academy of Management, an association serving over 10,000 faculty of management in over 110 countries. Amy has served on two Nasdaq-traded boards, chairing Nominating/Governance for over 8 years and has served or continues to serve on four private company boards. With experience living or working in Europe, Canada and China, Amy brings a global perspective to the organizations she serves.

Byron Gangnes is UHERO Senior Research Fellow and Professor Emeritus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He specializes in international macroeconomics and forecasting and is also a leading authority on the economy of Hawaii.

 Byron earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Puget Sound and a Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. He has held visiting appointments at several prestigious institutions and has been an affiliated researcher with the United Nations macroeconomic forecasting program.

He has written extensively on economic policy issues affecting the U.S. and Asian economies. Recent articles study the impact of aging on global patterns of trade and finance, the effect of COVID-19 on trade and the economy, and the implications of global value chain production arrangements.

For his numerous outreach activities, Byron was awarded the Hung Wo and Elizabeth Lau Ching Award for Faculty Service to the Community. He is the recipient of a College of Social Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award, and he is an alumni member of Phi Beta Kappa. He has served in volunteer leadership roles with academic, religious, and community organizations.

Byron and his wife, Hilary, now live in New Mexico. They have two adult daughters.

Gigi serves as the Executive Director for the National Credit Union Foundation (The Foundation), the philanthropic and social responsibility leader of America's credit union movement. The Foundation’s three pillars of work are: Ignite credit unions to place employee, member, and community financial well-being at the center of their strategy; Inspire credit unions to leverage their cooperative values to reinforce an organizational culture that empowers and motivates employees; and Respond when disaster strikes and help credit unions increase their business resiliency through the cooperative value of "people helping people."

In her role, Gigi ignites and inspires credit union professionals to collaborate and incorporate consumer financial health and cooperative principles into their business strategy. She works to help credit unions make themselves part of the strategic architecture of their community's financial well-being, integrating business and benevolence so credit unions serve as a trusted partner to their members and their community in advancing financial well-being for all.

Under her leadership, the Foundation has doubled in asset size, grown its signature event, the Foundation Dinner into a must-attend event during CUNA’s GAC, spearheaded research, catalytic grants and convenings on financial well-being for all and the link between health and wealth, expanded its cooperative values offerings to include virtual and self-study options, and co-founded the CU DEI Collective with many credit union system partners.

Gigi's career in the credit union system spans 33 years - as an advocate, attorney, federal regulator and now, philanthropist. She is a Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE) and serves on the board of the National Cooperative Bank (NCB). In September 2022, Gigi was inducted into the America’s Credit Union Museum Herstory exhibit which highlights a range of credit union women and their achievements in the credit union industry, and in July 2023, she received the Maurice R. Smith DEI Leadership Award from the African American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC).