Have you ever uttered the phrase, ‘hindsight is 20/20’ in response to an unexpected result within your work? As a financial industry consulting expert, Tony Ferris enjoys guiding C-Suite professionals to identify the unseen, implement the difficult, and create sustainable solutions to maximize results. His clients describe him as a “revolutionist.” They appreciate that unlike other consultants, he doesn’t just offer ideas but honest (often hard to hear) truths and solutions by truly partnering with leaders and organizations alike to bring about positive disruption in the status quo, creating opportunities for competitive advantage, rather than merely reacting to what others in the industry are doing.

Blending over 20 years of experience working with financial institutions and his natural change-embracing skills, Tony helps leaders truly evolve in the way they think, strategize, and govern.  To that end, Tony and the Rochdale Paragon Group has led the charge on defining the business processes around governance, risk and assurance disciplines to formalize how organizations make better decisions and focus on the critical tasks. The Rochdale Paragon Group provides the culture and framework to both preserve and create organizational value by de-biasing decisions, delivering focus on the most important opportunities and obstacles, and assuring compliance while minimizing administrative expense.

Julee is a partner in the assurance practice of BKD’s Kansas City office.  She is member of the financial services practice and focuses primarily on financial services including credit union, banks and other specialty lending organizations, SEC reporting, and employee benefit plans.

She has more than 26 years of experience in assurance, focusing on financial statement audits, business combinations and employee benefit planning.  Julee has been a presenter for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on the allowance for loan and lease losses, including the new credit loss standard, as well as presenting for the American Bankers Association on audit committee responsibilities. 

Julee is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and Missouri Society of CPAs. 

She is a graduate of Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa, with a B.A. degree in accounting and finance. 

Jeff has worked at The Rochdale Group (Rochdale) since 2006.  He has over 17 years of experience in the financial services arena. Prior to Rochdale, Jeff worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (FRB) where he participated in and led many district and system-wide initiatives in a variety of administrative and operational areas.  Jeff currently leads and participates in various client engagements, including strategic planning, enterprise risk management implementation and support and merger-related projects.  Jeff’s broad-based experience, analytical focus and passion for credit unions allow him to bring significant value to those he works with.

Jeff received a Bachelor of Science degree in both Management and Marketing, as well as a Master of Business Administration degree from Northwest Missouri State University.

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 twenty-five 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.

Jim is an avid golfer and proud grandfather.

Melina Palmer is founder and CEO of The Brainy Business, which provides behavioral economics consulting to businesses of all sizes from around the world. Her podcast, The Brainy Business: Understanding the Psychology of Why People Buy, has downloads in over 170 countries and is used as a resource for teaching applied behavioral economics for many universities and businesses.

Melina obtained her bachelor’s degree in business administration: marketing and worked in corporate marketing and brand strategy for over a decade before earning her master’s in behavioral economics. A proud member of the Global Association of Applied Behavioral Scientists, Melina has contributed research to the Association for Consumer Research, Filene Research Institute, and writes the Behavioral Economics & Business column for Inc Magazine. She teaches applied behavioral economics through the Texas A&M Human Behavior Lab. Her first book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You, published in May 2021 and was a finalist in two categories of the International Book Awards. Her second book, What Your Employees Need and Can’t Tell You, is scheduled for publication in October 2022.

President Donald J. Trump nominated Rodney E. Hood for the NCUA Board on January 19, 2019. The U.S. Senate confirmed him on March 14, 2019; he took the oath of office on April 8, 2019; and he was designated as the eleventh NCUA Chairman by President Trump.

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

Mr. Hood was previously nominated to the NCUA Board by former President George W. Bush and served from November 2005 until August 2009. He was appointed Vice Chairman, and he served as the NCUA’s representative on the Board of Directors of NeighborWorks America.

Immediately prior to rejoining the NCUA Board, Mr. Hood served as a corporate responsibility manager for JPMorgan Chase, managing national partnerships with non-profit organizations, financial regulators, and community stakeholders to promote financial inclusion and shared prosperity in underserved communities throughout the United States.

His previous experience includes serving as associate administrator of the Rural Housing Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In this role, he helped to address the housing needs in rural communities and administered the agency’s $43 billion mortgage portfolio.

Prior to his public service, Mr. Hood served as marketing director and group sales manager for the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company in Durham, North Carolina. He also served as national director of the Emerging Markets Group for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and served on the board of the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation. Earlier in his career, he worked for Bank of America as a Community Reinvestment Act officer and completed the management development program at G.E. Capital.

In addition to his public and private sector service, Mr. Hood served as a member of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Board of Visitors and as member of the UNC School of Arts Board of Trustees. He also served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the North Carolina Museum of Art and as a member of the Board of Governors for the University of North Carolina College System.

Mr. Hood’s professional awards include being named one of the “40 Young Leaders Under the Age of 40” by the Triangle Business Journal in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is also the first recipient of the “Dream Award,” an award given by the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation to honor individuals who have exhibited an outstanding commitment to affordable housing.

A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Mr. Hood holds a bachelor’s degree in business, communications, and political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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.

Before Carol Marx became the President/CEO for the Hawaii Credit Union League in April 2022, she led multiple mortgage and retail banking teams, spanning over 30 years.

Her passions in developing successful outcomes include:

• Coaching individual achievement
• Inspiring challenging advancement
• Discovering pain points to improve on
• Collaboration with internal and external stakeholders
• Creative solutions to grab market share

Carol managed teams at both Bank of Hawaii and First Hawaiian Bank, the largest financial institutions in Hawaii. In addition, she ran Inter-Island Home Loans, a joint venture of Countrywide Home Loans and Stanford Carr Development.  She graduated from the University of Hawaii with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance.

With a strong sense of service to individuals, team members, corporations and communities, Carol served on multiple non-profit organizations in capacities including President for Hawaii HomeOwnership Center, Mortgage Bankers Association of Hawaii, Soroptimists International of Waikiki and the Kaimuki Lion’s Club. 

Having the combined experience of lending while working to put homebuyers into their first residence, Carol continues to network with the community to discuss opportunities to advance home ownership and financial education.  Born and raised in Hawaii, she has a strong sense of responsibility to helping the families remain home in the islands, despite the high cost of living.

Personal Bio:

Her hobbies include cooking, hosting friends and families for dinner, singing Karaoke and when possible, dancing hula with her adult daughters in Missoula, at the University of Montana.  Living in Kailua, Hawaii with her husband Paul, she loves a daily walk to the beach.

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 a number of prestigious institutions and is an affiliated researcher with Project LINK, 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. In Honolulu, he served in volunteer leadership positions with St. Francis School, the Parish of St. Clement, and the Friends of the Library of Hawaii.

Byron and his wife, Hilary, now live in New Mexico. They have two adult daughters living on the US East Coast.

Geoff Bacino is a two-time presidential appointee, having been appointed by President Bill Clinton to be on the NCUA Board and by President George W. Bush to be on the Federal Housing Finance Board.  During his time at NCUA, Mr. Bacino was instrumental in the agency adding more underserved areas to credit unions than had been added in the previous five years.  He also spearheaded the Accountability in Management (AIM) effort to cut expenses and reduce the budget.  While at the Federal Housing Finance Board, he worked to reinstitute independent directors to the Boards of the 12 Federal Home Loan Banks and oversaw the agency's response to the financial crisis of 2007-2009.

His firm, Bacino & Associates, works with credit unions on regulatory advocacy, legislation, strategic planning and trade association management.  Bacino & Associates manages two credit union trade groups - the Association of Credit Union Internal Auditors (ACUIA) and the Metropolitan Area Credit Union Management Association (MACUMA).

Jill Nowacki started her career with credit unions in 2001. She has taken on leadership roles at credit unions and state and national trade associations. Now, she is using her experience and passion to lead Humanidei, a human capital strategies firm committed to making credit unions the workplaces and volunteer causes of choice for today’s workforce.

Nowacki has practical experience in politics and communication; human resources and strategic planning; community development and marketing. With each role, her purpose remained the same: Help credit unions realize their full potential to expand the economic capacity of members and communities.

Jill has deeply engaged with credit unions across the country, working with Boards of Directors and executive teams to foster growth. They need products, services, and technology to meet member needs, but the true differentiator is in credit unions that leverage the value of human capital to make their systems work best.

Today, Jill helps credit unions increase relevance and win the war for talent at all levels, from front-line staffing through the Board of Directors. By strategically addressing the value of human capital, credit unions can create environments where people bring their best, authentic selves to work; resulting in diversity in thought, increased innovation, stronger succession planning, and ultimately: Relevant, growing credit unions that expand the economic capacity of the members and communities they serve.

Jill holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Montana and a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Public Relations from Carroll College (Helena, Montana). She is a certified International Credit Union Development Educator, a Certified Association Executive, and accredited by Harrison Assessments.

Matt Fullbrook is a board effectiveness researcher and consultant and is the Manager of the David & Sharon Johnston Centre for Corporate Governance Innovation at the Rotman School of Management. Under his direction, the Rotman School has evolved into the central hub of governance research in Canada. Matt has overseen the development and execution of all of the Centre’s projects, including the Globe & Mail's Board Games governance ratings, various Pay/Performance studies, credit union board research, and an ongoing study of the governance of family firms. As an independent consultant, Matt has advised dozens of boards of directors as an educator, facilitator and researcher, helping them to maximize their effectiveness through the development and implementation of valuable governance processes, policies and structures.

In 2020, Matt launched his podcast One Minute Governance, where he explores complex governance issues one minute at a time.

Matt is the Co-Academic Director of the Board Dynamics for Executives Program offered by Rotman and the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Matt is also a professional musician and is the bass player for KC Roberts & the Live Revolution, an original touring 7-piece funk band based in Toronto.  The band’s 7^th studio LP, Grit, will be available in spring 2021.

Tony DeSanctis brings more than 20 years of financial services experience to Cornerstone Advisors. As a leader in the firm’s Payments practice, Tony helps financial institutions optimize their payments businesses. He created and facilitates Cornerstone’s Payments School and works directly with clients to develop custom payments plans and strategies.

Before joining Cornerstone, Tony was senior vice president at Bank of Hawaii, where he managed the relaunch of the bank’s credit card program. During his time at Bank of Hawaii, Tony managed numerous areas, including credit and debit card, dealer indirect lending and mobile banking. Prior to Bank of Hawaii Tony served in management roles at Bank of America and MBNA.

Tony is a contributing writer for GonzoBanker, Cornerstone’s blog; and CU Management, a publication of the Credit Union Executives Society; and he is frequently quoted in industry periodicals, including American Banker and Credit Union Times.

With training in cultural anthropology and business, Paul Dionne brings a wealth of strategic-level thinking, research, and translation skills to Filene Research Institute as the Research Director. Paul contributes directly to many of Filene’s research outputs relating to consumer finance and helps guide research design, execution, analysis, and the translation of findings into actionable insights. Specific focus areas include strategy, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), member experience, innovation, operations, emerging technology, financial inclusion, and the future of financial services. Connect with Paul on LinkedIn.

Frank J. Diekmann is Publisher and co-founder of CUToday.info, a digital news and collaboration platform that is now the #1 provider of organic reporting, opinion, analysis, video and other resources to credit unions than any other provider.  Mr. Diekmann has an extensive background in credit union industry reporting and editing. Prior to founding CUToday.info, Mr. Diekmann founded Credit Union Journal, and prior to that cofounded Credit Union Times.

Before covering credit unions, Mr. Diekmann covered the nation’s banking industry. He began his editorial career working as a sports reporter with the Cincinnati Post, before making the natural segue into credit unions.  Mr. Diekmann is a frequent speaker, having addressed CU meetings from Sydney to Prague and all of the U.S., and also regularly serves as a judge in various organizations’ marketing and awards competitions. He is the only journalist to ever graduate from the National Credit Union Foundation’s Development Education program, and is now certified as an International Credit Union Development Educator.

A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Diekmann is also the author of three books: Cathode Ray’s, The Bawl Game and The Flip Flop.

Julee is a partner in the assurance practice of BKD’s Kansas City office.  She is member of the financial services practice and focuses primarily on financial services including credit union, banks and other specialty lending organizations, SEC reporting, and employee benefit plans.

She has more than 26 years of experience in assurance, focusing on financial statement audits, business combinations and employee benefit planning.  Julee has been a presenter for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on the allowance for loan and lease losses, including the new credit loss standard, as well as presenting for the American Bankers Association on audit committee responsibilities. 

Julee is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and Missouri Society of CPAs. 

She is a graduate of Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa, with a B.A. degree in accounting and finance. 

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 a number of prestigious institutions and is an affiliated researcher with Project LINK, 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. In Honolulu, he served in volunteer leadership positions with St. Francis School, the Parish of St. Clement, and the Friends of the Library of Hawaii.

Byron and his wife, Hilary, now live in New Mexico. They have two adult daughters living on the US East Coast.

Jill Nowacki started her career with credit unions in 2001. She has taken on leadership roles at credit unions and state and national trade associations. Now, she is using her experience and passion to lead Humanidei, a human capital strategies firm committed to making credit unions the workplaces and volunteer causes of choice for today’s workforce.

Nowacki has practical experience in politics and communication; human resources and strategic planning; community development and marketing. With each role, her purpose remained the same: Help credit unions realize their full potential to expand the economic capacity of members and communities.

Jill has deeply engaged with credit unions across the country, working with Boards of Directors and executive teams to foster growth. They need products, services, and technology to meet member needs, but the true differentiator is in credit unions that leverage the value of human capital to make their systems work best.

Today, Jill helps credit unions increase relevance and win the war for talent at all levels, from front-line staffing through the Board of Directors. By strategically addressing the value of human capital, credit unions can create environments where people bring their best, authentic selves to work; resulting in diversity in thought, increased innovation, stronger succession planning, and ultimately: Relevant, growing credit unions that expand the economic capacity of the members and communities they serve.

Jill holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Montana and a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Public Relations from Carroll College (Helena, Montana). She is a certified International Credit Union Development Educator, a Certified Association Executive, and accredited by Harrison Assessments.

Geoff Bacino is a two-time presidential appointee, having been appointed by President Bill Clinton to be on the NCUA Board and by President George W. Bush to be on the Federal Housing Finance Board.  During his time at NCUA, Mr. Bacino was instrumental in the agency adding more underserved areas to credit unions than had been added in the previous five years.  He also spearheaded the Accountability in Management (AIM) effort to cut expenses and reduce the budget.  While at the Federal Housing Finance Board, he worked to reinstitute independent directors to the Boards of the 12 Federal Home Loan Banks and oversaw the agency's response to the financial crisis of 2007-2009.

His firm, Bacino & Associates, works with credit unions on regulatory advocacy, legislation, strategic planning and trade association management.  Bacino & Associates manages two credit union trade groups - the Association of Credit Union Internal Auditors (ACUIA) and the Metropolitan Area Credit Union Management Association (MACUMA).

Matt Fullbrook is a board effectiveness researcher and consultant and is the Manager of the David & Sharon Johnston Centre for Corporate Governance Innovation at the Rotman School of Management. Under his direction, the Rotman School has evolved into the central hub of governance research in Canada. Matt has overseen the development and execution of all of the Centre’s projects, including the Globe & Mail's Board Games governance ratings, various Pay/Performance studies, credit union board research, and an ongoing study of the governance of family firms. As an independent consultant, Matt has advised dozens of boards of directors as an educator, facilitator and researcher, helping them to maximize their effectiveness through the development and implementation of valuable governance processes, policies and structures.

In 2020, Matt launched his podcast One Minute Governance, where he explores complex governance issues one minute at a time.

Matt is the Co-Academic Director of the Board Dynamics for Executives Program offered by Rotman and the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Matt is also a professional musician and is the bass player for KC Roberts & the Live Revolution, an original touring 7-piece funk band based in Toronto.  The band’s 7^th studio LP, Grit, will be available in spring 2021.

Michael C. Hanson is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Credit Union Share Insurance Corporation (MSIC). MSIC was the first deposit insurer for credit unions in the nation, having been formed nine years before the creation of Federal Deposit Insurance. MSIC insures excess shares and deposits held by credit unions operating in Massachusetts. Founded by a special act of the Massachusetts Legislature in 1961, MSIC today insures over $2.1 billion in shares and deposits for Massachusetts consumers at 78 member credit unions. The MSIC insurance system is a true cooperative, and it is currently the fourth largest credit union cooperative in the world. MSIC and its member institutions hold over $30 billion in total assets and serve over 1.7 million consumers.

Mr. Hanson was previously a full partner in a major national law firm headquartered in Boston. In 1991 and 1992 he served as Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks, during the height of the New England Banking Crisis. As Commissioner Mr. Hanson designed regulatory, political and public relations strategies which greatly assisted Massachusetts and New England in weathering the crisis. In addition, he designed a receivership and resolution process for failing financial institutions that has now become the global standard.

Mr. Hanson currently serves as MSIC’s delegate to the International Association of Deposit Insurers (IADI), headquartered at the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, and also holds a Masters Level Postgraduate Diploma in Organizational Leadership from the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford.

Before Carol Marx became the President/CEO for the Hawaii Credit Union League in April 2022, she led multiple mortgage and retail banking teams, spanning over 30 years.

Her passions in developing successful outcomes include:

• Coaching individual achievement
• Inspiring challenging advancement
• Discovering pain points to improve on
• Collaboration with internal and external stakeholders
• Creative solutions to grab market share

Carol managed teams at both Bank of Hawaii and First Hawaiian Bank, the largest financial institutions in Hawaii. In addition, she ran Inter-Island Home Loans, a joint venture of Countrywide Home Loans and Stanford Carr Development.  She graduated from the University of Hawaii with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance.

With a strong sense of service to individuals, team members, corporations and communities, Carol served on multiple non-profit organizations in capacities including President for Hawaii HomeOwnership Center, Mortgage Bankers Association of Hawaii, Soroptimists International of Waikiki and the Kaimuki Lion’s Club. 

Having the combined experience of lending while working to put homebuyers into their first residence, Carol continues to network with the community to discuss opportunities to advance home ownership and financial education.  Born and raised in Hawaii, she has a strong sense of responsibility to helping the families remain home in the islands, despite the high cost of living.

Personal Bio:

Her hobbies include cooking, hosting friends and families for dinner, singing Karaoke and when possible, dancing hula with her adult daughters in Missoula, at the University of Montana.  Living in Kailua, Hawaii with her husband Paul, she loves a daily walk to the beach.