Dr. Amy Hillman is the Rusty Lyon Chair of Strategy, ASU Foundation Professor, and former Dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. She leads The New Governance Lab at Arizona State University, a research-meets-practice center designed to advocate for better forms of governance and Filene’s Center of Excellence for Credit Union Leadership, Strategy and Governance. She is former President Academy of Management and a Fellow of the Strategic Management Society, Academy of Management, and International Corporate Governance Society.

She’s published over 30 peer-reviewed articles on corporate political strategies, boards of directors, and corporate strategy. She served as the chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of Nasdaq-traded CDK Global (2014-2022 when the company went private) and served on the Independent Governance Committee of Amerco, the parent company of U-Haul International (2016-2019). She served on the privately held board of Bashas’ and currently serves on the boards of B:Side Capital and B:Side Fund in addition to having served on five non-profit boards. 

A New York Times best-selling author and innovation consultant, Diana Kander has spent her career challenging
assumptions and asking big questions - what kind of culture needs to exist in an organization to ensure innovative
ideas and practices? How has Snoop Dogg continued to innovate decade after decade to stay relevant to the next generation? What causes name brands to lose relevance with their customers and go out of business? A serial entrepreneur who entered the United States as a refugee at the age of 8, she has launched and sold millions of dollars’ worth of products and services. Her first book, All In Startup, has been used by over 100 universities in their innovation courses and countless large organizations to help their employees think more like entrepreneurs. Her second book, The Curiosity Muscle walks readers through a methodology to keep curiosity alive and thriving inside of an organization, ultimately, future-proofing
the business

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 Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Senior Research Fellow at UHERO. He is an expert on macroeconomic modeling, international trade, regional economics, and related policy issues.

Byron earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Puget Sound and doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. He has held visiting appointments at prestigious foreign universities and has been an affiliated researcher with the United Nations 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 implications of global value chain production arrangements. He has been named a LinkedIn Top Voice for his popular economic commentary, and he is a WPC Recommended Speaker.

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, live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They have two adult daughters.

Opal Tomashevska is the director of Multicultural Business Strategy at TruStage. Opal is responsible for leading the development, direction, and execution of the company’s Consumer Insights & Multicultural Engagement (CiMe). The CiMe team exists to help TruStage and credit union partners better understand consumers using a multicultural and multigenerational lens, identify business opportunities, develop action plans, and execute those plans to better serve more customers and generate substantial business growth. 

Opal won the TruStage Values in Practice (VIP) Award in 2017 for Inclusion. In 2020, she was named as one of Wisconsin’s 51 Most Influential Black Leaders by Madison 365 Media, and in 2022 she was awarded the Dominican Mission Distinguished Alumni Award from Edgewood College.  The Dominican Mission Award recognizes alumni who have demonstrated a commitment to social justice or a history of extraordinary volunteer experience in the community, country, or the world.

Opal joined TruStage in 2014. She brings 20 years of professional experience in trend analysis, facilitation, organizational development, community organizing, creative direction, multicultural marketing, inclusive research, and business leadership. Prior to joining TruStage she held a variety of roles at SITEL, Dean Health, Forward Community Investments and American Family Insurance. 

Opal holds a Master of Science in Organizational Development from Edgewood College and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Opal also holds a Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE) designation.

Opal serves as the Vice President of the Lussier Community Education Center Board of Directors, on the Advisory Council for The Melanin Project, as the Communications Director for the African American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) Midwest Chapter Board, and on the board of directors for Kids Forward Wisconsin. 

Randy is a Principal in the Cybersecurity Consulting team at CLA. Randy leads a team of technology and industry specialists providing IT audits and security assessments for clients in a wide range of industries and diverse operating environments and has provided independent security assessments and IT audits for Credit Unions, financial institutions, health care and life sciences, non-profits, and state and local government for over 27 years. He is responsible for the continuing development of the open-source, Linux/Unix, and Windows applications used in all of the security audits, and he leads the firms PCI-QSA audit practice. 

Randy has been an instructor of IT and Cybersecurity Risk Management at the CUNA Management School at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Colorado in Boulder, ACUIA national and regional meetings, a variety of State Government Finance Officers Associations, and the Minnesota Government IT Symposium.  Randy is frequent speaker at national conferences and training events.

Randy has been a consultant at CLA for twenty-seven years and brings a strong background in computer technology, physics and education. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), a Certified in Risk and Information System Controls (CRISC) professional, a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), a PCI-Qualified Security Assessor (PCI-QSA), and a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP).  He has a master’s degree in educational technology from the University of Saint Thomas, and a Bachelor of Science degree in education from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Dr. Amy Hillman is the Rusty Lyon Chair of Strategy, ASU Foundation Professor, and former Dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. She leads The New Governance Lab at Arizona State University, a research-meets-practice center designed to advocate for better forms of governance and Filene’s Center of Excellence for Credit Union Leadership, Strategy and Governance. She is former President Academy of Management and a Fellow of the Strategic Management Society, Academy of Management, and International Corporate Governance Society.

She’s published over 30 peer-reviewed articles on corporate political strategies, boards of directors, and corporate strategy. She served as the chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of Nasdaq-traded CDK Global (2014-2022 when the company went private) and served on the Independent Governance Committee of Amerco, the parent company of U-Haul International (2016-2019). She served on the privately held board of Bashas’ and currently serves on the boards of B:Side Capital and B:Side Fund in addition to having served on five non-profit boards. 

Clients trust Kelly to guide and provide smart business advice relating to all employment law issues. Kelly’s experience ranges from advising businesses on day to day employee issues to successfully defending her clients in trial and this has led her to be the Chair of the firm’s Employment Practice Group.

Kelly strives to align business needs with best legal practices for businesses of all sizes. Her practice includes advice and litigation regarding the following: hiring, negotiating and drafting of contracts, protection of trade secrets, discipline, civil rights, and wage and hour and leave laws. While employees and related problems can appear to be unique, our firm’s command of the laws and regulations will help our clients efficiently and effectively find resolution.

Prior to practicing law, Kelly traveled extensively and lived abroad and across the United States. Her work experiences, which vary from bartender, laborer, care giver, social worker at a homeless clinic and teaching former gang members, helped her develop unique insight about the workplace and a straight forward approach with her clients and in court.

Frank J. Diekmann is the credit union industry's most experienced veteran reporter, having founded multiple publications within the industry and having covered credit union news from Sydney to Ukraine, and in all 50 states.

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 around the world 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 five books: Cathode Ray’s, The Bawl Game, The Flip Flop, The Last Lyric and 501 Name Tags: How Everything You Need to Know About Business Can be Learned at a Conference & Forgotten in the Trade Show.

Gregory W. Gallant joined WeStreet Federal Credit Union in 2011. He came to the credit union with over 30 years of credit union leadership experience. Throughout his career, he has held several significant positions managing and leading many aspects of financial operations. Gallant’s innate awareness of the organizational dynamics and the fundamental principles that make up a desirable culture, paired with the industries standards for longevity, has helped him transform several multi-million- and billion-dollar organizations in his years of leadership. He has been very active in several non-profit organizations.

Greg serves as a Board Member of Tulsa Regional Chamber, Cornerstone Resources, and the National Credit Union Foundation. He is a member of the Cornerstone League Governmental Affairs Committee, Cornerstone Resources Audit Committee, Advisory Board Member at BankSocial, and the Emerging Issues Committee at America’s Credit Union. He served as Chair of Tulsa Regional Tourism and as a Board Member of America’s Credit Union (formerly Credit Union National Association).

Mr. Gallant has a BS in Finance and BS in Management and an MBA.

Byron Gangnes is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Senior Research Fellow at UHERO. He is an expert on macroeconomic modeling, international trade, regional economics, and related policy issues.

Byron earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Puget Sound and doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. He has held visiting appointments at prestigious foreign universities and has been an affiliated researcher with the United Nations 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 implications of global value chain production arrangements. He has been named a LinkedIn Top Voice for his popular economic commentary, and he is a WPC Recommended Speaker.

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, live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They have two adult daughters.

Opal Tomashevska is the director of Multicultural Business Strategy at TruStage. Opal is responsible for leading the development, direction, and execution of the company’s Consumer Insights & Multicultural Engagement (CiMe). The CiMe team exists to help TruStage and credit union partners better understand consumers using a multicultural and multigenerational lens, identify business opportunities, develop action plans, and execute those plans to better serve more customers and generate substantial business growth. 

Opal won the TruStage Values in Practice (VIP) Award in 2017 for Inclusion. In 2020, she was named as one of Wisconsin’s 51 Most Influential Black Leaders by Madison 365 Media, and in 2022 she was awarded the Dominican Mission Distinguished Alumni Award from Edgewood College.  The Dominican Mission Award recognizes alumni who have demonstrated a commitment to social justice or a history of extraordinary volunteer experience in the community, country, or the world.

Opal joined TruStage in 2014. She brings 20 years of professional experience in trend analysis, facilitation, organizational development, community organizing, creative direction, multicultural marketing, inclusive research, and business leadership. Prior to joining TruStage she held a variety of roles at SITEL, Dean Health, Forward Community Investments and American Family Insurance. 

Opal holds a Master of Science in Organizational Development from Edgewood College and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Opal also holds a Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE) designation.

Opal serves as the Vice President of the Lussier Community Education Center Board of Directors, on the Advisory Council for The Melanin Project, as the Communications Director for the African American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) Midwest Chapter Board, and on the board of directors for Kids Forward Wisconsin. 

With nearly 10 years of industry experience, Candace guides credit unions and banks through the financial complexities of audit and assurance engagements, steering them toward unparalleled success.

Starting her career with the firm, Candace quickly found her place performing financial statement audits and spearheading special projects such as merger due diligence work and fraud engagements for esteemed financial institution clients. Candace provides technical guidance to clients while ensuring compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). In addition, she has delivered presentations to the Association of Credit Union Audit and Risk Professionals (ACUARP). Throughout the audit process, she seamlessly collaborates with the entire engagement team, performing engagement fieldwork, identifying and resolving audit issues, tackling technical matters and uncovering opportunities for improvement.

Candace’s keen understanding of each client’s unique accounting and operational needs in the industry sets her apart. Known for her thoroughness and strategic acumen, Candace is the epitome of reliability in navigating the complex world of financial auditing.

Dedicating more than 15 years to serving the financial institutions industry, Brandon is a trusted industry leader providing a range of audit, assurance and advisory services.

Brandon’s passion for the industry dates back to his experience working in the accounting department of a credit union. Today, he oversees the execution of financial statement and Supervisory Committee audit engagements to ensure reporting aligns with accounting principles, auditing standards and regulatory policies. He also has experience guiding credit unions through the complexities of merger due diligence projects to help identify transactional risks.

As a member of the Michigan Association of CPAs Financial Institution Task Force, Brandon collaborates with regulators and fellow practitioners, positioning him at the forefront of accounting matters impacting his credit union clients. Clients benefit from his profound knowledge and ability to offer value-added insight extending beyond financial transparency to assist them achieve their short- and long-term goals.

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.

Gregory W. Gallant joined WeStreet Federal Credit Union in 2011. He came to the credit union with over 30 years of credit union leadership experience. Throughout his career, he has held several significant positions managing and leading many aspects of financial operations. Gallant’s innate awareness of the organizational dynamics and the fundamental principles that make up a desirable culture, paired with the industries standards for longevity, has helped him transform several multi-million- and billion-dollar organizations in his years of leadership. He has been very active in several non-profit organizations.

Greg serves as a Board Member of Tulsa Regional Chamber, Cornerstone Resources, and the National Credit Union Foundation. He is a member of the Cornerstone League Governmental Affairs Committee, Cornerstone Resources Audit Committee, Advisory Board Member at BankSocial, and the Emerging Issues Committee at America’s Credit Union. He served as Chair of Tulsa Regional Tourism and as a Board Member of America’s Credit Union (formerly Credit Union National Association).

Mr. Gallant has a BS in Finance and BS in Management and an MBA.

Mary Beth Spuck is the Chief Executive Officer of Resource One Credit Union. Since joining the organization in 2017, she has led with a strategic vision, fostering growth and innovation.

Before Resource One, Mary Beth served as Chief Administrative Officer at TwinStar Credit Union, where she oversaw Human Resources, Employee Development, Facilities, Operations, and Administration. She also led The Paragon Consulting Group, a wholly owned CUSO, as CEO.

With over three decades in the financial services industry, Mary Beth has developed deep expertise in leadership, sales, member service, collaboration, and project management.

She holds a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Washington and an M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University. In addition to graduating from Western CUNA Management School with honors, Mary Beth has also earned multiple industry certifications, including:
• Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE)
• Philippines Development Educator (PhDE)
• Advanced African Development Educator (AADE)
• International Credit Union Development Educator (I-CUDE)
• Certified Senior Executive (CSE)

Beyond her professional achievements, Mary Beth is actively involved in numerous industry and community organizations, including The Cornerstone League Foundation, Cornerstone Resources, Inc., CU Benefits Alliance, NACUSO, Filene’s Think Tank, and Vogel Alcove.