Speakers

Alex McLeod is a highly motivated and results-oriented leader with over 10 years of experience in technology design, venture-backed startups, consulting, mentorship, and social impact. Alex is the Founder and CEO of Parlay Finance, the first-of-its kind small business loan intelligence system that helps lenders get more small businesses approved for SBA 7(A) and small-dollar loans. She is passionate about inclusive access to capital and helping address the needs of underrepresented communities. She is a TEDx speaker and coach, and holds an MBA from the University at Buffalo and an MPhil from University of Cambridge. Alex has collaborated extensively with entrepreneur support organizations and nonprofits to tackle the wicked problem of financial inclusion. 

Ben Metz is Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Jack Henry. He leads strategy and direction for digital for the organization. Metz joined Jack Henry in 2014 when Banno™ was acquired. He has more than 20 years of experience in technology and digital transformation. 

Bryan Mulcahey serves as a strategic advisor to clients on business and regulatory matters, with a focus on product development, licensing, and compliance. Bryan is recognized for his work within the fintech and Banking-as-a-Service industry, particularly as it relates to helping his clients develop innovative financial products, secure strategic partnerships, and build streamlined compliance programs.

Bryan was previously a principal at Promontory Financial Group and chief of staff for the financial crimes division. Bryan also served in the honors program at the Securities and Exchange Commission where he conducted risk-based examinations of various registrants, including equities and options exchanges. During his time at George Mason University School of Law, Bryan worked as a staffer at the Financial Services Roundtable on issues such as Dodd-Frank implementation.

Bryan earned a B.S. in Business Economics from Cortland State University and a J.D. from George Mason University School of Law.

Captain David Marquet imagines a workplace where everyone engages and contributes their full intellectual capacity, a place where people are healthier and happier because they have more control over their work — a place where everyone is a leader. His compelling presentations deliver the powerful message that in highly effective organizations, leadership is not for the select few at the top.

A 1981 US Naval Academy graduate, Marquet served in the US submarine force for 28 years. After being assigned to command the nuclear-powered submarine USS Santa Fe — then ranked last in retention and operational standing — he realized the traditional leadership approach of "take control, give orders," wouldn’t work. He “turned the ship around” by treating the crew as leaders, not followers, and giving control, not taking control. This approach took the Santa Fe from “worst to first,” achieving the highest retention and operational standings in the navy. It also created more subsequent leaders than any other submarine.

Calling himself a continuous student of leadership, Marquet is the bestselling author of Turn the Ship Around, which was named Fortune magazine’s #1 must-read business book of the year and has been listed as one of the top 12 business books of all time by USA Today. His second book, Leadership is Language, has been featured in the Wall Street Journal’s Top 10 bestselling business books list. It was also named “book of the month” by the Financial Times.

Marquet retired from the Navy in 2009, and now speaks to those who want to create empowering work environments that release the passion, initiative, and intellect of each person. His bold and highly effective framework is summarized as “give control, create leaders.” He was named one of the top 100 leadership speakers by Inc. magazine.

Marquet is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and in 2015 was named to the American Management Association's "Leaders to Watch" list.

Deanna Marsigliese is a Character Art Director at Pixar. Since 2012, she has contributed to such feature films as Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4, Inside Out & The Good Dinosaur, along with the celebrated short, Bao.

Prior to Pixar, Deanna worked as a freelance artist, designing & animating characters for various film, television & commercial projects. Past clients include Laika, Sony Pictures, Universal Feature, Walt Disney Feature, Disney TV, Nickelodeon, among others.

Deanna loves to teach & once served as the Professor of Classical Animation at Seneca College in Toronto for 6 years. She continues to deliver panel talks & lead workshops working most recently with SXSW, D23, ILM, Leaders London, Pixelatl, CTNX & The Walt Disney Family Museum. Deanna can also be found in her own Disney+ featurette, episode 2 of the new Inside Pixar documentary series.

Deanna is a vintage fashion enthusiast with a penchant for large costume jewels. When in need of inspiration, she loves to travel the world at length with her husband Dan with a surprisingly small backpack. Worlds away from bland, Deanna’s whimsical and one-of-a-kind style embodies the magical and creative nature of Pixar.

Mary Beth Marchione is a partner with over 15 years of experience in risk advisory services related to information technology (IT) audits, System and Organization Controls (SOC) reports, regulatory reporting and risk mitigation. She is attuned to the needs of clients including startup businesses, established companies, individuals, health technology companies, fintech companies and financial institutions. Clients appreciate Mary Beth’s tailored solutions to help them overcome challenges in a wide range of complex information technology environments.

Matt Kelley joined JAM in 2021 and serves as Director of the JAM FINTOP Bank network. He is also a member at JAM Special Opportunity Ventures. Prior to JAM, Matt spent 20+ years in the institutional equities business where he focused on the financial services sector. Most recently, he served as Managing Director and financial sector specialist at Stephens Inc. where he worked closely with the capital markets team, institutional investors and corporate clients. Prior to Stephens, he worked with the sector sales and equity research teams at Piper Jaffray. Earlier in his career, Matt held senior equity research positions at Sterne Agee, Moors & Cabot and RBC Capital Markets where he covered East Coast banks, specialty finance companies and emerging bank tech. Matt received his Bachelor of Science from Marquette University.

Meg Poag is the CEO and Founder of Mission Squared. She is a visionary, proven leader driving fast-paced scale in multiple companies. Meg is passionate about empowering other leaders to drive change, get better results, and address the most insidious dysfunctions facing teams. A seasoned student behavioral psychology and the school of hard knocks, Ms. Poag grew an organization from 2 to 90 employees, receiving national acclaim and honing her expertise in addressing cultural issues and ‘people problems.’ Ms. Poag then transitioned into her new career trajectory after receiving a certification in a research-based, proven organizational development consulting platform among other certifications, and launched Mission Squared. Meg has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Texas at Austin, teaching a course on leadership for master’s students, has served on numerous boards including the local Workforce Development board, mentored hundreds of emerging leaders, coached hundreds of executives, and recently completed her first published book, The Adversity Hack, now an Amazon Best-Seller in the category of Business Leadership! 

Ms. Poag not only has proven executive leadership skills, but a proven track-record of organizational clients and executive leaders who she has partnered with to transform their organizations for healthy and sustainable growth. Meg is a highly sought after paid speaker at national conferences, associations, and corporate training events on a wide array of topics including the hidden dynamics undermining culture and engagement, transforming cultures from dysfunction to accountability, emotional intelligence, trust, and building next-level executive talent. Her firm, Mission Squared, specializes in fast, effective transformation of dysfunction and disengagement with its client companies and leaders. Her clients say that no one addresses ‘people problems’ in a more efficient and sustainable way than Mission Squared.

Mike Alles is passionate about helping leaders be the best they can be. As a leader himself, a student of leadership, and coach, Mike knows leaders are far more influential than they realize and that an investment in their leadership skills will yield untold benefits to them, their teams, and organizations. 

In 6th grade, a teacher told Mike he was a leader and that those skills could be used to build people up or tear them down; that comment still echoes today and has shaped a life of “building up” and help other leaders do the same.

Over 30 years Mike has personally led in many settings, including non-profits, small and medium sized companies, and global Fortune 500 organizations. Consistent themes in his leadership are successfully leading through disruptive change, consistently exceeding targets, building healthy workplace culture, creating happy employees, and coaching-up effective leaders (and coaches).

Mike has honed his coaching skills through decades of experience learning alongside a host of prominent leadership organizations and earning certifications from organizations including the International Coaching Federation, CoachU, The McKinnon Leadership Institute, The Leadership Circle, The Prime Coaching Academy, and Cloverleaf Assessments. The beneficiaries of Mike’s one-on-one and group coaching services include start-up companies, globally well-recognized name brand organizations, Chairpersons and CEOs, C-suite leaders, and up-and-coming leaders across a diverse range of industries.

Mike’s approach to leadership development is centered around (1) helping the leader (or team) build self-awareness, (2) proactively identifying who they want to “be” to lead best, and then (3) creating executable roadmaps to drive the desired results. Every leader is a totally unique individual facing equally one-of-a-kind situations; therefore, each leadership journey is also unlike any other. Mike partners with the leader to chart that singular course and drive accountability. The true ultimate barometer of success: the leader experiencing increasing impact, joy, and fulfillment in being the best leader they can be.

Peter Hazlehurst, CEO and co-founder of Synctera, is a global FinTech entrepreneur and philanthropist with nearly 30 years of experience creating financial products for banks, FinTechs, and large tech companies. Launched in 2020, Synctera provides companies with everything they need to build and scale innovative banking products and equips sponsor banks with the tools they need to manage compliant partnerships. Peter moved from Australia to the US for his first startup in 1993, building a core banking system called Phoenix, that still powers many community banks today. Since then, Peter has served as Head of Uber Money, Chief Operating Officer at Postmates, Senior Director of Product Management at Google, CEO and Board Member of Google Payments Corporation, and Chief Product Officer at Yodlee. Peter also led Product at Nokia for Enterprise Mobility and Mobile email and has served as a CTO and consultant at several startups.

Sam Kilmer leads Cornerstone Advisors’ fintech advisory practice working with industry providers, fintechs, and investors. Cornerstone Advisors is a leading management and technology consultancy for banks, credit unions and fintech firms. Sam also leads select strategy engagements with banks and credit unions. 

Sam is a nationally sought-after speaker, creator and host of the Fintech Hustle podcast, and a regular contributor to GonzoBanker. He serves as a judge for Finovate awards and is an active member of the Association for Financial Technology (AFT).

Prior to Cornerstone, Sam was with two midsize banks and two fintech firms where he provided leadership in strategic planning, partnerships, digital banking, industry outreach, content marketing, system selection, implementation, contract negotiations, mergers, analytics, and client consulting.

Sam studied at Regents College London and has a bachelor’s degree in finance and international business from Ball State University.  

Steve DuPerrieu is an experienced professional in the financial technology sector, currently serving as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Computer Services, Inc. (CSI). With a robust background in product management, sales, and strategic partnerships, Steve has been instrumental in driving innovation and growth within the company. In addition to his role at CSI, Steve has been actively involved in industry associations, having served as a board member and President of the Association for Financial Technology (AFT) in 2019. His leadership in this capacity underscores his commitment to advancing technology solutions in the financial sector. Steve's contributions have been recognized in various industry publications, reflecting his influence and thought leadership in financial technology.

Susan French is a 25-year veteran of the financial services sector. She is an embedded finance, payments, digital commerce, and financial services expert and a passionate evangelist for Embedded Finance and Banking-as-a-Service. Currently working as an independent consultant, she advises financial institutions, brands, and Fintechs of all sizes on how to navigate the payments ecosystem, develop their BaaS capabilities, and effectively and efficiently add payment and digital financial services into their businesses.

At BBVA, she led the Product and Client Operations team that made BBVA’s Open Platform into an award-winning provider of Banking-as-a-Service to FinTechs and other enterprises that needed the ability to incorporate payments, cards, and banking services natively into their branded customer experience.  At Visa, she led the team that created and launched Visa Developer (https://developer.visa.com/), Visa’s pioneering program to open up the Visa network and its capabilities (via APIs and SDKs) to developers at financial institutions, merchants, strategic partners, and FinTech startups. She also served as Visa’s Vice President of Research and Central Technology (CTO) and Head of Enterprise Architecture. In those roles, she was responsible for Visa Labs, enterprise architecture, the enterprise UI/UX team, technology strategy and technology governance, and technology investment planning.

Wade Arnold is a serial entrepreneur who co-founded three Fintechs that today serve tens of thousands of companies and millions of end users. He has architected products for digital banking, bill pay, and digital payments, always looking to modernize legacy infrastructure for the digital age. His incredible investors have included Andreesen Horowitz, Commerce Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, Visa, and Sorenson Ventures.

The first company Wade built, Banno, he bootstrapped to serve 400+ banks, was purchased by Jack Henry, and is now the digital login experience for 12M monthly active users. He then invested in, and became interim CTO for BillGo, a modern bill pay platform used by 8,000 financial institutions and 32M consumers. Along this journey, Wade developed a love for building beautiful, modern user experiences. However, the user experiences he wanted to create were always being inhibited by systems built before the internet.

As a technical founder, Moov is the platform Wade wishes he could have used when building prior startups. Modern payments infrastructure, with every US rail integrated and tested, API based data exchange, and all the bells and whistles a technologist needs to build a great UX that actually works behind the scenes too.

Moov empowers Vertical SaaS Platforms to integrate every US payments rail into their user experience with one API.

The problem Moov solves is that most vertical SaaS softwares (for example, the ones used to run gyms, healthcare companies, or service businesses), are tracking billions of dollars on payments being reconciled into their business management software. Yet the majority of that payment revenue is going to other companies like Square, Stripe, BILL, etc…

Moov makes it simple for that platform to offer payments natively within their platform and monetize them. No expertise or infrastructure build required. Today Moov processes $12B in payments for companies like Valon, Built Technologies, and Momnt and they are just getting started. 

Wes Hummel is the Chief Product and Technology Officer at MX, where he leads the strategy, vision, and execution for product and technology, delivering innovative data solutions for the financial industry. With over 25 years of experience in software development, product, site reliability engineering, infrastructure, and operations, Wes has a proven track record of building and scaling high-performing teams and technologies. Prior to MX, he held leadership roles at PayPal, driving modernization and innovation in cloud infrastructure and operations. In addition to his role at MX, Wes serves on the board of BillGO, contributing to advancements in billing and financial technology. Passionate about creating customer-focused and agile teams, he is dedicated to empowering businesses with resilient and scalable technology solutions.