Michael has been in the financial services industry for over 20 years, serving in various roles at two community and regional banks then as a loan department lead for one of the largest financial institutions in the country. He joined the Credit Union industry in 2014 and was named President/CEO at First Financial in 2015. FFCU grew over 300% under his leadership and attracted many suitors. In 2024, he led a joint process to merge with Great Lakes Credit Union and was named the Chief Strategy Officer at GLCU following the transaction. Today he oversees numerous initiatives in areas of business development, lending, mergers and acquisitions and external growth and is the CEO of GLCU Holdings, CEO of Mortgage Forward, and CEO of GLCU Insurance, all closely held CUSOs of GLCU.

Michael serves on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Credit Union Foundation, the Illinois Credit Union League as Vice Chairman, Vice Chairman of Envisant, Vice Chairman of Services Credit Union and Chairman of the National Credit Union Insurance Alliance. He is also an advisor on various investment and other ventures both as a volunteer and in support of other businesses. In 2025, he was named to the Board of Directors of Aviary, an industry first AI solution which he helped to jumpstart as CEO of one of the initial investors in 2023. Beyond the four walls of finance, he helps to serve as a Board member of Synergies Seed Fund a first of its kind non-profit assisting those with disabilities in their entrepreneurial aspirations.

Past experience includes roles on the Board of Xtend in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Treasurer at Resources for Community Living in Rolling Meadows, IL. Michael is also an Adjunct Faculty Member teaching classes in Finance and Management in the MBA program at North Park University, a role he has held since 2018.

Michael received a BA from DePaul University in 2007 and an MBA in Finance in 2012 as well as a post graduate degree from the University of Wisconsin in 2016.

Michael resides in the northern suburbs of Chicago as a life long resident of the Chicagoland area with his wife Erin and their 3 children Anderson, Maddon and Gracyn. He enjoys coaching their collective youth sports teams and is an avid Chicago Bears and Cubs fan despite the heartbreak they bring in most seasons.

Jonathan is a seasoned entrepreneur and fintech executive with deep expertise in product development and capital markets. He is the Founder and CEO of Takara, a company redefining the mortgage space at a time it is most needed.

Before Takara, Jonathan was the Founder and CEO of Contigo, a pioneer in mortgage product innovation. Previously, he served as VP of Product at Setoo, where he helped build a fully automated parametric insurance platform, and as VP of Product & Marketing at Creditplace, leading the development of a P2C factoring marketplace.

Earlier in his career, Jonathan was a trader and trade floor manager at Matrix Capital, trading and overseeing high-frequency trading of STIR futures on the CME.

With a BA in economics and MSc in civil engineering, he combines an engineer’s structured thinking with a racer's instinct for speed and precision, driving innovation in every venture he leads.

Jonathan splits his time between the US and Israel where he lives with his wife Tal and 4 daughters. He enjoys table tennis and skiing, although regularly disappointed by the lack of snowfall in Israel in most winters.

Cody Barbo is the Co-Founder & CEO of Trust & Will, the leading digital estate planning platform in the U.S., trusted by over one million families. Since launching in 2017, Trust & Will has modernized legacy planning with simple, secure, and attorney-approved online solutions tailored to state-specific laws. Under Cody’s leadership, the company has raised over $80 million in funding, and its customers report more than $100 billion in estate assets on the platform.

Trust & Will supports over 20,000 financial advisors and 200+ banks and enterprise partners, including AARP, Fifth Third Bank, Northwestern Mutual, UBS, and USAA. Recently, the company introduced EstateOS, the first intelligent estate planning platform designed to revolutionize legacy planning through embedded AI guidance, streamlined workflows, and enhanced collaboration between families and professionals.

Trust & Will was recognized on the Inc. 5000 list for the third consecutive year in 2025. Cody was named an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2023 Pacific Southwest Award Winner and regularly contributes to Forbes, Fast Company, and Inc. He is passionate about leveraging technology to transform estate planning from a transactional task into a deeply meaningful and personal experience.

Cody lives in Dallas with his wife and two children.

Karan Bhalla is the Founder and CEO of AiVantage, a company launched in 2024 to help financial institutions turn data into action through ethical, scalable, and hyper-personalized engagement. He is widely recognized across the credit union ecosystem for answering the question many organizations struggle with after dashboards and models are built: now what?

Prior to AiVantage, Karan founded CU Rise Analytics, a global CUSO focused on helping credit unions better understand, influence, and retain members through data science and predictive analytics. CU Rise was acquired by Trellence, where Karan went on to serve as Chief Growth Officer. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at IQR Consulting and worked as an analyst and risk auditor at Capital One, building a strong foundation in risk, analytics, and financial services.

With more than two decades of experience, Karan has led global teams across the U.S. and India and collaborated with organizations including Capital One, PenFed, and American Express. His passion is leveling the playing field for small and mid-sized institutions by enabling AI that delivers the right message to the right member at the right moment, without compromising trust or compliance.

Alok Datta is the Founder and CEO of Alchemist Solutions, where he helps lenders remove friction from the mortgage process by leading with domain expertise and process clarity before applying technology. A seasoned business and technology leader, Alok brings deep experience in process transformation, workflow optimization, and operating at scale within highly regulated financial environments.

Before founding Alchemist Solutions, Alok served as Group President at SLK Global, where he led strategy, growth, and delivery across complex enterprise systems, industry verticals, and global teams. His background includes building and scaling technology-enabled services that balance innovation with execution discipline. Today, Alchemist Solutions integrates with platforms such as MeridianLink and MortgageFlex, helping lenders digitize document processing, streamline underwriting workflows, and deliver cleaner, more complete loan files.

Alok believes the industry often over invests in large technology initiatives while underinvesting in understanding how work actually gets done. His philosophy is precise and practical: understand the process, remove the bottleneck, then apply technology surgically where it creates measurable value. That approach has made him a trusted partner to lenders seeking sustainable efficiency and real operational impact.

Eric brings over two decades of leadership in retirement planning, insurance, and banking to the credit union industry. As Vice President of Member Support Services at AMOCO Federal Credit Union, he champions operational excellence and member-focused strategies that drive meaningful financial outcomes.

Throughout his career, Eric has held pivotal roles, including managing a $500M+ wealth management firm and overseeing the life & annuity operations of a $50B+ life insurance carrier. His academic credentials include a BBA in Finance from Texas State University, an MBA in Finance and Financial Management Services from the University of Houston–Clear Lake, and professional designations as a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) from The American College.

In 2024, Eric graduated with honors from the Cornerstone League's Southwest Credit Union Management School, underscoring his commitment to continuous growth and innovation. Known for his expertise in strategic planning, risk management, and operational leadership, Eric is passionate about empowering credit unions to deliver exceptional member experiences and thrive in a rapidly evolving financial landscape.

Emily Jorgenson is the Director of Operations & Training at Credit Unions First, where she leads operational strategy, training, and enablement across the organization. With over a decade of experience in teaching, coaching, and program development, Emily specializes in building training systems that improve adoption, efficiency, and confidence. Her work focuses on onboarding, process alignment, and turning complex tools into usable knowledge. Outside the office, Emily is a CrossFit Level 2 Coach with 10 years of coaching experience, bringing the same clarity, structure, and energy to the gym as she does to the workplace.

Mark Keeling, Senior Manager of Payments Strategy and Product Innovation at Catalyst, plays a key role in developing faster payments offerings such as FedNow®, RTP®, and P2P. With 37 years in correspondent banking and a former COO of The Bankers Bank, he brings deep expertise across payment rails: ACH, wires, checks, cash, and cards. Mark served on the Fed’s Faster Payments Task Force and now sits on the U.S. Faster Payments Council. A graduate of SMU and the Conn Graduate School, he frequently speaks at industry events hosted by Nacha, FRB, ABA, BAI, ICBA, OBA, TBA, and ECCHO.

Nicol Matthews, Chief Operating Officer of Innovative Business Solutions, brings over 37 years of financial industry experience, with nearly two decades of executive leadership in credit unions and a proven track record of transformative leadership. She’s led organizations through substantial growth initiatives – driving an increase in assets by over 250%, leveraged growth in the loan portfolio by over 240% and doubled membership from 30,000 to 60,000 in less than 10 years solely through organic growth. She is a recognized leader in business services consulting, leadership development and training initiatives --- equipping credit unions to grow stronger through strategy development, setting expectations and accountability, culture refinement, and training enhancements. Nicol’s leadership is rooted in purpose, shaped by experience and driven by a desire to create a positive, lasting impact --- one credit union at a time.

Jed Meyer is a visionary leader with nearly 30 years of experience in banking and financial services, known for blending bold innovation with a deep commitment to people-first values. Since becoming President & CEO of St. Cloud Financial Credit Union (SCFCU) in 2014, Jed has led the organization through more than 400 percent organic growth, achieving an average annual growth rate of 14 percent, far outpacing the 3 percent industry peer average. Under his leadership, membership has doubled and loan growth consistently outperforms peer benchmarks, driven by a strategic focus on lending excellence, product innovation, and purpose-driven leadership.

Jed has positioned SCFCU at the forefront of fintech transformation. Under his leadership, the credit union—one of the owners of DaLand CUSO—became the first in the industry to launch a digital asset vault, a ground breaking solution developed by DaLand to meet the evolving future of money. Jed also serves as chair of DaLand’s Board of Directors, helping guide the CUSO’s strategic direction to empower local financial institutions address the diverse needs of underserved markets.

This collaboration reflects Jed’s forward-looking approach to the evolution of money and payments, enabling credit unions to thrive in a rapidly changing financial ecosystem. He also supported the successful launch of cannabis business banking services, further demonstrating his commitment to the credit union serving emerging markets and meeting members where they are.

In recognition of this bold leadership, St. Cloud Financial Credit Union was named one of the Most Innovative Companies to Watch in 2025, a testament to Jed’s ability to combine strategy and heart in guiding a mission-aligned institution into the future.

Beyond his role in financial services, Jed and his wife Sara Meyer are co-owners of the Family Achievement Center of Central Minnesota, a pediatric therapy clinic specializing in occupational, physical, and speech therapy. Together, they are committed to supporting holistic health and developmental outcomes for children and families in their community.

Jed is also the co-founder of the TriUnity Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to alleviating financial burdens for individuals facing terminal illness, enabling them to focus on relationships, healing, and dignity in life’s most difficult seasons.

His community impact is deep and sustained: he has served on the Sartell City Council, held leadership roles with the Sartell Baseball Association, St. Cloud Public Safety Foundation, and the Pinecone Central Park Board, and coached youth sports for more than 16 years.

Ben Rempe works with fintechs, CUSOs, and credit union leaders navigating one of the hardest phases of growth: when the product works, early momentum exists, and progress still feels slower and harder than it should.

As Founder of Limitless Growth Guild, Ben partners with leadership teams to bring clarity to strategy, discipline to execution, and structure to go-to-market efforts. His work spans revenue strategy, capital alignment, partnerships, and organizational focus, with an emphasis on building repeatable growth engines rather than chasing one-off wins.

Ben’s background includes senior leadership roles at fintech companies such as TMG Financial Services and LenderClose (Coviance), both recognized with NACUSO CUSO of the Year awards, where he helped scale teams, revenue, and capital through periods of rapid growth.

At the helm of Pure IT Credit Union Services and Janusea, Inc., Jack focuses on pioneering IT solutions tailored to Credit Union challenges. His team excels in identifying and bridging infrastructure gaps, ensuring our clients are equipped with robust and secure systems. With an emphasis on transparent communication, we guide Credit Unions through potential improvements and strategic investments.

As a CRO, I apply my acumen in business strategy and sales management to drive forward innovative service models and operational best practices. Our mission is to empower the Credit Union community through cutting-edge, cost-effective IT services. The goal is to create a lasting impact in the marketplace and contribute positively to society by serving the unique needs of our clients.

Executive and servant leader with experience in digital and retail venues of financial services delivery. Experience in strategic planning and management, asset/liability management, mission fulfillment, consumer/mortgage/commercial lending, branch and back-office operations, marketing and business development, and project sponsorship and management. Has certification in Enterprise Risk Management and proven record of expense reduction through streamlined delivery channels, product innovation and portfolio management. 38 years of financial services experience.

Alice serves as the Vice President of Consumer Lending, Product Innovation, and Credit Analytics at VyStar Credit Union.

Visionary entrepreneur building the next generation of cooperative financial infrastructure through open banking, tokenized assets, and Human-Powered AI. 
Speaker at Google Cloud Next, Davos, NACUSO, and the World Credit Union Conference.

Scott Venerable is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BENEFICIARY ProActive™, where he works at the intersection of trust, compliance, and life events to help financial institutions improve how beneficiary data and benefits are managed over time. With more than 20 years of experience across insurance, benefits consulting, and financial services, Scott has worked in nearly every seat in the industry, giving him a rare, end-to-end perspective on where beneficiary and benefit transfer processes break down.

His work centers on proactive life events that place stress on beneficiary data and benefit continuity, including marriage, divorce, birth or adoption, job changes, retirement, caregiving, and the death of a family member. These moments often expose outdated records, disconnected systems, and unclear ownership, creating risk for both families and institutions.

Scott focuses on addressing common drivers of unclaimed property exposure, beneficiary disputes, and operational friction by bringing structure, accountability, and coordination to beneficiary data and continuity planning, helping organizations deliver greater clarity, continuity, and care during life’s most critical transitions.