Keynote Speakers | Washington Summit

2024 Speakers

Mary Kay Bates is President and Chief Executive Officer of Bank Midwest, a regional community bank and financial services company with $1.3 billion in assets based in Spirit Lake, Iowa. Bank Midwest provides banking, insurance, wealth management and trust services through an 11 branch network located throughout Northwest Iowa, Southwest Minnesota, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Brent Beardall is President, Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of WaFd Bank, a Washington state chartered commercial bank headquartered in Seattle, Washington (NASDAQ: WAFD). Mr. Beardall joined WaFd Bank in 2001 as Vice President and Controller. In 2003 he was promoted to Chief Financial Officer, a position he served in for eleven years. Prior to this he served as Chief Banking Officer where he was responsible for all client-facing activities of the bank.

Donna Brazile is a veteran political strategist, Senior Advisor at Purple Strategies, New York Times bestselling author, Chair of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, and sought-after Emmy and Peabody-award-winning media contributor to such outlets as ABC News, USA Today, The Hill and theGrio. She became the first African American woman to serve as the manager of a major party presidential campaign, running the campaign of former Vice President Al Gore.  

In 2023, Senator Katie Boyd Britt was sworn in as Alabama’s first elected female Senator, the youngest Republican woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate, and the only current Republican mom of school-aged kids serving in the Senate. In the 118th Congress, Senator Britt serves on the Committee on Appropriations, where she is ranking member of the Homeland Security subcommittee; the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; and the Committee on Rules and Administration.  

David P. Barksdale joined Piedmont Federal Savings Bank as Chief Executive Officer in September 2019. Piedmont Federal is a $1.1 billion mutual savings bank founded in 1903 and serves the Triad, Northwest NC, and Lake Norman markets. Recent initiatives include a new business banking line of business, enhanced digital capabilities, and teammate engagement strategies.

Lina Cagossi brings two decades of experience in journalism, broadcast media, and financial consulting to The Communication Center. Lina worked as a financial journalist, anchor, and reporter for Bloomberg Television and Sky Italia, first in London and then New York. Lina was a correspondent from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, reporting also on the economy and politics, and anchored a daily show from Bloomberg NY studio on the stock market. 

Tyler Clinch serves as the Chief Executive Officer and President of First Community Bank of East Tennessee, as well as a Director and the Chairman of the Bank Board. She was appointed to this position in June of 2011, having previously served the bank as the Chief Financial Officer since 2005. Ms. Clinch also serves as a Director and President of the bank’s holding company, First Community Corporation.  

Ryan Coaxum an Austin native, is known for his striking energy and enthusiasm for life that drives him to give back to his community in various capacities. With over a decade of experience in the banking industry, he is half of the two-person team that brought Guaranty Bank & Trust (subsidiary of Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. NYSE: GNTY) to Central Texas. He is a proven brand-builder, with a track record of driving growth and expanding market presence.

Senator Dave Craven represents Randolph, Richmond, Montgomery, Anson, and a portion of Union counties in District 29. He was elected in 2020 and is the youngest serving Republican member of the North Carolina Senate. He currently serves as Chairman of Appropriations on Agriculture, Natural, and Economic Resources, and Commerce and Insurance. He serves as a member of Agriculture, Energy, and Environment, Education/Higher Education, Finance, and Transportation Committees.

Congressman Tom Emmer was sworn in for his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives on January 6, 2015. He is currently serving his fifth term. After serving as the Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee for the 116th Congress and again for the 117th Congress, Tom was elected by his fellow Republican colleagues to be the House Majority Whip. Currently, he sits on the House Financial Services Committee. Before coming to Congress, he served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2004-2008.

Peter Gwaltney has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the North Carolina Bankers Association since January 2015. He is a former banker and previously served as CEO of the Louisiana Bankers Association. During his career, Peter has served on numerous committees with the American Bankers Association and currently serves on the ABA Board of Directors and is Chairman of the ABA Alliance of State Bankers Associations.

Michelle Henery is an accomplished television and newspaper journalist with a wealth of on-screen broadcasting experience and a background in reporting, editing, and writing. Michelle has worked for leading news organizations across Europe, including as a writer for Reuters in Paris, a reporter and editor for The Times of London, an on-camera correspondent for Al Jazeera English, and most recently as a presenter and news anchor for Germany’s international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle.

Noel Hansen has been a leader at Alpine Bank for more than 20 years, and her strategic initiatives have aided the organization in upholding its longstanding core values of Independence, Integrity, Community, Compassion and Loyalty. As a senior vice president at Alpine Bank, Noel leads a team of treasury management professionals and commercial sales specialists that help businesses streamline operations of collecting, distributing, and managing cash flow.  

W. Brad Johnson, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics and Law at the United States Naval Academy, and a Faculty Associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. A clinical psychologist, Dr. Johnson is a mentoring expert specializing in developing gender-inclusive mentoring cultures for organizations around the globe.  

Brian Kelly is the Founder of The Points Guy (TPG), the trusted travel media platform that has revolutionized the travel and loyalty industries through expert insight, innovative technology, and acclaimed rankings. From his beginnings in finance, Brian has used his expertise and passion to transform TPG from a personal blog to an unrivaled media powerhouse with over 11 million monthly visitors, a full team of contributors, and the introduction of the TPG App.  

As the President and CEO of the Florida Bankers Association (FBA), the Honorable Kathleen L. Kraninger serves as the premier voice for the banking industry in the state of Florida and leads the organization. Kraninger, as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from December 2018 until January 2021, made her mark on all aspects of the agency’s mission and operations, particularly in facilitating innovation, promoting financial inclusion and leading through the economic uncertainty of the global pandemic.

Jelena McWilliams is Managing Partner of the Washington, D.C. office and Head of the Financial Institutions Group (FIG) Practice. She is a former Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). While at the FDIC, McWilliams managed over 6,000 employees supervising approximately 5,000 banks, including through the COVID-19 pandemic. She participated in interagency negotiations, policy developments and joint agency rulemakings both as agency principal and as a voting member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC).

Mike Murphy is one of the Republican Party’s most successful political media consultants, having handled strategy and advertising for more than 26 successful gubernatorial and Senatorial campaigns, including 12 wins in “blue” states that have consistently voted Democratic in Presidential elections. He is also a widely quoted pundit; he is a longtime top analyst for NBC News and MSNBC and he co-hosts the popular podcast Hacks on Tap.  

Lisa J. Oliver has been a distinguished leader in the banking industry across New England and the Midwest for over three decades. In 2017, Lisa joined The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod (The Coop), as President and CEO, becoming the first female CEO in its 103-year history. In 2020, she became the Bank’s first Chair of the Board of Directors.  

Kristina Schaefer serves as General Counsel, Chief Risk Officer and Chief Administrative Officer for First Bank & Trust. In her role, Kristina serves as the primary legal resource for the organization and oversees the risk management and human resources functions. Prior to joining First Bank & Trust, Kristina practiced law, where she was a member of the financial institutions practice group.

Ralph Simone has spent over a quarter of a century helping individuals and organizations transform themselves, raise their consciousness, and perform at their fullest potential. As a Black Belt in karate and an avid reader, Ralph understands the benefits of consistent practice and continuous learning as integral parts of leadership development. An accomplished writer, Ralph is currently writing a book entitled Slow Down to Go Faster. He also published Making It Stick and The Daily Re-Tweet.

David Smith, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. A former Navy pilot, Dr. Smith led diverse organizations of women and men culminating in command of a squadron in combat and flew more than 3,000 hours over 30 years including combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.  

Joshua Stallings, Deputy Director Division of Bank Regulation (DBR), joined FHFA in 2011 and most recently served as Examiner-in-Charge of the Office of Fannie Mae Examinations within the Division of Enterprise Regulation (DER). Previously, he served as the Examiner-in-Charge of the Office of Freddie Mac Examinations and the Boston and Cincinnati FHLBanks.  

Ted Wartell is the Associate Director, Office of Housing and Community Investment at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). His expertise includes affordable housing, federal housing programs, financial regulation, and mortgage finance. Prior to FHFA, Wartell served as the Director of Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Comptroller of the Currency. He also served as chief of staff for Community Lending at Fannie Mae.  

Dr. Sahar Yousef and Lucas Miller are both cognitive neuroscientists and MBA faculty at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. At Berkeley, Sahar and Lucas run the Becoming Superhuman Lab and teach one of the most popular MBA classes, called "Becoming Superhuman: The Science of Productivity and Performance," which teaches busy professionals how to get their most important work done, in less time, with less stress.