Dr. Lamont Black
Finance & Tech Expert, Filene Research Institue

Dr. Lamont Black is a finance professor at DePaul University in Chicago and a recognized expert on emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, blockchain, and the metaverse. He is the founder and CEO of Wide Open Ventures, an AI and crypto consultancy that helps organizations navigate the future of technology and innovation. Dr. Black recently joined

Filene Research Institute as a Fellow and is now conducting research on “The Credit Union of the Future.”

A sought-after speaker for conferences, strategy sessions, and the media, Dr. Black frequently discusses the impact of emerging technologies on business strategy. His award-winning teaching has been featured in the Chicago Tribune and includes courses on business technology, data analytics, and cryptocurrency. Prior to joining DePaul, he served as an economist at the Federal Reserve in Washington D.C. during the financial crisis. He holds a Ph.D. in finance and economics from Indiana University and a B.A. from Stanford University. For more information on his speaking, teaching, and research, visit his personal website at lamontblack.com. You can also watch Dr. Black in action on Amazon Prime and Apple TV in the new crypto documentary, The Highest of Stakes.

 

Julie Cayse
Western Regional Director, NCUA

Julie Cayse is the Regional Director for the NCUA’s Western Region. As Regional Director, she oversees the examination and supervision of federally insured credit unions in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Prior to her appointment as Regional Director, Julie served as the Western Region’s Associate Regional Director of Operations. Within the NCUA, she has also held positions as the Director of Risk Management in the Office of Examination & Insurance, Director of Supervision, Supervisory Examiner, Supervision Analyst, and Principal Examiner. Before joining the agency, she spent several years working in financial services in the private sector.

Julie graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Kentucky with degrees in economics and management. She also holds a master’s degree in business administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a graduate of the Executive Leadership Program at The Graduate School in Washington, D.C., and the NCUA’s Executive Training Program.

 

Mark Sievewright
Chief Strategy Officer & Founder, Sievewright & Associates, an SRM Company

With more than 35 years of financial services experience, Mark Sievewright has worked directly with numerous credit unions in the successful formulation and execution of their business strategies and plans. Mark is the recipient of several industry awards and is a recognized industry thought-leader. Mark has led strategic consulting engagements for credit unions ranging from $250M to greater than $50 billion in assets. Also, he has supported credit unions on their merger-related strategies and related actions, including pre-merger planning and post-merger integration support. ​

​During his career, Mark has held senior leadership positions at HSBC, MasterCard International (wherehe led the firm’s marketing and commercial services division in Europe, Middle East and Africa), Payment Systems Inc. (where he served as CEO), TowerGroup (now part of Gartner Group, wherehe served as CEO) and Fiserv (where he served as vice chairman and president of the company’sCredit Union Solutions division with more than 1,500 employees serving 2,600 credit unions). ​

​In April 2017, Mark established Sievewright & Associates, which is uniquely focused on providing credit unions with valuable strategic business insights and trusted technology guidance to drive their business growth and member experience initiatives, both effectively and efficiently. In September 2022, Sievewright & Associates was acquired by Strategic Resource Management (SRM) and now operates as an SRM company. Mark also serves as the firm’s Chief Strategy Officer.

 

Scott Simpson
President & CEO, America’s Credit Unions

Scott Simpson is the president/CEO of America’s Credit Unions, a national trade organization representing the unified voice of the credit union movement and the 144 million members it serves.

Scott has served for more than 22 years in the credit union movement, including leading Utah’s Credit Unions, California’s Credit Unions, and Nevada’s Credit Unions. He is inspired by the power of credit unions to change people’s financial lives and holds a lifelong belief in the power of not-for-profit financial cooperatives.

His mission at America’s Credit Unions is to energize and amplify the life-changing impact credit unions create every day, while also enhancing credit unions’ bipartisan appeal among elected officials and policymakers in Washington, D.C.

Scott has served on the boards of America’s Credit Unions (and legacy organization CUNA) and the American Association of Credit Union Leagues. He also chaired the Credit Union Legislative Action Council (CULAC), and the National Advocacy Fund.

Prior to joining the credit union movement, Scott worked on the staff of Sen. Orrin Hatch, and led the Utah Republican Party. A Utah native, Scott holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations and Japanese from Weber State University and is an instrument-rated private pilot.