Event & Class Speakers
If you would like information on any unlisted speakers, please contact a Professional Development Associate.
Dianne Barton, is President of Performance Solutions, inc. (PSi), training and consulting company that specializes in providing solutions to the key challenges facing banks today in attracting and building relationships with their customers. PSi's training programs are designed to “close the gap” between the banks’ needs and employees' skills. Her trademark “real world” scenarios give attendees insight into the practical application of new skills and knowledge. Dianne is a well-respected facilitator and presenter and has spoken to banking audiences across the country for over 30 years. Her training and consulting expertise in strategic planning, leadership, deposit and consumer regulatory compliance, retail growth strategies, performance management, as well as sales culture development is recognized as providing “real world solutions” by both regional and community banks. Before starting Performance Solutions in 1983, she held senior positions with BankSouth Corporation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the John H. Harland Company. Dianne is a graduate of Georgia State University and is on the faculty of several national and state banking schools.
David Branch is the President and CEO of Branch Solutions Group, a business and leadership training company. His perspective as a business coach and teacher stems from his 24 years of “in the trenches” experience as the owner of a construction and environmental remediation firm. Being fully engaged in the daily functions of these businesses, David knows first-hand the daily struggles leaders face. His experiences in leadership bring a “realness” that effectively serves to break down barriers between leaders and their teams, resulting in success for the entire team.
Randy Bullock is a seasoned Security Officer with over 26 years in the banking industry with experience in Retail, Consumer Lending and Banking Operations. He’s a Certified Financial Services Security Professional and is currently the Security Officer for Origin Bank which has locations in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. While serving his 12-year tenure as Origin’s Security Officer, he has supported the bank’s security needs during their growth from a single state bank to a multi-state bank which has more than tripled their banking centers, offsite ATMs, loan production offices and Operations and Administrative Centers. Because of the rapid growth, Randy has had to rely on Technology and streamlining equipment to assist him in managing the physical security needs for Origin Bank while operating as a one-person department.
Anetria Connell is a Vice President at ProBank Austin . Prior to joining the firm, she served as legal counsel to the Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions which regulates depository, non-depository, and securities entities. Her primary responsibility at the Department was the Dodd-Frank Act, whereby she assessed its effect on federal and state law and provided information and training to examiners and staff. In addition to her regulatory experience, Ms. Connell practiced business, real estate, and banking law. She graduated from The George Washington University Law school in 2004 with honors, and is licensed to practice law in Ohio and Kentucky.
Cathy Cox brings 12 years of experience as a director of United Community Banks to the many leadership roles she has held during her varied career. United Community Bank is a publicly-traded bank holding company headquartered in Blairsville, Georgia, with executive offices in Greenville, South Carolina. Ms. Cox is an attorney who serves as dean of Mercer University School of Law in Macon, GA. She previously served as president of Young Harris College, where she doubled the enrollment and faculty size in growing the historic college from a two-year institution into a four-year college. college.
In 1998, Ms. Cox became the first woman elected Secretary of State in Georgia, a post to which she was re-elected in 2002. As secretary of state, implemented transformative online functions within the office, targeted investment fraud, and instituted a universal electronic voting system to improve the accuracy of Georgia’s elections, making Georgia the first American state to do so.
She is a native of Bainbridge, GA, and began her political career as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. In 2011, Ms. Cox was presented with the Traditions of Excellence Award for General Practice by the State Bar’s General Practice and Trial Section. Georgia Trend Magazine named her one of its 100 Most Influential Georgians nine times.
Ms. Cox is a honor graduate of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, GA, the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism, and Mercer University’s Law School, where she was editor-in-chief of the Mercer Law Review.
Ms. Cox serves on a number of civic and charitable boards, including the Georgia Cities Foundation, the Ty Cobb Educational Foundation, and the Chick-fil-A Foundation Advisory Board. She is a graduate of Leadership Georgia, and is active in the United Methodist Church.
She and her husband, attorney Mark Dehler, live in Macon with their yellow Labrador retriever Ellie Mae.
In 1998, Ms. Cox became the first woman elected Secretary of State in Georgia, a post to which she was re-elected in 2002. As secretary of state, implemented transformative online functions within the office, targeted investment fraud, and instituted a universal electronic voting system to improve the accuracy of Georgia’s elections, making Georgia the first American state to do so.
She is a native of Bainbridge, GA, and began her political career as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. In 2011, Ms. Cox was presented with the Traditions of Excellence Award for General Practice by the State Bar’s General Practice and Trial Section. Georgia Trend Magazine named her one of its 100 Most Influential Georgians nine times.
Ms. Cox is a honor graduate of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, GA, the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism, and Mercer University’s Law School, where she was editor-in-chief of the Mercer Law Review.
Ms. Cox serves on a number of civic and charitable boards, including the Georgia Cities Foundation, the Ty Cobb Educational Foundation, and the Chick-fil-A Foundation Advisory Board. She is a graduate of Leadership Georgia, and is active in the United Methodist Church.
She and her husband, attorney Mark Dehler, live in Macon with their yellow Labrador retriever Ellie Mae.
Carol Dodgen is the owner of Dodgen Security Consulting. Since 1998, her company has been providing services for businesses, financial institutions, and government entities to include training, ATM lighting inspections, and security assessments. Before forming her company, Carol served as the security training officer for Compass Bank. She earned her Master's Degree in Criminal Justice and spent several years as an adjunct criminal justice instructor with Jacksonville State University. Carol is a nationally recognized speaker who has provided training for over 100,000 corporate, manufacturing, utility, law enforcement, and security personnel over the past 25 years. Carol earned her CPD (Crime Prevention Designation) and provides instruction on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), Workplace Violence Prevention and Response, Robbery Prevention and Response, and Personal Safety. Carol recently produced her 2nd video training program entitled “Robbery: Plan. Prevent. Prevail.” which provides training for employees of financial institutions in proper robbery procedures. In 2009, Carol was appointed by the governor to serve on the newly formed Alabama Security Regulatory Board and served for 6 years as vice-chair of this board which regulates the security guard industry in the state.
Zach Duke is the Founder and President of Cybersecurity firm Finosec. Under his leadership, he leads the vision of the company to help financial institutions navigate the complexities and burdens of cybersecurity. Zach has over 20 years of experience in helping community banks manage information security and cybersecurity. He has held positions in technical, product management, business development, and leadership at network services company Safe Systems and Gladiator Technology until its acquisition by Jack Henry and Associates INC. Zach has a passion for community banks, and he has taught numerous banking topics related to technology strategic planning, cybersecurity, and compliance. Duke is on the advisory board of Management Information Systems at the University of Georgia, and he is the immediate Past President of the financial technology user group, The Association for Financial Technology (aftweb.com). Duke received his BBA in Management Information Systems from the University of Georgia. His unique background and presentation style allows him to be able to communicate complex topics in ways that keep the audience engaged and informed.
Tom Flournoy has over 35 years of community bank leadership experience in the areas of finance, accounting, audit, risk and bank operations. Tom is Senior Vice President of Advisory Services at PCBB. Tom specializes in credit risk measurement and risk management including: Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses (ALLL), Including CECL; Liquidity Risk; ALCO Services. Prior to joining PCBB, Tom served as a CFO and COO at community banks in Indiana, Kentucky, Georgia and Florida. Tom served as CFO of CBC National Bank ("CBCO"), a high performing community bank focused on Mortgage and SBA Lending. He also served as CFO of First Bank of Georgia, where the bank was ranked as one of the top banks in Georgia during the economic crisis. He received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Ball State University in Indiana.
Leah M. Hamilton, JD is a Vice President and Senior Consultant with ProBank Austin’s Education Division. She has a broad range of expertise in federal regulatory compliance. With nearly 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, her compliance knowledge spans Lending, Deposits, BSA/AML and Compliance Management. Leah is nationally recognized for her practical compliance advice and her engaging approach to teaching regulatory compliance matters with her quick wit, sense of humor and examples, making compliance an enjoyable educational experience. Where compliance is every employee’s responsibility every day, she provides tools and valuable insight to effectively understand and manage compliance. As a compliance expert, Leah has served as a lead advisor on consent order remediation engagements and management responses to examiner concerns. She is often called upon to assist in potential RESPA Section 8, UDAAP and Overdraft matters. Leah has trained more than 1,000 lenders on TRID and served as a TRID and 2018 HMDA expert for the American Bankers Association. Prior to joining the firm, Leah has served as the Chief Compliance Officer for a $4 billion community bank, a start-up mortgage company and, most notably, for TriComply, Temenos’ compliance division. Additionally, she has served as inhouse counsel and worked for several leading banking software firms. Leah received her Juris Doctorate from Northern Illinois University College of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in General Studies degree from the University of Texas at Dallas where she majored in law and minored in business management. Leah also serves as a faculty member of Southern Methodist University’s SW Graduate School of Banking in Dallas where she teaches Compliance 101, Fair Lending and the Mortgage Loan Process.
Darla Harms is a Leadership Coach, Speaker, and Trainer. She holds a Master's Degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Leadership and Adult Education and has been a student of leadership for over 22 years. She is a trained John Maxwell Coach, Speaker, and Trainer as well as a trained Mindset Coach from the Arbinger Institute. Darla started her own leadership company six years ago called, Darla Harms Leadership. Since then she has worked with thousands of leaders in Georgia and multiple other States. She has spent thousands of hours coaching, training, and speaking on the subject of leadership and believes leadership is the catalyst for any change we desire in our lives, in our workforce, and in our homes.
Doug Hensley has more than 38 years of experience in portfolio, financial and risk management with bank and governmental organizations. Doug is Senior Vice President and group head of the consulting solutions division of PCBB. His areas of expertise include bank profitability and performance, credit and rate risk measurement and management, including loan portfolio stress testing, allowance for loan and lease loss (ALLL) methodologies and measurements and ALCO services. Prior to joining PCBB, Doug was principle of Hensley Consulting, which provided advisory services to banks and municipal organizations, portfolio manager for the City of Phoenix, treasury operations manager at MeraBank in Phoenix, and an accountant with an independent bank.
Craig Hirsch is a Bank Examiner specializing in Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorist Financing. He is part of the OCC Southern District’s BSA Working Group, performs analyses on FinCEN data for various banks in the Southern District, and frequently participates in interagency meetings with other regulatory and law enforcement agencies. Mr. Hirsch is an instructor for the OCC’s domestic and foreign AML Schools, the FFIEC’s Financial Crime seminar, and has spoken at various industry conferences on a wide range of BSA/AML/OFAC topics. He has written articles on BSA/AML and fraud, which have appeared in national publications. Before joining the OCC, Craig spent over nine years as a consultant in the areas of anti-money laundering, forensic accounting, and financial statement audit. He is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist, Certified Professional in Anti-Money Laundering, Certified Fraud Examiner, and Certified Public Accountant.
Jeffery Johnson, President and founder of Bankers Insight Group, Decatur, Georgia. He is formerly executive vice president and senior consultant at Bankers Management, Inc. He began his career as a management trainee and was promoted to group vice president for South Trust Bank, Atlanta. Johnson also was senior vice president and commercial banking division manager for Citizens Trust Bank, Atlanta. He has taught AIB classes and lending seminars for Georgia, Arkansas, and Tennessee Bankers Associations. Johnson is a graduate of Morehouse College, Atlanta; John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio; and the Prochnow Graduate School of Banking, Madison, Wisconsin. He received graduate certification in bank management from Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Teri Laudano is a Senior Consultant at ProBank Austin. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Laudano served in the banking industry in the St. Louis Metropolitan and Lincoln County areas since 1982. She has nearly 30 years as a bank officer and manager of centralized loan administration departments with experience training consumer and commercial compliance, banking laws and regulations. As a Senior Consultant, Ms. Laudano presents ProBank Austin seminars and provides consulting services on regulatory compliance topics with emphasis on lending operations.
Holly Logue has been representing community banks since 1983. Her experience encompasses a wide breadth of banking regulatory matters, mergers and acquisitions, federal and state court litigation, foreclosures, collections, bankruptcies and creditors’ rights matters. In 2015, Holly became a founding member of Financial Institutions Strategies Group, LLC, a bank consulting firm representing Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) throughout the southeastern U.S. Today, Holly and her partner represent over 50% of the CDFI banks in the country and have successfully obtained some 200 grants totaling $54 million for their clients. Holly earned her B.A. degree from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN and her J.D. from Loyola University School of Law, New Orleans, LA in 1983.
David Luken is a Vice President at ProBank Austin. Prior to joining the firm in 1992, Mr. Luken was senior vice president and general counsel for a billion dollar metropolitan bank holding company. While at ProBank he has served on the faculty of the FDIC's Advanced Consumer Protection School, Bank Operations and Compliance School and the OTS Compliance School. He has also served on the faculties of banking schools conducted by the New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Arkansas bankers associations. Mr. Luken conducts over 100 seminars a year in the areas of lending and deposit compliance, Bank Secrecy Act, internet banking, information security and privacy law.
Paul Lynch is responsible for the placement of all types of state tax credits in Sugar Creek Capital’s 12+ state footprint. With 30+ years of experience in financial services with Stateside Capital, SunTrust, C&S Securities, and Quick and Reilly, Paul works with banks, insurance companies, corporations, and high-income individual in addressing state tax needs as well as CRA issues. Paul holds a finance degree from Iowa State University, is a Certified Funds Manager, has completed his CFP coursework and has held 9 different securities license designations.
Trina McCoy started her career with a regional bank in 1999 as an in-store branch manager and later managed a traditional branch. Trina also served as a Regional Manager and City President where she assisted with the opening of over 30 branches and was responsible for managing, training and operational duties.
She has also served on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement. Trina enjoys spending time with her family, shopping, gardening and decorating.
She has also served on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement. Trina enjoys spending time with her family, shopping, gardening and decorating.
Chris Nelson earned his title as one of the leading industry experts through hardwork and dedication. His path to Vice President of STS Group began on the front line, first as a technician and then mid-level management. Chris has become a banking industry expert as STS Group grew into a regional company providing security equipment and branch automation solutions across the Southeast. Chris consults with financial institutions across the U.S. on new branch technology and has an extensive knowledge of the greatest threats to bank security and how technology can help combat those threats.
Ron Plesco is an internationally-known information security and privacy attorney with 17 years experience in cyber investigations, compliance, information assurance, telecommunications, privacy, identity management, computer crime and emerging cyber threats and technology solutions. Ron joined KPMG in 2012 after a distinguished career in the private and sectors and is a frequent speaker nationally. Prior to joining KPMG, Ron was the CEO of the National Cyber Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA), where he managed the development of intelligence that led to over 400 worldwide cyber crime arrests in four years and prevented over $2 billion in fraud. No
Brad Reeves has over 15 years of experience in banking, working closely with financial institutions to provide valuable solutions and industry insight. He is also highly involved in bank industry advocacy, as a member of BancPac Florida Banking Association board of directors and the Georgia Bankers Association. Brad is Senior Vice President and Regional Manager for Georgia and Florida at PCBB. Before joining PCBB, Brad worked at BBVA in a key role providing tailored solutions to financial institutions. Prior to that role, he supported community banks with a broad portfolio of products and services at Silverton Bank. Brad received a Bachelor of Science in marketing and economics from the University of Tennessee, and has a Graduate Banking Degree from the University of Florida.
John Sillay is originally from Marietta, Georgia. He earned a B.A. in Philosophy from The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee and then moved to Macon to attend the Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor in 2013. While at Mercer University, John worked part-time for the legal department of a large community bank headquartered in Macon. After graduating law school, John served as in-house counsel for this community bank and transitioned to private practice in 2016. Prior to joining Adams │ Hemingway, John was an Associate at James-Bates-Brannan-Groover-LLP, focusing his practice on providing financial institutions and other businesses with robust legal services with respect to mergers and acquisitions, litigation, real estate, finance, corporate governance, and navigating the regulatory landscape. John has extensive experience working with executive management, front-line staff, and other business advisors to ensure that his clients are able to mitigate risk while continuing to provide exemplary service to their customers.
Drew Simmons has worked in the field of finance since 2003 and holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration along with a master’s degree in Finance from the Meinder’s School of Business at Oklahoma City University. As a Senior Vice President for The Baker Group’s Public Finance Division, he works with the needs of state and local governments as a municipal advisor on primary market bond issuance, municipal credit analysis, and continuing disclosure compliance. Drew is the architect of The Baker Group’s municipal credits database covering more than 24,000 unique obligors within 2,846 counties in the U.S.
Philip K. Smith is the President and a member of the Board of Directors of the Memphis-based law firm of Gerrish Smith Tuck and its affiliated bank consulting firm. Mr. Smith's legal and consulting practice is exclusively focused on the community banking industry throughout the country with special emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, regulatory matters and related issues. He serves on the faculty for a number of banking schools across the country. His more comprehensive bio is included in your handout materials.
Natalie Straus, CRCM is a Vice President and Senior Consultant at ProBank Austin. Ms. Straus provides consulting services in compliance with an emphasis on deposit operations and issues. Additionally, she performs consumer compliance and fair lending reviews as well as HMDA data integrity reviews for clients of varying degrees of size and complexity. She also presents seminars on various regulatory compliance topics for in-house and association sponsored programs and schools. Ms. Straus is a graduate of Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia and the American University, Washington College of Law in Washington, DC. She is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager.
Joni Taylor, University of Georgia’s Head Coach for women’s basketball, is just the second full-time head coach in the program's illustrious history. Taylor’s success over her first four seasons as head coach has garnered national attention. She herself has won numerous awards, while mentoring a total of five All-SEC honorees and three WNBA Draft picks over the last four years. Taylor was named a semifinalist for the prestigious Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year Award during the 2017-2018 season. She won the coveted Spalding Maggie Dixon National Rookie Coach of the Year honor after compiling 21 wins in her first season as head coach in 2015-16.
Her success is not solely what happens on the court. She has been heavily involved in the Athens community, creating the award-winning Beyond Basketball – a meeting place for women in Athens to discuss happenings and issues in and around the area.
Prior to arriving in Athens, Taylor coached at LSU from 2010-11, at Alabama from 2008-10, at Louisiana Tech from 2005-08 and at Troy from 2002-05.
Taylor and her husband Darius have two daughters, Jacie and Drew.
Her success is not solely what happens on the court. She has been heavily involved in the Athens community, creating the award-winning Beyond Basketball – a meeting place for women in Athens to discuss happenings and issues in and around the area.
Prior to arriving in Athens, Taylor coached at LSU from 2010-11, at Alabama from 2008-10, at Louisiana Tech from 2005-08 and at Troy from 2002-05.
Taylor and her husband Darius have two daughters, Jacie and Drew.
Diana Theis, CISP, Senior Specialized Consultant, Tax Advantaged Accounts, Compliance Center of Excellence, Wolters Kluwer
For nearly 31 years, Diana has worked closely with hundreds of financial organizations to help them create, implement, and maintain their tax-advantaged accounts programs. Twenty-four years of experience as a Senior Specialized Consultant, Tax Advantaged Accounts; Seven years of experience as an Account Administrator in the Account Record-keeping Services area of Wolters Kluwer; Has conducted hundreds of IRA trainings for financial organizations throughout the United States; Has directly assisted financial organizations in administering their IRA and other tax-advantaged accounts programs; Instrumental in the design of establishment and transaction related tax-advantaged accounts documents; Answers technical consulting calls on tax-advantaged accounts topics
For nearly 31 years, Diana has worked closely with hundreds of financial organizations to help them create, implement, and maintain their tax-advantaged accounts programs. Twenty-four years of experience as a Senior Specialized Consultant, Tax Advantaged Accounts; Seven years of experience as an Account Administrator in the Account Record-keeping Services area of Wolters Kluwer; Has conducted hundreds of IRA trainings for financial organizations throughout the United States; Has directly assisted financial organizations in administering their IRA and other tax-advantaged accounts programs; Instrumental in the design of establishment and transaction related tax-advantaged accounts documents; Answers technical consulting calls on tax-advantaged accounts topics
