2024 Wisconsin Connect Speakers Are Below
Tracie Bales
Business Development Manager, Bosch Security Systems
Kevin Chiappetta
SVP/Chief Education and Research Officer, Corporate Central Credit Union
Greg DeVore
CEO & Co-founder, ScreenSteps
Greg DeVore is the co-founder and CEO of ScreenSteps, a company dedicated to helping teams change the way they transfer organizational knowledge. With a background in training and e-learning solutions for companies like GE and Siemens, Greg helps streamline employee training, boost employee confidence, and reduce supervisor burnout. Greg holds a degree from Berklee College of Music and lives in McLean, Virginia, with his wife and four boys.
Laurie Falz
Director of Partner Experience, Edge One
As the Director of Partner Care Experience at Edge One for the Edge Now Banking Platform, Laurie leverage over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry to enhance partner relationships and drive business growth. With a background in account management and a passion for customer engagement, she excels in creating and maintaining a positive and productive work environment. Laurie’s expertise includes partnership development, sales enablement, and client relationship building.
Danielle Fancher
Director of Sales, FI GROW Solutions
With over 13 years of experience in the banking industry, Danielle has honed her skills in various capacities, primarily focusing on sales. From retail and consumer lending to mortgage and business banking, she has led sales teams to consistently outperform expectations, often surpassing annual goals within just a few months.
At her previous financial institution, Danielle successfully coached a sales team to increase ancillary product sales, such as GAP, Extended Warranty, and Payment Protection by over 600%, demonstrating her ability to drive significant growth and revenue. Currently, she works with financial institutions across the U.S. to bridge the gap between sales and marketing through the implementation of CRM and sales enablement strategies.
Mark Galauner
Financial Services Industry Director, American Customer Satisfaction Index
Mark Galauner is a data storyteller with over 20 years’ experience in applying statistically-sound measurement, analysis, and reporting practices to drive improvement and innovation for credit unions as well as companies as diverse as Ernst and Young, Lockheed Martin, NASA, and even a psychic hotline! When he is not helping organizations better care for their customers and employees, Mark can be found teaching in the School of Communication at Cleveland State University where he is a published author and has been on the faculty since 1998.
Ben La Macchia
Senior Vice President, La Macchia Group
Ben brings together his passion for design/build and finance as the SVP for La Macchia Group, having spearheaded the development of the company’s value-added services in market analytics using Geographic Information Systems, real estate procurement and branding. He partners with clients to identify secure paths for long-term growth, with an eye of the future of banking.
Josh Marenger
Vice President, DS Tech
Josh Marenger is the Vice President at DS Tech, a Managed IT Services Provider based in Escanaba, Michigan. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Josh has been a key contributor to the success of DS Tech and their customers. He holds certifications as a CISSP and CCSP, reflecting his expertise in cybersecurity and cloud security.
Josh has extensive experience providing cybersecurity solutions to the credit union industry, providing him with a unique perspective on the specific needs and challenges faced by these organizations. Under his leadership, DS Tech has been recognized as the #1 ranked Managed IT Services Provider based in the Upper Peninsula and #2 ranked across all of Michigan.
Keith McCuen
Chief Executive Officer, Rolland Solutions
Keith McCuen serves Chief Executive Officer at Rolland Solutions. He joined Rolland in 1994, bringing valuable skill sets and new perspective into the business as the result of his experiences in sales, management and entrepreneurship. Keith’s Background in locksmithing, general security, cash management and banking procedures spans decades and has allowed him to make an impact with many organizations.
Marc McKellar
Regional Sales Manager, Auto Financial Group
Marc being a veteran of the financial services industry, brings a unique perspective of using residual based financing to increase auto loan volume and ROI, while also serving the needs of borrowers. His focus is borrower retention and new borrower growth through education and sales. His experience in financial institutions as a business development director, financial services trade association representative, financial services trade association board member, and regional sales manager for AFG allows him to see the changing landscape of sales within the financial institution space. Mr. McKellar has a BBA in Business Management & Marketing, and an AA in Banking & Finance and an AA in Business Management from Northwood University.
Meredith Olmstead
CEO/Founder, FI GROW Solutions
Meredith Olmstead is the CEO and Founder of FI GROW Solutions, which provides Digital Marketing & Sales Consulting services to Community Financial Institutions across the U.S. Since 2013 Meredith has led the FI GROW team, taking CU staff step-by-step through the process of launching all of their Digital Marketing efforts, as well as implementing full Inbound Marketing campaigns and providing Sales Enablement training and support to lending teams of various sizes. Meredith recommends a very clear and measurable strategy to all FGS clients, and then works to re-evaluate the success of these efforts on a continuing basis, all with an eye on moving toward a clear return on your online sales and marketing investment.
Jim Stanger
Partner and Chief Sales Officer, Edge One
Jim Stanger is the Chief Sales Officer at Edge One, where he brings extensive experience in the banking industry to the forefront. With a proven track record of success, Jim excels in simplifying business processes and integrating technology to drive growth and innovation. Jim’s leadership and commitment to customer satisfaction have earned him many accolades. Jim continues to lead with a focus on delivering cutting-edge solutions and fostering strong client relationships.