Mark Krawczyk has over forty years of management experience in banking, corporate and municipal finance, treasury operations, and human resources. Mark is the principal and owner of his own firm, CZYK & Associates. Through his company, Mark provides a unique insight into the workings of treasury operations, change management strategies, ACH applications, and financial/ treasury management strategies to clients and audiences around the country. Through numerous writings, lectures, seminars and speaking engagements, Mark brings a unique, insightful and, many times, humorous perspective to a number of issues facing corporate America today. He is actively sought as an entertaining and informative conference keynote speaker.

Mark received both his undergraduate degree and MBA in Finance from Oklahoma State University. He currently serves as the Director of Finance for the City of Hermiston, Oregon. He is a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP), has twice served on the Board of Directors of the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), and has served as a faculty member for the Graduate School of Banking at LSU for over 20 years.

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Dr. Steve Lacewell is the Alumni Association Distinguished Professor of Finance and Director of the Center for Banking and Finance at Murray State University. Steve previously worked as a National Bank Examiner for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and he served as an executive officer and commercial lender for two banks.  Dr. Lacewell was the recipient of the 2019 Distinguished Professor Award and the 2012 Max Carmen Outstanding Teacher Award, the two highest awards that can be bestowed by a faculty member at Murray State University.  Steve created the Area in Finance with a Commercial Bank Management option at Murray State in the spring of 2016. It contains up to 21 course hours of bank-specific classes including compliance, lending, counter-threat finance, intro to banking, and advanced bank management.

He earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Tennessee at Martin, his MBA with a concentration in Finance from Murray State University, and a M.S. in Finance and a Ph.D. in Finance with minors in Economics and Statistics from Mississippi State University. Steve teaches the first year course in Asset-Liability Management at the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.

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John Land retired in 2020 after a 33-year career with the FDIC’s Division of Risk Management Supervision.  His most recent position was Senior Case Manager in the FDIC’s Dallas Regional Office.  His career included five years at the FDIC headquarters in Washington, DC.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from LSU and an MBA from Baylor University. He completed the Graduate School of Banking at LSU in 1998, and he serves as an instructor for the third-year BankSim program.

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Angie Lewis  is the Chief Banking Officer for BankSouth, a leading community bank headquartered at Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Georgia, and recognized as a top-performing bank nationwide. With over $1 billion in assets, BankSouth serves customers with branches in Atlanta, Greensboro, Savannah, Watkinsville, and beyond. Lewis joined BankSouth in 2024 after working with Synovus where she held several executive level positions within the brand, including President/CEO of Citizens First Bank, Northwest Georgia Division CEO, Group Executive of Community Banking, and Executive Director of Enterprise Risk.

Lewis brings a multi-disciplinary background. She has earned designations as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Enterprise Risk Professional (CERP). Angie is a graduate of Berry College and the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. She is very involved in community service activities and has served as President of the Rome Junior Service League, Chair of the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce and Chair of the Rome-Floyd County Development Authority.  Angie currently serves on the Berry College Board of Trustees.

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Anthony McGill has enjoyed a diverse and varied career in financial services. He most recently served as executive vice president of U.S. Bank’s Consumer Lending Division where he led the growth of several lines of business including Indirect Lending, Direct Lending, Consumer Loan and Lease Operations, Retail Collections and Asset Re-Marketing. Assets under management totaled $67 billion during his tenure. Other responsibilities during his 19-year career with U.S. Bank included 4.5 years leading a mortgage line of business with $15 billion in loans outstanding, and 12 years as Chief Financial Officer of Consumer Lending. Prior to U.S. Bank, Anthony served as a banking consultant with Deloitte & Touche, and as an analyst with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago. Additionally, he was a member of the Consumer Bankers Association’s Home Equity Committee from 2007-2013.

Since 2014, Anthony now focuses his time serving as an independent consultant working with state and regional banking schools to educate future bank leaders.  He has been on the bank management simulation faculty of Pacific Coast Banking School since 2003 and, since 2016, serves as Director of the Bank Management Simulation Program.  Since 2017 he has provided operational and curricular support for the Bank Management Simulation Program at the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.  In 2021, he began serving as Co-Coordinator of the Bank Management Simulation Program.  He is lead instructor for the Ohio Bankers League’s Bank Management School, serving in that capacity since 2016.  Additionally, he is lead instructor with the Pennsylvania Bankers Association’s Advanced School of Banking, serving in that capacity beginning in 2020.

Anthony holds two undergraduate degrees from Illinois State University, an MBA in Finance from DePaul University and is a 2002 graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School.

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Craig Nulliner is a retired Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) bank regulator.  During his 35-year government career, he was involved in a wide variety of activities in both supervising open banks and resolving failed institutions including 3 years with the Resolution Trust Corporation. As a certified fraud examiner, at the end of his tenure with the FDIC he supervised a team investigating white collar crime in banking.  In addition to speaking to numerous civic organizations about the role of the FDIC, he continues to serve as an instructor at the FDIC Corporate University.  Craig graduated from the University of Montana in 1982 and Pacific Coast Bank School (PCBS) with honors in 2002. He has served on the faculty of PCBS since that time.

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Paul Oberkirch is the Chief Executive Officer for First National Bank & Trust and has over twenty-five years of experience in commercial lending with three large regional financial institutions and two smaller community banks.  He began his career in 1995 with Compass Bank as a commercial loan officer before moving to Union Planters Bank as a Senior Commercial Relationship Manager until 2004.  He then took the position of Head of Commercial Lending with First Community Bank.  In 2012, Paul assumed the role of Market President with Bank of the Ozarks.  Paul assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer with First National Bank & Trust in 2018, before being promoted to his current position in 2020.  Paul has a B.S. in finance and an M.B.A. from the University of South Alabama.  Paul has been an adjunct instructor for the University of South Alabama, teaching classes in business finance and personal finance, and also teaches at the Alabama Banking School.

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John Oxford is Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President for Renasant Corporation in Tupelo, Mississippi — the parent company of Renasant Bank, with assets of approximately $12.9 billion, 2,500 employees and more than 190 locations in the Southeastern United States.

John will tell you that he didn’t choose marketing, it chose him. At age 17, John found his first job as a taste tester and commercial viewer for Nabisco. Taste-testing snacks and watching commercials may seem like a sweet gig, but a young man can only eat so many Nutter Butters and Oreos. John decided to put his professional career in the ad world on hold, opting for college instead. Prior to joining Renasant, Oxford served in the administration of President George W. Bush as a Legislative Assistant and Public Affairs Aide to the Executive Office of the President. Oxford is also a former commercial spokesperson for Cellular South (now C Spire Wireless), the largest privately owned mobile phone network in the U.S.

John earned his BA in communication and a minor in Political Science from the University of Tennessee, and he earned his MA in Government from Johns Hopkins University. He holds the Certified Financial Marketing Professional designation from the Institute of Certified Bankers at Northwestern University

John was named Top 40 under 40 in Mississippi in 2007 by the Mississippi Business Journal, and he is co-chair of the ABA’s Marketing Conference Board. John often lectures at marketing, banking and business conferences, He is an instructor at the Mississippi Banker Association’s School of Banking at Ole Miss as well as at the American Bankers Association’s Stonier Graduate School of Banking. He joined the faculty of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU in 2020 where he teaches the freshman required course on Bank Marketing.

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Dr. Tom Payne is Dean of the College of Business and Professor of Finance at Tennessee Tech University. As dean, Tom serves as the senior academic and administrative officer, provides leadership and vision, and sets strategic, operational, and financial direction for the college.

Tom holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Arkansas, an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas, and a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Arkansas. Prior to joining Tennessee Tech, Tom served as the University of Tennessee at Martin Dunagan Chair of Excellence in Banking and as chair of the Department of Accounting, Finance, Economics and Political Science. Tom’s professional experience also includes positions at Texas Instruments, Rockwell International, UT Chattanooga and the University of Arkansas.

Tom served as a visiting professor at the University of Orléans (France), partnered with the Financial Services Volunteer Corporation to assist the Savings Bank of Albania during its privatization, and hosted a management program for Russian bank executives. He serves on the faculty of banking schools throughout the Southeastern United States and received the Eugene Spragens President’s Award for teaching excellence from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. Tom has published dozens journal articles, provided hundreds of presentations, and worked in partnership with academic, government, and private organizations supporting education and economic development.

Tom serves on the Executive Committee of the Putnam County Chamber Board of Directors and as Vice Chair of the Workforce Development and Education Division. He served as chair of the Martin Tennessee Industrial Board and as a member of the Weakley County Economic Development Board. He is founder of the UT Martin Regional Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (REED) Center and the Mid-South School for Advanced Agricultural Lending. He served on the WestStar Leadership Program Board of Trustees and as a past president of the Southwestern Finance Association. A Paul Harris Fellow, Tom is a member of the Cookeville Rotary Club and a past president of the Martin Rotary Club.

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Timothy Peterson is the founder of and portfolio manager for Cane Island Alternative Advisors, which manages a global macro investment strategy. Timothy is an expert on cryptocurrency investment and valuation. His prior experience includes serving as CFO for a Houston-based financial firm where he had responsibility for co-managing an option-hedged equity strategy, and as Partner for an accounting firm where he provided consulting to the world’s largest asset management firms.

Timothy is the author of numerous published papers on investments and digital assets, including the very popular “Metcalfe’s Law as a Model for Bitcoin’s Value,” (Alternative Investment Analyst Review, 2Q 2018), as well as a book “Performance Measurement for Alternative Investments” (Risk Books: 2015), and has spoken at conferences around the world.

He is a dual graduate of the University of Colorado with a Master of Science Degree in Finance and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. Timothy serves as Adjunct Instructor of Finance at the University of St. Thomas where he teaches “Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and Network Economics.”  He works from an office in the Houston, Texas area.

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Gregory L. Prescott had a 25-year career with Compass Bank (later BBVA Compass) with most of that time as Vice President and Regional Credit Manager based in Mobile. His responsibilities included credit quality for the C&I loan portfolios in south Alabama, the State of Florida, Dallas Commercial Banking, Dallas Business Banking, and Houston Energy Banking. During his banking career, he regularly taught courses in commercial lending for relationship managers, assistant relationship managers, and credit analysts.

While on the faculty at the University of South Alabama, he received several Excellence in Teaching awards as a member of USA’s Mitchell College of Business faculty. In 2015, he received the Andy and Carol Denny National Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award. In 2016, he was named the Outstanding Accounting Educator in Alabama by the Alabama Society of CPAs. In 2016 and 2018, he was selected as the Beta Gamma Sigma Professor of the Year at the University of South Alabama. He retired from the State of Alabama system in 2019 and is now the chair of the Department of Accounting & Finance at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. He has been a faculty member with the Alabama Banking School since 1998.

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Tony L. Reitzel is a Senior Vice President, Geographic Credit Manager for Truist in Greensboro, North Carolina. He previously held the positions of Business Services Officer, City Executive, Regional Credit Officer, and Reginal Loan Administrator at BB&T. Prior to joining BB&T, Tony was a Controller for Heavy Equipment Company, Commercial Lender & City Executive for First Citizens Bank. He also was a Private Banker, Retail Group Manager, Retail Branch Manager, and Retail & Mortgage Loan Officer at Wachovia Bank.

Tony holds a BA in Business Administration with a minor in Psychology Lenoir-Rhyne College. He received his MBA from Pfeiffer University, and he graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU in 2011. He has served on the faculty of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU since 2012.

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Robert Reynolds is the senior partner in the Tuscaloosa office of Reynolds, Reynolds & Little, LLC, focusing his practice on creditor rights in bankruptcy, foreclosure proceedings, and commercial litigation. Robert has served as a faculty member of the LSU Graduate School of Banking since 2000, as well as the Alabama Banking School for more than 28 years. His firm represents over 30 financial institutions. He is a past President of the American Bankruptcy Institute and just completed his term as Chairman of this 10,000 membership international professional insolvency association. He has been named as one of the Top Attorneys in Bankruptcy by Super Lawyers in the Southeast since 2008 and has consistently maintained an “AV-Preeminent” rating from Martindale-Hubbell for many years.
He is one of approximate 115 attorneys nationwide certified in both business and consumer bankruptcy law by the American Board of Certification.
Robert is admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Fifth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeal, the Northern District of Florida, and all federal and state courts in Alabama. He received his undergraduate degree from Auburn University and masters and law degrees from the University of Alabama.

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Joan Reukauf is an Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) for People’s Bank of Commerce. She is responsible for oversight of the Operations Support department, branch and deposit operations, electronic banking, treasury/cash management, and marketing. She provides leadership and guidance in implementing processes and practices designed to achieve the bank’s strategic targets, enhance company growth, and promote company culture and vision. In her 30-year banking career, Ms. Reukauf has managed several areas of an institution including IT, Human Resources, bank and branch operations, and served as CEO of Willamette Community Bank before its merger with People’s Bank of Commerce in 2021. She currently is a faculty member of Pacific Coast Banking School where she is a LeaderSim instructor and Willamette University where she teaches the capstone course of the MBA Professionals program. Ms. Reukauf also serves as Immediate Past Chair for the Oregon Bankers Association Board of Directors and is a board member for CASA of Jackson County and Linn Benton Community College Foundation.

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RONNY ROBERTS owns Ronald Roberts Consulting. From 1990 until his retirement at the end of 2019 he was a Senior Consultant at ProBank Austin, formerly known as Professional Bank Services, Inc. (PBS), Managing Director of the firm’s Nashville office, and was on the Board of Directors of PBS. Prior to joining PBS in 1990, Mr. Roberts was a senior vice presi­dent for a regional bank holding company for eight years where he managed the audit and loan examination division and was assistant director for credit policy and loan administration. He was also extensively involved with the acquisition of 17 banks for the holding company. From 1970 to 1982 he served as a national bank examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). His duties with the OCC included examina­tion of many of the large regional banks in the Southeast; instructor at various training sessions; and assignments in the Washington office. Mr. Roberts has also served as a community banker. With PBS, Mr. Roberts provided consulting services in loan review, internal auditing, quality analysis, loan administration, director and loan officer training, regulatory assistance, strategic planning and litigation support, including expert witness testimony. He is a graduate of both the University of Tennessee and the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin. Mr. Roberts has served on the faculty of the Graduate School of Banking at L.S.U. since 1992. He was a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors for many years.

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Steve Robichaux is President of Capital City Consultants. As an active consultant Steve specializes in Conflict Resolution, Team Building, Motivating and empowering your employees. Steve has worked with companies such as Schlumberger, EMC, Albemarle, CLECO, and Turner Industries

Steve holds an MBA and Undergraduate Degree in Psychology from LSU, and he has been professionally affiliated with LSU Continuing Education for over 25 years. He served as an instructor in the LSU Executive Education Program for fifteen years, and he has taught on the faculty of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU for over 20 years.

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Michael Schloegel leads Hancock Whitney’s Mississippi Pine Belt as Market President focused on the development of prosperous culture.  Michael’s career with Hancock Whitney began in 1998 in a variety of roles in Operations, Commercial Banking and Management throughout Mississippi.

An alum of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU, class of 2016, and past president of the Mississippi Young Bankers, Michael is active in the Mississippi Banking Association serving as a member of its Legislative Committee.

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Chuck Shaffer is Chief Executive Officer of SeacoastBank, Stuart, Florida.

Laura H. Shreaves, SHRM-SCP is retired from Banking after over 20 years in the industry.  Her last full time role was as Chief Human Resources Officer for C&F Bank in Virginia.  Previously she served as a Senior HR Consultant for Anthem. She began her 30+ year HR career at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

Laura received her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs from the University of Mary Washington.  She is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking in HR at the University of Wisconsin and the Virginia Bankers Association Executive Leadership Program.  She is also a graduate of the Center of Creative Leadership Coaching Program.  Laura holds a SHRM-SCP certification.

Laura has served in leadership roles in various community organizations including Rotary, Meals on Wheels, and currently serves on the local School Board.  She is an active volunteer for the Richmond SHRM chapter.

E. J. Smith, MBA Consultant, Trainer & Leadership Coach–  Lead instructor in in the following programs:  LSU College of Business Executive Development Program, LSU Division of Continuing Education, University of Notre Dame Stayer Executive Development Center and the Mendoza College of Business. I have been fortunate to have a career that has spanned several disciplines ranging from line level production and operations management as a supervisor at General Electric Aviation; mid-level operations management at A T & T; sales and operations management at A T & T, Merck, and Tokos Medical: and executive level management in sales, operations, and strategic planning at Tokos Medical, and HEALTHDYNE (later known as MATRIA Healthcare). My project management experience includes construction projects, technology projects, performance management projects, business development research projects, as well as training projects both domestically and internationally in countries such as South Korea, Chile, Romania, and The Netherlands. I have managed budgets over $1 Billion and I have had almost 4,000 employees.

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Bill Stallings is a 40-year veteran of the financial services industry with a diverse background of business, commercial, corporate and middle markets lending, public finance, commercial real estate lending, and commercial credit administration.

Bill is currently Chief Lending Officer for North Carolina Rural Center, Small Business Capital Division in Raleigh, North Carolina.

He is a 1999 graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU and has served on the school’s Board of Trustees and a member of the faculty since 2012.

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Kristen J. Stogniew, Esq., CFE,  is a shareholder in the Financial Institutions Advisory Group of Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund. She has more than 20 years of experience as a trusted advisor to community banks on legal, operational and compliance concerns. Kristen leads a team of dedicated Saltmarsh professionals who provide internal audits, compliance reviews and other consulting services that help clients operate safely, soundly and in compliance with regulatory requirements. Her primary areas of review include BSA, Loan and Deposit Compliance, Marketing and Retail Delivery (including Social Media), Trust, Governance and ACH. Kristen also provides one-on-one mentoring and customized training at the staff and director level, and facilitates a number of user groups (such as AML monitoring systems, loan origination systems, fraud/AML, and CMOs).

Kristen earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of South Florida, and she holds a J.D. from the Stetson University College of Law. She is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and a member of the Florida Bar Association. Kristen speaks regularly at state and local industry, compliance, and BSA/AML associations, and she serves as a Course Coordinator at GSBLSU for elective courses in BSA/AML and special topics.

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James Stringer had been in banking for over 45 years before his retirement at the end of 2019.  He most recently worked in Jackson, Mississippi, at BancorpSouth as an Executive Vice President and Regional Loan Administrator for the Corporate Banking Group as well as the Gulf Coast Division.  He began his career at Deposit Guaranty National Bank in Jackson in 1974.  He worked there for more than 27 years in various credit related functions including Small Business Lender, Credit Department Manager, Loan Review Manager, and Area Credit Officer.  His time there included mergers with First American National Bank in Nashville and AmSouth Bank in Birmingham.

James has been a speaker and instructor on numerous credit related topics for various local banking and accounting groups in addition to the Risk Management Association, Jackson State University, Mississippi College, and Mississippi State University.  He has been part of the GBS LSU staff as an instructor of Loan Portfolio Management and as a case leader on Problem Loan Workouts.  He has been lead instructor for Loan Officer Orientation at BancorpSouth headquarters in Tupelo, Mississippi.

James is a 1974 graduate of Mississippi State University and a 1987 graduate of GBS at LSU.  He is a long time resident of Clinton, Mississippi where he is very involved in many civic, school, and church activities.

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Chad Tagtow is the Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer for Citizens Bank and Trust in Central Florida.  His areas of responsibility include innovation, technology, risk management, and operations.  Prior to joining Citizens Bank and Trust, Chad worked for Raytheon NCS on multiple government projects in the areas of: Information assurance architectural design, risk management, security testing and evaluation, and security certification and accreditation. He began his career in the information security field developing and implementing network security policy for Boeing Aerospace at Kennedy Space Center in the late 1990’s.

Chad holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Central Florida. He graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU in 2009. He is an (ISC)² Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) since 2002. He teaches the Digital Disruption and Cybersecurity course at the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.

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Katherine D. Tohanczyn, Esquire is an associate attorney at Starfield & Smith, P.C. in its Fort Washington office.  She concentrates her practice on representing financial institutions nationwide, including national banks, community banks, credit unions and non-bank lenders in commercial lending
and government guaranteed lending. As a closing attorney for commercial lenders, Katherine prepares and reviews loan files for SBA 7(a), SBA 504, USDA and conventional commercial loans, confers with loan processors and in-house counsel, and drafts, analyzes and negotiates loan and finance documents.
She also assists lenders with SBA and USDA eligibility and structure concerns, loan modifications and loan work outs. Additionally, Katherine investigates state and federal regulatory issues to aid in the representation of commercial lenders before the US Small Business Administration on a variety of policy and SBA guaranty related items.

Katherine was selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers- Pennsylvania Rising Stars for 2019 and 2020 in the area of banking. Katherine has also been published in a number of academic journals including, the Villanova Law Review, The Moorad Sports Law Journal, and the Philadelphia Lawyer.

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Mark Trinkle is currently the Chief Growth Officer for Anthony Cole Training Group, LLC in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Anthony Cole Training Group (ACTG) is a 30-year-old company serving financial institutions across the United States.  In his current role, Mark oversees the national sales function for ACTG and he also heads up their Banking Practice Group.  Mark joined the firm in 2007 and every year, speaks at many bank association meetings including The Bank CEO Network, California Bankers Association, Independent Bankers Association of Texas, the Ohio Bankers League and the New York Bankers Association. Mark is a passionate industry expert, helping banks across the country sell, coach and hire better.

Prior to joining ACTG, Mark enjoyed an 18-year career in the insurance industry where he worked as a Vice President of Business Development for USI Insurance and Wells Fargo Insurance Services.  He began his career in financial services upon graduation from Ohio Northern University in 1987.

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Tod Trulove serves as the assistant commissioner of the bank division for the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions.

Tod began his career with the Department of Financial Institutions in 1990 as a bank examiner.  In 1999 he took on the duties of special examiner concentrating on conducting examinations of trust companies and bank trust departments. He was promoted to regional supervisor in 2001, where he managed a team of bank examination personnel.  Tod later assumed the role of Chief Administrator of the bank division in 2003 before being promoted to his present position in 2004.  As assistant commissioner, Tod is responsible for leadership of the bank division and supervision of state-chartered banks and trust companies.  In addition to indirectly supervising the examination function he also oversees the division’s large bank, applications, trust, and training sections.  He is responsible for the division’s budget and operations and the formulation and implementation of policy.

A native of Columbia, Tennessee, Tod holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  Tod is an alumnus of the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University, where he has served as a Bank SIM instructor since 2013.  Tod is a member of the Conference of Bank Supervisors (CSBS) Education Foundation Board of Trustees and he holds a Certified Examination Management designation from the Foundation.

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Mary Usategui is the CEO of Vente Advisors, an entity founded to start BankMiami, a de novo community bank in Miami, Florida where she is slated to take the helm as President and CEO.

She has dedicated her professional career to community banking and served as the Chief Financial Officer of Professional Bank, a community bank headquartered in Miami, Florida from April 2014 until its successful sale to Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida in February 2023. Upon merging with Seacoast Bank, she was appointed Chief Strategy Officer, a position she held until she resigned to start BankMiami.

Mary has significant experience and expertise overseeing cross functional areas including finance, accounting, bank operations, human resources, investor relations, strategy and information technology.

As a senior company executive and Certified Public Accountant (Florida) with 20+ years of progressive leadership experience in finance and operational management for financial institutions, Mary has a demonstrated ability to streamline business operations that drive growth and increase efficiency and bottom-line profit. She has extensive hands-on experience in management, business leadership and involvement with the Board of Directors, Regulators, and Investors. She has strong qualifications in developing and implementing financial reporting and controls while possessing solid leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.

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Tom Walker is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group of Jones Walker.  He focuses on commercial and regulatory matters in the financial services industry, with a depth of experience representing financial institutions.  Prior to joining the firm, Tom served as executive vice president and director of a community bank in Forest, Mississippi.  His experience as general counsel chief operating officer, chief financial officer, and chief investments officer in the financial services sector enhances his ability to provide legal services to his clients.

Tom previously served as chairman of the Attorneys Committee of the Mississippi Bankers Association during the 2017-2018 fiscal year, and he currently serves as a member of that committee.  He has also served as treasurer and member of the Executive Council of the Mississippi Young Bankers.  Tom was on the board of governors for the Mississippi Society of CPAs and served as its Secretary.  He has also been a member of the Long Range Planning Committee and Banking Committee for the Mississippi Society of CPAs.  Tom has been an active certified public accountant in Mississippi since 2001.  He is also a 2014 graduate from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.

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Dr. Matthew Whitledge is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Finance at Mississippi State University. He earned his Ph.D. from Texas Tech University where he developed a research focus of community banking, bank funding, and banking regulation.  His research has been published in high-quality academic journals including the Journal of Banking and Finance and the Journal of Financial Stability.

Since 2020, he has served as the faculty advisor to the student team from Mississippi State in the annual, nationwide Community Bank Case Study Competition sponsored by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors. In 2020 a team of five Mississippi State students won the competition, and were able to present their findings at the annual Community Banking in the 21^st Century Conference hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The same conference chose him as an emerging scholar in 2015 and he has had research presented at the conference as well.

In addition to serving as the faculty advisor for the case study team, he currently teaches introductory courses and a senior-level capstone course while trying to incorporate real-life examples from his prior experience during his time as a licensed financial advisor at a community bank.  Immediately prior to joining the Mississippi State faculty, he taught introductory finance and banking courses at Coastal Carolina University.

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Jason Windham has 27 years of banking experience in Alabama.  He is a member of the Executive team at Bank Independent (BI) headquartered in Florence, Alabama, and serves as President of Interstate Billing Service (IBS) located in Decatur, Alabama, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BI.  Prior to accepting his current position, he worked in Credit Risk and Sales Management at BI.  He is a member of various committees such as Executive Committee, Leadership Committee, and the Sales and Marketing Committee.  Prior to joining the BI team in 2009, he worked one year as a Commercial Lender with First National Bank of Jasper and twelve years as an Examiner with the Alabama State Banking Department.

Jason is a 2001 graduate of the University of Alabama in Birmingham (MBA), 1996 graduate of Troy University (B.S. Finance), and a graduate of both the LSU Graduate School of Banking (2006), and the Alabama Banking School (2003). Jason has worked with Alabama Banking School (ABS) as a faculty member and in various other capacities for 18 years, including serving as the Class Director for the Class of 2013, the 2015-2016 Assistant School Director and 2017-2018 School Director.  Jason is a former member of the Bankers 2 Leaders Board, former Chairman and current Vice Chairman of the Board of Mars Hill Bible School in Florence and serves as a deacon in the local church.