Speaker Biographies

Raising the Bar: Leadership for the New Future
Will Marré
Founder, American Dream Project

Will Marré is the co-founder and former president of the Covey Leadership Center where he translated the concepts of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” into powerful leadership courses taught to over one million executives worldwide. 

As CEO of the ReaLeadership Alliance, he helps leaders identify, communicate and implement their driving “big idea.” Through Leadership Brand Stories, Brand Charities, Brand Documentaries, Thought Leadership Events and websites, Will links corporate character to strategy to foster a platform for enduring growth.
 

In 2004, Will founded The American Dream Project and ThoughtRocket! to help leaders of the future develop and find the ideas, tools and relationships they need to create the next chapter in American and world history.

Will recently received an Emmy Award© for writing for the learning documentary “Reclaiming Your American Dream” that continues to air on Public Television stations around the country. The program garnered three Emmy Awards in 2005.

Will is a pioneer in socially-strategic enterprise. Working with New York Stock Exchange companies to combine charity and commerce, Will co-founded the not-for-profit Seacology Foundation, the only conservation organization in the world expressly dedicated to saving the fragile environments and cultures of islanders especially in the South Pacific. In a similar alliance, Will co-founded Redline Revolution, an innovative non-profit educational organization aimed at reducing teenage deaths and accidents from car crashes.

Will is passionate about helping organizations to improve the quality of our personal lives and accelerate economic and social improvement throughout the world. More information about Will can be found at www.willmarre.com.

Presentation Description/Agenda

How Mobile Phones Are Changing Contact Center Operations, Member Self-Service & Payments

Richard Crone
CEO and Founder, Crone Consulting, LLC

Richard K. Crone leads Crone Consulting LLC, helping financial institutions, billers, merchants, payment networks, processors, start-ups and investors transform payments from a cost of business to revenue-producing new lines of business.

In his 30-year career in financial services, he has focused on harnessing the technological innovations that have shaped the industry, from the introductions of ATMs, home banking, Internet commerce, and Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment, to today’s Mobile banking and payment developments.

Mr. Crone has helped define the mobile commerce strategy for leading financial institutions, wireless carriers, payment processors, large recurring billers, card issuers, device manufacturers and technology start-ups.

Crone Consulting, LLC has performed due diligence on many of the largest M&A deals and tier-one venture-backed investments in online “alternative payments” and the mobile commerce arena.

The son of two bankers, Richard Crone spent the early years of his career at Unisys marketing transaction processing systems, followed by eight years with KPMG Consulting (now Bearing Point) as a Senior Manager where he founded the firm’s Center for Electronic Banking.

In 1995 he led Home Savings of America as Senior Vice President & Director of Electronic Banking in their successful release of online banking with Microsoft Money and Intuit's Quicken. Mr. Crone launched the first Electronic Check Service in 1996, CyberCash’s PayNow™.

He was part of the founding team, and served on the Board of Directors of edocs, the lead provider of Internet bill presentment and payment solutions, from the company’s inception until it was sold to Siebel. It now forms the basis of Oracle’s Self Service Division.

Mr. Crone holds a Master of Business Administration degree, beta gamma sigma, and a Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude, from the University of Southern California.

Presentation Description/Agenda
 

Credit Union Industry Outlook

Dennis Dollar
Principal Partner, Dollar Associates LLC & former NCUA Chairman

Dennis Dollar is the principal partner in Dollar Associates, LLC, a full-service consulting group focusing on credit unions and the organizations that serve them.

Mr. Dollar's background is extensive in the credit union and public policy arenas.

Dennis Dollar was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as Chairman of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Board in 2001. Mr. Dollar had served on the three-member Board since being confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 1997, having been a member of the NCUA Board during the most far-reaching period of legislative and regulatory change in the history of the American credit union movement. As part of the NCUA Board, Mr. Dollar oversaw the making of all regulations for federal credit unions and the administration of the federal insurance fund covering approximately 9,500 federal and state chartered credit unions in the United States.

In his capacity as NCUA Chairman, Mr. Dollar also served as Vice Chairman of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC). The FFIEC is charged by the U.S. Congress with the responsibility for coordinating the examination and supervision programs of the five federal financial regulatory agencies.

A former two-term member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, Mr. Dollar was elected at age 22 to the House in 1975, at that time the youngest legislator in the state and one of the youngest in history. During his eight years in the House of Representatives, he won numerous awards for his leadership on issues ranging from open government to tax and education policy.

Immediately prior to being appointed to the NCUA Board, Mr. Dollar served from 1991 to 1997 as President and CEO of what is now the Gulf Coast Community Federal Credit Union, at that time the Gulfport Veterans Administration Federal Credit Union which was a $32 million institution serving more than 12,000 members and 150 employer groups along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

During his credit union career, his credit union won the national Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Award from CUNA for its asset category and numerous local and state growth and service awards. Mr. Dollar was also a top five finalist for credit union CEO of the Year by Credit Union Times, a leading credit union industry publication, in 1994. His awards include a 2003 induction into the Mississippi Credit Union Hall of Fame and the Credit Union Executive Society (CUES) Hall of Fame, as well as receiving the prestigious 2004 Ambassador Award from the World Council of Credit Unions for his leadership in the international credit union movement.

Active in a number of civic organizations, Mr. Dollar has served, among others, on Boards of the March of Dimes, United Way, Boys and Girls Club and local Chamber of Commerce. He is a Baptist deacon and Sunday School teacher.

Mr. Dollar received his bachelor's degree from the University of Mississippi and is married with two children.

Presentation Description/Agenda

Successfully Executing a Merger

Terence Roche
Principal, Cornerstone Advisors

Terence Roche brings to his position as principal at Cornerstone Advisors more than 25 years of experience in banking and consulting. Prior to founding Cornerstone, Terence was a Managing Director at M ONE, Inc., where he built the firm's highly successful vendor selection practice. Before M ONE, Terence served as Senior Vice President of Systems and Technology at Bay View Federal Bank in San Francisco. Prior to that, he was Manager of Retail Banking Sales and Branch Administration after a stint supervising Human Resources and Facilities groups.

Terence has been invited to speak before various bank and credit union conferences, including BAI's Retail Delivery and Internet Delivery/Risk Management conferences. He has spoken before the client meetings and user conferences of numerous vendors. An expert in bank systems and technology, Terence is among the authors of The Cornerstone Report: Benchmarks and Best Practices for Mid-Size Banks, The Cornerstone Report: Benchmarks and Best Practices for Credit Unions and The Mid-Sized Bank Study 2002. Terence displays his far-reaching knowledge as a frequent contributing author on GonzoBanker and CUES Tech Port. He has been published in numerous banking periodicals, including American Banker, Bank Technology News, Independent Banker and Credit Union Management (CUES).

Terence holds a BA from the University of California at Berkeley. He has taught at the BAI and ACB schools of banking and is a faculty member of the University of Wisconsin Graduate School of Banking.

Presentation Description/Agenda

Key Traits of High Performance Credit Unions

Bill Handel
Vice President of Research, Raddon Financial Group

Bill Handel graduated from Kenyon College in 1980 with a degree in Economics. He has worked in the financial services industry since that time, primarily as a consultant in the area of Product Development and Management. Since joining the Raddon Financial Group in 1990, he has developed several unique programs to assist financial institutions in the management of their product lines. His knowledge of the financial needs of consumers and businesses, combined with an understanding of how profitability is achieved in the financial services industry, has allowed the development of innovative product development initiatives. He has written several books for the financial services industry in the area of product pricing and product development.

Presentation Description/Agenda

CEO Panel Discussion

Moderator:  Steve Lumm
Nice Enterprises

Steve Lumm served as the President/CEO of Addison Avenue Federal Credit Union, retiring from that position early in 2007. He served as the Treasurer on the Board of Directors, the Chairman of the Board of Addison Avenue Financial Partners, and the Chairman of the Board of Essex National Securities Inc, an investment broker/dealer purchased by Addison Avenue. As a consultant for Nice Enterprises, Steve is focusing on leadership development, mentoring, and strategic planning.

During his 12 year tenure, Addison Avenue FCU grew from $480 million in assets to $1.8 billion in assets. Steve was instrumental in the establishment of Addison Avenue Financial Partners, the credit union's investment division. At the end of 2006, through Essex National Securities Inc, Financial Partners representatives managed $1.7 billion in assets.

Other accomplishments during his tenure include three mergers with the affiliated HP credit unions, a spin-off from their sponsor to a new employee and operational infrastructure, a new branding and marketing orientation, conversion to a new operating information technology system, a merger with another credit union, and adding several new community branches and sponsor groups. Before becoming the credit union manager in 1994, Steve was on the HP Employees Federal Credit Union Board of Directors for six years, serving as Board Chairman for four years. Steve also served on the Supervisory Committee for seven years and chaired the committee for three years.

Steve joined Hewlett-Packard in 1969 and has held positions in finance, controllership and marketing. Steve holds a BS in Accounting and an MBA from Indiana University.

Presentation Description/Agenda
 

Forum Linkss

Complete Agenda

Register
 

Program Fee:

$495 per person

Who Should Attend?

President/CEO
Board Chairman
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Financial Officer

Chief Technology Officer

Chief Marketing Officer

The CEO/Directors' Forum is

exclusively for senior-level executives managing credit unions with assets of $500 Million or more.

Hotel Details

Location:
The Fairmont Sonoma
Mission Inn & Spa

100 Boyes Boulevard
Sonoma, California
Phone: (707) 938-9000
 

Please contact the hotel directly to make room reservations.

2007 Presentations

Please click here to view and download last year's agenda and presentations.

Event Details

Program Fee:

$495 per person

Wednesday, August 6th

Registration:  3:00 pm
CEO Panel Discussion:  4:00 pm
Welcome Reception
& Dinner:  6:30 pm

Thursday, August 7th

Breakfast:  8:00 am

Morning Sessions:  9:00 am

Lunch: 12:00 pm

Afternoon Sessions:  1:00 pm

Adjourn:  5:00 pm

Dinner:  6:30 pm

Friday, August 8th

Optional Golf: Sonoma Golf Club

Tee Times begin at 8:00 am and will extend through the late morning based on availability. Greens fees are $215. Please indicate on your registration if you will be joining us for a round of golf.

Who Should Attend?

President/CEO
Board Chairman
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Financial Officer

Chief Technology Officer

Chief Marketing Officer

The CEO/Directors' Forum is

exclusively for senior-level executives managing credit unions with assets of $500 Million or more.

Past Attendees

“This was a great event for the executive team at Addison Avenue Federal Credit Union.  The CEO/Directors’ Forum touched on many of the strategic opportunities and challenges faced by the industry.  It was nice to gain the perspective of industry experts and leaders from other credit unions.”

Benson Porter
President and CEO

Addison Avenue Federal Credit Union

Palo Alto, CA

Assets:  $2 Billion

"The CEO/Directors’ Forum had the perfect mix of content and networking opportunities.   I attended with our Board Chair and we both gained valuable insights from well-respected industry leaders and took home ideas to benefit our credit union.  See you next year!"

Ron Westad
President and CEO

Arizona Federal Credit Union

Phoenix, AZ

Assets:  $1.8 Billion

“Excellent content, great location and great networking.  Thank you for the invitation!”

David Bard
President and CEO

New England Federal Credit Union

Williston, VT

Assets:  $532 Million

"RFG’s CEO/Directors’ Forum offered an exceptional line-up of industry speakers at a first-class facility.  The presentations were both informative and timely.  I look forward to participating next year; thanks for the invitation!"

Greg Smith
President

PSECU

Harrisburg, PA

Assets:  $2.8 Billion

“This was a top-notch conference.  It was an excellent opportunity for large credit unions to discuss and get exposed to common problems and solutions, thanks.”

Jack McElravey
First Vice Chairman

Star One Credit Union

Sunnyvale, CA

Assets:  $3.4 Billion