Past Event Speakers

An entrepreneur in every sense of the word, Daymond John has come a long way from taking out a $100,000 mortgage on his mother’s house and moving his business operation into its basement. John is CEO and Founder of FUBU, a much-celebrated global lifestyle brand, and a pioneer in the fashion industry with over $6 billion in product sales world-wide.

Francis X. Suarez is the 43rd Mayor of Miami. As the first Miami-born mayor, he is committed to building a Miami that lasts forever and that welcomes everyone. First elected with a mandate of 86 percent and then re-elected with a mandate of nearly 79 percent, Mayor Suarez has championed the integration of climate adaptive policies, Web 3.0 technology, and a free-market approach to government.

Mayor Levy enjoys working together with his colleagues on the Hollywood City Commission as they endeavor to make the City of Hollywood: South Florida’s TOP city to live, learn, work, invest, and play. Mayor Levy thanks his family and the entire community for entrusting him with the privilege of serving as our city’s chief elected official.

Byron Donalds grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and he is also the proud son of a hardworking and loving single mother. His mother dedicated her time instilling in him that greatness requires sacrifice, which drives him as a devoted family man and United States Congressman. Byron is a graduate of Florida State University and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in finance and marketing. Byron's career led him to Southwest Florida, where he worked in the banking, finance, and insurance industries. Elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2016, Byron represented Hendry County and east Collier County in the State Capitol.

Andy Barr has served as the U.S. Congressman for Kentucky’s Sixth Congressional District since January of 2013. Congressman Barr is a senior Member of the House Financial Services Committee and is Ranking Member of the National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy. In the 117th Congress, Congressman Barr also began serving on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and serves on the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation.

Bill Gallagher has been the President of CFGMS since its inception in 2015. Prior to that, Bill was the Chief Credit Officer of CapFlow Funding, CFGMS’s factoring sister company, since 2009. Bill has held various senior-level Capital Markets and Investment Banking positions in the Institutional Fixed Income divisions of Lehman Brothers, and Barclays Capital.

For more than 25 years, Deveron M. Gibbons has served as a strategic and tactical business leader and an advisor and counselor to governors, legislators, and members of Congress. He has also established himself as a creative force helping to shape the next generation of leaders, serving on the boards of trustees of two institutions of higher learning in his native Florida.

Dan Gans is the founder and managing principal of Polaris Consulting, LLC. Under Dan’s stewardship, Polaris Government Relations has quickly become one of the most in demand boutique lobbying firms in Washington. Dan in an expert in fintech policy and works closely with the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs.

Scott Crockett is the founder and CEO of Everest Business Funding. He is a seasoned professional with 20 years of experience in the finance industry. Mr. Crockett’s track record includes raising more than $500 million in capital and creating thousands of jobs. Scott has founded, built, and managed several finance companies in the consumer and commercial finance sectors.

Kate is a partner in Hudson Cook, LLP’s Maryland office and co-chair of the firm’s Business Funding practice group. Her practice focuses on the areas of Consumer Financial Services and Small Business Financing. Kate represents banks, finance companies, private equity and investment bank investors, merchant cash advance companies, and small business lenders establishing new programs and products, and conducts due diligence and compliance reviews of consumer lending and business financing portfolios.

Jan Owen is a National Advisor - Emeritus in the Manatt Financial Services group, and is based in the Sacramento office. Her practice includes a wide range of oversight work including accountancy, assets recovery, auditing, banking, benefits administration, corporate governance counseling, strategic planning, public policy review and analysis, regulatory representation, budget preparation and financial reporting.

Andrew Smith is a partner in the Washington DC office of Covington & Burling. He advises clients on retail financial services, data protection, advertising and consumer protection, technology, credit reporting, and e-commerce issues, and regularly represents clients before federal and state agencies—particularly the FTC and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)—in law enforcement and rulemaking proceedings.

Shawn Smith is chairman and CEO of Dedicated Financial GBC. When Shawn founded the company in 2015, his vision was to create a new kind of commercial loan portfolio management company, combining both a new model of connecting on a personal level with those in financial trouble and a new corporate philanthropy model. Under his leadership, the company has grown by 50% or more every year since its inception.

Brad is the Co-Founder and Chairman of The Fundworks, LLC, a software-enabled alternative lender, based in Los Angeles. He is also a Partner of Rivonia Road Capital, an alternative investment firm focused on the financial services industry. Before co-founding The Fundworks, Brad sourced, structured and oversaw private equity investments for Lightyear Capital, an investment firm that acquires financial services businesses including banks, insurance companies and specialty finance firms.

Paul O. Lopez, a director for Tripp Scott, has served as the law firm’s chief operating officer since 2017, and has chaired the firm's Litigation Department since 2010. Mr. Lopez has a national litigation and trial practice and regularly argues before federal and state courts on behalf of his various nationwide and local clients.

Vincent Ney is the President and CEO of Expansion Capital Group (ECG), a small business lending firm specializing in innovative financial services for the small businesses community.

As Founder and Managing Partner at Hollis Public Affairs, Brian works closely with clients from across the board in health care, financial services, infrastructure, tourism, technology, education and Native American tribes to identify, develop, and capture opportunities, as well as providing legislative and regulatory guidance. He brings decades of experience in shepherding and overseeing public and private projects that impact capital and social infrastructure ranging from medium-to-large-scale economic development deals.

Solomon Lax served as Chief Executive Officer at Pearl Capital Business Funding, LLC. since 2015. His 15 years of experience as a venture capitalist and investment banker include bridge and venture debt financing, restructuring, distressed company investment, and mergers and acquisitions. Sol was a general partner of CS Capital Partners LLC, an early stage venture fund, and a board member of several portfolio companies.

Mr. McNierney is an Executive Managing Director of Brean Capital and a member of the firm’s Operating Committee. Mr. McNierney previously was President & Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Gleacher & Company, Inc. Prior to that, he was CEO and Head of Investment Banking for Broadpoint, the predecessor of Gleacher & Company.

David is a proven entrepreneur and a “founding father” of the alternative financing / merchant cash advance industry to small businesses which he was one of the original entrants by starting AmeriMerchant in 2002 (which was later rebranded in 2015 to Capify globally).

James Intermont is a Managing Director at Atalaya Capital Management LP, focused on private asset-backed investments in the Consumer and Commercial specialty finance space. Prior to joining Atalaya, he was a Vice President at Ares Management, and an Associate at Jefferies. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2009.

Rachael Schreiber helps lead CATALYST’s multistate government affairs practice nationally and leads the firm’s Texas office. After two decades navigating government from the municipal to the federal level, Rachael has a unique blend of private and public sector experience making her an effective advocate and strategist.

Andrew Duke serves as the Executive Director to the Online Lenders Alliance (OLA). Andrew comes to OLA with more than 22 years of experience in government with a decade in financial services policy – most recently leading the Consumer Education and External Affairs division at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Joshua is a partner at SBL Strategies and focuses on financial services lobbying amongst other areas. He has worked as an advisor for multiple U.S. Senators and Governors on both the political and official side for over 10 years. Joshua served as a senior advisor for former U.S. Senator and Ranking Member of the Banking Committee Pat Toomey.

David A. Picon is a seasoned litigator who has tried dozens of cases in various tribunals for financial services firms and public and private companies. David represents clients in complex commercial disputes in a wide range of matters, including complex securities issues, commodities and derivatives-related disputes, fraudulent transfer actions, alleged Ponzi schemes, and contract and employment-related disputes.

Benjamin H. Brodsky is a founding shareholder of Brodsky Fotiu-Wojtowicz, PLLC. Prior to founding the firm, he practiced with a well-known litigation firm in South Florida, where he was a partner.

Alex Shvarts is the founder and CEO of Fundkite, established in 2015. Alex has over 30 years of experience in the finance, technology, fintech, marketing, and consumer brands industries.

Mr. Lieberman began his legal career at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP where he represented Credit Suisse, Wells Fargo Securities, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, and others in many complex structured transactions. Mr. Lieberman's current legal practice is focused on creditor representation, which includes funders, factors, and lenders in distressed transactions and related litigation. In addition, Mr. Lieberman is the co-founder and Managing Director of the K20 Fund, an early-stage technology fund.

Geoffrey Adams has provided heroic services to organizations running the gamut of industries, types, and sizes for 24 years. He is the owner of a boutique CPA firm, Verve Consulting, LLC, which helps organizations to create value and solve problems. He is also an Associate Lecturer in the Accounting Department in the College of Business at Florida State University.

David Snitkof leads the analytics business at Ocrolus. He is a technology entrepreneur and data/analytics leader with a successful track record of developing analytical systems, teams, and businesses from the ground up.

Keith Ellis serves as Vice President for Legal & Compliance at Expansion Capital Group. Keith started his career as Minority Counsel (Republican) of the Committee on Banking Finance and Urban Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Lindsey Rohan is Deputy General Counsel to BasePoint Capital LLC.  Previously, Lindsey served as general counsel to several startups in the Alternative Finance Space, helping shape best practices amongst the alternative finance community.  Lindsey is a founding member and current President of the Alternative Finance Bar Association (“AFBA”), an industry side attorney resource for recent case law, regulations, and market trends. 

Bruce Miller joined Stephens in 2004 and co-heads the firm's global Specialty Finance investment banking group. Bruce and his team advise public and private commercial and consumer finance companies on M&A transactions, equity and debt capital markets transactions, and other strategic advisory assignments.

Jim Granat is a President of Small Business Lending and SVP at OnDeck, America’s largest online small business lender. In his role, he is responsible for bringing easy-to-access working capital to more small businesses in the U.S. as well as driving strategic partnerships. With a decade of experience in online marketplaces and lending in both the consumer and small business industries, Jim previously served as President at Lendio and as Chief Operating Officer at FDI Management.

Shane Mahabir is the Founder and President of Funder Intel, a resource, content, and community platform for the business finance industry. Funder Intel offers visitors a way to learn more about the industry, connect with others, find more providers and vendors, keep up with the latest news and trends, grow their brand, and more.

Herk Christie is the Chief Operating Officer at Expansion Capital Group (ECG), a firm taking pride in providing fast and innovative financial solutions for the small business community. Mr. Christie has been with ECG since 2016 and is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience in both consumer and small business lending.

Mr. Schneider is the CEO of BasePoint Capital, a leading player in structured direct lending that has extended over $7.4B in committed financings since 2011. He also serves as the CEO and CIO of BasePoint Advisors, a registered investment advisory affiliate. Prior to BasePoint, Eric focused on structured products initiatives at both Omega Advisors and Morgan Stanley.

Bruce Kropschot is one of the first asked to join the advisory board and he has been active since September 6, 2000. He was named Leasing Person of the Year for 2015. Bruce Kropschot has been active in the equipment leasing industry since 1972 and has been a senior executive of three large leasing companies. In 1986 he founded Kropschot Financial Services, a firm he developed into the leading provider of merger and acquisition advisory services for equipment leasing companies.

Justin Bakes is the Co-founder and CEO of Forward Financing, a fintech company headquartered in Boston providing fast, flexible working capital to small businesses nationwide. Justin has nearly 20 years of experience in the financial services industry and is dedicated to helping more small business owners reach their full potential. Since 2012, Forward has provided over $1.9 billion in funding to more than 45,000 small businesses.

Robert ("Bob") Gage is a partner in Hudson Cook's Michigan office. Bob's practice focuses on a wide range of issues affecting consumer and commercial financial services. He frequently speaks and writes on issues affecting consumer and commercial financial services. In the consumer financial services industry, Bob advises clients on matters relating to licensing, disclosure, servicing, e-commerce, privacy and compliance management. He also assists licensed lenders and finance companies respond to regulatory examinations. Though he concentrates on automobile finance and leasing, he has significant experience with other types of consumer finance program.

Latif is a partner in the firm's Maryland office. He works closely with financial services providers at various stages of growth to develop, maintain and expand nationwide consumer and commercial credit and funding programs. On behalf of investor clients, Latif engages in due diligence of financial service providers, including fintech firms, bank partnership platforms, small business lenders, sales finance companies and legal funding companies. Latif advises legal funding companies on compliance with state and federal law, including issues related to licensing, documentation and recharacterization. He also counsels clients on choice of law issues.