Joe Welu is the founder and CEO of Total Expert, the fintech software leader that launched the first customer experience platform purpose-built for modern financial institutions. Since 2012, Joe has led Total Expert’s vision, culture, and growth to more than 300 employees today. The company powers CRM, marketing, and customer engagement for more than 170 financial institutions—from leading community banks and credit unions to 15 of the top 25 U.S. banks and lenders. Total Expert’s growth has skyrocketed since its inception, being named the #1 CRM platform by STRATMOR Group and earning top spots on the Inc. 5000 and HousingWire Tech100.

Brent Gleeson is a Navy SEAL combat veteran, award-winning entrepreneur, 2X bestselling author, and Forbes leadership columnist. Brent is a globally recognized expert and acclaimed speaker on topics ranging from resilience, mental toughness, leadership, and building high-performance teams to culture, and organizational transformation.

Brent is the Founder and CEO of EXCELER8, a Fortune 500 management consulting firm whose mission is to equip committed teams with the leadership tools and professional development necessary to navigate change and growth with accuracy and precision. 

Brent holds degrees in finance and economics from Southern Methodist University, certificates in English Literature and Criminal Justice from Oxford University in England, and an MBA from the University of San Diego. He is the #1 bestselling author of TakingPoint: A Navy SEAL’s 10 Fail-Safe Principles for Leading Through Change, and Embrace the Suck: The Navy SEAL Way to an Extraordinary Life. Brent is married with four amazing children.

Along with her signature passion for people, Sue Woodard brings over thirty years of financial services and fintech experience to her roles as an Independent Consultant to the STRATMOR Group, Senior Advisor to Total Expert and industry “Evangelist At Large!”  Sue started her career at the ground level in financial services, became a top producing mortgage loan originator, then leveraged her knowledge to become a highly acclaimed industry speaker, subject matter expert and fintech executive.

Susu Adriaens is a seasoned product leader with over 15 years of experience building and launching B2B SaaS software. Susu’s background spans a wide range of industries from ecommerce to healthcare and now financial services in her current role as Senior Director of Product Management at Total Expert. She has a proven track record of launching delightful products that exceed expectations, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and revenue growth. Susu believes in human centered design and a customer centric approach. Combined with her deep understanding of technology and its applications, Susu is committed to the continuous improvement of existing products while relentlessly pursuing innovation into new areas of opportunity.

With 20 years of experience in mortgage technology, Dan Catinella is a seasoned technology executive focused on driving digital transformation through all channels of lending. In an ever-changing digital landscape, Dan keeps a constant pulse on the next innovation that could change the way business is conducted. As Chief Lending Officer for Total Expert, Catinella identifies and develops high-impact innovation strategies that align with the company’s business goals and growth priorities. He works with Total Expert’s customers to dig into the problems they’re looking to solve and aligns Total Expert’s innovation strategy with their business goals.

John Chambers Dunn is a teacher at heart and a trainer by luck. He has worked at Total Expert since 2018, allowing him to gain deep experience with the product, the people, and the mission. Within the Professional Services team, John has worked with retail and consumer direct lenders, banks, credit unions, and insurance companies to optimize their use of TE, grow their business, and learn the best practices, tips, and tricks that make Total Expert the best platform for the industry. John sings in a professional choir in the Twin Cities and enjoys dogs, hiking, traveling, and trying new restaurants.

I began my professional journey in acting, transitioned into customer service, and ultimately found my niche in marketing, focusing on lead generation and sculpting the customer experience. I am a creative, ambitious, and dynamic individual, boasting a broad skill set and comprehensive experience across marketing, CRM, customer service, social media, communication, and design. A pivotal strength that I consistently leverage in all facets of life is my aptitude for effective communication - a fundamental pillar for forging relationships!

Bobbi Jo Dallas Card is a customer-focused, collaborative leader with a love for helping people and seeing them succeed. Her “next level” enthusiasm, passion, and energy makes her the perfect person to lead the customer engagement team at Total Expert. In her role, she develops strategies and best practices for our administrators that drive value, create excitement and elevate end user adoption, all while ensuring the customer experience with Total Expert exceeds expectations.

Meg Dunn is Vice President of Mortgage Production at Lake Michigan Credit Union in Grand Rapids, MI. She has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and is passionate about implementing  industry leading  tools, technology and resources so the LMCU team can provide exceptional service and experience to all homebuyers financing through LMCU. Meg has spent the last 14+ years at LMCU and has played an important role in the growth of the Mortgage Business.  Today LMCU is the #3 Credit Union Mortgage provider in the country.  

As General Manager for insurance, Ilya Filipov brings nearly 20 years of insurance and financial services experience to Total Expert. He has held leadership roles in most facets of insurance, including sales, product, customer service, process engineering, marketing, strategy, digital transformation, finance and investments, underwriting, M&A, and legal and compliance. Prior to joining Total Expert, Ilya spent time building the insurance strategy for Talkdesk.

Amber Joy Gmerek is the dynamic Lifecycle and CRM Manager at Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, where she expertly manages Total Expert, crafts innovative customer journeys, ensures database integrity, trains users, and leads implementation projects. With nearly a decade of mortgage marketing experience, Amber enhances customer engagement, manages CRM systems, analyzes data, and coordinates marketing and sales efforts. She leads CRM teams and continuously improves processes, earning the Journey Wiz award in 2022. Amber holds a BA from Jacobs University in Germany and lives in Seattle with her husband and their energetic 2-year-old son.

Meet Jelaire, a seasoned professional with a robust background in finance and marketing. Raised in Miami, Florida, she hails from a culturally diverse Cuban/Italian household, instilling in her a strong work ethic and an early appreciation for community.
 
After graduating from the University of Florida in 2008, Jelaire relocated to Washington, DC, initially working in a lobbying firm on Capitol Hill. However, she quickly discerned that her aspirations aligned more with a purpose-driven career. Subsequently, she transitioned to the non-profit sector, gaining valuable experience before choosing not to follow her employer's move to Boston.
 
In 2012, she made the decision to take on a role as a Loan Officer Assistant. Over the years, she strategically navigated her career, ascending through the ranks within the marketing domain. The pivotal move to PHM provided her the professional space to demonstrate her capabilities, resulting in her current position. A critical juncture in Jelaire's career was the transition to PHM, where she found a platform to amplify her professional contributions.
 
Balancing professional demands, Jelaire anchors herself in her family life. Currently residing in the DC area with her husband, a sports enthusiast 7-year-old son, and their pup, Winnie, she acknowledges the importance of familial support in maintaining equilibrium. In addition to her professional commitments, Jelaire dedicates time to Olympic Weightlifting, a physically and mentally demanding pursuit she has pursued for two years and reads at least 1-2 books a week!

Patrick Hanley, Vice President, Strategic Alliances, has almost 20 years of experience helping organizations maximize their success through partnering with other organizations to create that “Better Together” story. Patrick’s leadership experience spans Product Management, Product Marketing, Strategic Alliances, System Integrators, Value-Based Pricing, Sales, and Partner Ecosystems. Having worked with some of the largest software leaders (Microsoft, Salesforce, AWS), in the world, and specific niche partners that add unique values, Patrick believes in the power of working together with others unlocks greater potential than any one organization can alone and unlocks exponential growth opportunities for both Total Expert and its partners.

Scott Harris is a CEO, keynote speaker, and author of "Create WOW Customer Experiences: CX 2.0". In 2015, Scott capitalized on his 25 years of technology experience in real estate, mortgage and marketing to launch SocialSurvey, a fully automated Customer Experience Platform.The company was rebranded in 2021 to Experience.com to coincide with the release of a totally new and vastly more powerful CX platform that empowers businesses to put Customer and Employee Experience in motion to drive real-time business outcomes. Sharing what he knows as a leader, speaker and author fuels his desire to keep growing and help companies get better.In 2024 Experience.com rolled out 20 million profiles for professionals in verticals such as financial services, law, medicine and personal services. Experience.com is now the place to go to find and refer the best professionals.If you ask Scott what he does, he will likely describe himself as a "Dad" and as his company's "Chief Storyteller." Whether at home with his children and grandchild, or at work with a growing family of employees, he tries to bring passion, joy and direction into the lives of everyone around him.

Kiah Lau Haslett is the Banking & Fintech Editor of Bank Director. Kiah writes for both BankDirector.com and FinXTech.com, and focuses on balance sheets, mergers and acquisitions and how technology is changing financial institutions. She was previously a Financial Institutions reporter at S&P Global Market Intelligence and has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska.

Jason is the CEO of Alloy Labs, a consortium of community and midsize banks operationalizing innovation through startup partnerships and strategic investments. He co-hosts Breaking Banks, the largest fintech podcast in the world. Jason is a frequent speaker and author on financial innovation, regulation and compliance as competitive advantage. He served on the fintech advisory boards for the City of Chicago, the AARP, the Financial Health Network Innovation Lab, and the SXSW Accelerator. Jason teaches at the Pacific Coast Banking School, University of Wisconsin Graduate School of Banking, the Digital Banking School at the University of Wisconsin and Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.

Tim Hoffman brings experience in data management, integrations, and system implementation to the Training & Education Team. His deep platform knowledge helps him personally consult admins on strategic configurations for their use cases. He enjoys training live and speaking to best practices for admin and end user workflows. Outside of work, you'll often catch Tim sharing stories about his two adorable dogs, cranking up his favorite tunes, and wowing everyone with his impressive baking skills. His passion for creating a positive learning experience is reflected not just in his professional endeavors but also in the delightful blend of camaraderie and expertise he brings to the team. 

Since 1997, Bucky has enjoyed his role in sales leadership by helping mortgage lenders to solidify and grow their business. Bucky is passionate about the mortgage industry having served as past President of the Mortgage Bankers Association of Arkansas as well as on various committees from a Local and National perspective.

Marissa Kosin is an experienced technology educator with a passion for sales. She leads Total Expert’s Training & Education Team in facilitating technical training and consulting sessions in mortgage, banking, and insurance. In today’s market, her team focuses largely on consulting marketers and sales teams in tactfully nurturing their pipelines with data driven insights. Formally educated in learning and memory, she is deeply invested in eliminating barriers in the learning process. Marissa believes in having the best time possible while acquiring new skills as a retention tactic. This philosophy drives the engaging sessions hosted by Training & Education at Accelerate.

Sarah Likens is the Digital Marketing Strategist for Mann Mortgage where she leads the digital team to drive business for the company through marketing technology, the website, digital advertising, and the mobile app. Sarah entered the mortgage industry almost eight years ago and enjoys pairing data with interpersonal relationships to creatively improve digital marketing efforts. Since joining Mann Mortgage in 2023, she’s improved the automation and engagement for Loan Officers as well as introducing targeted campaigns to drive trackable revenue. When she’s not working directly with her Loan Officers and team members, Sarah hosts a class called Digital Dominance in Realty: Mastering Internet Marketing for Mann Mortgage Real Estate partners. Sarah’s passion for making digital marketing approachable and adaptable in the mortgage industry to drive more business guides her day-to-day.

Steve Majerus is the CEO of Synergy One Lending, Inc. In April of 2020, Steve led a management buyout of the company from Mutual of Omaha.

Steve is focused on the strategic vision of the company, which is licensed in 49 states and Washington, D.C., and has over 300 employees.

Before joining Synergy One Lending as President in March of 2017, Majerus held various leadership roles in both private and public mortgage companies ranging from capital markets to sales and operations. His experience has cut across multiple channels in the mortgage space, most notably in a senior role with internet lending pioneer, Eloan, from 1997-2003 and as Regional Executive of the largest region in the US with the joint venture between PHH and Realogy (now Guaranteed Rate Affinity).

Mel Marsh is a seasoned marketing strategist and customer experience expert currently serving as the Senior Director of Marketing Strategy at Guided Solutions, Baldwin Risk Partners. With a comprehensive background in omni-channel marketing, Mel is responsible for crafting and executing strategic marketing initiatives for property & casualty (P&C) and Medicare personal lines of business. With a proven track record of success, Mel is an award-winning proactive marketing professional known for expertise in team leadership, go-to-market strategy, CX optimization, segmentation & personalization, SEO, digital and social media marketing, content strategy, marketing operations, marketing analytics, and MarTech enterprise software. Mel also champions the creation of scalable consumer-facing MarTech solutions aimed at optimizing customer experience flow for nurture and conversion.

Dan Miedema joined Total Expert after 11 years in the mortgage industry and as a TE customer. He is an an avid learner of marketing technology best practices, how to make sales functions streamlined through automation, and maximizing value with marketing investments. As Head of Customer Success, Dan's focus is on working with TE customers to continually grow and ensure they are optimizing their tech stack.

Kerrie Pennington is a seasoned professional with over 14 years of experience in the mortgage industry.  Currently serving as the Director of Mortgage Training and Technology Development, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role.  Kerrie’s dedication to her career is matched only by her commitment to her family; married for 15 years with two daughters, she values work-life balance and cherishes spending time exploring new places with her loved ones.  Outside of work, Kerrie is passionate about traveling and has set a goad to visit all 62 national parks with her family. Kerrie’s journey is a testament to her drive, ambition, and love for both her profession and her family.

Kari Poel is a highly skilled Sales Support Analyst at Lake Michigan Credit Union with over ten years in the financial services industry. Her expertise lies in providing comprehensive support to Sales Leadership as well as LMCU’s team of 100+  Loan Officers. Kari’s focus is on data analysis, implementation of software to improve core business efficiencies and serves as the lead admin for Total Expert at LMCU.  She is dedicated to delivering exceptional results and exceeding expectations. In her free time you can find Kari at any number of racetracks in the Midwest as her husband is a dirt circle track racecar driver. Kari also has two sons ages 13 and 11and enjoys spending time with family, doing crafts, bowling and being outdoors.

Jason Ponsonby is a mortgage industry leader with over 20 years of experience. He currently serves as Head of National Production at American Pacific Mortgage, overseeing the company’s production in 350+ branch locations across the country. In this role, Jason is instrumental in attracting top talent, driving strategic growth, and leading the recruiting, construction & renovation lending departments. His leadership is fueled by a deep commitment to fostering teamwork, leveraging technology, cultivating leadership talent, and driving market expansion.

My name is Ahmad, and I am an ISV Partner Account Manager at Salesforce. I have been with the ISV organization for seven years, managing various partners across different segments. For the past three years, I have focused on partners in the Banking & Lending segment. My primary role is to help new partners acclimate to the Salesforce ecosystem and drive go-to-market initiatives with them. In my personal life, I reside in the San Francisco Bay Area with my wife and two-year-old son, and I am a passionate sports fan. 

Shannon Schmidt has over twenty years of marketing experience, with most of those years in the mortgage industry. She leads the marketing effort for joint ventures, expanding relationships with real estate agents, builders, and correspondent clients to drive profitable loan volume through direct-to-consumer initiatives. Shannon believes in growing business by leveraging current and past customer relationships and data to increase market share.

Best-selling author Shashank Shekhar is the founder and CEO of InstaMortgage, which was named the fastest-growing mortgage company in the country by the Financial Times. Shashank has won the Stevie Award, Entrepreneur of the Year, for three years in a row. His writing has been published in Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, Housing Wire, and Huffington Post.

Shashank is a sought-after speaker and has been named one of the most-influential and most-connected mortgage professionals in the country. As a technologist, Shashank created "Rachel," the mortgage industry's first ConversationalAI digital human, "InstaAI," a first-of-its-kind GenAI platform for loan officers, and published the first GPT by a mortgage company on the GPT store.

A 25-year mortgage veteran, Greg Sher started as a loan originator in 1998 with NFM Lending before opening his own company, Citizens Lending Group in 2003. After 7 years operating as a correspondent lender, Sher merged forces with NFM in 2009, along with 106 of his employees. He has proven to be an industry force when it comes to recruiting and marketing, having launched multiple verticals which have helped propel NFM to a Top 25 national lender. Among his signature accomplishments, he created NFM TV in 2017, which received the prestigious “Telly Award” in April, 2020 for his interview with the parents of fallen soldier Eric Houck, who he honored with an “NFM Salute” (he created the monthly NFM Salute Series in 2015). In January 2020, he launched the first known “Influencer Division” in the mortgage sector. To date (January 2023), the division has 10 mortgage influencers (all licensed) who have generated over 50,000 exclusive purchase leads through their various socials. Before entering the mortgage industry, he was Sports Director at WBAL Radio in Baltimore where he hosted a drive-time sports talk show on the Orioles and Ravens flagship station. He resides in Northern, Virginia with his wife and two boys.

Neil Stanley is the Founder and CEO of The CorePoint.

With 30 years as a bank executive with three high-performance family-owned banking groups, Neil has held a spectrum of roles in banks including Holding Company VP, Chief Liquidity and Investment Officer, Chief Credit Officer, President of Community Banking, and CEO. 

Neil founded The CorePoint in 2010 with a mission of revitalizing pricing strategies for retail deposits.  The company provides clients across the country with enhanced ways of profiting through attracting and retaining properly priced retail deposits.

He has facilitated the High-Performance Idea Exchange for the Sheshunoff CEO Affiliation Peer Groups since 2021.  Neil has taught at Graduate School of Banking in Colorado; Southwest Graduate School of Banking; and Graduate School of Banking - Madison.  He has been granted two U.S. Patents for business processes which unleash value in time deposits.  Neil has published numerous banking industry articles and participated in many banking podcasts and webinars.

Neil has served as a director for several banking and financial organizations and is currently a bank board member.  He also serves on the board of Pillar Seminary.

Arun Velliangiri is a Senior Solutions Architect at AWS based in Minneapolis, with over 15 years of experience spanning healthcare, life sciences, and financial services. As a technical expert in data, analytics, and AI/ML, Arun is passionate about innovation and leveraging technology to drive meaningful impact. Since joining AWS, Arun has worked with over 50 partners to launch 100+ offerings, including several Generative AI based solutions.

James White, general manager of banking, has over 25 years of experience helping modern depositories grow market share and drive profitability. James’ leadership experience spans strategic planning, product development and delivery, professional services, sales and marketing, and customer success. Having worked with some of the largest banks and credit unions in the world, James believes in the power of an empathetic bank or credit union to create customers for life.

James has had the privilege to create brands in the world: Polarizing, distinctively different brands with the United Nations, Fisker Automotive, the past VP of Product Marketing at Facebook, publicly traded companies, billion-dollar sales organizations, influencers, tech start ups, and almost 1,000 other business leaders and creative entrepreneurs in the last 10 years. He believes brand identity is the ultimate marketing and that brands, like people, sometimes need fresh and bold thinking to provoke change and grow in new ways. 

As a lifelong trainer, Tim Woods works hard to help his learners be more successful. With a career that includes a decade of teaching high school students and additional decades of training adults across varied industries, Tim enjoys tailoring workshops to meet the learner’s needs. By building on current knowledge of the topic or industry, Tim guides the learners to absorb and apply the new knowledge and skills. Since joining the Total Expert team in 2022, Tim has helped launch successful client implementations of all sizes, providing platform knowledge, customer support and best practices. Tim is a lifelong Chicagoan, and both a baseball fan and a rock and roll music fan.