Speakers

Elatia Abate is an entrepreneur with a mission to revolutionize leadership to empower humanity in the Age of AI. Named a Forbes leading female futurist, she is a globally recognized expert on the futures of work and strategy
and is a member of the American Society for AI.
Her Future-Led Leadership learning and development content has been utilized in organizations including Verizon, UniGroup RMI – Rocky Mountain Institute, Grupo Globo, CME Group, Arcus Power, GMAC (Graduate Management Admissions Council),
and The College of William and Mary Raymond A. Mason School of Business. She previously served as Futurist in Residence for Paylocity.
Elatia is a sought-after keynote speaker on the topics of the future of work, leadership and resilience, sharing her message for audiences of tens and auditoriums of thousands for including, Citi, NY Life, VRBO, Deloitte, Honeywell, Belcorp, and SHRM, among many others. She has a TEDx talk titled, “Pioneering the Future of Work.”
In a former life she served as Global Director, Talent Acquisition with Anheuser-Busch InBev and Vice President of Human Resources at Dow Jones & Company. Abate is the author of the career design book Build a Career You Love. She has been featured in Fast Company, Esquire, Chief, Forbes, Exame, and La Voz, as well as in work with Trevor Noah and Tony Robbins. She was the only woman to contribute to the Tony Robbins 2020 Business Resiliency Expert series.
She is an instructor for LinkedIn Learning, in the Continuing Studies Department of Stanford University, and the Executive Education Department of The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. She received her BA and MBA from the University of Chicago.

Michelle Beyo is the CEO and Founder of Finavator an award winning payments and future of finance consultancy. Michelle brings 20+ years of expertise from across multiple industries including Payments, Loyalty, Telco, Digital Identity and Open Data. She is recognized as a Global thought leader and has spoken on stages worldwide including TedX, Michelle is a Money20/20 RiseUp Alumni & Mentor, Advisory Board Member to Open Banking Expo and many Fintechs as well as Executive Advisor to Wellesley Hills Financial LLC a Boston Investment Bank.

She is a Board Member and the President at Open Banking Network Canada OFNC, championing for data rights, transparency, and security in the financial landscape. She is also the creator and instructor for Finavator’s online on demand 6 hour Future of Finance Master Class https://www.finavatorfuturefinancemasterclass.com/ Michelle has been recognized for many awards including “Fintech Female Entrepreneur 2024 -North America.

Tal Clark is the CEO of Instant Financial, the fintech company modernizing payments and earned wage access for hourly workers and their employers. Instant’s mission is to revolutionize the traditional pay cycle by providing no- or low-cost, on-demand pay solutions that empower employees and streamline cash flow management for businesses.
At Instant, Tal leads the company’s strategic vision and growth, helping employers deliver modern, compliant, and accessible pay options for frontline workers. Under his leadership, Instant has become a category leader in earned wage access and digital disbursements, improving financial wellness for millions of Americans.
Tal has more than 30 years of experience in financial services, payments, and payroll innovation. Prior to Instant, he spent a decade at First Data Corporation (now Fiserv), where he led the global open-loop prepaid payroll business and served as president of Integrated Payment Systems. He was also part of the founding team of Money Network, the first platform to introduce electronic pay solutions for all employees— ultimately becoming the market leader in payroll card distribution.
A former U.S. Marine Corps Captain and helicopter pilot, Tal holds an MBA from the University of San Francisco and a BS from Mississippi State University. He lives in Pensacola, Florida, where he enjoys time with family and staying active in the aviation community.

Max Collinge is the Head of Product at Yaspa, an award-winning real-time payments provider based in the UK. Before joining Yaspa, he spearheaded the development of NatWest Group’s open banking solution. Over the past year, Max has driven Yaspa’s expansion across multiple markets in Europe and now leads its innovative UK Government-backed Player protection initiative, using machine learning and financial data to enable positive player behaviour and outcomes.

Amanda Estiverne-Colas is a dynamic leader in Banking and FinTech with over 20 years of expertise in driving innovation, strategic growth, and financial inclusion. She serves on the Board of Directors for the National Alliance for Financial Literacy and Inclusion (NAFLI), championing initiatives that advance financial education in underserved communities. A sought-after Payment Strategist and global speaker, Amanda has a proven track record of delivering transformative solutions in emerging payment technologies and financial inclusion. Dedicated to empowering communities, she focuses on advancing blockchain, open banking, and digital identity to foster economic growth and inclusion for small businesses and individuals.

Oscar “Bo” Fears joined the Department of Banking and Finance on February 1, 2013, as the Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs.  As the Department’s general counsel, he provides legal advice and support to the Department on most significant matters impacting the Department.  On August 1, 2023, he was named the Senior Deputy Commissioner for the Department where he is responsible for the general administration and oversight of the Department; the development of policies and procedures; and oversight of information technology, security, and project management.  As part of his duties, he serves on various committees and working groups for the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, including the SRR Lawyers Committee and the Regulatory Committee.

Laura Gibson-Lamothe is an accomplished technology and operations executive with over 18 years of experience in the banking, finance, and financial technology industries. She is the Executive Director of the Georgia Fintech Academy, a talent development collaboration between the University System of Georgia (USG), Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business, and all USG institutions.

As the Executive Director of the Georgia Fintech Academy, Laura oversees a comprehensive talent development initiative. The academy, based at Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business, offers core curriculum offerings accessible to students at 26 USG colleges and universities. It encompasses academic talent development, experiential learning through student projects, job placement assistance, professional development opportunities, and innovation-driven research.

The Georgia Fintech Academy has made significant strides in educating and preparing students for careers in the financial services industry. More than 5,500 students from USG institutions have benefited from the academy’s programs, and over 1,800 students have been placed in financial services jobs.

Before joining the Georgia Fintech Academy, Laura worked at Protiviti, a global consulting firm specializing in the finance industry. As a leader in the firm’s payments consulting practice, she demonstrated her expertise in driving technology initiatives for financial institutions. Before that, Laura led U.S. Operations for Featurespace, an award-winning fraud and risk management platform headquartered in the UK. Her responsibilities encompassed strategic growth and business operations across North and Latin America.

Laura has shown a passion for technology-driven solutions and innovation throughout her career. She has successfully implemented complex, multi-channel technology solutions focusing on profitability, growth, and customer satisfaction. Her notable achievements include supporting high-profile mergers at Bank of America, contributing to the enterprise transition during the legacy Wachovia-Wells Fargo acquisition, and pivotal in launching a co-branded credit card product at Ally Bank, a renowned digital bank.

Laura’s expertise extends beyond her domain knowledge in banking and financial technology. She has a strong background in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Currently serving on the board of directors of PayTech Women (formerly Wnet), she actively contributes to fostering an inclusive environment within the fintech industry. She is also a board member of LaAmistad, a non-profit preparing Latino students and families for success through academic and life enrichment programs. In 2021, she was selected as a member of Money 20/20’s RiseUp program, which focuses on empowering inclusivity in leadership.

Laura Gibson-Lamothe’s extensive experience, passion for technology-driven innovation, commitment to diversity and inclusion, and dedication to talent development make her a remarkable leader in the fintech industry. Her contributions to her professional field and the community continue to shape the future of finance and empower individuals to achieve their fullest potential.

Natalie Hogg is the founder and CEO of Method Q, a full-service marketing agency that helps fintech, cybersecurity, and B2B tech companies turn complexity into clarity—and drive growth through strategic branding, thought leadership, and demand generation. As a fractional CMO and trusted advisor to CEOs, CROs, and corporate boards, Natalie helps organizations differentiate in crowded markets, align go-to-market execution with business strategy, and accelerate adoption of complex offerings like embedded finance, identity, and payments.
Known for her ability to bring structure to ambiguity, Natalie partners with founders and executive teams to shape the narratives, reputations, and revenue strategies needed to fuel growth and unlock enterprise value. Her work has helped both early-stage disruptors and global enterprises gain traction with customers, investors, and the media.

Karen Houghton is the CEO of Infinite Giving and a Nonprofit Investment Advisor. Karen leverages her deep nonprofit, executive, and board expertise to bring an award-winning cash management experience to nonprofits all over the U.S. She advocates for organizational sustainability through better financial management, strategic, affordable access to curated investments, and increased giving through streamlined asset donations.

Infinite Giving has been recognized for World Changing Software by Fast Company and as one of the Top 40 Most Innovative Companies in Georgia. Karen has received WIT’s Woman of the Year Award and was listed as one of Salesforce’s 10 Small Business Women Who Inspire.

Yogaraj (Yogs) Jayaprakasam joined Deluxe Corporation in May 2022 as Chief Technology and Digital Officer and a member of the Executive Leadership team.

Yogs has an extensive, distinguished background in financial services and payments, leading large-scale technology organizations for American Express, Cognizant Technology Solutions and a Start-up for more than 20 years. His expertise spans Multi-Cloud Payment Platforms, MarTech, Open Banking APIs, Client & Partner integrations, Data & Analytics Platforms, and other key areas. Most recently at American Express, Yogs led the technology teams supporting the company’s B2B Digital Channels, Corporate Cards, Virtual Payments, B2B payments and API Platforms, Commercial Data platforms and other key areas. He holds several patents, and also co-led various innovation efforts including a recent innovation partnership with one of the largest cloud and CRM technology providers.

Yogs received his bachelor’s degree in Physics from University of Madras, India, and a master’s degree in Computer Applications from Bharathidasan University, India. He also has a Chief Technology Officer Certification from University of California, Berkeley.

For over two decades, Greg Johnson has been a CEO and senior executive at Fortune 500 and start-up enterprises in the financial services, insurance and digital asset industries. After becoming one of the youngest Certified Financial Planners in the United States, Greg went on to assume a progression of financial planning, wealth management and insurance leadership roles at American Express, Ameriprise Financial, Crawford & Co. and, most recently, Rubicon Crypto. Following his acceptance to join the faculty of New York University, he was offered a leadership role at NYU’s Metaverse Collaborative overseeing its global partnership initiatives. Not only is Greg a serial mentor and advisor to multiple fintech and Web3 start-up ventures, he is also a thought leader at the Atlantic Council GeoTech Center, and an active member of both the Digital Dollar Project and the prestigious Bretton Woods Committee in Washington, D.C. where he is a leader on the Future of Finance working group. Since co-founding Rubicon Crypto in 2021, he has quickly become one of the leading voices in the digital asset and blockchain industry and a sought-after speaker in North America and Europe on topics ranging from digital assets, Metaverse, Web3, real world asset (RWA) tokenization, CBDCs, cryptocurrency regulation, financial services governance and leadership development. Greg earned his undergraduate degree from The American University Kogod School of Business, Washington D.C. and an MBA from Emory University Goizueta Business School where he is a frequent panelist and guest lecturer.

He has worked for large organizations like Citi, managing one of the largest credit card portfolios in the world, Intel, launching their graphics chip business, and Google, working on Google Wallet, as well for multiple startups with multiple exits.

He is an investor/advisor in several startups including TripleBlind, Tilli Software, Tutored by Teachers, MPOWER Financing, Hypercard, Silicon Islands, Draper Startup House Caricom, and Impact Analytics.

Sanjib has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management as well as Bachelors and Masters in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University, where he built lasers, electric cars, hi-fi audio systems, and AI systems for ECGs classification.

Sabrina Lamb is the Founder and CEO of Wekeza, a Techstars-backed fintech platform that democratizes access to investing in U.S. stocks and ETFs, combined with multilingual financial education. Through partnerships with schools, cities, and financial institutions, Wekeza supports learners from pre-K through college—advancing financial inclusion and helping to close the racial wealth gap across the African Diaspora.

She is the author of six best-selling books, including the NAACP Image Award-nominated Do I Look Like An ATM?, and has written multiple national magazine cover stories. Her leadership in financial education and empowerment has been recognized by Congressmembers Gregory Meeks and Josh Gottheimer, NBC News/The Grio 100, Essence Magazine’s “50 Women Who Made Us Proud,” the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Rainbow PUSH/Wall Street Project, and State Farm’s National Dream Achiever Award.

A sought-after speaker, Sabrina has presented at major global conferences including Money 20/20, Festival of the Diaspora, Fintech South, Seamless Africa, Haiti Tech Summit, and Black Enterprise Women of Power.

Her media background includes serving as a correspondent for WBLS-FM at three Democratic National Conventions, co-hosting on WWRL 1600 AM, and contributing to WRKS-FM’s “Open Line Online.” Earlier in her career, she was a professional actor and stand-up comedian, with appearances on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” and Lifetime Television’s “Girls’ Night Out.” She is also a proud three-time New York City Marathon finisher.

As the Founder and CEO of Wysh, a forward-thinking insurance carrier with an award-winning, innovative deposit solution, known as Life Benefit, and CEO of String and Key, a research and development studio that creates finance-focused digital platforms, Alex Matjanec defines his purpose and that of his company to empower every person to live life to the fullest. He hopes to achieve this goal by providing the confidence of financial protection through the products his company builds. Life Benefit encourages consumers to maintain funds in order to leave their loved ones future financial security, while enhancing brand loyalty and strengthening FI’s balance sheet. Winning Best of Show at Finovate in September of 2023, Life Benefit’s demo was recognized as a groundbreaking, innovative fusion of life insurance protection embedded within deposit accounts. Previously, as CEO and serial entrepreneur, Alex successfully led 3 companies to acquisition.

Scott Mills is President of William Mills Agency. He is responsible for guiding the account teams, monitoring tactical activities as they relate to the strategic plan, day-to-day management of the agency and customer service. Since joining the agency in 1989, he has worked in both creative services and client relations.

Scott is also the editor of Bankers As Buyers, an annual guide to technologies and spending trends in the financial services industry.

Prior to joining the agency, Scott worked in the entertainment industry for WEKS-FM, WEA (record distribution) and WKLS-FM. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgia State University. Currently, Scott is on the board of directors of Association for Financial Technology (AFT) and TAG Fintech.  Scott is accredited in Public Relations through the Public Relations Society of America.

Thad Peterson is a senior analyst with Aite Group, focusing on the evolution of the payment space, the customer payment experience, and merchant acquiring.

Recognized as a global thought leader in payments, Thad has a proven track record of identifying and developing new opportunities and technologies in payments and financial services. He has relevant expertise in applying customer behavior to the payments ecosystem in both corporate and startup environments. Thad’s consulting background includes engagements on credit and debit cards, mobile payments, airline payment platforms, consumer and merchant loyalty, payment technology evolution, stored value, and product innovation. He holds patents in customer authentication and real-time mobile-enabled loyalty.

Prior to joining Aite Group, Thad led the mobile commerce practice at inCode Consulting and was managing director of Maritz Real-Time Rewards, leading the company’s mission to build a new industry standard at the nexus of transactional marketing and consumer engagement. While at Maritz, he also served as a division vice president, sector strategy, heading up strategy and solutions development for Maritz’s financial sector. Before joining Maritz, Thad was a partner with global financial services and payments firm Edgar, Dunn & Company, where he led the retail banking, loyalty, and emerging technology practice areas, working with retail banks, card issuers and processors, airline consortiums, new payment technology providers, payment associations, and prepaid card issuers. Thad has also worked as a C-level executive at retail banks and held positions in advertising and customer communications.

Thad served as an officer in the U.S. Navy for four years and holds a degree in Special Education from the University of Idaho.

Joseph Phillips is the Co-Founder of Payabli, alongside William Corbera. At Payabli, Joseph leads Customer Acquisition, Growth, Investor Relations, Business Operations, and contributes to Product Strategy.
A lifelong revenue leader, Joseph has spent his career helping scale early-stage technology companies. He was an early team member at Seamless.com, where he led National Sales through its merger with Grubhub and eventual IPO. He later joined ServiceTitan—the category-leading vertical software platform for the Home Services industry—as the founding Head of Sales. There, he built and scaled a high-performing sales organization that grew revenue 10x in just two years before transitioning into a Business Development leadership role.
It was during his time at ServiceTitan that Joseph, together with William, played a key role in shaping the company’s payments strategy. Their experience navigating the challenges of embedded payments in vertical SaaS inspired them to launch Payabli, with a mission to make it easier for software platforms to build, manage, and monetize payments infrastructure.
Joseph holds a bachelor’s degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Clark University and earned his MBA from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business.

Maria completed her studies in International Business and Management of Information Systems at the University of South Florida and at Ecole de Management de Normadie in France. After graduating from both universities, in 2011, she went to Colombia to Co-found with her father EA Strategy, a technology company that focuses on Enterprise Architecture solutions. She still leads the international business development organization of the company. In 2015, Maria moved to Atlanta and worked with Miracle Software, where she became a top performer as Business Development Manager. Then, in 2019, she created her own company MPS Group and operated through software services companies, she was the Director of Business Development in the US for Maestral Solutions and then for PersonalSoft.

In 2023, she was ready to operate under her own company full time. MPS Group is a one stop shop for Enterprise Software Services and solutions, MPS clients include Fortune 100 companies. She has also been active in the Georgia Community. Maria has volunteered with Women in Technology, Atlanta Community Food bank and other non-profit organizations, she is currently a board member of the TAG Fintech Society and this is her 3^rd year as Co-Chair for TAG Fintech Advance Awards.

Justin Poiroux is a pioneering technology leader and entrepreneur, shaping the future of financial services in Africa. As Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Yellow Card, he spearheads the architectural design, development, and implementation of the company’s technology platform, enabling seamless access to digital financial solutions across the continent.

With over 15 years of programming experience, Justin brings deep technical expertise and a passion for engineering excellence. His leadership and innovation in financial technology earned him recognition on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List (2023) in the Finance and Big Money Startups categories.

A recognized voice in digital finance, Justin has shared his insights at leading global conferences, including Money 20/20 Europe, and has been featured in prominent media outlets such as Cointelegraph. His contributions to the discourse on digital assets and financial inclusion continue to influence the industry’s evolution.

Prior to co-founding Yellow Card, Justin worked on National Science Foundation research grants, developing low-cost health monitoring solutions for emerging markets. He also contributed to algorithm development for the U.S. Air Force Research Lab, further honing his expertise in complex, high-impact technological systems.

Based in Atlanta, Justin remains deeply engaged in Africa’s financial technology landscape, frequently traveling across the continent. He holds a degree from Auburn University, where he built the first iteration of Yellow Card, setting the foundation for the company’s growth and success.

Pooya Pourak is the Co-Founder and CEO of MatchNice, where his mission is to inspire more giving by making donation matching easy, transparent, and accessible. With a foundation in industrial engineering, data analytics, and human-centered design, Pooya has consulted across the for-profit, government, and nonprofit sectors, applying systems thinking to drive social impact. As the host of The Nonprofit Lab podcast, he challenges the status quo by spotlighting bold ideas that reshape generosity and nonprofit innovation. He also serves as the research and analytics consultant for The Nonprofit Alliance, where he drives insights and supports advocacy to protect the nonprofit sector amid today’s complex political landscape. Outside of work, Pooya is an Ironman triathlete, dog lover, avid hiker, and certified yoga instructor—bringing presence, vulnerability, and empathy to everything he does.
Pooya holds a B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology

Tom Priore co-founded Priority in 2005, and has served as the company’s chairman and chief executive officer since 2018.

Under his direction, Priority has grown from a founder-financed technology startup to be the fifth largest non-bank merchant acquirer in the U.S. by volume. Tom has steered Priority from an organization focused on payments processing to a solutions provider across payments and banking, operating at scale with nearly one million active customers across its SMB, B2B and Enterprise channels. Priority processes $120 billion in annual transaction volume and provides administration for nearly $1 billion in deposits.

Tom has an MBA from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University.

Salvatore Salpietro is the Chief Community Officer of Fundraise Up. He also served on the board of Asia Wild. With extensive experience in both the nonprofit sector and technology, he has an understanding of the challenges nonprofits face and the solutions to help accomplish their objectives. Salvatore has lived and worked in diverse cities like New York, London, Rome, and Miami, giving him a unique perspective into donor (human?) behaviors. Prior to Fundraise Up, he served as Director of Digital at the Child Mind Institute and held technology roles with the University of California and the American University of Rome. On the technology side, before joining Fundraise Up he co-founded two startups and worked with eCommerce giants like Walmart and Sony.

A frequent speaker at various conferences and webinars, Salvatore encourages nonprofits to embrace innovation and understand the direct impact it can have on their missions, and the urgency this merits. He cares about the topics he discusses and aims to continuously learn from the nonprofit space. Leveraging humor, analogies, and interactivity in his talks, he aims to make them not just informative, but also engaging. His unique background allows him to bridge the gap between technology and nonprofits, understanding the needs of both sides and working to ensure productive relationships.

As the first employee of Fundraise Up, Salvatore has held all roles across all teams. His most recent role as Chief Community Officer allows him to serve as an ambassador to, and for, the nonprofit as well as being an advocate for efficiency in online fundraising.

He speaks three languages. He loves Legos, Star Wars, Star Trek and Vespas. He’s a father to a Swiftie. His goal is to help nonprofit professionals raise funds more effectively and efficiently, unlocking the world’s generosity potential to improve the world we, and our children, live in.

Joshua Silver is founder and CEO of Rainforest, a Payments-as-a-service company that helps software platforms monetize payments and create robust financial experiences without onerous risk and compliance burdens.

Silver is a payments veteran and expert on credit card processing, ACH origination, remittance handling, alternative payments, payment facilitation, startup growth, and product development.

Prior, Silver founded LaunchPath Group, which advised software companies on payments strategies. Frustrated with the lack of providers that offered software platforms excellent service, reasonable pricing and fair contract terms, he launched Rainforest.

Earlier on, Silver co-founded VC-backed Patientco, which built a robust patient payments platform for health systems. It served 30 million+ patients and processed billions of dollars annually before a successful exit.

Silver is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a BS in Computer Science and lives in Atlanta.

Ravi Venkatesan was named Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors at Cantaloupe in September 2022, after serving as Chief Operating Officer starting in February 2022 and as Chief Technology Officer from December 2020. He is responsible for leadership of the company’s architecture, development, network and business operations, product teams, as well as customer success. A proven leader with extensive expertise in product development, information systems, software development and program management, Mr. Venkatesan brings more than 20 years of experience in driving innovative change within technology environments.

Previously, Mr. Venkatesan was Head of Innovation at Bakkt. He held the dual roles of Chief Technology Officer and Chief Product Officer at Bridge2 Solutions, preceding its sale to ICE, the parent company of Bakkt. Prior to his position at Bakkt he was the Vice President of Information Technology Strategy and Delivery at Cbeyond. Earlier in his career he spent time as a consulting leader with Accenture.

Mr. Venkatesan graduated from Bangalore University with a degree in Electronics and went through a Post Graduate Program in Finance and Information Management from the Management Development Institute.

Ms. Erica Woods joined Stripe in November 2022 to lead State and Local Public Policy. Ms. Woods is responsible for all aspects of company state and regulatory government affairs strategy, including evaluating risks and opportunities, setting short and long term priorities, and using diverse tactics such as direct lobbying, thought leadership, and external partnerships to advance company goals. Prior to Stripe, Ms. Woods was the Director of Government Relations for Dutchie from 2021-2022, where she managed both federal and state legislative priorities and new market strategy. Ms. Woods was also the Head of State Public Policy at Facebook from 2018-2021, where she helped craft policy positions on a range of matters including data privacy, geolocation, and biometrics. Ms. Woods also specialized in Attorneys General outreach and engagement. From 2015-2018, Ms. Woods served as Counsel for the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security in Washington DC, where she focused her practice on overseeing the Department on Homeland Security. During her time with the Committee, Ms. Woods investigated numerous Secret Service security breaches and personnel matters, helped evaluate Department budget requests, and drafted legislation designed to support acquisition reform within the Department. From 2014-2015, Ms. Woods served the Obama Administration as a Political Appointee at the Department of Homeland Security as an Oversight Attorney. There, Ms. Woods drafted responses to congressional oversight requests and prepared Department officials for testimony before Congressional Committees. Ms. Woods began her legal career at Bryan Cave LLP where she practiced Bankruptcy Litigation, Banking and Real Estate. Ms. Woods resides in Memphis, TN. She completed her undergraduate studies at Vanderbilt University and law studies at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law.