Kirk is a breakthrough financial performer with an unmatched track record of growing retail financial institutions, winning national acclaim, and creating the strategic organizational direction.

As CEO of Bethpage Federal Credit Union (BFCU), Kirk grew the organization to one of the largest credit unions in the U.S., doubling assets every five years.

His success is driven by his belief that credit unions are the future of banking. Since stepping down as CEO of BFCU, Kirk has provided unparalleled leadership and advisory services in the industry to drive operational efficiencies, build brand prestige, add products, and achieve ambitious financial goals.

Based in Silicon Valley, Shail Khiyara is a distinguished thought leader and operational executive in the Intelligent Automation and AI sector. As a recognized Top Voice in AI, Shail has furthered his influence with the 2023 launch of his book titled “Intelligent Automation - Bridging the Gap between Business & Academia”, offering a unique blend of strategic insight and practical execution experience.

Shail is also the founder of VOCAL, a global initiative that unites over 90 leading brands worldwide, fostering collaboration among automation and AI leaders. This initiative demonstrates his commitment to driving innovation and thought leadership in the industry, marking him as a pivotal figure in shaping the future of AI and automation.

Becky Reed is a credit union industry veteran and thought leader with more than two decades of leadership in credit unions and CUSOs. Renowned for her unique perspective as both a credit union executive and CUSO leader, her expertise and advice are sought after by those who seek to embrace innovation. Becky believes that a frictionless member experience starts with a frictionless employee experience which can only truly be achieved by utilizing state of the art technology.

In her most recent role as the CEO of Lone Star Credit Union, Becky led the organization through a complete digital transformation starting with a technology foundational remediation in 2016 which allowed the credit union to achieve economies of scale through increased efficiency. Once the modern foundation was in place, the credit union transformed into a digital-first organization and underwent a complete overhaul including a core conversion, headquarters remodel and cultural revitalization. Today, the credit union embraces a remote-first philosophy which allows the staff to assist members from anywhere.

Often dubbed the 'CUSO Queen', Becky is a co-founder of the Credit Union Service Organization, PureIT CUSO, which provides technology infrastructure support and professional services to credit unions. She is the Board Chairman of NACUSO and has contributed to multiple Advisory Boards, such as Corelation, BankJoy, Members Mobile and BankSocial. CUSOs, she believes, are our industry superheroes. She also volunteers as the President of BlockAdvocates, a non-profit dedicated to Crypto education. Becky continues to stay at the forefront of innovation by working with emerging technologies, such as DLT and AI as well as assisting with DeNovo credit union creation. Her focus revolves around the 4 'Cs' - Credit Unions, CUSOs, Crypto and Collaboration.

Today, Becky is dedicated to supporting the credit union industry through her consulting service, Becky Reed as a Service or BRaaS, working with PureIT CUSO clients and serving as the COO of the FinTech company, BankSocial.

In addition to her credit union expertise, Becky is a coach, mentor, published author, popular podcast guest and speaker. Becky graduated Summa Cum Laude from Concordia University in Austin, Texas.

Doug Shannon is an accomplished thought leader in Intelligent Automation with over two decades of experience in IT. He has a proven track record in building self-healing automation processes and has been recognized as one of the top 50 intelligent automation leaders globally. Currently, Doug serves as a Gartner Peer Community Ambassador, a council member for VOCAL, and a member of the Theia Institute, which is a cybersecurity & AI ethics think tank, based in Washington D.C.

Raj Bandaru is currently the Chief Information Officer at Kinecta FCU. He oversees strategic planning, information technology, cybersecurity, digital payments, and digital delivery. Raj completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in computer science as well as several continuing education programs in the banking and credit union industries. Raj began his career as an Oracle database administrator, developer, and AIX system administrator. He consulted with numerous Fortune 500 companies before beginning at JPMorgan Chase, where he worked for 14 years. He held leadership roles of increasing responsibility, managed global teams, and led several strategic initiatives, mergers, acquisitions, conversions, data center consolidations, and offshoring initiatives.

To help round out his business skills, Raj joined Gesa Credit Union as CIO and CISO in 2011. He was instrumental in driving Gesa’s digital transformation, multiple mergers, core conversions, and online and mobile banking conversions. He also took on additional responsibility for back-office operations, fraud management, and the member contact center.

Raj has a passion for developing his employees to their fullest potential. He brings a wealth of experience and a great blend of strategic, technology, and business skills. Raj is also involved as a board member of a non-profit helping underprivileged students.