Keynote Speakers | Workforce Excellence Summit

John C. Asbury, CEO, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation

John Asbury is a career banker with over 35 years of experience in commercial banking. Active in civic and industry affairs, John is a prior chair of the American Bankers Association, the Mid-Size Bank Coalition of America, and the Virginia Bankers Association. He also serves on the boards of several not-for-profit organizations and was appointed by the Governor of Virginia to the Port of Virginia Board of Commissioners.

Cinthya Allen, Chief Engagement Officer, Arvest Bank

Cinthya Allen leads the development and execution of an inclusion business strategy at Arvest Bank. Previously, Cinthya served as the chief diversity and equity officer for the city of Norman, Oklahoma. She held responsibilities as the city's ADA coordinator and staffed several city commissions. Cinthya also previously served as director of corporate relations and as an adjunct professor in the department of human relations at the University of Oklahoma.

Paul Carney, AI educator, Ishtot, Inc.

Paul Carney is a global speaker, educator and former CHRO with more than 35 years of experience leading business, technology and HR transformation. He helps organizations adopt AI responsibly and practically, with a focus on measurable results. Known for his engaging teaching style, Paul blends executive-level insight with hands-on practice to equip professionals with the skills they need to use AI effectively in their daily work. His work has been featured in HR Tech, HR Magazine and HRO Today.

Erica Colonero, Partner, VisionSpring, Inc.

Erica Colonero is co-founder and partner at VisionSpring, Inc., leading business development for the firm and consulting on corporate culture. A sought-after trainer, facilitator and speaker, Erica has worked with organizations including Aetna, The Dignity and Respect Campaign, Express Scripts, The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and Medtronic. Before forming VisionSpring, Erica was a sales manager for Linkage, Inc., where she helped clients build their diversity brand in ways that supported internal training, market share expansion and more.

Elisa Garn, SHRM-SCP, SVP, talent management & sustainability, Blood Cancer United

A seasoned senior HR leader with 20+ years transforming HR across industries, Elisa Garn leads enterprise sustainability, workforce planning and development, talent acquisition, internal mobility and learning — designing skills-first, human-centric systems that make talent strategy clear, actionable, and agile. Elisa founded an HR tech company, led brand strategy for Utah’s largest employee insurance broker and built a personal brand consulting agency.

Kenneth Kelly, ABA Chair, Chairman and CEO, First Independence Bank

Kenneth Kelly is chairman and CEO of First Independence Corp and First Independence Bank. In 2025, after years of dedicated service to ABA, Kenneth was named ABA Chair. Previously, Kenneth served a three-year term on the FDIC Advisory Committee on Economic Inclusion and served as chairman of the National Bankers Association among other organizations. In 2019, he testified as an expert witness before the U.S. Congressional House Financial Services Subcommittee. Kenneth presently serves on the Community Advisory Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

Krys Lassiter, Financial Operations Fraud Manager, USAA

Krys Lassiter has over two decades of experience in the financial industry – formerly serving as a licensed investment advisor and facilitator for a Fortune 100 firm. She holds leadership roles with ABA, serves as the chairman for the Black Bankers Employee Resource Group and is the national budget chair for USAA’s internal African American impact group. Krys is also a successful entrepreneur, owning a fair-trade business dedicated to raising awareness and educating others to prevent human trafficking.

Lora McCray, SVP, Workforce Excellence, American Bankers Association

Lora McCray is an accomplished senior executive and seasoned board director having served on the boards of a credit union, nonprofit homeless services agency, university alumni board and an independent film company. Lora came to ABA from Freddie Mac, where she served as vice president, diversity, equity and inclusion/engagement and outreach officer. Before joining Freddie Mac in 2023, she held leadership roles at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and the National Association of Realtors.

Dominik Mjartan, President and CEO, American Pride Bank

Alongside his role at American Pride Bank, Dominik Mjartan serves as vice chairman of Optus Bank and Optus Financial Corporation, where he previously served as president and CEO. Dominik is a founding director of Climate First Bank, a director of the Community Development Bankers Association and the National Bankers Association and was formerly chair of the CDFI Coalition. In 2022 and 2023, Dominik served on the FDIC Community Bank Advisory Board. Previously, Dominik was a senior executive officer at Southern Bancorp.

Arel Moodie, Adult Development Theory expert, tech founder, Disney+ expert host

Growing up in the Brooklyn projects, Arel Moodie learned early on how people around you can either hold you back or lift you up. This drove him to become one of only a handful of people worldwide certified in Adult Development Theory. A tech founder and CEO, keynote speaker and bestselling author, Arel has shown leaders from the White House to Fortune 500 companies how to create cultures where everyone wins together.

Mika Moser, founder and CEO, At C Level

Mika Moser is an experienced C-Suite executive with over 25 years of professional success in strategic planning, leadership development, brand marketing and board governance in the banking, technology and nonprofit industries. She is the founder and CEO of At C Level, a talent consulting group that helps companies build diverse, high-performing leadership teams by providing executive search, professional development and consulting services.

Rob Nichols, President and CEO, American Bankers Association

Rob Nichols joined ABA after 10 years at the helm of the Financial Services Forum. Prior, he served in the George W. Bush administration as assistant secretary for public affairs at the Treasury Department among other public service roles. Rob is a recipient of the Alexander Hamilton Award, the highest honor of the Department of Treasury. He has been consistently named one of the most influential people in Washington by Washingtonian, and one of Washington’s top lobbyists by The Hill. Under Rob’s leadership, ABA has been recognized as a Great Place to Work® since 2018.

Genevieve Oduor, SVP, director of inclusion relationship development, S&T Bank

Genevieve Oduor leads initiatives including educational webinars on inclusion and the annual S&T Bank Women & Allies in Banking Conference. Genevieve is a recipient of the 2019 Pennsylvania Banker’s Association’s Champion for Women Award, the Humanitarian Leader Award from the Unleashing Potential Leadership Program, the 2022 Pittsburgh Business Times Women of Influence Award, the 2024 Pittsburgh Woman of the Year Award by the National Diversity Council and Pennsylvania Diversity Council and the 2025 Pennsylvania Bankers Association Inclusive Leadership Award.

Robin Pedrelli, Partner, VisionSpring, Inc.

Robin Pedrelli has been improving business performance and employee engagement as a consultant to major companies for more than 20 years. She has worked with organizations including Staples, Boehringer Ingelheim and Sun Life Financial. A topic expert in strategy development, instructional design and training, Robin has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Boston Business Journal and others. Prior to launching VisionSpring, Robin was vice president and program director for the Diversity and Women in Leadership practice of Linkage, Inc.

Julieann M. Thurlow, CEO, Reading Cooperative Bank

Julieann M. Thurlow is a board member and former chair of the American Bankers Association and serves on the board of the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency. She is co-chair of the Massachusetts Fintech Hub, a founding member of Alloy Labs and a director of the Atlantic Community Bankers Bank. Julie earned her MBA from Fairfield University and has completed advanced studies at the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking, Harvard Business School and Wharton’s Aresty Institute.

Bruce T. Whitehurst, President and CEO, Mid-Atlantic Bankers Association and Virginia Bankers Association

Following a 10-year career in retail and commercial banking, Bruce joined the Virginia Bankers Association in 1993, and serves as president and chief executive officer of the Mid-Atlantic Bankers Association. As a banking industry advocate, Bruce is active at the national level. He served on the American Bankers Association’s Regulatory Reform Task Force during the 2008-2009 financial crisis and served as an ABA Board member and chairman of the Alliance of State Bankers Associations in 2012-2013.