Cortney Arnold
Filene Research Institute
Director of Community Development
Cortney aims to prepare credit unions for the next generation. She thrives on making human connections to understand what drives people and then helps guide them to act using research-based solutions. These connections, insights, and passion are the pillars that guide Cortney’s approach to leading Filene’s communities.
A proud millennial, Cortney has more than 14 years of experience in financial services. Her career started at a savings and loan in a contact center, but she made her way to credit unions through SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union. In her life before Filene, she was a supervisor over the remote service channels. Her experience working with members and team members for seven years gives her critical insights into ease-of-use, the importance of building relationships, and, most importantly, a knack for creative and transformational leadership development.
Cortney earned a BA in Communication Studies from California State University, Long Beach, and an MBA in Organizational Leadership from Brandman University. Not only does Cortney value education, but also life lessons—and what better way to connect with people than through travel. She has traveled to Europe through a study abroad program and spent time volunteering with a women’s group in India. Cortney was selected as a GAC Crasher in 2016, which helped cement her commitment to the credit union movement.
When Cortney isn’t working or traveling, she enjoys camping, hiking, coffee, and watching Futurama, Fringe, or Bob’s Burgers with her two cats, Ralphie and Francis.
Filene Research Institute
Director of Community Development
Cortney aims to prepare credit unions for the next generation. She thrives on making human connections to understand what drives people and then helps guide them to act using research-based solutions. These connections, insights, and passion are the pillars that guide Cortney’s approach to leading Filene’s communities.
A proud millennial, Cortney has more than 14 years of experience in financial services. Her career started at a savings and loan in a contact center, but she made her way to credit unions through SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union. In her life before Filene, she was a supervisor over the remote service channels. Her experience working with members and team members for seven years gives her critical insights into ease-of-use, the importance of building relationships, and, most importantly, a knack for creative and transformational leadership development.
Cortney earned a BA in Communication Studies from California State University, Long Beach, and an MBA in Organizational Leadership from Brandman University. Not only does Cortney value education, but also life lessons—and what better way to connect with people than through travel. She has traveled to Europe through a study abroad program and spent time volunteering with a women’s group in India. Cortney was selected as a GAC Crasher in 2016, which helped cement her commitment to the credit union movement.
When Cortney isn’t working or traveling, she enjoys camping, hiking, coffee, and watching Futurama, Fringe, or Bob’s Burgers with her two cats, Ralphie and Francis.
Dr. Sekou Bermiss
UNC Chapel Hill
Associate Professor at the Kenan-Flagler Business School
Dr. Sekou Bermiss is an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School. He received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY), and a M.S. and Ph.D in Management and Organizations from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Dr. Bermiss conducts research in the area of strategic human capital management, where he explores the micro-foundations of competitive advantage by studying the antecedents and consequences of manager mobility and how different forms of employee movement impact a firm’s ability to compete with rivals. His award-winning research has been published in Administrative Science Quarterly, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, and Research in Organizational Behavior. His research has also been highlighted by Harvard Business Review and National Public Radio. Before entering academia, Dr. Bermiss worked as a management consultant for Deloitte & Touche in New York City.
Led by Dr. Bermiss is Filene's Center of Excellence for War for Talent: https://filene.org/learn-something/center-for-war-for-talent
Building a Hybrid Culture that Thrives
UNC Chapel Hill
Associate Professor at the Kenan-Flagler Business School
Dr. Sekou Bermiss is an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School. He received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY), and a M.S. and Ph.D in Management and Organizations from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Dr. Bermiss conducts research in the area of strategic human capital management, where he explores the micro-foundations of competitive advantage by studying the antecedents and consequences of manager mobility and how different forms of employee movement impact a firm’s ability to compete with rivals. His award-winning research has been published in Administrative Science Quarterly, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, and Research in Organizational Behavior. His research has also been highlighted by Harvard Business Review and National Public Radio. Before entering academia, Dr. Bermiss worked as a management consultant for Deloitte & Touche in New York City.
Led by Dr. Bermiss is Filene's Center of Excellence for War for Talent: https://filene.org/learn-something/center-for-war-for-talent
Building a Hybrid Culture that Thrives
Robin Brule
Filene Research Institute
Senior Director, Philanthropic Partnerships
With more than 25 years of community leadership experience, Robin joins the Filene team to elevate Filene’s philanthropic partnership -approaches and cross-sector relationships.
A fierce advocate for social justice with a strong track record engineering, piloting, and scaling holistic service programs, Robin is no stranger to Filene and previously served on our Think Tank while at Nusenda Federal Credit Union. She’s also held positions as Chief Strategist for New Mexico Center for Philanthropic Partnerships, Executive Director of Central New Mexico Community College Foundation and Director of Development for University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital during her more than 25 years of extensive community leadership. Robin holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Phoenix.
A true influencer, Robin has been passionate about building communities through every career opportunity she has held. She is most excited to help strengthen Filene’s ability to create cross-sector partnerships through philanthropy and ultimately, solve the complex problems facing credit unions and the communities they serve.
Don’t forget to ask Robin about how she brought her socially conscious childhood into the lives of her own children, how she accidentally became an actress in college, and how she ended up taking a ride in a submarine and then in a hot air balloon.
Filene Research Institute
Senior Director, Philanthropic Partnerships
With more than 25 years of community leadership experience, Robin joins the Filene team to elevate Filene’s philanthropic partnership -approaches and cross-sector relationships.
A fierce advocate for social justice with a strong track record engineering, piloting, and scaling holistic service programs, Robin is no stranger to Filene and previously served on our Think Tank while at Nusenda Federal Credit Union. She’s also held positions as Chief Strategist for New Mexico Center for Philanthropic Partnerships, Executive Director of Central New Mexico Community College Foundation and Director of Development for University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital during her more than 25 years of extensive community leadership. Robin holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Phoenix.
A true influencer, Robin has been passionate about building communities through every career opportunity she has held. She is most excited to help strengthen Filene’s ability to create cross-sector partnerships through philanthropy and ultimately, solve the complex problems facing credit unions and the communities they serve.
Don’t forget to ask Robin about how she brought her socially conscious childhood into the lives of her own children, how she accidentally became an actress in college, and how she ended up taking a ride in a submarine and then in a hot air balloon.
Paul Dionne
Filene Research Institute
Research Director
Trained as a cultural anthropologist, Paul Dionne brings a wealth of project management, strategic-level thinking and planning, and extensive experience working in academia to Filene’s research team as the Research Project Manager.
After falling in love with anthropology during his undergraduate studies in film/video at Middlebury College in Vermont, Paul went on to pursue graduate studies at the University of North Carolina in Cultural Anthropology, reaching ABD status with a research focus on international development and agricultural cooperatives in Indonesia.
Paul joins Filene after working at Beloit College, most recently as their Associate Director of Student Success, Equity, and Inclusion. In this and other roles at Beloit College he supported DEI initiatives, government and foundation relations, sponsored research, and retention strategies to increase student success and graduation rates.
Paul is thrilled to be working with an organization supporting cooperative finance and financial inclusion, and he enjoys guiding new academic research in financial services. As a life-long learner, Paul is also working towards his MBA in the evening program through UW-Madison.
Although a Canadian at heart, Paul has said he always felt he was destined to end up in Beloit, WI. He lives there with his wife, two children, and yellow lab. Paul enjoys traveling with his family, cooking traditional French Canadian food like tourtiere, and running long distances. See more of Paul on LinkedIn.
Filene Think Tank Dinner
Looking Ahead with Filene
Filene Research Institute
Research Director
Trained as a cultural anthropologist, Paul Dionne brings a wealth of project management, strategic-level thinking and planning, and extensive experience working in academia to Filene’s research team as the Research Project Manager.
After falling in love with anthropology during his undergraduate studies in film/video at Middlebury College in Vermont, Paul went on to pursue graduate studies at the University of North Carolina in Cultural Anthropology, reaching ABD status with a research focus on international development and agricultural cooperatives in Indonesia.
Paul joins Filene after working at Beloit College, most recently as their Associate Director of Student Success, Equity, and Inclusion. In this and other roles at Beloit College he supported DEI initiatives, government and foundation relations, sponsored research, and retention strategies to increase student success and graduation rates.
Paul is thrilled to be working with an organization supporting cooperative finance and financial inclusion, and he enjoys guiding new academic research in financial services. As a life-long learner, Paul is also working towards his MBA in the evening program through UW-Madison.
Although a Canadian at heart, Paul has said he always felt he was destined to end up in Beloit, WI. He lives there with his wife, two children, and yellow lab. Paul enjoys traveling with his family, cooking traditional French Canadian food like tourtiere, and running long distances. See more of Paul on LinkedIn.
Filene Think Tank Dinner
Looking Ahead with Filene
Holly Fearing
Filene Research Institute
Senior Director, Marketing + Communications
Holly has worked as a communications and marketing professional in the financial services, credit union and cooperative industries for the past 13 years. If you can’t find her IRL, try reaching out on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram, and you’ll likely get her right away. When she’s not researching, sharing and connecting online, she’s probably working on one of her many cooperative projects.
As Marketing + Communications Director for Filene Research Institute, Holly translates Filene’s outputs and activities into creative communication strategies and tactics. More specifically, she engages across all functions of the organization to maximize the value of Filene’s work by communicating and delivering it effectively to the right audience in the right way. Holly also works with credit unions across the U.S. and Canada to provide research, expertise and framework for building social media and marketing strategies that provide value to members while accomplishing organizational objectives.
Holly is board president for Willy Street Grocery Co-op, one of the largest natural food cooperatives in the U.S. She also writes for several publications and helps organize annual events with the mission of increasing awareness of the cooperative model.
Prior to working with Filene, Holly was a Digital Media Strategist for CUNA Mutual Group where she managed the company’s social media channels and was the spokesperson for all things social. Holly became a Credit Union Development Educator (DE) in 2011 and was named a Trailblazer 40 Below by the Credit Union Times in 2013. She earned a bachelors degree in Journalism and French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In her free time, Holly is one of those people who enjoys long distance running. While resting her legs, she’s been known to grow a mean garden.
Filene Research Institute
Senior Director, Marketing + Communications
Holly has worked as a communications and marketing professional in the financial services, credit union and cooperative industries for the past 13 years. If you can’t find her IRL, try reaching out on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram, and you’ll likely get her right away. When she’s not researching, sharing and connecting online, she’s probably working on one of her many cooperative projects.
As Marketing + Communications Director for Filene Research Institute, Holly translates Filene’s outputs and activities into creative communication strategies and tactics. More specifically, she engages across all functions of the organization to maximize the value of Filene’s work by communicating and delivering it effectively to the right audience in the right way. Holly also works with credit unions across the U.S. and Canada to provide research, expertise and framework for building social media and marketing strategies that provide value to members while accomplishing organizational objectives.
Holly is board president for Willy Street Grocery Co-op, one of the largest natural food cooperatives in the U.S. She also writes for several publications and helps organize annual events with the mission of increasing awareness of the cooperative model.
Prior to working with Filene, Holly was a Digital Media Strategist for CUNA Mutual Group where she managed the company’s social media channels and was the spokesperson for all things social. Holly became a Credit Union Development Educator (DE) in 2011 and was named a Trailblazer 40 Below by the Credit Union Times in 2013. She earned a bachelors degree in Journalism and French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In her free time, Holly is one of those people who enjoys long distance running. While resting her legs, she’s been known to grow a mean garden.
Joel Hartzler
Filene Research Institute
Director of Partnerships
As Stewardship + Development Director, Joel plays an integral role in developing and engaging with a diverse portfolio of members and contributors at Filene. His focus is on creating strong relationships and delivering the message that "research and analysis on issues vital to the financial services industry is needed to move forward."Joel has been involved in the credit union industry for over 25 years. He started out working for a credit union data processing solution assisting and consulting with clients as they converted to a new platform. In leading these conversions, the exposure to the internal workings of a financial institution, their needs, and various department objectives gave him insight on what made a credit union successful and how it could become more valuable to its members. This led to a role of account management and sales where he was able to match what a credit union needed to the different solutions available in order to grow and serve members.Joel is a graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in Finance and is a proud supporter of ISU athletics. When not attending an ISU game, he likes to be outside and stay active with softball, golf and tennis and with his 3 dogs.
Activate your Membership, a Filene 101
Filene Research Institute
Director of Partnerships
As Stewardship + Development Director, Joel plays an integral role in developing and engaging with a diverse portfolio of members and contributors at Filene. His focus is on creating strong relationships and delivering the message that "research and analysis on issues vital to the financial services industry is needed to move forward."Joel has been involved in the credit union industry for over 25 years. He started out working for a credit union data processing solution assisting and consulting with clients as they converted to a new platform. In leading these conversions, the exposure to the internal workings of a financial institution, their needs, and various department objectives gave him insight on what made a credit union successful and how it could become more valuable to its members. This led to a role of account management and sales where he was able to match what a credit union needed to the different solutions available in order to grow and serve members.Joel is a graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in Finance and is a proud supporter of ISU athletics. When not attending an ISU game, he likes to be outside and stay active with softball, golf and tennis and with his 3 dogs.
Activate your Membership, a Filene 101
Christie Kimbell
Filene Research Institute
Chief Product Officer
With passion, leadership and her sharp business mindset, Christie Kimbell leads Filene’s marketing strategy, account management, events and communities (i3 and Cooperative Trust). She is driving the Filene brand experience across stakeholder groups and providing proven solutions to increase financial wellness across our members organizations.
With 18 years of marketing leadership and 12 years in business development, Christie stands firmly behind the importance that experience plays a critical role in building lasting relationships. Starting with a deep understanding of stakeholders’ needs, she’ll ensure products and services drive business objectives. Christie will be instrumental in helping members translate Filene’s research and incubation concepts into actionable business practices that accelerate growth.
Before joining Filene, Kimbell worked as VP, Marketing & Client Experience at State National where she led their marketing and client experience efforts. Past roles include managing Strategic Partnerships at Capital One and Chief Marketing roles at OneTouchPoint and The Holley Group.
Christie is excited to do her part to help the credit union movement navigate the rapidly changing environment that is impacting the financial industry.
Christie’s career has taken her to Memphis, D.C., Seattle and Cleveland, but Texas will always be her home. Christie enjoys spending time with her family and dog Blue, diving into the latest suspense novel, and throwing dinner parties with friends.
Opening Session
Welcome Back!
Activating your big.bright.mind.
Filene Research Institute
Chief Product Officer
With passion, leadership and her sharp business mindset, Christie Kimbell leads Filene’s marketing strategy, account management, events and communities (i3 and Cooperative Trust). She is driving the Filene brand experience across stakeholder groups and providing proven solutions to increase financial wellness across our members organizations.
With 18 years of marketing leadership and 12 years in business development, Christie stands firmly behind the importance that experience plays a critical role in building lasting relationships. Starting with a deep understanding of stakeholders’ needs, she’ll ensure products and services drive business objectives. Christie will be instrumental in helping members translate Filene’s research and incubation concepts into actionable business practices that accelerate growth.
Before joining Filene, Kimbell worked as VP, Marketing & Client Experience at State National where she led their marketing and client experience efforts. Past roles include managing Strategic Partnerships at Capital One and Chief Marketing roles at OneTouchPoint and The Holley Group.
Christie is excited to do her part to help the credit union movement navigate the rapidly changing environment that is impacting the financial industry.
Christie’s career has taken her to Memphis, D.C., Seattle and Cleveland, but Texas will always be her home. Christie enjoys spending time with her family and dog Blue, diving into the latest suspense novel, and throwing dinner parties with friends.
Opening Session
Welcome Back!
Activating your big.bright.mind.
Bill Mauer
Filene Research Institute
Dean, UCI School of Social Sciences
Professor Maurer is a cultural anthropologist and sociolegal scholar. His most recent research looks at how professional communities (payments industry professionals, computer programmers and developers, legal consultants) conceptualize and build financial technology or “fintech,” and how consumers use and experience it. More broadly, his work explores the technological infrastructures and social relations of exchange and payment, from cowries to credit cards and cryptocurrencies. As an anthropologist, he is interested in the broad range of technologies people have used throughout history and across cultures to figure value and conduct transactions.
He is the Director of the Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion (www.imtfi.uci.edu). In that capacity, he coordinates research in over 40 countries on how new payment technologies impact people’s wellbeing. Currently, he is editing The Cultural History of Money, in six volumes, covering antiquity to the present. His research has had an impact on US and global policies for mobile payment and financial access, and it has been been discussed in venues ranging from Bloomberg BusinessWeek to NPR’s Marketplace and the Financial Times. He serves on the Board on Behavioral, Cognitive and Sensory Sciences of the US National Research Council, recently received a grant from the US National Science Foundation for a new project on blockchain technology and the law, and consulted with the Department of Treasury on the redesign of the US paper currency. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and received his BA from Vassar College and his MA and PhD from Stanford University.
He has particular expertise in emerging, alternative and experimental forms of money and finance, payment technologies, and their legal implications. He has published on topics ranging from offshore financial services to mobile phone-enabled money transfers, Islamic finance, alternative currencies, blockchain/distributed ledger systems and their implications for money and law, and the future of money. He was the founding co-director of the Intel Science and Technology Center in Social Computing.
Differentiation in the Digital Space
Activating your big.bright.mind.
Filene Research Institute
Dean, UCI School of Social Sciences
Professor Maurer is a cultural anthropologist and sociolegal scholar. His most recent research looks at how professional communities (payments industry professionals, computer programmers and developers, legal consultants) conceptualize and build financial technology or “fintech,” and how consumers use and experience it. More broadly, his work explores the technological infrastructures and social relations of exchange and payment, from cowries to credit cards and cryptocurrencies. As an anthropologist, he is interested in the broad range of technologies people have used throughout history and across cultures to figure value and conduct transactions.
He is the Director of the Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion (www.imtfi.uci.edu). In that capacity, he coordinates research in over 40 countries on how new payment technologies impact people’s wellbeing. Currently, he is editing The Cultural History of Money, in six volumes, covering antiquity to the present. His research has had an impact on US and global policies for mobile payment and financial access, and it has been been discussed in venues ranging from Bloomberg BusinessWeek to NPR’s Marketplace and the Financial Times. He serves on the Board on Behavioral, Cognitive and Sensory Sciences of the US National Research Council, recently received a grant from the US National Science Foundation for a new project on blockchain technology and the law, and consulted with the Department of Treasury on the redesign of the US paper currency. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and received his BA from Vassar College and his MA and PhD from Stanford University.
He has particular expertise in emerging, alternative and experimental forms of money and finance, payment technologies, and their legal implications. He has published on topics ranging from offshore financial services to mobile phone-enabled money transfers, Islamic finance, alternative currencies, blockchain/distributed ledger systems and their implications for money and law, and the future of money. He was the founding co-director of the Intel Science and Technology Center in Social Computing.
Differentiation in the Digital Space
Activating your big.bright.mind.
Mark Meyer
Filene Research Institute
CEO
Mark turns big research questions into relevant key findings and big ideas into products for a changing world as one of North America’s top cooperative finance thinkers. His critical thinking shows through in his approaches to innovation and research on consumer behavior.
As CEO of Filene, he leads a team of brilliant thinkers, who deliver research and innovation to inspire people to understand the opportunities for cooperative finance to transform communities and lives.
An internationally recognized consumer finance expert published in dozens of publications, Mark has lectured to audiences up to 4,000 in locations across Asia, Australia, Europe, North Africa, and North America. He has advised the US Department of the Treasury and lectured in a variety of academic settings, including Harvard Business School.
Mark is an attorney licensed to practice law in Colorado and Arizona, formerly of the firm of Montgomery, Little & McGrew. He also held executive posts with Arizona State Credit Union and CUNA Mutual Group. He served on the board of directors for Summit Credit Union, the largest credit union in Wisconsin, for ten years.
Filene Board Meeting
Inner Circle Meeting
Filene's Annual Member Meeting
Opening Session
Stay & Play - CEO Exclusive Session on Board Governance
Filene Research Institute
CEO
Mark turns big research questions into relevant key findings and big ideas into products for a changing world as one of North America’s top cooperative finance thinkers. His critical thinking shows through in his approaches to innovation and research on consumer behavior.
As CEO of Filene, he leads a team of brilliant thinkers, who deliver research and innovation to inspire people to understand the opportunities for cooperative finance to transform communities and lives.
An internationally recognized consumer finance expert published in dozens of publications, Mark has lectured to audiences up to 4,000 in locations across Asia, Australia, Europe, North Africa, and North America. He has advised the US Department of the Treasury and lectured in a variety of academic settings, including Harvard Business School.
Mark is an attorney licensed to practice law in Colorado and Arizona, formerly of the firm of Montgomery, Little & McGrew. He also held executive posts with Arizona State Credit Union and CUNA Mutual Group. He served on the board of directors for Summit Credit Union, the largest credit union in Wisconsin, for ten years.
Filene Board Meeting
Inner Circle Meeting
Filene's Annual Member Meeting
Opening Session
Stay & Play - CEO Exclusive Session on Board Governance
Taylor Nelms
Filene Research Institute
Senior Director of Research
As an anthropologist, Taylor sees the chance to join Filene’s research team as the perfect opportunity to fuel his passion for understanding people and culture. Taylor is dedicated to building a groundbreaking research agenda—and to translating that research for consumer finance professionals, policymakers, and the public to see what kinds of positive impacts it can have. When it comes to finance, Taylor’s method is to take a broad view across time and space, positioning new developments in social and historical context.
Before joining Filene, Taylor worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of California, Irvine, where he also received his PhD in Anthropology. He worked previously with the Institute of Money, Technology & Financial Inclusion at UC Irvine, and he now serves as Co-Editor in Chief of the Journal of Cultural Economy. Taylor’s relationships with Filene can be traced back to the 2015 Emerging Payments and Communities: Reimagining Trust and Mutual Finance research report, which surveyed the beginnings of the mobile financial services revolution for credit unions.
Taylor grew up in Southern Illinois near the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. After graduating from The Ohio State University, Taylor received his MPhil from the University of Cambridge, where he was a Gates-Cambridge Scholar. Taylor has spent time, most notably, in Ecuador, where he conducted ethnographic fieldwork on the so-called “solidarity economy” with urban market vendors and family and neighborhood savings groups.
Taylor is excited to put the collaborative and cooperative principles of the credit union movement into practice at Filene, researching new trends in consumer finance, technology, and community development.
Taylor loves spending time with his family, including his son Campbell and his cat Oberon (named after A Midsummer Night’s Dream, not the beer). You can catch them reading, exploring Madison’s parks and restaurants, or listening to the Atlanta baseballers on the radio. See more of Taylor on his website, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Filene Research Institute
Senior Director of Research
As an anthropologist, Taylor sees the chance to join Filene’s research team as the perfect opportunity to fuel his passion for understanding people and culture. Taylor is dedicated to building a groundbreaking research agenda—and to translating that research for consumer finance professionals, policymakers, and the public to see what kinds of positive impacts it can have. When it comes to finance, Taylor’s method is to take a broad view across time and space, positioning new developments in social and historical context.
Before joining Filene, Taylor worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of California, Irvine, where he also received his PhD in Anthropology. He worked previously with the Institute of Money, Technology & Financial Inclusion at UC Irvine, and he now serves as Co-Editor in Chief of the Journal of Cultural Economy. Taylor’s relationships with Filene can be traced back to the 2015 Emerging Payments and Communities: Reimagining Trust and Mutual Finance research report, which surveyed the beginnings of the mobile financial services revolution for credit unions.
Taylor grew up in Southern Illinois near the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. After graduating from The Ohio State University, Taylor received his MPhil from the University of Cambridge, where he was a Gates-Cambridge Scholar. Taylor has spent time, most notably, in Ecuador, where he conducted ethnographic fieldwork on the so-called “solidarity economy” with urban market vendors and family and neighborhood savings groups.
Taylor is excited to put the collaborative and cooperative principles of the credit union movement into practice at Filene, researching new trends in consumer finance, technology, and community development.
Taylor loves spending time with his family, including his son Campbell and his cat Oberon (named after A Midsummer Night’s Dream, not the beer). You can catch them reading, exploring Madison’s parks and restaurants, or listening to the Atlanta baseballers on the radio. See more of Taylor on his website, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Dr. Mai Nguyen
UCSD
Director & Professor, UCSD Design Lab
Dr. Mai Thi Nguyen is a Professor of Urban Studies and Planning and Director of the Design Lab at the University of California, San Diego. She is an award-winning public scholar, researcher, and teacher. Her research focuses on social and spatial equity and examines planning and policy topics related to land use, housing, community and economic development, and climate change adaptation. She is passionate about designing cities that are just and equitable. She has served on major national leadership roles, including Board Chair for the Urban Affairs Association, President of the Faculty Women’s Interest Group for the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, and founder and administrator of Planners 2040, a Facebook discussion group with a membership of over 2,400 planners across the globe.
Collaborating Through Challenges
Activating your big.bright.mind.
UCSD
Director & Professor, UCSD Design Lab
Dr. Mai Thi Nguyen is a Professor of Urban Studies and Planning and Director of the Design Lab at the University of California, San Diego. She is an award-winning public scholar, researcher, and teacher. Her research focuses on social and spatial equity and examines planning and policy topics related to land use, housing, community and economic development, and climate change adaptation. She is passionate about designing cities that are just and equitable. She has served on major national leadership roles, including Board Chair for the Urban Affairs Association, President of the Faculty Women’s Interest Group for the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, and founder and administrator of Planners 2040, a Facebook discussion group with a membership of over 2,400 planners across the globe.
Collaborating Through Challenges
Activating your big.bright.mind.
Samantha Paxson
Co-op Solutions
EVP, CXO
Samantha Paxson is Chief Experience Officer for Co-op Solutions (www.co-opfs.org), architect of the company’s go-to-market brand and customer experience strategy, delivered through message, product, value chain and systems. An accomplished speaker and thought leader, Paxson founded CO-OP THINK, an innovation content platform empowering the evolution of mission-driven financial services.
Over her 20 year career, Paxson’s focus has been on the intersection of technology, purpose and experience to evolve the organization and meet the needs of the market. Paxson is a proponent of intraprenuership: innovating on the space between functional areas, by brokering tight relationships and strategies between a network of teams – transforming the organization for ongoing algorithmic improvement across the ecosystem. Dedicated to the growth of the CO-OP brand, she's helped boost and secure a 15 point NPS (Net Promoter Score) hike, transforming her function to be a digital content and experience powerhouse, and creating the largest industry following in owned and earned channels.
Paxson is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a degree in Journalism and Social Sciences. She is also an advisor to the OpenIDEO Challenge on “Financial Empowerment,” a USCCU Board Member, CUNA Marketing Awareness Board Member, NCUF Board Member, CUCollaborate Board Member and CMNH Board Member.
Leading Organizations Through Uncertainty
Co-op Solutions
EVP, CXO
Samantha Paxson is Chief Experience Officer for Co-op Solutions (www.co-opfs.org), architect of the company’s go-to-market brand and customer experience strategy, delivered through message, product, value chain and systems. An accomplished speaker and thought leader, Paxson founded CO-OP THINK, an innovation content platform empowering the evolution of mission-driven financial services.
Over her 20 year career, Paxson’s focus has been on the intersection of technology, purpose and experience to evolve the organization and meet the needs of the market. Paxson is a proponent of intraprenuership: innovating on the space between functional areas, by brokering tight relationships and strategies between a network of teams – transforming the organization for ongoing algorithmic improvement across the ecosystem. Dedicated to the growth of the CO-OP brand, she's helped boost and secure a 15 point NPS (Net Promoter Score) hike, transforming her function to be a digital content and experience powerhouse, and creating the largest industry following in owned and earned channels.
Paxson is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a degree in Journalism and Social Sciences. She is also an advisor to the OpenIDEO Challenge on “Financial Empowerment,” a USCCU Board Member, CUNA Marketing Awareness Board Member, NCUF Board Member, CUCollaborate Board Member and CMNH Board Member.
Leading Organizations Through Uncertainty
Dr. Quinetta Roberson
MSU
Professor, Michigan State University
Quinetta Roberson, Ph.D., is John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Management and Psychology at Michigan State University. Having earned a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from the University of Maryland, Dr. Roberson has over 20 years of experience teaching courses and workshops globally on leadership, talent management and diversity. She has been a visiting professor on every continent (except Antarctica, although there's still time), published over 40 articles and book chapters, and edited a Handbook of Diversity in the Workplace published by Oxford Press in 2013. Her research focuses on building organizational capability and enhancing effectiveness through the strategic management of people, particularly diverse work teams. In her spare time, she delivers workshops, seminars and presentations, and provides professional advice to leaders across various industries and sectors. Her research and work with organizations is informed by her background in finance, having worked as a financial analyst and small business development consultant prior to obtaining her doctorate.
Creating Employee Wellbeing & Engagement
Activating your big.bright.mind.
MSU
Professor, Michigan State University
Quinetta Roberson, Ph.D., is John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Management and Psychology at Michigan State University. Having earned a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from the University of Maryland, Dr. Roberson has over 20 years of experience teaching courses and workshops globally on leadership, talent management and diversity. She has been a visiting professor on every continent (except Antarctica, although there's still time), published over 40 articles and book chapters, and edited a Handbook of Diversity in the Workplace published by Oxford Press in 2013. Her research focuses on building organizational capability and enhancing effectiveness through the strategic management of people, particularly diverse work teams. In her spare time, she delivers workshops, seminars and presentations, and provides professional advice to leaders across various industries and sectors. Her research and work with organizations is informed by her background in finance, having worked as a financial analyst and small business development consultant prior to obtaining her doctorate.
Creating Employee Wellbeing & Engagement
Activating your big.bright.mind.
Dr. Jeffrey Robinson
Associate Professor & Academic Director
Rutgers University
Jeffrey A. Robinson, Ph.D. is an award-winning business school professor, international speaker and entrepreneur. Since 2008, he has been a leading faculty member at Rutgers Business School where he is an associate professor of management and entrepreneurship and the Academic Director of The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development. Dr. Robinson is a passionate advocate for social entrepreneurship, inclusive innovation and economic development. He is the author of books and articles on such topics as social entrepreneurship, African American women in entrepreneurship, and inclusive innovation. Emerging from his pioneering research, the New Jersey Social Entrepreneurship Institute and the CUEED Pipeline to Inclusive Innovation are national and international models for economic development and social problem solving using entrepreneurial approaches. He is the Principal Investigator of two National Science Foundation funded research projects related to inclusive innovation. He is an editorial board member for Academy of Management Perspectives. He has been the keynote speaker at international events and conferences and has taught or presented his work on six continents. Dr. Robinson educational studies span the areas of engineering, urban studies and entrepreneurship. His Ph.D. is in the area of Management & Entrepreneurship from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business.
Innovating to Meet Emerging Market Needs
Activating your big.bright.mind.
Associate Professor & Academic Director
Rutgers University
Jeffrey A. Robinson, Ph.D. is an award-winning business school professor, international speaker and entrepreneur. Since 2008, he has been a leading faculty member at Rutgers Business School where he is an associate professor of management and entrepreneurship and the Academic Director of The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development. Dr. Robinson is a passionate advocate for social entrepreneurship, inclusive innovation and economic development. He is the author of books and articles on such topics as social entrepreneurship, African American women in entrepreneurship, and inclusive innovation. Emerging from his pioneering research, the New Jersey Social Entrepreneurship Institute and the CUEED Pipeline to Inclusive Innovation are national and international models for economic development and social problem solving using entrepreneurial approaches. He is the Principal Investigator of two National Science Foundation funded research projects related to inclusive innovation. He is an editorial board member for Academy of Management Perspectives. He has been the keynote speaker at international events and conferences and has taught or presented his work on six continents. Dr. Robinson educational studies span the areas of engineering, urban studies and entrepreneurship. His Ph.D. is in the area of Management & Entrepreneurship from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business.
Innovating to Meet Emerging Market Needs
Activating your big.bright.mind.
Dr. Lisa Servon
University of Pennsylvania
Professor & Chair
Dr. Lisa Servon is a Professor of City Planning at the University of Pennsylvania and former dean at The New School. She is the author of Bridging the Digital Divide: Technology, Community, and Public Policy(Blackwell 2002), Bootstrap Capital: Microenterprises and the American Poor(Brookings 1999), Gender and Planning: A Reader (With Susan Fainstein, Rutgers University Press 2005), and Otra Vida es Posible: Practicas Economicas Alternativas Durante la Crisis (With Manuel Castells, Joana Conill, Amalia Cardenas and Sviatlana Hlebik. UOC Press 2012). She has contributed to the New Yorker, the Atlantic, and The Wall Street Journal and has appeared on PBS News Hour, Marketplace Money and Radio Times and her research is featured in the forthcoming documentary Spent: Looking for Change. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, two children, and a dog named Friday.
Innovating to Meet Emerging Market Needs
Activating your big.bright.mind.
University of Pennsylvania
Professor & Chair
Dr. Lisa Servon is a Professor of City Planning at the University of Pennsylvania and former dean at The New School. She is the author of Bridging the Digital Divide: Technology, Community, and Public Policy(Blackwell 2002), Bootstrap Capital: Microenterprises and the American Poor(Brookings 1999), Gender and Planning: A Reader (With Susan Fainstein, Rutgers University Press 2005), and Otra Vida es Posible: Practicas Economicas Alternativas Durante la Crisis (With Manuel Castells, Joana Conill, Amalia Cardenas and Sviatlana Hlebik. UOC Press 2012). She has contributed to the New Yorker, the Atlantic, and The Wall Street Journal and has appeared on PBS News Hour, Marketplace Money and Radio Times and her research is featured in the forthcoming documentary Spent: Looking for Change. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, two children, and a dog named Friday.
Innovating to Meet Emerging Market Needs
Activating your big.bright.mind.
Josh Sledge
Filene Research Institute
Senior Director, Incubation
Building off of his work leading innovation and with a goal to help cooperative organizations support their communities, Josh is managing another branch of Filene’s research: Incubation. His expertise goes beyond innovation and the fintech space. His unique perspective will provide a framework to measure, define, and build approaches that will move the needle for the credit union industry.
Before joining Filene, Josh most recently served as Senior Director at Financial Health Network (formerly the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI)) where he partnered with innovative financial services providers working on solutions to improve consumer financial health. Josh has extensive experience working with the small-dollar credit industry and nonprofit innovation. He is passionate about working with diverse stakeholders to explore emerging opportunities and approaches to helping Americans make the most of their money.
Prior to working at Financial Health Network, Josh served as Senior Investment Analyst at Prudential Capital Group, and holds a master's degree in liberal studies from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree in business administration from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
Josh is excited to build on the existing and successful incubation platform that Filene has already started and to put his expertise in innovation to use for the credit union industry.
When you meet Josh, don’t forget to ask him about his time as a bass player in a college rock band, which sports teams he roots for, and to share pictures of he and his wife’s two children.
i3 Science Fair
Looking Ahead with Filene
Filene Research Institute
Senior Director, Incubation
Building off of his work leading innovation and with a goal to help cooperative organizations support their communities, Josh is managing another branch of Filene’s research: Incubation. His expertise goes beyond innovation and the fintech space. His unique perspective will provide a framework to measure, define, and build approaches that will move the needle for the credit union industry.
Before joining Filene, Josh most recently served as Senior Director at Financial Health Network (formerly the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI)) where he partnered with innovative financial services providers working on solutions to improve consumer financial health. Josh has extensive experience working with the small-dollar credit industry and nonprofit innovation. He is passionate about working with diverse stakeholders to explore emerging opportunities and approaches to helping Americans make the most of their money.
Prior to working at Financial Health Network, Josh served as Senior Investment Analyst at Prudential Capital Group, and holds a master's degree in liberal studies from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree in business administration from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
Josh is excited to build on the existing and successful incubation platform that Filene has already started and to put his expertise in innovation to use for the credit union industry.
When you meet Josh, don’t forget to ask him about his time as a bass player in a college rock band, which sports teams he roots for, and to share pictures of he and his wife’s two children.
i3 Science Fair
Looking Ahead with Filene
Dr. Cheri Speier-Pero
MSU
Professor
Cheri Speier-Pero is a Professor of Information Systems at Michigan State University and currently serves as the faculty director of the MS in Business Analytics program. Her research interests include effective decision making in technology supported work environments, individual acceptance and use of technology, and the effective use of information technology to support supply chain relationships. Her work has appeared in journals such as MIS Quarterly, Decision Sciences, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, the Journal of Marketing and the Journal of Operations Management, among others. Dr. Speier-Pero was awarded the MSU University-wide Teacher Scholar award in 2001 recognizing her excellence in teaching and research. She earned a Ph.D. in Management Information Systems at Indiana University.
Leveraging Data for Growth
Activating your big.bright.mind.
MSU
Professor
Cheri Speier-Pero is a Professor of Information Systems at Michigan State University and currently serves as the faculty director of the MS in Business Analytics program. Her research interests include effective decision making in technology supported work environments, individual acceptance and use of technology, and the effective use of information technology to support supply chain relationships. Her work has appeared in journals such as MIS Quarterly, Decision Sciences, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, the Journal of Marketing and the Journal of Operations Management, among others. Dr. Speier-Pero was awarded the MSU University-wide Teacher Scholar award in 2001 recognizing her excellence in teaching and research. She earned a Ph.D. in Management Information Systems at Indiana University.
Leveraging Data for Growth
Activating your big.bright.mind.