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OUR SPEAKERS

Take an in-depth look at our dynamic speakers.

MDC's 2024 Winter Owner Meeting

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Neil Hoyne

Chief Strategist

Google

SPEAKER'S BIO

Neil Hoyne is the Chief Strategist at Google and the best-selling author of “Converted: The Data-Driven Way to Win Customers’ Hearts.” Mr. Hoyne was a Senior Fellow at the Wharton School and presently serves on the Board of Trustees for Purdue University Global. He has received multiple patents for his work in marketing attribution and customer analytics, has been published in notable outlets such as Harvard Business Review, and has keynoted hundreds of events in more than two dozen countries.

After earning degrees from Purdue University and UCLA, Hoyne returned to academia in 2018 as a Senior Fellow at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a board member on the Purdue University Global Board of Trustees, and serves as an advisor to private equity and investment funds, including CapitalG: Alphabet’s independent growth fund, which has helped to scale companies like Airbnb, Stripe, Duolingo, and more.

Sam Rad

Futurist – Anthropologist – Entrepreneur

Radical Next

SPEAKER'S BIO

Sam Rad combines the mindsets of an anthropologist and technologist, bringing her “radical next” perspectives on what’s in store for the future.

With the charisma of a rockstar, the curiosity of an anthropologist, creativity of an entrepreneur, and the calm confidence of an ex-professional skydiver, Sam effortlessly guides organizations and individuals to thrive in times of radical and accelerating change.

Through her signature candid and clever delivery, Sam distills complex topics while leading the audience on a compelling, informative, and approachable journey of educational storytelling.

Ian Beacraft

CEO and Chief Futurist
Signal and Cipher

SPEAKER'S BIO

Considered one of the top voices in AI and the future of work,, Ian Beacraft is a trusted advisor to the world’s most innovative companies. The founder and chief futurist of Signal and Cipher, Ian leads a strategic foresight agency that guides brands through the rapidly changing technology landscape and finds meaningful routes to innovation that impact the bottom line, inspire cultural change, and create new products and services.

Previously responsible for P&L’s and innovation departments at the largest agencies in the world, Ian is known for making bleeding-edge technology understandable and monetizable even when best practices are scarce. Brands he has advised over the last decade include CapitalOne, CIT, Samsung, Intel, Coca-Cola, Google, and Microsoft.

Sean Watson

SVP of Special Projects
Trend Hunter

SPEAKER'S BIO

Known as a tech enthusiast with a thirst for new information, Sean brings an enthusiasm to Trend Hunter’s content that is unmatched. After amassing an extensive background at companies like Rogers, Bertelsmann, and American Express, Sean joined Trend Hunter in 2015. He has since interviewed over 200 leaders in insight, innovation, and strategy to uncover best practices and approaches to facilitating innovation. Additionally, he has spoken at conferences like TMRE and Future Festival on topics such as technology, entertainment, media, and consumer behavior.

Lisa Bodell

CEO

FutureThink

SPEAKER'S BIO

FutureThink CEO Lisa Bodell ranks among the Top 50 Speakers Worldwide and is the best-selling author of Kill the Company and Why Simple Wins. She’s a global leader on simplification, productivity, and innovation, whose keynotes leave audiences inspired to change and arm them with radically simple tools to get to the work that matters.

Bodell brings a compelling perspective to the sought-after topics of simplification and innovation to over 100,000 people each year. A thought leader and serial entrepreneur, her transformational message has inspired executives at top-ranked organizations such as Google, Cisco, Citigroup, and the U.S. Navy War College.

Based on her best-selling books, Kill the Company and Why Simple Wins, Lisa provides a provocative yet practical approach that enables organizations and individuals to eradicate the unnecessary complexity and time-sucks that hold them back from more meaningful work, and allow simplicity to become their new operating system.

Bodell has contributed her expertise to a wide variety of media. She is a monthly contributor to Forbes and has frequently appeared in other media including: Fast Company, WIRED, The New York Times, Inc., Bloomberg Businessweek, Harvard Business Review, The Huffington Post, FOX News, and CNN. She has also been featured in many major books such as Warren Berger’s A More Beautiful Question, Adam Grant’s Originals, and After Shock, the upcoming 50-year celebration based on futurist Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock.

Bodell has taught innovation at both American University and Fordham University and has a TED talk on the topic. She has served on the board of advisors of several organizations, including the Global Agenda Council for the World Economic Forum, the United States National Security Agency, the Association of Professional Futurists, and the Novartis board of Diversity & Inclusion.

Alex Johnson

Business Consultant

Members Development Company

SPEAKER'S BIO

“I love credit unions and their dedication to members and communities. Having the opportunity to work for an organization that supports credit unions and their ability to serve well into the future is so meaningful. I’m energized by thoughtful conversation and can’t wait to share these with our credit union owners.”

Alex joined MDC in the Strategic Execution Office in April 2023 and has a decade of experience in the financial services industry with a background in marketing, community relations, and member experience. She’s experienced in driving process improvements and managing a wide variety of projects that support overarching business objectives. Alex is a proud Boise State University graduate with a BBA in Marketing – Go Broncos!

Jeff Kline

President & CEO

Members Development Company

SPEAKER'S BIO

Jeff Kline has been the President/CEO of MDC since 2007 and has been in the credit union industry for more than 30 years.

Jeff started his career as a CPA at KPMG Peat Marwick and then went to work for a client, US Central Credit Union. He has worked at several other credit unions as an EVP of Finance and Technology, an EVP of Retail and Strategy, and as a CEO.

Sarah Lietz

CXO

Members Development Company

SPEAKER'S BIO

Sarah Lietz is the Chief Experience Officer for MDC. She is responsible for several strategic initiatives, MDC’s SEO and Events teams, and several numerous R&D projects.

She joined MDC in 2005 after serving for two years as a corporate project manager for CUNA Mutual Group (now TruStage). Prior to working with CMG, she spent eight years in product development in the telecom industry, focused primarily on introducing new Internet-related products to the marketplace. She has also held positions with the Chicago office of KPMG Peat Marwick, a global consulting and accounting firm.

Sarah volunteered on the board of directors of Firefly Credit Union in Minneapolis/St. Paul for nine years, including four as Board Chair. Sarah earned her MBA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a BS from Illinois State University.

Michelle Mozzar

AVP / Head of Strategic Execution Office

Members Development Company

SPEAKER'S BIO

Michelle is the AVP, Head of Strategic Execution Office at Members Development Company. In her current role, she is responsible for leading project strategy and delivering innovative research and solutions to MDC owners. Prior to joining MDC, Michelle served as Vice President for Treasury Implementations at Wells Fargo. She has worked in financial services for over 20 years in multiple leadership capacities, including strategic planning, project management, leadership development, training, and operations.

She holds a doctoral degree in interdisciplinary leadership from Creighton University.

James Nastars

President & CEO,
MDC Board Vice Chair

Meritrust Credit Union

SPEAKER'S BIO

Meritrust has been a member of MDC since 2014 and has seen the power of active collaboration with leaders in the credit union industry. MDC helps us honor our mission and remain relevant to our members and our community. James has been President/CEO of Meritrust since 2013 and has over 30 years’ experience in financial services. James is committed to both the credit union industry and the greater Wichita community. Within the credit union industry, he serves on the Boards of MDC and CUNextGen. In the community, James serves on the Boards of Kansas Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Greater Wichita Partnership, Wichita State University Barton School of Business Dean’s Advisory Board, Wichita State University Foundation & Alumni Engagement National Advisory Board, and the Kansas State University Institute for Personal Financial Planning. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin. James and his wife, Cynthia, enjoy traveling and spending time with their four children.

Kurt Schroeder

CXO

RemarkableMX

Project Lead

MDC

SPEAKER'S BIO

Kurt Schroeder is the Chief Member Experience Advisor at Remarkable MX, a Member Experience advisory firm helping credit unions thrive in the experience economy. Prior to starting Remarkable MX, Kurt retired as the Chief Experience Officer at Avtex which helped organizations win through designing more meaningful experiences in every customer interaction.

With over 35 years of experience, Schroeder has a background helping diverse industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, health care, financial services, distribution, insurance, consumer packaged goods, and non-profits. He leverages this experience while helping organizations turn insight into experiences that drive growth and pioneering new methodologies and approaches in customer experience to improve how companies innovate new and better customer experiences.

Known for his outstanding organizational and consulting skills, Schroeder has a thorough knowledge of customer experience, customer loyalty, market research, go-to-market strategy, digital and social experience, sales effectiveness, and experience innovation. He has been recently quoted in The New York Times, Forbes, and CMSWire. He also speaks nationally on various customer experience topics at conferences and corporate events.