Julianne (Julie) Baer is the senior manager of the Supervisory Policy & Risk Analysis team at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. She is responsible for managing a team of economists, bank examiners, and data analysts charged with providing timely and relevant products on economic trends, banking conditions, and financial and capital markets. She also maintains an active examiner commission.

Baer obtained BAs in Business Administration and Economics from Truman State University and completed her MSc in Applied Financial Economics from St. Louis University. She is also in the process of completing the Stonier Graduate School of Banking program.

Tetyana Balyuk is an assistant professor of finance at the Goizueta Business School, Emory University. She received her Ph.D. in Finance from the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto and a CSc and an MSc in International Economics from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine. Prior to her position at Emory University, Balyuk was an assistant professor of international finance at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and an economic adviser for Telenor Group Ukraine.

Balyuk conducts empirical research on financial technology (fintech) and lending. She is interested in the delivery of Paycheck Protection Program funds to small businesses through banks, the ability of fintech innovations to mitigate credit constraints, and the effects of the issuance of information-intensive debt on corporations. Balyuk's research projects link her line of inquiry to literature on capital structure, financial intermediation and household finance. Her research received the Northern Finance Association's Best Paper on FinTech Award in September 2016.

Dr. Elizabeth Berger is an Assistant Professor of Finance at the Bauer College of Business of the University of Houston. Her research focuses on financial institutions, with a particular emphasis on the role of banking in new business formation, job creation, and economic growth.  In addition, she studies how firms utilize banks to enhance profitability and investment efficiency, and how households use banks to build wealth.

Her research has appeared in the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, and the Journal of Financial Intermediation.  Her findings have also been published as feature articles for the Texas Bankers Association.

She earned her Ph.D. in finance from Rice University and holds dual undergraduate degrees in Economics and Vocal Performance from Tulane University.

Michelle W. Bowman took office as the Vice Chair for Supervision of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System on June 9, 2025, for a four-year term. Ms. Bowman has served as a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System since taking office on November 26, 2018, to fill an unexpired term ending January 31, 2020. She was reappointed to the Board on January 23, 2020, and sworn in on January 30, 2020, for a term ending January 31, 2034.

Prior to her appointment to the Board, Ms. Bowman served as the state bank commissioner of Kansas from January 2017 to November 2018. She also served as vice president of Farmers & Drovers Bank in Kansas from 2010 to 2017. In addition to her experience in the banking industry, Ms. Bowman worked in Washington, D.C. for Senator Bob Dole of Kansas from 1995 to 1996 and served as a counsel to the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight between 1997 and 2002. In 2002, Ms. Bowman became director of congressional and intergovernmental affairs at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. From 2003 to 2004, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary and policy advisor to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.

Following her time in Washington, D.C., Ms. Bowman led a government and public affairs consultancy based in London before returning to Kansas in 2010. Ms. Bowman received a BS in advertising and journalism from the University of Kansas and a JD from the Washburn University School of Law. She is a member of the New York Bar. Ms. Bowman is married with two children.

SungJe Byun is a Senior Research Economist in the Banking Supervision Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. His research focuses on banking, energy, and macroeconomics, with publications appearing in the European Economic Review, the Journal of Empirical Finance, and the Energy Journal. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, San Diego, and M.A. in Statistics from Columbia University, and a B.A. in Business Administration and Applied Statistics from Yonsei University. 

Jill Castilla is the chairman, president and CEO of Citizens Bank of Edmond (Citizens) in Edmond, Okla. In 2009, Castilla took the helm of Citizens and led one of the fastest turnarounds during the financial crisis without additional capital, earning the bank American Banker's "Top Team in Banking" award in both 2014 and 2015. She also is the founder of ROGER, a digital-first military bank. A military spouse, military mom and former service member, Castilla is a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army Emeritus and a 2025 inductee into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Honor.

Widely recognized as a leading voice in community banking and economic policy, Castilla has testified before Congress, and has served on the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Community Depository Institution Advisory Council and the Federal Reserve System Federal Advisory Council.

An inventor and patent holder, she partnered with entrepreneur Mark Cuban in 2020 to connect more than 250,000 small businesses to Paycheck Protection Program relief. Her work has earned numerous honors, including American Banker's “Community Banker of the Year” and 12 consecutive years on the publication’s “Most Powerful Women in Banking” list. A frequent speaker on Bloomberg, Fox Business and Yahoo Finance, Castilla has built a reputation for proving that community banking remains one of the most powerful forces in the  American banking system.

Her career began with management roles at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and service in the Oklahoma Army National Guard. She holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Oklahoma and a bachelor’s degree in finance from Hawaii Pacific University where she now serves on the board of trustees. 

Jim Fuchs is a vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, overseeing the operations of the bank’s Applications, Credit, Reserves, Statistics, Business Line Training Services, Quality Assurance, Digital Transformation Consulting, Supervision Policy Research and Analysis, and Supervision Outreach units. Fuchs also oversees a wide range of national outreach programs developed by the St. Louis Fed for community bankers and is a member of several Federal Reserve System workgroups focused on community banking issues. Fuchs also chairs the organizing committee the Federal Reserve/ Conference of State Bank Supervisors’/FDIC annual Community Banking Research Conference. Before joining the St. Louis Fed, Fuchs served as a banking policy adviser and directed financial communications for New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. Earlier, he was chief of staff to former New York State Banking Superintendent Diana Taylor and served as an advisor to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He is a former captain in the United States Air Force serving during Operations Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. Fuchs received his MBA from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and his Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He also earned a graduate certificate in communications from the University of Oklahoma and a teaching certificate in secondary mathematics from City College in New York. In addition, Fuchs is a graduate of the Department of Defense Information School and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He is also a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

Ken Hale, President  & CEO of BOM Bank, exemplifies the qualities of a true community banker. His journey in the banking industry began at a young age, setting the stage for a lifelong career. When Ken started with BOM Bank, it had a single location and 18 million in assets. Today, under his leadership, BOM Bank has grown to 27 locations with over $1.5 billion in assets. Ken attributes the bank’s success to its remarkable staff, Board of Directors, and Senior Executives, stating, “Our growth is thanks to our incredible team.” Hale is the fifth generation of his family to lead the bank, which began as the Bank of Montgomery in Grant Parish, Louisiana, in 1903. Over the past century, Ken and his predecessors have nurtured and grown the institution, which now operates as BOM Bank across two states. Over the past 31 years, Ken has built a team dedicated to serving their communities, with a consistent focus on community service for both himself and his employees. 

Travis Hill is the 23rd chairman of the FDIC, currently serving a five-year term that began Jan. 2, 2026. Hill previously served as FDIC’s acting chairman starting Jan. 20, 2025, and served as vice chairman beginning Jan. 5, 2023. Prior to those terms, he was deputy to the chairman for policy from 2018 to 2022 and, before that, served as senior advisor to the chairman. In these roles, he oversaw and coordinated regulatory and policy initiatives at the agency and advised the chairman on regulatory and policy matters.

Prior to joining the FDIC, Hill served as senior counsel at the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, where he worked from 2013 to 2018. In this role, he participated extensively in the drafting and negotiating of numerous bipartisan bills. Before working at the Senate, Hill worked as a policy analyst at Regions Financial Corp. from 2011 to 2013.

He earned a Bachelor of Science from Duke University, where he studied economics and political science, and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.

David Huberdeau-Reid is a Ph.D. candidate in Finance at the University of Memphis. His research interests are in banking and financial institutions. His research has been published in the Journal of Financial Intermediation. He teaches undergraduate courses in capital markets and received the University of Memphis Ph.D. Student Outstanding Teaching Award in 2026.

Rhoshunda Kelly was appointed by Governor Tate Reeves to serve as the Commissioner of the Department of Banking and Consumer Finance on March 22, 2021. She was elected chair of the CSBS board of directors on May 12, 2026, and this is her fifth year serving on the CSBS board’s executive committee. Kelly has over 20 years of experience as a regulator, beginning her career with the Department as a bank examiner trainee in 2001. She was a field examiner from 2001 to 2011 and became a review examiner in 2012. Kelly was promoted to the Director of Bank Supervision in 2013 and appointed Deputy Commissioner in 2014. As Deputy Commissioner, Kelly managed the banking, mortgage, consumer finance, administration, legal and information technology divisions. She also ensured effective coordination between the state and federal regulators and fostered engagement with regulated industries.

As Commissioner, Kelly ensures effective agency operations and oversees $154 billion in state-chartered banking assets. She also ensures the licensure and supervision of over 8,000 consumer finance and mortgage licensees, which represent 11 financial industries.

Kelly received her undergraduate degree in business with a concentration in Banking and Finance from Mississippi State University. She is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University where she is a past instructor. Kelly is also an honor graduate of the American Bankers Association Graduate Trust School. She serves as a member of the Mississippi Certified Public Manager Advisory Board. Kelly is Vice-Chair of Mississippi State University Finance and Economics Advisory Board and was named a 2019 Leader in Finance by Mississippi Business Journal.

 

Kelly Lammers was appointed Nebraska Director of Banking and Finance, by Gov. Jim Pillen on Dec. 2, 2022. He has served in that role since his first appointment in 2020, by then Governor Pete Ricketts.

Lammers considers himself a lifelong student of banking, serving the state of Nebraska through decades of regulatory opportunity, change, innovation and market movements. Exciting memories include the creation of the Nebraska Financial Innovation Act, establishing a digital asset bank, the Credit Card Banking legislation creating a credit card bank, as well as enabling more than 100 student savings programs in Nebraska elementary and secondary schools using the student savings program. Lammers holds a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, as well as a degree from the Colorado Graduate School of Banking. In 2026, he was elected Chair Elect of the Board of Directors for the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS), representing Nebraska and the dual banking system on a national level.

Lammers’ is humbly honored to represent Nebraska, while engaging nationally as blended regulatory teams promote safety and soundness in structure, operations and in local economic enrichment. 

Parker Marshall is an analyst supporting policy development at the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS). Prior to CSBS, he worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He holds a B.A. in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Brandon Milhorn is the president and chief executive officer of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS), the national association representing state financial regulators and a champion for the system of state financial supervision. He was appointed by the Board of Directors in December 2023. CSBS supports state regulators by advocating for responsible policy; engaging with federal regulatory counterparts, the Administration, and Congress; providing research on economic matters, industry trends, and best practices; conducting training and professional development; and developing transformative supervisory technology, such as the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System and Registry.

Milhorn previously held leadership roles at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), serving as deputy to Vice Chairman Travis Hill and as chief of staff and deputy to Chairman Jelena McWilliams. Before the FDIC, he spent seven years in the private sector with Raytheon Corporation. Before Raytheon, he held numerous positions over a decade of public service, including as staff director and chief counsel for the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, general counsel for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and as an attorney at the CIA. He began his career with two federal clerkships.

Milhorn holds a B.S. in economics from East Tennessee State University and a J.D. from Cornell Law School.

Alberto G. Musalem is the president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. In this role, he participates on the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee, or FOMC,
which meets at least eight times each year to set the direction of U.S. monetary policy. He also oversees the activities of the Eighth Federal Reserve District at its St. Louis headquarters and branches in Little Rock, Ark., Louisville, Ky., and Memphis, Tenn. These activities include economic research, fiscal agent responsibilities for the U.S. Treasury, supervision of District financial institutions, community development, and regional payments, transparency, technology and support functions. As the St. Louis Fed president, Musalem makes public outreach a priority, talking regularly with people and communities across the Eighth District about the economy. Engaging with Main Street provides him with important insights as he represents the District at the monetary policy table. Musalem is an economist and executive with nearly three decades of prior public and private sector experience in economic policy, finance and markets. He earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. 

Tanya Paul is an assistant professor of accounting at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining Berkeley, Paul served as a post-doctoral fellow at the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Her research examines the intersection of taxation, banking, and competition in local financial markets. Her current work studies credit unions, banks, and accounting standards. Paul teaches Corporate Financial Reporting to MBA students. She received her Ph.D. in accounting from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and her bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Leo Pugachev is an assistant professor of finance at the Ed G. Smith College of Business in University of Missouri – St. Louis. His main research interests are in the areas of banking, regulation, and corporate governance. His research has been published in numerous journals, including the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, the Review of Accounting Studies; and Financial Management. Pugachev teaches commercial banking, derivatives, and financial management to undergraduate and graduate students. He received a Ph.D. in Finance from the Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma. 

Amiyatosh Purnanandam is a professor of finance in the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. He holds the Denise and Ray Nixon Endowed Chair in Finance. Purnanandam comes to Texas McCombs from the University of Michigan, where he taught at the Ross School of Business for more than 20 years.

His research covers a wide range of topics in banking and corporate finance. His recent work is mostly related to digital payments and the measurement and detection of risk in banking. His research has been published in leading journals such as the Journal of Financial Economics, The Journal of Finance, The Review of Financial Studies, the Review of Finance, and the Journal of Monetary Economics.

He has served on the editorial boards of several of these journals and others, including the Journal of Financial Intermediation and the Journal of Banking & Finance. Purnanandam recently served as a director of the Financial Intermediation Research Society, and he currently serves as the vice president of the Midwest Finance Association.

He has been a visiting professor of finance at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Purnanandam is also a Distinguished Visiting Fellow to the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, India.

He earned an M.S. and Ph.D. from Cornell University, an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Lucknow, and a B.Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur.

Thomas Siems is the chief economist with the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS). He joined CSBS in 2019 after serving 34 years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and more than 20-year teaching at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Siems earned a Bachelor of Science in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan and his Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in operations research from Southern Methodist University. Siems is also a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado and has published more than 75 articles in academic, Federal Reserve and referred journals. He delivered a 2015 TEDxSMU Talk, “The Wealth of Innovations,” and has authored five children’s picture books, including “The Dangerous Pet,” which poetically helps readers understand the dangers of debt. 

Jeff Sinnott serves as President and Chief Executive Officer and is a member of the Board of Directors of Vantage Bank.  Sinnott joined Vantage Bank in 2018 as Chief Operations, Technology and ERM Officer where he led a complete overhaul of the bank’s operations, risk and technology divisions, emphasizing an enhanced, unified customer experience.
Sinnott has been in the commercial banking and technology fields for the past 30 years, focusing on innovation and transformation. He began his career in Charlotte, NC as a software engineer working on the Model Banking Program at Bank of America. He has since overseen largescale technology and operations initiatives at numerous banks and spent a portion of his career leading global software initiatives in the consumer goods industry, focusing on product design, development and deployment. Some of the

major firms where Sinnott led these initiatives include PepsiCo, Heinz, Walmart, and Danone. Sinnott returned to banking in 2003 when he joined Summit Bank as their Chief Information Officer.
In 2007, Sinnott joined Southwest Bank in Fort Worth as Chief Operations Officer where, along with the Operations and Technology divisions, he led Retail, Compliance, Risk and the Treasury Management sales team. Jeff brought his expertise to Vantage Bank Texas in the fall of 2018 and, in a short period of time, has made an extraordinary impact on the way the bank delivers products and services to our customers.

Sinnott is active in the banking community and has served on the Digital Banking Product Advisory Board at Digital Insight and Intuit. Jeff recently completed a term on the Texas Bankers Association Board of Directors and is currently active on the Texas Biomedical Board of Trustees, TCU Fintech Council and Texas State University McCoy College Center for Banking and Financial Services Advisory Council.

Jeff earned his degree from Texas A&M University in Management Information Systems, Business Analysis. He is also a graduate from Graduate School of Banking Colorado with honors. 

Alvaro G. Taboada is the Cadence Bank Professor of Finance in the College of Business at Mississippi State University. Taboada is also a CFA charter holder, co-editor of Emerging Markets Review and editor of Corporate Governance: An International Review, and a past president of the Southern Finance Association. Prior to entering academia, Taboada was an international bank examiner at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. His main research interests are in the areas of banking and international corporate governance. His research has been published in leading journals, including The Journal of Finance; the Journal of Financial Economics; The Review of Financial Studies, the Journal of Accounting Research; and Review of Finance. Taboada teaches financial markets to undergraduate students, as well as a PhD seminar in financial institutions. He received a Ph.D. in Finance from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University.

Anne P. Tangen joined BankFive in 2020 and has become a leading voice in shaping the future of community banking. In addition to driving BankFive’s strategic investments in technology, infrastructure, and employee development, Anne plays an active role on influential boards and advisory councils that guide policy and advocate for community banks nationwide. She serves on the American Bankers Association Board of Directors, is Chair of the Massachusetts Bankers Association Board of Directors, and represents District 1 on the Federal Reserve's Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council (CDIAC).

Anne’s career spans more than two decades in financial services, where she has consistently demonstrated vision and leadership. She began at Fidelity Investments, spending 14 years in various leadership roles before joining State Street, where she launched a new wealth management business. As Executive Vice President, Anne had responsibility for the global wealth management division, helping generate $90MM in annual revenues supporting $150B in assets. Before joining BankFive, she served on the board for BayCoast Bank and as Chief Operating Officer at The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod.

A graduate of the University of Vermont with a BA in Economics, Anne is deeply committed to community engagement. She founded the Alden Pettengill Foundation and serves on the boards of Argosy Collegiate Charter School, the SouthCoast Community Foundation, the Southcoast Health President’s Council, and the Savings Banks Employees Retirement Association (SBERA). Her leadership extends beyond banking, reflecting her dedication to education, health, and philanthropy.

Anne’s contributions to the industry have earned her numerous honors, including the Massachusetts Bankers Association Lifetime Achievement Award and the Northeast Women of Banking Award. Under her leadership, BankFive has been recognized among The Women’s Edge “Top 100 Women-Led Businesses” and The Boston Business Journal’s “Top Charitable Contributors.” She is frequently featured in leading publications such as the Boston Business Journal, Banker & Tradesman, American Bankers Association, Bank Director, and Bloomberg Radio Boston, and regularly speaks at industry conferences, including the New England Bankers Annual Conference, Future Branches, and Bank Director.

Founded in 1855, BankFive was created to make banking services accessible to the community. Today, with $1.8B in assets and 17 locations, BankFive remains committed to delivering outstanding products and services to individuals, families, and businesses. Customers consistently give five-star reviews, attesting to the bank’s approachability and exceptional service.

Alexei Tchistyi is a Professor of Real Estate at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. Alexei received his Ph.D. in Business from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2005. Before joining Cornell University in 2020, he was an Assistant Professor of Finance at the New York University Stern School of Business (2005-2008), an Assistant Professor of Real Estate and Finance at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business (2008-2014), where he also served as a Co-Chair of the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics (2012-2014), and an Associate Professor of Finance and Director of the Office of Real Estate Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2014-2020). 

Alexei’s research focuses on various topics related to real estate finance and corporate finance: mortgage design, asset-backed securities, banking regulations, dynamic contracting, and executive compensation.  His papers have been published in The Review of Financial Studies, The Journal of Financial Economics, The Journal of Finance, The Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, and The Journal of Financial Intermediation.  

Kyle Thomas advances and strengthens state financial regulation through his role as Senior Advisor for Policy and Innovation at the Conference of State Bank Supervisors. In this role, he provides thought leadership for the organization and its members on financial regulatory policy and the growing role of innovative technologies in financial services.

Kyle began his career working in and supervising community banks before joining CSBS in 2010. Early at CSBS, he led the creation of a nationwide team of state regulators focused on identifying and monitoring risks to the financial system. He also served as a frequent instructor for state and federal examiners and led an interagency effort to develop new examination technologies.

Before rejoining CSBS in 2024, Kyle led the regulatory industry practice at Appian, a Virginia-based technology services firm. Now back at CSBS, he supports state supervisors by advancing their policy objectives and supporting their adoption of new regulatory technologies.

Kyle is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, holds a master’s degree from the Darla Moore School of Business of the University of South Carolina and is an alumnus of the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado where he now teaches a course on artificial intelligence in community banking.

Carl White is the executive vice president of the Supervision, Credit, Community Development and Learning Innovation division at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. White has more than 35 years of experience in the Supervision Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.  He is currently senior vice president of the Supervision, Credit and Learning Innovation Division. He has served in various other roles within Safety and Soundness, beginning his career as an examiner. Mr. White has served as lead instructor and course developer on numerous Fed System training courses, including an international assignment in Brazil. In addition, he served as the central point of contact for the District’s largest state member bank before and during the financial crisis. He and his team were nominated for the District’s President’s Award for Innovation as a result of efforts to implement and enhance off-site loan review and examination processes. Mr. White holds a bachelor’s degree with a major in finance from St. Louis University.