Equipment Leasing and Finance Association - Equipping Business for Success

Michael Baez CLFP

VP, Professional Services and Customer Strategy
Leasepath

Michael Baez, CLFP is the Vice President of Customer Strategy and Professional Services with Leasepath, driving delivery and innovation for the industry-leading technology solutions provider. Michael is a subject matter specialist in equipment finance. For almost 40 years, he has worked extensively in the financial services industry with global experience in equipment finance, credit risk, corporate treasury, cash and wealth management, process and risk management, operations, and technology.

Deborah Baker

VP, Global Payment Solutions
HP Inc.

As Head of Worldwide Leasing and Financing, Deborah Baker is responsible for driving contractual business growth through an optimized, profitable multi-vendor leasing and financing Go to Market (GTM) solution.

Deborah is a finance veteran with almost 30 years’ experience supporting captive and vendor financing. She joined HP from Cisco Systems Capital Corporation where she served as Senior Director, Global Portfolio Services, supporting a $12B Global Portfolio of ~5000 lease and loan customers in over 100 countries, maximizing sales enablement and ensuring fiduciary responsibility.

Prior to joining Cisco Capital in 2011, Deborah spent 10 years with Hewlett-Packard Financial Services at their headquarters in New Jersey supporting end user financing products in the US, Canada and US Public Sector as well as internal (embedded lease) financing products. Prior to Hewlett-Packard Financial Services, she held a variety of roles with CIT (formerly AT&T Capital), including roles in Business Development, Sales and Operations. As a Six Sigma Champion and Talent Ambassador, Deborah is passionate about Process Improvements, Learning and Development and Talent Management.

Deborah is a member of the Board of Directors for the Equipment Leasing and Financing Association (ELFA), the Chair of the ELFA Women’s Council, and a member of ELFA Equality. In addition, Deborah is a member of the Editorial Board of The Monitor publication, The Independent Voice of Equipment Finance. In 2019, she was named one of the Top Women in Equipment Finance by The Monitor.

Deborah holds a BS in Business Administration and an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, NJ. She currently resides in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with her husband Chris. Their son Griffin is studying Cybersecurity at the Southern New Hampshire University. Outside of work, Deb enjoys hiking, bicycling and cooking.

Mark Blais

Chief Information Officer
Channel

Mark joined Channel Partners in July of 2019 as their Chief Information Officer. Mark is responsible for all the technologies and resources that deliver best in class industry solutions.

Mark has enjoyed a diverse career in senior technology leadership roles within companies such as Digi-Key, Target, Veritas/Symantec, Questar, and Lasersonics in technology epicenters like Silicon Valley. His background leading enterprise development teams has allowed him to experience delivery in areas including 3D MRI, credit, scientific lasers, and multi-channel point of sale. He has experienced and led teams that have encompassed the driving force and rapidity of change that technology brings in both hardware and software. Mark holds a B.S. in IT Management from UOP and an Electronic Technology degree from Brown.

Andrew Cotter

EVP, Chief Information Officer
Somerset Capital Group, Ltd.

Andrew Cotter serves as Chief Information Officer for Somerset Capital Group, Ltd. and has been with the organization since 2002. Mr. Cotter is an experienced business leader and technology strategist providing vision and transformational leadership for more than 20 years. Mr. Cotter uses his extensive experience in people leadership, business operations, and technology innovation to partner with the organization. Through this partnership he develops effective plans and strategies to achieve meaningful results as well as enables continuous innovation needed to improve the customer experience required to succeed in the digital age.

Mr. Cotter serves on the board of Fairfield/Westchester Society for Information Management, is active on the ELFA Technology Innovation Working Group, and is the Immediate Past Chair of the ELFA Operations and Technology Committee.

Brittany Hamilton

Senior Consultant
Alfa

My name is Brittany Hamilton. I am a senior implementation consultant at Alfa Systems and I am based in Michigan. I have a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s in computer science. From roles on projects within both the automotive and equipment finance industries, I have enjoyed teaching clients how to use Alfa Systems and learning about asset finance. I have been able to utilize my education and previous experience in computer science by gaining practical use with new software tools and technologies. When I’m not working, I enjoy traveling, cooking, and spending time on the lake.

Jeffrey Lezinski

SVP Solution Architecture
Odessa

Jeff is Odessa’s SVP, Solution Architecture, instrumental in architecting Odessa’s functional solutions since he joined the company in 2004. Jeff currently serves on the ELFA Accounting Committee and participates as a liaison to various industry and regulatory bodies. Prior to Odessa, Jeff worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP where he participated in and managed various engagements from a consulting and an audit perspective for a variety of industries, including financial services, pharmaceutical, and telecommunications. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Haverford College.

Scott Nelson

President & Chief Digital Officer, Board Member
Tamarack Technology, Inc.

A well-recognized expert in technology strategy and development including Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, Scott Nelson leads the company’s efforts to expand its impact on the industry through innovation with new products, system level thinking, and the application of new technologies with a design thinking methodology.

In his dual role at Tamarack, Nelson is responsible for the company’s vision and strategic planning as well as business operations. Since joining Tamarack in 2020, Nelson has led efforts to refocus the business strategy around investment in digital technologies in order to provide greater value across the equipment finance industry.

Nelson joined Tamarack with more than 30 years of experience leading product development, product management, and entrepreneurial business growth as a technology and business leader. After beginning his career at Honeywell in the Corporate R&D center, Nelson spent the next 15 years at Logic PD as CTO and EVP. More recently, Nelson served as the Chief Product Officer and Vice President of Product at Digi International, a leading global provider of business and mission-critical IoT products and services and the Chief Technical Officer (CTO) and Executive Vice President of Corporate Development at SkyWater Technology Foundry, where he led strategy, growth, and new-offering development.

Bryan Parfitt

Senior Solution Architect
Northteq

Bryan Parfitt, a Senior Solution Architect at Northteq, is a current Member of the ELFA Operations and Technology Committee. Bryan has worked in the equipment finance industry for over eighteen years and authored reports for equipment finance industry associations in the past.

At Capgemini he worked directly with equipment finance lessors providing them innovative and contemporary solutions to differentiate themselves by increasing organizational efficiency. Bryan has experience in both originations and servicing platforms. He has led projects focused on system implementation, system selection, and process redesign among other subjects.

Since 2021 Bryan has worked for Northteq focusing on system implementation and development on their lease/loan origination platform, Aurora. Bryan has brought multiple clients live as well as assisted in the build out of Northteq’s latest product offerings.

Bryan’s project focus is always to bring meaningful change to a client, allowing them to expand their business and do so with increased effectiveness though their use of technology. Bryan graduated from the University of Florida with degrees in Business Administration and Political Science. He lives with his wife and two children in Ponte Vedra, FL.

Deborah Reuben CLFP, DES

CEO & Founder
TomorrowZone

Deborah "Deb" Reuben, CLFP, DES, is CEO and Founder of TomorrowZone, a technology strategy consultancy inspiring fresh ideas and collaborations to shape the future of business. She encourages new thinking to explore the art of the possible through her extensive technical knowledge, equipment finance experience, and passion for challenging the status quo. Her expertise will enhance and broaden your company's products and services and create efficiencies that will produce a competitive advantage for your company.

Her view on digital transformation and future-readiness is radically different with over two decades of innovating, speaking, and most importantly, real-life, in-the-trenches innovation experience in finance and software industries. Deborah appreciates and shares with clients and audiences that digital transformation is less about the digital and more about the people. When it comes to thinking about technology, innovation, and the future, you can choose to act today to shape your future. The best investment you can make is investing in what's between your ears by taking ownership of your personal growth. Everyone, regardless of role, must stay on top of technology and trends to stay ahead of tomorrow.

What surprises most clients is her ability to combine big company thinking and entrepreneurial ideas to create marketplace success. Deb's clients and audiences include companies like PNC, Wells Fargo, DLL Group, Huntington (TCF Bank), Dell, Mitsubishi UFG, Caterpillar, Key Equipment Finance.

She currently serves on the CLFP Foundation Board of Directors and authored The Certified Lease and Finance Professionals' Handbook, 6^th – 9^th editions. She served on ELFA's Board of Directors and is the founder and chair of the ELFA Innovation Advisory Council. In partnership with ELFA, she and her team moderate quarterly industry innovation roundtables for the ELFA to bring forward-thinking insights and fresh ideas to ELFA Members.

Reuben also served on the Monitor Editorial Advisory Board and co-founded the Disrupted+ innovation conference series with Monitor. She is the recipient of both the CLFP Foundation Cindy Spurdle Award of Excellence and the ELFA Michael J. Fleming Distinguished Service Award. Monitor Magazine honored her as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women Leaders in Equipment Finance, named TomorrowZone one of the most innovative companies in the equipment finance ecosystem and honored her as an Industry Disruptor Icon. Learn more at tomorrowzone.io.

Tawnya Stone CLFP

Vice President, Strategic Technology
GreatAmerica Financial Services

Tawnya Stone, Vice President, Strategic Technology, is responsible for the overall strategic direction, oversight and implementation of customer-facing tools and products across various GreatAmerica business units. She works in close collaboration with business unit and functional leadership and external technology partners. Tawnya joined GreatAmerica in 2011 as an IT Project Manager and eventually evolved into subsequent roles that blended technology and customer facing activities. Prior to joining GreatAmerica she worked for Philips Electronics and Verizon Communications in the Washington DC metro area.

Tawnya was the previous President of the Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) and Executive Council member of CompTIA’s Technology Lifecycle Services (TLS) Community and past Chair of CompTIA’s Managed Print Services (MPS) Community. She was recognized by ENX as Difference Maker in 2016 and 2018. Tawnya also is a member the Technology Innovation working group and Chair of the Operations and Technology committee within the ELFA.