Equipment Leasing and Finance Association - Investing Forward

Chelsey Barron

Senior Vice President
LEAF Commercial Capital Inc.

Chelsey Barron serves as Divisional Vice President for LEAF Commercial Capital. Chelsey currently oversees and manages LEAF’s technology division sales, business development, and program management teams. Chelsey currently serves as the Committee Chair of the ELFA’s Innovation Committee.

Jennica Burgh

TomorrowZone

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.

Brendan Cronin

Product Manager
Great American Insurance Group, Specialty Equipment

Kyle Elken

Controller
DLL

Kyle Elken

Controller, U.S.

DLL Financial Solutions Partner

Kyle is the U.S Controller for DLL. In this role, he oversees a team of thirty professionals handling the company’s Accounting, Data, Governance, Accounts Payable, Regulatory and Financial Reporting in accordance with IFRS and U.S. GAAP. Prior to joining DCC in 2014, Kyle was Vice President of Technical Accounting for a publicity traded commercial mortgage lender for 5 years and also worked for GE Capital businesses for 8 years. Kyle is a certified public accountant (inactive), and he serves as a member of ELFA’s Lease Accounting Committee.

Christine Evershed

Project Manager, Global Capabilities
John Deere Financial

Christine Evershed is a Project Manager for John Deere Financial with more than 26 years of experience in the equipment lending and lease industry. Christine has worked in and led various aspects of John Deere Financial’s business from accounting, operations, business analyst, collections, repossession, litigation, end of lease, and marketing within Canada and United States. Christine is a Women’s Unlimited Alumni and is currently part of the EFLA’s Operations and Technology committee. Throughout her career, Christine has had a passion for process improvement and promoted the use of technology to gain efficiencies, drive business results, and improve employee engagement.

Stephanie Fisher

Director of Programs
Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation

Kaheres Hahn

Finova Capital, LLC

Peter Haug

Product Manager
LTi Technology Solutions

Current Member of the ELFA Operations and Technology Committee, Peter Haug is Product Manager at LTi Technology Solutions – the market-leading platform provider to the equipment finance industry. Since joining LTi in 2009, Peter has enjoyed collaborating with thought-leaders in the industry to understand and solve the critical challenges the industry is facing.

Recently, Peter has presented on technology topics covering innovation and the customer experience.

In his free time, Peter enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids, watching soccer, and learning languages.

Leigh Lytle

President and CEO
Equipment Leasing & Finance Association

Leigh Lytle is the President and CEO of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), the premier trade association representing 575+ member organizations in the $1 trillion equipment finance sector. In her role, Ms. Lytle leads the association in executing its mission and delivering on the value proposition to its members. This includes providing a platform to promote and advocate for the industry, including attracting and developing new and diverse talent; a forum for professional development and training; and a resource that develops information about, and for, the industry. She also serves as the President of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (ELFF), which is dedicated to inspiring thoughtful innovation and contributing to the betterment of the equipment leasing and finance industry.

Before joining ELFA, Ms. Lytle served as the Head of North American Policy at Plaid and led education and engagement efforts with regulators and financial institutions. In this role, she advocated for protecting consumers' rights within the digital financial ecosystem and in Washington, D.C. She also served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Financial Technology Association (FTA), which represents innovative companies shaping the future of finance. The industry trade group champions the power of technology-centered financial services and advocates for the modernization of financial regulation to support inclusion and responsible innovation. Before joining Plaid, Ms. Lytle spent over 15 years in the Federal Reserve Bank system in various executive roles ranging from engagements in monetary and regulatory policy to operations and data analytics oversight.

Tim Mahedy

CEO & Chief Economist

Jennifer Martin CLFP

Chief Product Officer
LTi Technology Solutions

Jen Martin is the Chief Product Officer at LTi Technology Solutions. In her role as CPO Jen leads the Product and Client Success teams. Jen is responsible for managing LTi's investment in new product and technologies, providing value added solutions to critical customer and market problems.

Jen Martin has been in the equipment finance industry and was at Key Equipment Finance (KEF) for 28 years. She has held many roles over that time including Operations Manager for various support/client service areas and Originations teams, Technology Project Manager, Technology product owner and Quality assurance manager. In 2019, she led the team that implemented ASPIRE and was a lead on the team that upgraded KEF’s end to end technology stack. Most recently, Jen Martin was part of the Key Equipment Finance senior leadership team, responsible for the successful execution of KEF’s technology roadmap, aligning technology tools with the needs of Key Equipment Finance’s clients and employees. Additionally, Jen led a sales enablement team that enables KEF’s growth success through data driven strategic modeling, problem solving, helping market Key’s capabilities and exceeding client expectations through the implementation of innovative technology tools.

Jen Martin is also a founding member of the ELFA Women’s council, immediate past chair for the ELFA Operations and Technology Committee/Conference, a member of the Monitor’s Editorial Board and is part of the ELFA’s Innovation Advisory council.

Chris Maudlin CLFP

SVP, Chief Operating Officer
Wintrust Specialty Finance

Chris Maudlin, CLFP is the Chief Credit Officer for Wintrust Specialty Finance, a Division of Beverly Bank & Trust Company, N.A. Prior to joining Wintrust, he was SVP Risk and Analytics for Hanmi Bank and VP Commercial Credit Manager for Banc of California. Chris has more than 15 years’ experience in commercial equipment finance serving in a variety of roles for both independent lessor’s as well as bank owned finance companies. Chris earned his Certified Lease & Finance Professional designation in 2013 and is actively involved in supporting the industry. Chris currently serves on the ELFA Credit & Collections Committee and speaks regularly at conferences around the country.

Kelli Nienaber

Executive Director
Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation

Kelli Nienaber is the Executive Director of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation in Washington, DC. Having been in this role since 2011, she is the primary conduit to the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and volunteer governance committees. She oversees the business and staff of the Foundation, which propels the $1 trillion equipment finance sector—and its people—forward with its industry-specific knowledge, intelligence, and programs. Through free studies, internships, and Guest Lecture opportunities, the Foundation helps industry professionals navigate the changes coming up and make better business and personal career decisions.

Prior to the Foundation, Kelli’s career was focused in the government relations/political arena. She has successfully managed political involvement and grassroots campaigns, as well as developed and executed federal and state legislative strategy in corporate and trade association organizations. She began her professional career in the public sector working for former U.S. Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) both in his Washington, DC office and in her home state of Missouri.

Kelli holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is an active volunteer serving on non-profit Boards in her community. Kelli and her husband Brian reside in Alexandria, VA with their four children.

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.

Lilian Starr

Director Operations
First Citizens Bank Equipment Finance

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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.

Cameron Stutts

Business Development Manager
Linedata Lending and Leasing

Amie Sweeney

Vice President
CBRE

Shelly Tauer CLFP

SVP, Head of EF Product Management & Strategic Initiatives
U.S. Bank

Shelly has been with U.S. Bank for 30 years.  She began her career as an underwriter in 1994 with Lyon Financial, a small ticket leasing company that was later acquired by U.S. Bank in September 2000.  She has held a variety of positions all within U.S. Bank Equipment Finance including Special Projects, Collections Management, Sales, Operations Manager, Customer Integration and Support Manager, Project Manager, Security Manager and System Technology Manager.  She continues to oversee the Security and System Technology teams with added responsibilities as of 2022 to include Project Management, Professional Development and Training, Modeling and Analytics and EF Applications teams. She is currently a member of the ELFA's (Equipment Leasing Finance Association) Research Committee and the Operations and Technology Planning Committee and earned her CLFP (Certified Leasing Finance Professional) Certification in 2018.

Shelly and her husband, Bill, have 3 grown children Abby (husband Josh), Lexi and Jake along with 2 grandchildren, Grayson (3) and Saelah (1).  They are avid local and MN sports fans and cherish time with their grandchildren as well as family and friends enjoying water sports, pontoon rides and campfires at their lake home on Lake Shetek.

Sarah Tezuka

Product Manager
Solifi

With over 25 years of experience in equipment finance and secured lending, Sarah Tezuka is currently a Product Manager at Solifi; a leading global organization that's dedicated to delivering a solid financial technology foundation for equipment, working capital, wholesale, and automotive finance firms. She excels at creating client-centric solutions, managing product lifecycles, and delivering product vision and strategy. She also leads Solifi's Equipment Finance User group and serves on the ELFA Ops & Tech Committee.

Beckham Thomas

CEO
Trnsact

Jay Wilensky

Senior Vice President, Accounting & Finance
Sasser Family Companies

Jay Wilensky is Senior Vice President of Accounting & Finance for Chicago Freight Car Leasing Co, a subsidiary of Sasser Family Holdings.  He is his second year as chairman of the financial accounting committee of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, an advocacy organization for the $1 trillion leasing industry. 

He is also the founder of the Railcar Leasing Coalition, a consortium of companies in the railcar leasing industry he led to collaborate with the accounting firms and the FASB and IASB Boards on interpretation and development of best practices on leasing related accounting standards. Additionally, he has been chairman of the tax committee of the Railway Supply Institute for two separate terms. Accordingly, he has presented at many different industry conferences. He currently serves on the Transportation Executive Board and the Accounting Advisory Board of the Kelly School of Business at Indiana University. 

He began his career in public accounting with KPMG, where he was a senior supervisor on audit engagements in a wide variety of industries. He is in his 38th year with the Sasser Companies and Chicago Freight Car Leasing Co, taking on increasing roles and responsibilities during his tenure leading up to his current position. He is a CPA, CGMA, and has been active in many professional organizations including the Illinois CPA Society, AICPA, and Institute of Managerial Accountants.  He graduated from Indiana University - Bloomington, the Kelley School of Business earning a BS with a concentration in accounting.