ELFA - Equipment Leasing and Finance Association - Equipping Business for Success

Women's Leadership Forum

April 01 - April 02, 2019
Conrad Washington, Chicago, DC

Women's Leadership Forum

April 01 - April 02, 2019
Conrad Washington, Chicago, DC

Women's Leadership Forum

April 01 - April 02, 2019

Conrad Washington, Chicago, DC



Who Should Attend?

This event is open to anyone who would like to attend. There are no registration restrictions for the Women’s Leadership Form this year. ELFA is offering Member and Non-member pricing in order to accommodate all who are interested in this fantastic event!

Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsorships provide invaluable exposure for your company. Contact Steve Wafalosky at 440-247-1060 or stevew@larichadv.com if you are interested in supporting the first ELFA Women’s Leadership Forum.


Registration Fees

Price Description Amount
ELFA Members $695.00

View cancellation and other policies

Available Functions

  Dine Around - Community Table Dinner Group

Speakers

Martha Ahlers

President
United Leasing & Finance


Martha Ahlers is President of United Leasing & Finance. She has over 20 years of commercial leasing experience and started with the company in 1996. Ms. Ahlers holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of Illinois. She is involved in numerous civic and community organizations including the Ronald McDonald House Charities, Evansville Executive Forum, Tri State MS Association Board, and Carver Community Daycare. She has previously served on the Equipment Leasing and Finance Foundation Board of Directors, and is currently Chair of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) Board of Directors.

Rochelle Carrington

Sales Training, Keynotes, Business Strategy, Leadership and Management Development, Business Development, Hiring and Speaker
Sandler Training


As a seasoned executive, sales professional and consultant, Rochelle Carrington guides companies in reaching their critical goals to drive increased revenue and more effectively manage their sales and management processes. Rochelle Carrington A self made millionaire and the CEO of Sandler Training, Rochelle has advised, trained and coached large companies including Time Inc and Georgia Pacific as well as small enterprises on best practices to develop stronger sales teams, create better hiring practices and lead organizations more effectively. Rochelle possesses over 23 years of experience in sales and sales management. She built her training business into a seven figure company in less than 10 years and is the top female franchise owner within the global Sandler network of 250 business owners. Prior to Sandler, Rochelle spent much of her career at some of the most highly regarded publishing companies including Conde Nast Publications, Hearst Magazines and Meredith Corporation. As an award winning salesperson and sales executive, she recruited and led a national team at magazines including Glamour, marie claire, Teen and Golf for Women. Each week, Rochelle trains company leadership and sales professionals using a vibrant, fun and interactive style of delivery which enables teams of all capabilities to incorporate their learnings into their every day lives. She has been the featured speaker at a variety of national associations across the country and has won numerous awards for her sales and training skills. She is the author of a forthcoming book entitled “Believe it to Achieve It...the Sandler Way." Rochelle holds a B.A from Luther College in Decorah, IA and resides with her family in New York.
 

Jennifer Fanz

Vice President of Sales, US Healthcare
PEAC Solutions


Jennifer Fanz, equipment leasing and finance industry veteran, is a results-focused Senior Commercial Leader with 20+ years of sales experience, effective relationship management and demonstrated success in the financial services industry. She is well versed in sales, strategic planning, business development, team leadership and leadership development. She has effectively leveraged people, processes, relationships and culture to build high-performing teams, exceed targets and encourage individual and team growth through diversity of thought to drive bottom-line results.

Jennifer has also devoted time as a certified facilitator focused on sales effectiveness and leadership development. She is passionate about her role as an equipment leasing industry mentor and coach. She has held roles focused on organizational health and employee development, and she is both an advocate and ally for diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.

Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Science degree with a focus in Management from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-Camden. She is an active member of ELFA, with prior service on the ELFA Emerging Talent Advisory Council. She currently serves as Past Chair of the ELFA Women?s Council and has previously served as sub-committee Chair for the ELFA Women?s Leadership Forum from 2019 through 2022. Jennifer has also helped launch various corporate ERGs supporting both female and ethnically diverse employee groups.

At home, she spends time as a wife, mom, dog-mom, sister, daughter, somewhat decent cook and lover of plants and her garden. She sometimes appreciates her Peloton, but also has a fondness for bread and wine. She continues to strive for work-life integration, although she is admittedly a work in progress.

Lori Frasier

Senior Executive-Human Resources and Strategy
Orion First Financial, LLC


Lori Frasier is the Chief Human Resources Officer of CPI Card Group. She has over two decades of experience in the financial services industry. Before joining CPI Card Group in 2019, she worked at Key Equipment Finance. She joined Key in 2003 in global human resources management. She served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Administration before being promoted to Senior Vice President of Strategic Services in 2009, and Senior Vice President of Strategy and Performance Management in 2013.  Prior to joining Key, she held positions at First Data/Western Union.

Tanya Menon

Associate Professor, Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University


Tanya Menon is Associate Professor at Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University. Her research on decision making, influence, culture, teams, and networks has been cited in various media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, The Economist Intelligence Unit, The Times of London (UK), The Guardian (UK), and The Times of India. She has taught courses on Persuasion, Negotiations, Teams, and Organizational Behavior and was the winner of the 2017 Best EMBA professor and 2013 Best Elective Award at the Ohio State University’s Fisher School of Business.

As Associate Professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, she won the teaching award in 2006 (working professionals) and 2007 (full time MBAs). She has conducted executive programs all over the world.

Prior to graduate school, she was a research assistant in INCAE Business School in Costa Rica and an intern in Morgan Stanley's London office. Menon earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Harvard University in 1995, and her Ph.D. from Stanford Graduate School of Business. She is currently Associate Editor at Management Science Journal. She wrote a book with Dr. Leigh Thompson, Stop Spending, Start Managing: Strategies to transform wasteful habits (2016, Harvard Business Review Press). Her tedxohiostateuniversity talk was recently featured on ideas.ted.com, Ted.com’s main site (go.ted.com/tanyamenon), reaching over 1.2 Million views.


Kara Miyasato CLFP

Marketing Director


Kara Miyasato is the Director of Marketing for Stryker’s financial services business, Flex Financial. In this role, she leads a team responsible for product development, marketing communications, sales training, process improvement, and business analytics for North America and Europe. She sits on the Flex Financial leadership team.

In 2007, Kara began her career at Stryker at Stryker Endoscopy in San Jose, California. She relocated to Kalamazoo in 2008 and has held various individual contributor and management roles within Flex Financial in both operations and marketing. Her focus throughout her Stryker career has been around customer engagement, continual process improvement, and employee development.

Kara currently chairs the Emerging Talent Advisory Council (ETAC) for ELFA and sits on ELFA Equality. She was previously the ETAC liaison to the Captive & Vendor BCSC and was identified as Monitor’s inaugural Next Generation Leader for their Industry Icon Awards.

Kara holds degrees in philosophy and economics from Santa Clara University, attained her Master’s degree in Finance from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) as well as a Certified Lease & Finance Professional (CLFP). She sits on the board of directors for the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestras and resides in Kalamazoo, Michigan with her husband, Cullen Stevenson, and their son, Kai.


Amy Nelson



Mrs. Nelson is the US President for Healthcare, Clean Technology and Technology Solutions. Prior to this role, Mrs. Nelson served as the President for the Global Business Unit Healthcare and Clean Technology of DLL.  She also served as the Chief Financial Officer for DLL's Global Vendor Finance Division. DLL is a fully owned subsidiary of Rabobank Group, specializing in asset-based finance programs for equipment manufacturers, dealers and distributors all over the world. DLL operates in over 35 countries and has assets in excess of €34B.
 
Prior to DLL, Mrs. Nelson worked at Bank of America Leasing (formerly Fleet Capital Leasing) in various roles of increasing responsibility within Finance. Her most recent focus was on the acquisition and consolidation efforts of several acquisitions made between 1998 and 2001 when she left to join DLL.
 
Mrs. Nelson is currently on the ELFA Board of Directors and served previously as a member of the ELFA Financial Accounting Committee.
 
Mrs. Nelson holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bryant University. She serves on the Board of Directors for Philips Medical Capital, a LLC owned jointly by DLL and Philips Medical Systems North America.    

Ralph Petta



Ralph Petta is the President and CEO of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), the premier trade association representing 550+ member organizations in the $1 trillion equipment finance sector. Mr. Petta leads the organization in executing its mission to foster business development, deliver industry information and analysis, provide educational opportunities and advocate for the industry. He is also President of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation, which is dedicated to inspiring thoughtful innovation and contributing to the betterment of the equipment leasing and finance industry.

Mr. Petta, an authority in the business of equipment finance, has been with the association since 1987. Before assuming the role of President and CEO in January 2016, he served as Chief Operating Officer for six years, providing coordination, direction and oversight of ELFA programs and services designed to add value to the association's member organizations. Prior to that, he served as Interim President. From 1987 to 2010 he was Vice President-Research & Industry Services, managing ELFA's information, benchmarking and market research initiatives. Throughout his career at ELFA, Mr. Petta has assumed leadership roles in virtually all functional areas within the organization, including governance, membership marketing, communications, business and professional development, state advocacy and the association's affiliated Foundation.

He is often quoted in industry trade publications and is a frequent speaker about the role of equipment finance in the U.S. economy and trends and developments in the equipment finance sector.

Mr. Petta is a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), as well as ASAE's Key Industry Association Committee (KIAC). He completed the ASAE/University of Maryland College of Business and Management executive development certificate program in association management. He also was selected for and participated in the ASAE Future Leaders Conference. Mr. Petta is a member of the Exchequer Club of Washington, DC.

Before joining ELFA, Mr. Petta worked for nine years in the office of United States Senator Sam Nunn, serving in a variety of professional capacities. He was Senator Nunn's legislative assistant when he left to join the association. Mr. Petta graduated from Syracuse University, earning a B.A. degree in political science.

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, 6th – 9th 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.


Kris Snow



Kristine (Kris) A. Snow has more than two decades of commercial leasing and finance experience. In 2009, she joined Cisco Systems Capital Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc. As President, she leads the company's global captive finance and certified remanufactured equipment businesses. Kris previously served as President of Global Vendor Finance at CIT Group.

Kris is currently serving as the Chairman of the Board at ELFA. During her tenure, Kris has been an active participant serving on the Board of Directors from 2008-2011 and returned to the Board in 2017. In addition to her current position on the Board, she is a member of ELFA's Executive, Nominating and Personnel Committees. Previously, she served as Chair of the Captive and Vendor Finance Business Council Steering Committee. She has also served as a participant in the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation's Industry Future Council and a contributor to previous “State of the Equipment Finance Industry” reports.

Outside of ELFA, Kris has been involved in numerous civic and community organizations. She serves on the Gonzaga University Board of Trustees and is Board Member Emeritus for St. Mary's College School of Economics and Business Administration. She was honored by the Computer Reseller News 2019 Women of the Channel list, received the Silicon Valley Business Journal's Women of Influence award, and the YWCA Tribute to Women Award for the Silicon Valley.

Kris holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Gonzaga University and a Master of Business Administration from St. Mary's College of California.


Jud Snyder

President
BMO Harris Bank


Jud Snyder is the President of BMO Harris Equipment Finance Company and BMO's Senior Executive for Southeast Wisconsin.
 
Jud joined the Bank in 1994 and is responsible for leading the growth and development of BMO Harris Equipment Finance Company. This includes strategic and managerial responsibility for sales, operations, underwriting and equipment management capabilities within the Equipment Finance Company.
 
Prior to taking on his current role, he had roles in credit, sales and sales management in Equipment Finance prior to taking on the President's role in 2008. In 2010, he moved into the bank as M&I's Head of Specialized Industries. In this role he was responsible for Equipment Finance, Global Trade, Health Care, Dealer Finance, Agribusiness and Sponsor Finance. Following the BMO acquisition in 2011, he moved back into the head role at Equipment Finance with the mandate to leverage the business across BMO and grow the business to scale.
 
Jud obtained his BA in Russian and Economics from UW Madison ('94). He is currently the Chairman and an Officer of ELFA (Equipment Leasing and Finance Association). He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Milwaukee Ballet (Immediate Past Chair & President and Executive Committee Member), The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee (Trustee), United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, Teach for America and Froedtert Health Systems.
 
Jud lives in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin with his five children.

Michelle Speranza CLFP

SVP, Chief Marketing Officer
LEAF Commercial Capital Inc.


As Chief Marketing Officer for LEAF, Michelle Speranza, CLFP, is responsible for developing and directing execution of the company’s omnichannel marketing, corporate branding, and internal communications strategies. Michelle is a noted thought leader, advocate for professional women, and frequent contributor to ENX Magazine, the Monitor, and other industry publications. She is also Chair of the ELFA Women’s Council, where she leads work to support greater access and inclusion for women at all stages of their equipment finance industry careers. Michelle served on the marketing team for the Walt Disney Company prior to joining LEAF in 2005. She is a graduate of Gwynedd-Mercy College and attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to raising three energetic boys, two of whom are teenagers, and being active in their schools, Michelle is an avid reader and fitness enthusiast.

Sponsors

Hotel Information
The 2019 Women's Leadership Forum will be held at The Conrad Washington, 950 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001. The conference room block is currently sold out. There are still rooms available at The Conrad Washington; however, they are being offered at a different cost per night.

Below are a few other hotels near The Conrad Washington. ELFA does not have a room block at these properties; however, these hotels are in very close proximity to the conference location.

Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel
999 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
(202) 898-9000
4 minute walk from the Conrad Washington, DC hotel

Embassy Suites by Hilton Washington DC Convention Center
900 10th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
(202) 739-2001
6 minute walk from the Conrad Washington, DC hotel

Grand Hyatt Washington
1000 H St NW, Washington, DC 20001
(202) 582-1234
8 minute walk from the Conrad Washington, DC hotel

Getting There
The Conrad Washington is located 4 miles from the Washington National Airport (DCA), 29 miles from the Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and 34 miles from the Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI). The hotel is located 1 mile from the Amtrak Train Station at Union Station. Further directions may be found on the hotel website at https://bit.ly/2BBUoGa.
 
Parking
Valet parking only is available at the hotel for $59 per night with in/out privileges. For further information about this property, including driving directions, visit their website at https://bit.ly/2BBUoGa.  

Conrad Washington
950 New York Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20001

Get directions