Voted by the readers of Credit Union Times as the most influential credit union leader of the past 25 years, Dennis Dollar is the principal partner in Dollar Associates, LLC, a full-service consulting group focusing on credit unions and the organizations that serve them.
Dollar’s background is extensive in the credit union and public policy arenas. He was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as Chairman of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Board in 2001. Dollar had served on the three-member Board since being confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 1997, having been a member of the NCUA Board during the most far-reaching period of legislative and regulatory change in the history of the American credit union movement.
A former two-term member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, Dollar was elected at age 22 to the House in 1975, at that time the youngest legislator in the state and one of the youngest in history. During his eight years in the House of Representatives, he won numerous awards for his leadership on issues ranging from open government to tax and education policy.
Dollar received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi in 1975 and is married to Janie, his wife of 39 years. He has a son, Chris, who is an associate with the Dollar Associates firm, and a daughter, Lindsay. Both of his children are married and the Dollars have five grandchildren.
Chriselle Martinez, Ph.D. is the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) program director. She brings an extensive background in community development with a central focus on Credit Union community and partnership development.
Martinez centers her work, in the Inclusiv value “financial inclusion and empowerment is a fundamental right.” She values authentic relationship building and views Credit Unions as a key stakeholder in equitable community development.
She has a doctorate degree from The University of New Mexico and is a 2020-21 Fulcrum Fellow with the Center for Community Investment at the Lincoln Land Institute. Prior to entering the financial industry, Chriselle had a 10-year career resource building, bridging access points and program development for first-generation and BIPOC college students in higher education.
Chuck Bullock has worked in financial services since 1984, with 22 years of experience in Credit Unions. He is the President of Quantum Credit Union, which serves 11,500 members in multiple locations in south central Kansas. In January 2022, Bullock oversaw a successful merger with EquiShare Credit Union ($35 million in assets, 14 employees).
Bullock is currently an advisory council member with the Kansas Department of Credit Unions, and the former director of Heartland Credit Union Charitable Foundation and Wichita Habitat for Humanity.
Helen Mickel is the president/CEO of Tongass Federal Credit Union (TFCU) in Ketchikan, Alaska. TFCU is $228 million in assets and currently operates five branches and four community microsites in small coastal communities in southeast Alaska.
Mickel is an advocate for small community development initiatives. She believes that financial education and local, affordable, and meaningful financial services for people and small businesses can result in building strong communities.
She is an innovative leader who works to expand financial services into small communities and is an advocate for improving access to financial services in banking deserts and indigenous communities. Mickel believes collaborative community partnerships are key to the “People Helping People” philosophy credit unions are built upon.
Helen holds a bachelor's in business administration from the University of Alaska. She is an honors graduate of Western CUNA Management School and is a CUES-certified Credit Union Executive. She serves on the CUNA Small Credit Union Committee and is a member of Ketchikan’s First City Rotary Club. In her free time, Helen enjoys community events, outdoor walks, and spending time with family.
Jim Craven is vice president and senior consultant with McQueen Financial Advisors. As a seasoned professional with more than 30 years of experience, Craven is known for his deep knowledge of financial modeling, regulatory guidance and challenges facing our industry.
In his current role, Craven is part of a team responsible for the company’s continuous improvement and expansion efforts. He is a regular conference speaker on a variety of topics and writes monthly industry-specific commentary.
Craven also consults with clients on risk mitigation strategies, valuations, policy development, ALM validations, and regulatory topics. In his previous role at McQueen, Jim developed several models which monitor interest rate risk, establish value, calculate CECL allowance, and monitor investment holdings.
Kacie Mach is a business development specialist with SavvyMoney. Mach is a native of Oklahoma where she earned a bachelor's in political science from Oklahoma State University, followed by her MBA from Oklahoma City University. She is currently enrolled in the University of Oklahoma’s College of Law where she studies Indigenous Peoples law.
Mach has been in the financial services industry for over 17 years working with banks and credit unions. She has experience with personal, business and investment accounts and previously held her Series 6, Series 63, and Life and Health Insurance licenses. The majority of her finance career has focused on business development, marketing, community relations, sales, and financial empowerment.
Mark Ritter is the CEO of MBFS, a credit union-owned business lending CUSO. His primary role at MBFS is overseeing the strategy of helping credit unions assist members with business needs and consulting with credit unions on planning the delivery of services to their membership.
In 2002, Ritter started Members 1st Federal Credit Union's business lending program as "one person and a desk" with no policies, products, staff, systems, or business members. That program grew to be one of the top 10 in the nation. In 2012, he took on the challenge of being the CEO of a business lending CUSO. Over the past decade the company has grown to assist over 90 credit unions with a staff of over 50 people and $2.5 billion in loans serviced.
Ritter is a native of Berwick, Pennsylvania, where he was a member of his high school's nationally ranked and state championship football team. Mark is a graduate of Penn State.
From teaching criminal justice classes, investigating bank robberies and embezzlement as a sergeant detective, and serving as the founding director of the Iowa Central Homeland Security Training Center, Mike Burke is an invaluable resource for organizations looking to improve their understanding and training in robbery and crisis management.
His timely, comprehensive and thoughtful presentations regarding robberies, active-shooter scenarios and loss prevention help community institutions enhance their security measures and ensure regulatory compliance. As a member of the Midwest Financial Fraud Investigators, Burke partners with law enforcement and other financial institutions to share information about fraud.
Steve is a career banker with more than 35 years of experience in a variety of roles from collector to CEO. He has worked for both banks and credit unions with asset sizes up to $32B.
Foley is growth-oriented, having led Bragg Mutual from $53M in asset size to $108M in less than four years. During 2022, NAFCU named Foley the Small Credit Union National CEO of the Year. Steve serves as the Chairman of the Board of Carolina Credit Union Services, a shared branch services organization consisting of 48 credit unions in NC.
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