2025 Mass Bankers Connect Conference : Massachusetts Bankers Association

Dates

Thursday, November 20, 2025

Time

8:30 AM - 3:30 PM EST

Location

2025 Mass Bankers Connect Conference Event Image

Program Overview

Mass Bankers presents the 2nd Annual Connect Conference. This full-day conference combines several conferences and workshops into a single mega conference that includes professional development, networking, and vendor expo opportunities.

We invite you to connect with peers and associates across banking roles and business to hear from leaders and innovators in the community banking industry throughout this full-day conference. Featuring six tracks addressing Accounting & Finance, Compliance & Risk Management, HR, IT, Marketing, and Retail Banking topics, you can customize your day and attend sessions that match your career focus!

***Location Change — Mass Bankers will host the Connect Conference on November 20th at the Courtyard Marriott, Marlborough MA!***

***Due to transfers from previous programs, some members are experiencing technical difficulties when registering. If you experience any issues, please contact registrations@massbankers.org***

Date & Time

November 20, 2025

8:00AM Registration | 8:30AM Conference Start | 3:30PM Conference Concludes

Fall 2025 Session Information

The Connect Conference features six total professional development tracks. See the agenda for session descriptions.

Accounting & Finance Topics: Modern Treasury Management: Insights from CFGI & Empyrean | What’s Next in Accounting and Tax: Updates from the FASB and Capitol Hill, Wolf & Co. | From Close to Forecast: AI’s Role in Modernizing Bank Accounting Functions, CrossCountry Consulting

Compliance & Risk Management Topics: Reg. Change at Ground Level: What Bank Compliance Officers Need to Know Now, Legal Panel with K+L Gates and Nutter | The Compliance Officer’s Role in Cyber Resilience, N-Able | Risk Management Perspectives on Concentration and Credit Risk in a Shifting Economy, Cobblestone

HR Topics: Lessons from Oversights of Compensation Arrangements, Luse Gorman | Leading Through Change, Wipfli | Future Ready, AchieveMentor LLC

Information Technology Topics: Integrating and Leveraging Fintech Firms to Broaden Customer Relationships, Panel with FiVerity and Monit | AI in Banking IT: Transforming Infrastructure, Operations, and Security, GraVoc

Marketing Topics: Adapting with Confidence: Marketing Strategies for Times of Transition, FMS | Marketing the Marketing: How to Get Noticed, Heard, and Taken Seriously, WSI | From Insights to Action: A Peer Exchange on Change and Innovation, Networking Session

Retail Banking Topics: Intelligent Routing via Payment Hubs: Revolutionizing Payment Processing, NEACH | Driving Deposit Growth: Strategies to Acquire, Engage, and Retain, CSI | What to Expect for Retail Banking in 2026, Vericast

“Connecting Colleagues” Pricing

For a unique event like the Connect Conference, Mass Bankers is pleased to offer unique registration fees! When you purchase your first registration at $425, our website will request you provide the first and last names and email addresses for two (2) of your colleagues. These colleagues may attend the Connect Conference for FREE.

Connecting Colleagues Registration: $425 Member l $850 Non-Member

Additional Registrations from Same Bank: $295 Member l $590 Non-Member

Who Should Attend?

Banking professionals in Accounting & Finance, Compliance & Risk Management, HR, IT, Marketing, and Retail Banking should register today! Mass Bankers Innovation Liaisons as well as Emerging Leaders participating in Mass Bankers LEAD program are strongly recommended to attend. Anyone looking to stay ahead of industry trends and expand their professional network is welcome.

Questions? Check out our FAQs or contact registrations@massbankers.org

Registration Fees

Additional Registration from Same Bank

Early Standard Late

$295.00

Coffee Break Sponsorship

Early Standard Late

$1500.00

Connecting Colleagues Registration

Early Standard Late

$425.00

Continental Breakfast Sponsorship

Early Standard Late

$2000.00

Mobile App Sponsorship

Early Standard Late

$2500.00

Nonmember Registration

Early Standard Late

$770.00

Vendor Table Registration

Early Standard Late

$995.00

Agenda


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7:45 am
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8:30 am
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8:35 am
	The AI-Driven Bank: Strategic Relevance in a Time of Rapid Change Sold Out! 0 Slots Left Eric Cook, CEO, WSI A high-impact, thought-provoking session that connects AI, innovation, and mindset to the future of community banking. We’ll explore how marketers, HR teams, retail staff, and execs alike can all play a role in leading transformation, even in small teams with limited resources.
9:35 am
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10:15 am
	Breakout Sessions Sold Out! 0 Slots Left Tracks HR: Lessons from Oversights of Compensation Arrangements, Tom Hutton & Brendan Saxon, Luse Gorman Marketing: Adapting with Confidence: Marketing Strategies for Times of Transition, Amber Farley, FMS Retail Banking: Intelligent Routing via Payment Hubs: Revolutionizing Payment Processing, Sean Carter, NEACH Accounting/Finance: Modern Treasury Management: Insights from CFGI & Empyrean Compliance: Reg. Change at Ground Level: What Bank Compliance Officers Need to Know Now Panel IT: AI in Banking IT: Transforming Infrastructure, Operations, and Security, Patrick Avery and Mike Kannan, GraVoc
11:15 am
	Breakout Sessions Sold Out! 0 Slots Left Tracks HR: Leading Through Change, Steve Hopkins, Wipfli Marketing: Marketing the Marketing: How to Get Noticed, Heard, and Taken Seriously, Eric Cook, WSI Retail Banking: Driving Deposit Growth: Strategies to Acquire, Engage, and Retain, Charles Baker, CSI Accounting/Finance: What’s Next in Accounting and Tax: Updates from the FASB and Capitol Hill, Jim McGough and Kelley Chartier, Wolf & Co. Compliance: The Compliance Officer’s Role in Cyber Resilience, Jeff Miller, N-Able/Adlumin IT: Integrating and Leveraging with Fintech Firms to Broaden Customer Relationships Panel
12:15 pm
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1:15 pm
	AI in Action: Navigating Risk, Compliance, and Innovation in Community Banking Sold Out! 0 Slots Left Alec Crawford, Founder and CEO, AI Risk Inc. This session will be led by Artificial Intelligence Risk, Inc., a leader in AI safety, security, and compliance. The presentation will delve into the practical applications of AI in community banking, highlighting how financial institutions can leverage AI technologies to enhance operations while managing associated risks. Topics will include AI governance, risk management, compliance strategies, and the integration of AI into existing banking systems. Alec Crawford will explore how AI deployment can benefit business lines such as accounting, compliance, and wealth management while discussing strategies for balancing innovation with regulatory frameworks throughout the institution.
2:30 pm
	Breakout Sessions Sold Out! 0 Slots Left Tracks HR: Future Ready”, Cheryl Haynes, AchieveMentor LLC Marketing: From Insights to Action: A Peer Exchange on Change and Innovation, Networking Session Retail Banking: Wendy Erhart & Sharon Cook, Vericast Accounting/Finance: From Close to Forecast: AI’s Role in Modernizing Bank Accounting Functions, Tom Alexander and Jay Spencer, Cross Country Consulting Compliance: Risk Management Perspectives on Concentration and Credit Risk in a Shifting Economy, Steve, Carpinella, Cobblestone
3:30 pm
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Speakers

Name	Organization	Speaking At
Alec Crawford <p>Founder and CEO, AI Risks Inc.</p>	Artificial Intelligence Risk, Inc.	-
Amber Farley <p>Amber Farley, Partner & EVP of Brand Development at FMS, is a well-known and respected teacher, presenter, consultant and thought leader on bank branding, marketing and leadership strategies for banks around the country. She strategizes ways to help banks be purpose-driven, inspirational and more relevant to today’s customer—including both internal and external customers, and regularly presents and teaches at national banking schools, banking conferences, and other statewide banking institutions.</p>	Financial Marketing Solutions	-
Benjamin Craigie <p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(16,19,63);font-size:14px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;display:inline !important;float:none;font-family:Roboto;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:center;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Senior Vice President Professional Development Group</span></span></p>	Mass Bankers Association	-
Brendan Saxon <p>Brendan Saxon is a partner of the Washington, DC-based law firm, Luse Gorman, PC, where he represents public and private banks.  Mr. Saxon advises clients predominantly in the areas of executive compensation and employee benefits. Mr. Saxon has extensive experience designing and drafting employment and change in control agreements, split dollar life insurance agreements, equity compensation plans, tax-qualified plans, and non-qualified deferred compensation arrangements.  He routinely advises boards of directors and management on tax issues, including Sections 280G and 409A of the Internal Revenue Code.</p><p>Mr. Saxon also represents financial institutions and their holding companies in a wide variety of matters including taxation, mergers and acquisitions, SEC executive compensation disclosure, corporate governance and general corporate and banking regulatory matters.</p><p>Mr. Saxon received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, his J.D. from Loyola University New Orleans, College of Law, and his LL.M in taxation from Georgetown University Law Center.<br> </p>	Luse Gorman, PC	-
Charles Baker <p>Charles brings with him over 26 years of executive level sales, client services and operations experience in the banking, technology, and consulting services industries. As the Director of Client Service for CSI’s Velocity team, he oversees a team of client service managers in delivering and optimizing Velocity solutions. He works closely with not only his team and the clients, but all Velocity product owners and steering committees. Since Charles’ responsibilities touch on all aspects of CSI’s Velocity products and their deliveries, he works closely with the sales team as a subject matter expert and builds the financial performance models utilized in the sales process to set expectations with the prospective client. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Texas State University and lives in Austin, TX with his wife and two daughters.</p>	Computer Services, Inc. (CSI)	-
Cheryl Haynes <p>Cheryl Haynes is the Founder and Principal of AchieveMentor LLC, an executive coaching and leadership advisory firm serving senior leaders across the banking, finance, and professional services sectors. A former CHRO of Blue Hills Bank, Cheryl brings more than 25 years of corporate HR leadership with organizations including Citizens Bank, MetLife, State Street, and CVS Health, where she specialized in organizational design, executive development, and culture transformation.</p><p>A Certified Executive Coach and Certified Foresight Practitioner, Cheryl helps leadership teams anticipate disruption and build the adaptive capacity needed to thrive in a volatile environment. Her proprietary Leadership Response Triangle™ and Relational Intelligence research connect foresight, emotional intelligence, and trust as cornerstones of next-generation leadership.</p><p>Cheryl has been a featured speaker at the Worcester Women’s Leadership Conference, the Massachusetts Bankers Association’s New England School of Financial Studies, and numerous C-suite leadership forums. At Mass Bankers Connect, she’ll present “How HR Can Use Strategic Foresight to Build Future-Ready Organizations.”<br> </p>	AchieveMentor LLC	-
Daniel Hartman <p>Dan Hartman is an of counsel in Nutter’s Corporate Department and a member of the firm’s Banking and Financial Services group, where he focuses on representing banks, bank holding companies, and other financial institutions in regulatory, transactional, supervisory, and enforcement matters. Dan relies on his experience as counsel at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston where he advised on matters involving bank mergers and bank and holding company activities, formal and informal supervisory enforcement actions and appeals, discount window access and emergency lending programs, and Federal Reserve master account requests. While at the Fed, Dan also represented the Reserve Bank in multiple investigations and audits, including before Congress, various inspectors general including the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Department of Justice (DOJ), in addition to internal investigations.</p>	Nutter, McClennen and Fish, LLP	-
Eric Cook <p>After 15 years as a community banker, Eric now embraces his passion for “all things digital” as an award-winning agency owner and digital strategist with WSI Digital. He’s an author, speaker, podcaster, and educator focusing on serving the banking and financial industry through innovative bank websites, online advertising, organic strategies, and AI-enabled initiatives. In 2020, he launched The LinkedBanker, a banking-focused mentoring and mastermind community committed to helping banking professionals build their personal brand online. He is the co-host for the Banking on Disruption and the Banker’s Book Club podcasts.</p>	WSI	-
James McGough <p>Jim is a Principal in Wolf’s Assurance Group, where he focuses on financial statement audits for public and non-public banks, financial institutions, and investment management companies, as well as trust operations and employee benefit plans. He also works extensively with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reporting issues and performs System and Organization Controls (SOC) examinations for a wide range of industries. Jim has over 20 years of experience in auditing. Also, as a former examiner for the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), he has extensive experience in the credit union industry.</p>	Wolf & Company, PC	-
Jay Spencer <p>Jay Spencer is CrossCountry’s Boston Office Managing Partner. Utilizing his deep industry knowledge and experience across a variety of complex accounting, transaction, internal control, and risk areas, Jay is responsible for client delivery, strategy, and practice and business development.</p><p>Jay has over 30 years of experience supporting public and private startups to Fortune 100 companies, across all commercial industries. His extensive involvement with SEC reporting requirements, internal control reporting, and mergers and acquisitions will provide greater support to CFOs, controllers, and their organizations by helping to anticipate and respond to accounting and transaction-related demands. Given current market conditions, his focus on technical accounting, engagement quality, and responsive execution will be invaluable to the Office of the CFO as client needs continue to grow and expand.</p><p>Most recently, Jay served as a Partner at Ernst & Young leading high-performing teams in the execution of financial statement audits and audits of internal controls over financial reporting. He also served as a member of Ernst & Young’s national professional practice group, which included coordinating and supporting teams through internal and external inspections. Jay also previously served as Controller at E Ink Corporation, a technology start-up, where he built the initial accounting team, implemented their first enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, and led drafting of financial aspects of an S-1.</p><p>A certified CPA in Massachusetts, Jay has a BS in Business with a concentration in Accounting from Boston College. He currently serves on the Board of Advisors for the Museum of Science.</p>	Cross Country Financial	-
Jeff Miller <p>Jeff Miller is a unique blend of engineer, teacher, and evangelist of all things cybersecurity. His roots in cybersecurity stem from his engineering degree and tenure at the nation’s second-largest law firm, where he regularly defended against ransomware, the hacktivist group Anonymous, distributed denial of service attacks, and various other threats.</p> <p>Jeff spends much of his time educating organizations on how to adhere to both security regulations and best practices around cybersecurity.</p> <p>Jeff lives, breathes, and bleeds cybersecurity. It’s not just what he does; it’s who he is.</p>	Adlumin	-
Kelley Chartier <p>Kelley is a Principal in Wolf’s Tax Group, where she is responsible for delivering compliance and consulting services to financial institution clients. Kelley has over 15 years of experience planning tax engagements, preparing and reviewing income tax provisions, and performing tax review services for mutual, privately held, and publicly traded financial institutions. With her vast expertise in financial institution and corporate tax compliance and planning, she ensures clients receive customized services tailored to fit their individual needs. Kelley lives in Massachusetts with her husband and daughter. When she’s not at work, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and attending concerts and sporting events.</p>	Wolf & Company, PC	-
Lauren Intinarelli	CFGI	-
Meghan Sutherland <p>Meghan has held leadership and advisory positions at multiple early-stage start-ups, notably helping StormForge secure Series A funding from Insight Partners in 2019 and serving as an advisor at the Harvard Business Analytics Program since 2022. With over thirteen years of banking and investment experience at institutions like JPMorgan, UBS, and Wells Fargo, she has a deep understanding of the financial industry. Beyond her professional commitments, Meghan is active within her community and is a member of the Advisory Board for the Women's Lunch Place in Boston. Meghan received her B.A. from Boston College and is a graduate of Harvard Business School's Program for Leadership Development.</p>	FiVerity, Inc	-
Mike Kannan <p>Director of IT Assurance and Security Research, GraVoc</p>	GraVoc Associates, Inc.	-
P.J. Cole	Empyrean Solutions	-
Patrick Avery <p>Patrick is the practice lead for GRC and Audit at GraVoc. Prior to joining GraVoc, Patrick spent nine years in retail asset protection. Patrick’s experience includes internal investigations, forensic analysis, audit operations, inventory control, and fraud prevention. At GraVoc, his responsibilities include risk management and compliance consulting, IT assurance testing, and IT audit services.</p><p>Patrick holds an A.A in Criminal Justice from Dean College and has also earned the CISA and CISM designations from ISACA.</p>	GraVoc Associates, Inc.	-
Robert Tammero <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Rob Tammero represents banks, bank holding companies, and other financial services participants in corporate, transactional, and regulatory matters. He advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and investments, bank/fintech partnerships, corporate governance, products and services, and attendant bank regulatory compliance. Rob is a partner in K&L Gates’ Boston office.</span></span></span></p>	K&L Gates	-
Sean Carter <p>President & CEO</p>	New England ACH Association (NEACH)	-
Sean Carraher	Cambridge Savings Bank	-
Shelley Regin <p><strong>Chief Marketing & Community Relations Officer, Country Bank</strong></p><p>A results-driven marketing leader with 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, Shelley specializes in developing and executing customer-centric, integrated marketing programs that drive engagement, strengthen brand loyalty, and enhance customer experiences.  </p><p>As an industry thought leader, Shelley serves on the Advisory Board and faculty for the American Bankers Association (ABA) Marketing School and is the Past President and Board Member of the New England Financial Marketing Association (NEFMA). Shelley’s passion for innovation keeps her at the forefront of emerging marketing strategies, technologies, and trends, ensuring the deployment of impactful campaigns that support business growth and product adoption.  </p><p>A proven relationship builder, Shelley has a track record of leading high-performing marketing teams, mentoring emerging leaders, and fostering cross-functional collaboration to drive strategic initiatives. She excels at forging trusted partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, securing support, and fueling the success of marketing programs.  </p><p>Driven by a commitment to excellence and innovation, she thrives on transforming marketing strategies into measurable business results while enhancing brand equity and customer engagement.  <br>Shelley is a Certified Financial Marketing Professional Certification (CFMP). In addition, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management, a Social Media Certification and is a graduate of The Massachusetts Bankers School for Financial Studies. Shelley recently completed an Accelerated Technology Program through Wharton.<br> </p>	Country Bank for Savings	-
Steve Dow <p>Steve Dow is a financial services veteran turned fintech founder and CEO. Prior to Monit, he served as Head of Corporate Strategy at Webster Bank and later helped lead their Business Banking group. Under Steve’s leadership, Webster became the #1 SBA lender in New England two years in a row. At Webster, Steve observed first-hand the difficulty that banks have serving business customers and likewise the issues SMBs have interfacing with their bank. Monit aims to solve both problems by partnering with banks to deploy its award-winning software, which gives business owners the financial optimization tools they need to prosper and, in turn, provides banks an analytics and targeting platform to serve their business customers more effectively and profitably. Steve also ran Webster’s corporate investment fund and sat on the Board of Payrailz (now a Jack Henry company).</p><p>Mr. Dow has been a speaker at American Banker Small Business Banking Conference, ICBA Live, Janney Community Bank Summit, Startup Boston among other industry events.</p>	Monit	-
Steve Hopkins <p>Steve Hopkins leads the leadership consulting team, as part of Wipfli’s Organizational Performance group, focused on helping clients develop their people, their culture and, ultimately, their organizations. For the past decade, Steve has led and championed leadership development and executive coaching programs through his consulting work, building on a career as a leader of people. Previous to that, Steve ran an international sales team for a manufacturing company that took him around the world; he served as the business unit manager for ACS (now Xerox); and he taught English and comp at the University of Kentucky. He is nothing if not eclectic. Steve believes passionately in providing organizations with the framework, training and tools to enable their leaders to grow and develop effectively. Focused on providing clients with thoughtful—and thought-provoking—consultation, his greatest satisfaction comes from fostering employee performance, team integration and organizational development.</p>	WIPFLI	-
Steven Carpinella <p>Mr. Carpinella has over 30 years of experience in commercial lending, loan review and bank examination. He has held progressively responsible positions in work-out and loan review, eventually managing the credit review function of Citizens Bank’s Massachusetts operation.  During the course of his career, he spent three years as a bank regulator for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) where he assessed the credit quality of community and regional banks throughout New England.  His experience includes thirteen years working as a commercial loan officer for Citizens Bank and TD Bank and as SVP of Commercial Lending in the Non-Profit group of Peoples United Bank.  He holds degrees in Economics and Marketing from Boston College’s School of Management.</p>	Cobblestone Management, LLC	-
Steven Dorval <p>Sr. Innovation Advisor, Mass Bankers Association</p>	Mass Bankers Association	-
Tom Hutton <p>Tom Hutton is a partner of the Washington, DC-based law firm, Luse Gorman, PC, and has represented community banks for over 25 years. Mr. Hutton provides strategic advice and counsel to public, private and mutual banks in the areas of compensation and benefits, as well as general corporate law matters. Mr. Hutton’s experience includes tax-qualified retirement plans, non-qualified retirement plans, split-dollar life insurance arrangements, equity-compensation arrangements, employment and change in control agreements and director compensation arrangements, as well as corporate governance matters. He has also been involved with numerous capital raises, holding company formations and mergers and business combinations. Mr. Hutton is a frequent speaker at various conferences sponsored by continuing education and financial institution trade groups. Mr. Hutton received his B.S. from Auburn University, his J.D. from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University and his LL.M in taxation from the University of Florida.</p>	Luse Gorman, PC	-
Tom Alexander	CrossCountry Consulting	-