<p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif;"><span style="font-size:16px;"><span style="color:#202020">Allison Baller is a vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, where she is head of Industry Readiness for the FedNow initiative. In this role, Allison is responsible for facilitating industry readiness for adoption and evolution of the FedNow service, closely partnering with the Customer Relations and Support Office (CRSO) and engaging with various industry participants including banks, service </span>providers, and vendors to support the successful launch, adoption, and ongoing use of the service in market. She will also be instrumental in the creation and management of the FedNow pilot of advisory groups with customers and third-party stakeholders.<br /> <br /> Prior to joining the Bank, Allison spent 20 years at the IBM Corporation where she most recently served as a global market development executive in the area of blockchain and payments. During this time, she led a global team to launch a blockchain payments platform for real-time clearing and settlement and had responsibility for client-facing engagements and implementation of the global go-to-market strategy.</span></span></p>

<p>For more than two decades, Chris Stirewalt has been a leading and trusted voice in U.S. politics. One of today’s liveliest political commentators, he is highly regarded for his candid and straightforward analysis of our current political climate — using his signature ‘tell-it-like-it-is’ approach to cover the most significant issues of the day and provide his expert outlook for the future. Stirewalt is also the bestselling author of the books <em>Broken News: How the Media Rage Machine Divides America and How to Fight Back</em>, a deeply researched, conversation-provoking study of today’s profit-driven news cycle and how it can be repaired, as well as <em>Every Man a King</em>, a dynamic account of America’s populist tradition. Today, Stirewalt is the political editor for NewsNation, America’s fastest-growing cable news channel.</p> <p>In addition to being the political editor as NewsNation, Stirewalt is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, focusing on American politics, voting trends, public opinion, and the media. He is also a contributing editor for <em>The Dispatch</em>, where he publishes a weekly column and his newsletter, <em>Stirewalt on Politics</em>. As co-host of the “Ink Stained Wretches”<em> </em>podcast, he helps listeners cut through media bias and separate fact from fiction in the news they consume.</p> <p>Previously, Stirewalt served as the politics editor for Fox News Channel, where he helped coordinate political coverage across Fox. While at Fox, Stirewalt appeared in front of some of the largest audiences in cable news history, including tens of millions of viewers for debate and election night coverage. The podcast he co-hosted with Dana Perino, “I’ll Tell You What,”<em> </em>was so successful that it was spun off into a television show of the same name leading up to the 2016 election — an industry first. Joining FNC’s Washington bureau in 2010, Stirewalt made daily appearances on multiple Fox network programs, including <em>America’s Newsroom</em>, <em>Outnumbered, Special Report with Bret Baier,</em> and <em>Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.</em> He was also a part of the <em>Fox News Decision Desk</em> team, where he called races on election nights, and hosted the Fox Nation <em>Halftime Report</em> streaming show.</p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif;">Dale Sheller is an Associate Partner in the Financial Strategies Group at The Baker Group. He joined the firm in 2015 after spending six years as a bank examiner with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Sheller holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in business administration from Oklahoma State University. He works with clients on investment portfolio strategies, interest rate risk management, liquidity risk management, and regulatory issues. Sheller regularly speaks at educational seminars nationwide and serves as a faculty member for multiple banking schools. Sheller will examine the challenges now faced by CEOs and senior management who must navigate the next phase of these uncharted economic waters.</span></span></p>

<p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%">Imagine living a lie for 31 years. That’s what James Olson and his wife Meredith did while spying for the CIA. Spying for his country was the furthest thing from his mind when Olson, a farm boy from Iowa, received a mysterious phone call that changed his life forever. In his presentation, Olson takes you inside the real world of being a CIA spy. He describes the rigorous training they receive and the difficult dilemmas that they face in the field on a daily basis. Olson explains how the global war on terror affects everyone and that the country needs to know that the United States will be hit again within its borders. The United States needs spies to protect the country and its vital interests.</span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p>President & CEO, Mass Bankers</p>

<p>President and CEO. Bluestone Bank</p> <p>Chair, Mass Bankers</p>

<p><span style="font-family:&quot;Work Sans&quot;;"><strong>Rob Nichols </strong>is the president and CEO of the American Bankers Association, the voice of the nation’s $23.7 trillion banking industry and the only organization that represents banks of all sizes and charters in Washington.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="font-family:&quot;Work Sans&quot;;">Since joining ABA in August 2015, Nichols has led ABA's advocacy efforts, working to ensure that banks of all sizes operate in a policy environment that allows them to best serve their customers and communities. In 2018, Nichols led ABA's successful efforts to win passage of the first major banking bill in nearly a decade. Among other things, the bipartisan legislation modified rules for community banks originally intended for larger institutions.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="font-family:&quot;Work Sans&quot;;">During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nichols and ABA played a critical role in helping banks navigate unprecedented challenges. ABA resources and advocacy helped banks of all sizes rapidly deliver 90 percent of the $800 billion Paycheck Protection Program, the largest economic rescue plan ever deployed for the private sector, protecting more than 80 million Americans from job loss. The banking industry's efforts helped limit the pandemic's effects on the U.S. economy.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="font-family:&quot;Work Sans&quot;;">As ABA's president and CEO, Nichols has advanced a number of industry-wide initiatives. In 2019, Nichols encouraged all banks to offer low-cost, easy-to-use Bank On-certified accounts. The effort has been credited with helping reduce the number of unbanked in the U.S. to its lowest level ever. And ABA's award winning #BanksNeverAskThat public education campaign has won national recognition for empowering consumers to spot scams before they can do harm.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="font-family:&quot;Work Sans&quot;;">As the leader of one of Washington’s largest trade association workforces, Nichols has reshaped ABA's workplace. Since 2018, ABA has been certified as a Great Place to Work by independent analysts, and in 2022, Nichols moved ABA into a contemporary, collaboration-focused new office adapted for hybrid teams.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="font-family:&quot;Work Sans&quot;;">From January 2020 – January 2023, Nichols served as chairman of the International Banking Federation, whose members include the national banking trade associations representing every major financial center.Nichols joined ABA following 10 years at the helm of the Financial Services Forum, a nonpartisan economic policy and advocacy organization whose members are the chief executive officers of the largest and most diversified financial institutions doing business in the United States. During his time at the Forum, Nichols led the industry through the financial crisis and the Dodd-Frank Act, guiding his members and the broader banking sector in its policy response and the law’s implementation.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="font-family:&quot;Work Sans&quot;;">Before joining the Forum, Nichols served in the George W. Bush administration as assistant secretary for public affairs at the Treasury Department a position requiring confirmation by the United States Senate.&nbsp; In this role, he acted as chief spokesperson and head of the office of public liaison, serving as Treasury’s lead representative with the media, business, professional trade organizations, consumer groups and the public.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="font-family:&quot;Work Sans&quot;;">Prior to that he worked as communications director to the late Sen. Slade Gorton and press secretary to the late Rep. Jennifer Dunn. He began his career in public service in the West Wing as a White House aide in the George H.W. Bush administration.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="font-family:&quot;Work Sans&quot;;">Nichols is a recipient of the Alexander Hamilton Award, the highest honor of the Department of the Treasury. He also is consistently named as one of the most influential people in Washington by Washingtonian, and one of Washington's top lobbyists by The Hill. He has been described as one of the “new generation of trade group CEOs” by the Washington Post.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="font-family:&quot;Work Sans&quot;;">Nichols serves on the board of governors of FARE (Food Allergy Research &amp; Education) and is a Corporate Advisory Council member at Children’s National Hospital.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="font-family:&quot;Work Sans&quot;;">He is a graduate of the George Washington University.</span></p>

<p><strong>Yvonne Hao</strong> is the Secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development. She has had more than 25 years of executive business experience as a senior executive, including as Co-founder, Advisor, and Managing Director at investment firm Cove Hill Partners and as an Operating Partner at Pillar Ventures. Previously, she was the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of PillPack, an online pharmacy that was acquired by Amazon in 2018. She is also a former Operating Partner at Bain Capital. In addition, Hao has been a Board Director of companies such as CarGurus, Flywire, Gentherm, ZipRecruiter, and Bose. She also has been involved in the community, is the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Beth Israel Lahey Health, and a Trustee Emeriti of her alma mater, Williams College. She lives in Williamstown and Cambridge and is a graduate of Williams College and the University of Cambridge.</p>