Session Speakers


 

Keynote 

 

Lisa Servon is the Kevin and Erica Penn Presidential Professor and Chair of the City and Regional Planning Department at the University of Pennsylvania. Servon leads the Filene Research Institute’s Center for Excellence on Consumer Financial Lives in Transition. Her research focuses on consumer financial services, financial justice, and issues of gender and race. Her most recent book is The Unbanking of America: How the New Middle Class Survives. Servon holds a BA from Bryn Mawr College, an MA from the University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in Urban Planning from UC Berkeley.

Sponsored by:


 

 

    

Lisa Servon
Professor, Author, Speaker

Track I Sessions

Best Practices for Indian Country Joint Ventures, Mergers, and Acquisitions
Lori McCutchen, Saba Bazzazieh, and Paul Croker, Panelists

As tribal governments expand vendor relationships and increase ownership of tribal fintech businesses, there are several best practices for successful management / transition. Several priorities will be discussed, including a shared commitment to fighting for the integrity of the business, shared sense of purpose in protecting tribal sovereignty, and a commitment to training tribal members in management of the tribally owned entity.

Return on Investment and Return on Community: Aligning Objectives to Create Win-wins in Tribal-private Partnerships
Dr. Kate Spilde and Dr. Robert Miller, Panelists

Panelists will discuss how to align non-tribal businesses’ objectives and priorities with those of the tribally owned client. Topics include understanding cultural match, return on community, and ensuring vendor management is respectful of cultural differences.

The Time Trap: Addressing the Stereotypes that Undermine Tribal Sovereignty
Dr. Adam Crepelle

The time trap is the popular belief that Indian cultures were simple, non-commercial, hunter-gatherers prior to European arrival. Encapsulated within this belief is the idea that indigenous cultures are static and erode as they merge with mainstream society. However, this perception is incorrect: the indigenous peoples of North America had complex societies prior to 1492, including agriculture and expansive trade networks. Professor Crepelle will examine the stereotypes that undermine tribal sovereignty and explore how opponents of Indian country interests use these tropes to impede tribal economic development.
  

Track II Sessions

A Channel For Every Enterprise: Influencers are Everywhere
Joe Sinkwitz, Speaker.

It happens in every marketing channel, for every affiliate product, and for every service. At some point talking heads and non-practitioner journalists will call for a channel, for a product, or a service's demise. Those of us who have been in the subprime consumer finance industry long enough have heard the calls that SEO is dead, that PPC cannot work, and now that influencers cannot possibly work. Naturally this could not be further from the truth, as we will explore across a multitude of channels on a journey to learn why word-of-mouth reigns across mediums and will continue to do so, whether you're a lender, lead aggregator, or an industry consultant. Actionable takeaways from this talk will include how to incorporate influencers in your next marketing and communications campaign.

Issue Advocacy: Creating Industry Champions
Rich Chrismer, Tim Koirtyohann, and Mika Leonard, Panelists.

No two tribal nations are identical. Communicating about your work with Indian country requires understanding their unique government structures, people, and cultures. How can participants take home what they are learning to transform their teams and consumers into advocates? This panel will consider how to create industry champions across the entire employee/consumer life cycle. Topics covered include issue training, recruiting strategies, and internal communication.

(Mis)Understanding Fintech Borrowers
Justin Fisk and Dr. Ted Gordon

Activist opponents have made progress distorting the public view of fintech borrowers and the services we provide to consumers. How can we correct this image going forward? Panelists will discuss the latest research and industry polls.