Facilitators and Speakers

Samantha A.M. Beeler
President
The League of Credit Unions & Affiliates

Samantha A.M. Beeler serves as President of The League of Credit Unions & Affiliates. She has worked in credit union advocacy and trade associations for over a decade. In her role as President, Samantha manages The League, which serves as the advocate for nearly 400 credit unions representing more than 33 million members and over $467 billion in assets. She also oversees the Credit Union Impact Foundation and serves as a member of the Board of Trustees.

Samantha serves on numerous industry boards and committees including AACUL Board of Directors, Chair of the National Advocacy Fund, Credit Union House Board of Directors, League Infosight Board, Credit Union Risk Intelligence Board, and the Florida Criminal Justice Committee on Human Trafficking. She is a Credit Union Development Educator and believes deeply in the ‘People Helping People’ mission of credit unions. She is also a facilitator and speaker on Adaptive Leadership and is certified in moral and ethical leadership coaching.

Prior to her work in the credit union industry, Samantha led communications for a Government Contracts Practice group in Washington, D.C. She graduated from Washington State University and did an emersion program in International Relations at Peking University in Beijing, China. Additionally, she is a Harvard Kennedy School of Government Executive Education graduate. She has lived in more than ten states and served in more than 30 countries.

Samantha and her husband Garrett, who is a member of U.S. Air Force Special Forces, have three young daughters and enjoy spending their time as a family traveling and taking care of their chickens.

Charles McQueen
President & CEO
McQueen Financial Advisors

Charley McQueen is the founder of McQueen Financial Advisors which was established in 1999. We provide three primary services to our clients who are financial institutions, foundations and nonprofit entities.

Our services cover three primary areas.

• One - Asset Liability Management & CECL reporting and advice.
• Two - Investment Portfolio Management Services including alternative investments.
• Three - Valuation Services, including Merger Valuations and Transaction Advisory Services.

Today, McQueen Financial Advisors advises clients across the United States and manages investment portfolios with a combined value of nearly $14 billion.

Michael Bell
Partner
Honigman

Mr. Bell serves as leader of the Financial Institutions practice at Honigman. Considered "the most prolific deal broker in the credit union M&A arena" by American Banker, he represents financial institutions throughout the United States and has completed over 50 M&A transactions in the past five years. In 2011, he pioneered a new option for credit unions to achieve rapid growth with the first purchase of a whole bank by a credit union. For the past decade, he has completed the majority of credit union purchases of banks and has become the nationwide leader and go-to legal adviser in this space. Mr. Bell has also helped credit unions acquire other businesses, including insurance and investment companies, trust companies, real estate brokerages, mortgage originators and specialized lenders. He additionally advises financial institutions on all regulatory matters at the state and federal level. Mr. Bell has extensive experience counseling individual entrepreneurs through publicly traded companies on strategies such as non-organic growth and strategic planning.

Mr. Bell leverages his personal experience as an entrepreneur to examine the business side of the legal issues his clients encounter to provide better counsel and strategic advice. Mr. Bell is adept at fully understanding each client’s unique business model and operations, allowing him to tailor his approach to their specific needs.

Mr. Bell is also a sought after media source and has contributed to reporting in a wide range of influential publications, including The Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, American Banker, S&P Global, Banking Dive and Bloomberg.

Brian Waldron
President/CEO
Dort Financial Credit Union

Brian Waldron is the President/CEO of Dort Financial Credit Union, a $2.5 billion credit union in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Mr. Waldron joined Dort Financial in March of 2022 from Hudson Valley Credit Union, a $7B institution located in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he was serving as the Senior Vice President of Lending (CLO). Previous to Hudson Valley, Mr. Waldron was the Chief Lending Officer for Scott Credit union in Edwardsville, IL. He has more than 20 years of professional lending, operational, and executive experience in the credit union industry and has dedicated his career to the credit union mission of “people helping people”. He is passionate about the fueling growth of the credit union movement by investing in employees! Waldron has been an invited speaker and panelist at several conferences and podcasts, including NAFCU, ACUMA, the Mortgage Coach, Tumblr, Americas Credit Union’s, and CULytics. He is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, OH. He currently resides in Clarkston, Michigan with his wife Alicia, three boys (Bryce, Cody, and Ethan), and four dogs (Lucky, Oliver, Charlotte, and Penny). In his spare time, he enjoys boating, spending time on Lake Michigan, and traveling!

Brian Schools
President/CEO
Chartway Credit Union and Immediate Past Chair of Americans Credit Unions

Brian Schools is the President & CEO of Chartway Credit Union, with over $3 billion in assets, a growing footprint in Virginia, Utah, and Texas, and a purpose of unlocking the potential of individuals and families so they can thrive. As a leader with more than 30 years of executive experience, Brian is known for championing people-first values, fostering innovation, and driving community impact. He serves on the boards of America’s Credit Unions, the Chartway Promise Foundation, and Chartway Ventures. During his tenure, Chartway has earned national recognition for excellence in service, workplace culture, and social responsibility. It is also the first credit union in Virginia to receive the prestigious Juntos Avanzamos designation for empowering Hispanic and immigrant communities.

Christina O'Brien
President/CEO
Robins Financial Credit Union

Christina O’Brien is a dynamic leader with more than three decades of financial industry experience, currently serving as President/CEO of Robins Financial Credit Union since 2020. Her strategic vision and operational acumen have propelled Robins Financial to unprecedented growth, now with more than 273,000 members, and assets exceeding $4.7 billion, solidifying its position as the second-largest credit union in Georgia. Prior to her role as President/CEO, Christina held key leadership positions within Robins Financial, including Consumer Lending Manager, Vice President of Risk Management, and Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer. Beyond her dedication to the credit union, Christina is committed to community service, actively contributing as a board member for organizations such as the Navicent Health Foundation, NewTown Macon, Middle Georgia State University Foundation, and 21st Century Partnership. Her past service includes impactful roles with the Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce, Houston Healthcare, Robins Regional Education Foundation, United Way of Central Georgia Campaign Cabinet, and the Central Georgia Chapter of the American Red Cross. Her steadfast commitment to empower her team and enhance the financial well-being of credit union members and the community is a testament to her impactful leadership.

Steve Williams
Principal
Cornerstone Advisors, Inc.

As a co-founder of Cornerstone Advisors, Steve Williams serves as CEO and Partner with Cornerstone where he leads firm growth and thought leadership efforts while remaining actively involved with major clients in the areas of strategy, technology, and performance improvement. Steve has assisted hundreds of banks and credit unions in their efforts to become highly efficient, top-performing financial institutions. An experienced private banker with a commercial and consumer credit background, Steve’s more than 25 years of experience in the financial services and consulting industries have provided him with a deep working knowledge of bank operations and delivery systems, particularly in lending processes. He is an experienced facilitator for management retreats and board planning sessions and is in great demand as a speaker at industry conferences and seminars.

Steve is among the authors of The Cornerstone Performance Report, an annual benchmarking study for mid-size banks and credit unions. He writes regularly for GonzoBanker, Cornerstone’s blog, and has been published in numerous industry periodicals, including American Banker, Bank Director, BAI Banking Strategies, and CU Management.

Steve served as a faculty member at the American Bankers Association Stonier Graduate School of Banking and the Management Institute of the Credit Union Executives Society. He taught at the National School of Banking in Fairfield, Connecticut, and the CUES School of Product and Channel Management.

Steve holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance, Summa Cum Laude from Arizona State University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in business journalism from Northern Arizona University.

Scott Simpson
President and CEO
America's Credit Unions

With more than 20 years of leadership in public policy, credit union advocacy, and organizational strategy, Scott brings the right experience and vision to lead America’s Credit Unions next chapter.

He most recently served as President and CEO of the California Credit Union League and Nevada’s Credit Unions, and CEO of Utah’s Credit Unions, where he built a multi-state partnership model focused on collaboration and state-level strength. That includes leading the establishment of Fuel Solutions, a nonprofit support organization for state trade associations. A national leader in advocacy, Scott has chaired CULAC and the National Advocacy Fund and taught political strategy at Western CUNA Management School.

Scott has a deep commitment to the credit union mission, paired with his ability to build high-performing, member-focused teams, makes him a powerful advocate for credit unions nationwide. He works closely with leagues, system partners, and policymakers to protect, empower, and grow the movement.