Facilitators and Speakers

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.