As Senior Vice President and Enterprise Payments Strategy Leader at SouthState Bank, Tara collaborates across consumer, business, and commercial lines of business to drive a unified payments strategy. She also leads the technical implementation of instant payments, ISO 20022, ACH modernization & other payments transformation initiatives across SouthState.

With over a decade of experience in financial services, Tara has served in various leadership capacities, specializing in bank operations, information technology, mergers and acquisitions, strategy, and payments. She has had the privilege of speaking at industry events including Nacha, PaymentsFirst, and Real-Time Payments & XBP Summit on the topics of Quantum Computing in Banking, Instant Payments, ISO 20022, and Empowering Inclusion and Diversity for Women in Payments. She was awarded NACHA’s “Top 15 Under 40” and for the Money 20/20 RiseUp 2024, a global program championing diversity across the payments ecosystem. She has also been recognized by Charleston Business Magazine as “Best & Brightest: 35 and Under”. 

Enrique Fernandez, Director of Financial Intelligence at Synovus’ Financial Crimes Unit, is a seasoned banking and risk management professional with more than 30 years of experience spanning domestic and international financial services. His expertise includes fraud investigations, cyber fraud and intrusion prevention, enterprise risk management, and anti-money laundering.

Enrique is a recognized subject matter expert in bank fraud, electronic crime systems, wire and EFT fraud, and internal and external investigations. He has led the development and implementation of fraud prevention programs, security initiatives, and corporate training programs focused on identity theft, social engineering, cyber threats, and organized crime.

He brings deep experience in physical and critical systems security, vendor due diligence, crisis and incident management, and cyber forensics. Enrique also has extensive knowledge of regulatory requirements, including BSA, AML, compliance, audit, and reporting standards.

Chris Ruscitti is a Senior Vice President and Solutions Advisor Manager for the Commercial segment in PNC’s Treasury Solutions Group. Chris brings his background and experience in management, operations, product management, risk, and treasury consulting to his current role. Chris has 34 years of professional experience, with a track record of helping his customers improve their treasury operations. A frequent speaker at industry conferences, Chris has been a Pittsburgh AFP member since 2004, serving as President from 2008 to 2012.

Chris holds a Master of Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon and a Bachelor of Business Management from Robert Morris University. Chris also holds the Certified Treasury Professional accreditation from the Association of Financial Professionals (AFP) as well as Accredited Order-to-Cash and Procure-to-Pay Solutions Consultant credentials from the Institute of Financial Management (IOFM).

Jacqueline Roeback is an Assistant Vice President and Solution Advisor for the Commercial segment in PNC's Treasury Solutions Group. She assists in Treasury Management Sales Officer's conversations with clients to analyze their processes and address their needs in order to determine an appropriate solution. Jacqueline brings a consultative, problem-solving approach to her discussions with clients. Jacqueline has worked for PNC, on her current team, for nearly 3 years, bringing her expertise and thorough institutional product knowledge to each conversation.

Jacqueline holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from The Ohio State University, graduating Summa Cum Laude, with a specialization in Finance and Real Estate and a minor in Consumer Science.

Bob Stark is the Global Head of Enablement at Kyriba and has been a product and go-to-market financial technology leader for 25 years and works directly with clients, partners, and industry influencers to ensure Kyriba is at the forefront of financial technology. He has empowered finance leaders at some of the world’s largest companies, and is a frequent speaker and author on treasury, risk management, and payments.

Jason Owen, Vice President of Business Development, joined ICD in August 2009, initially as a Trader and Account Executive before being promoted to Vice President of Business Development in 2015, where he manages client accounts in the Southeast and Colorado. Previously, Jason has held financial positions at Thomas Lloyd Capital, Robert Half International and Merriman Curhan Ford & Company. Jason is a frequent speaker at AFP events around the country.

Craig Jeffery formed Strategic Treasurer LLC in 2004 to provide corporate, educational, and government entities direct access to comprehensive and current assistance with their treasury and financial process needs. His 20+ years of financial and treasury experience as a practitioner and as a consultant have uniquely qualified him to help organizations craft realistic goals and achieve significant benefits quickly. He is primarily responsible for relationship management and ensuring total client satisfaction on all projects.