Innovate 2025 | BBOK Operations Summit
Registration for Innovate 2025 has closed.
Inspired by advancement in the Fintech market, Innovate 2025 will show developments that innovation and faster payments can make in the community banking environment. Ultimately, empowering you to drive your business into the future.
Click here to view the Innovate 2025 Attendee Guide.
For more details or to learn about sponsorship opportunities, contact Daniel Hayden or Caitlyn Beneke.
Schedule:
8:00 – 8:45 a.m. | Breakfast & Registration
8:45 – 9:00 a.m. | Welcome
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. | Bankers Helping Bankers with Matthew Smith
10:00 – 10:15 a.m. | Break
10:15 – 11:15 a.m. | Bank Panel: The Challenges of Innovation
11:15 – 11:30 a.m. | Sparking Innovation at BBOK
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Lunch & Networking
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. | Instant Payment Panel
1:30 – 1:45 p.m. | Break
1:45 – 2:45 p.m. | Streamlining Operations with Hydeman & Invo Solutions
2:45 – 3:30 p.m. | Innovate and Elevate: Open Dialogue with BBOK
Bank Panel: The Challenges of Innovation Speakers
*Click an image to read each speakers’ bio.
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- Cooper is the SVP of Innovation & Corporate Management at Bank of the Plains, a $425M community bank with locations in central and southwest Kansas. Cooper oversees innovation opportunities and implementations across the bank, deposit operations, marketing, other corporate duties, and serves on the bank and holding company boards. Prior to joining Bank of the Plains, Cooper resided in Chicago as an investor in early stage companies with Bluestein Ventures, and previously was part of the New Ventures Group at the Kraft Heinz Company.
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- With over 20 years of experience in the banking industry, Heather serves as the Vice President Deposit Operations/Branch Management Officer at Denison State Bank. Beginning her career as a teller, Heather has steadily progressed through various departments, gaining extensive knowledge across the financial services spectrum. She has spearheaded numerous product implementations, enhancing the bank’s offerings and operational efficiency. Along with overseeing all of deposit operations for Denison State Bank, she is also heavily involved in the bank’s digital banking platform and fraud.
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- With 20+ years of banking experience, including over a decade of expertise in bank technology systems, Jesse has established a proven track record in implementing, managing, and supporting complex technological solutions within both publicly traded and community banks. As a Senior Vice President of Operations at Legacy Bank, Jesse oversees IT, security, deposit operations, customer contact, and treasury management teams, focusing on enhancing customer experience and operational efficiency. In previous roles Jesse managed large-scale technology integrations, spearheaded data conversion projects during 18 bank acquisitions, and led multi-functional teams to deliver innovative solutions that align with strategic business goals.
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- Michelle is currently the Vice President of Deposit Operations and has been with GNBank for 13 years. She manages the centralized deposit operations department for GNBank that services 14 branches in 20 locations throughout the states of Kansas and Colorado. She has successfully led the implementation of a new overdraft protection program for GNBank’s customers. The project involved cross-functional collaboration and a focus on regulatory compliance. More recently, GNBank implemented instant issue debit cards. She played a key role in developing branch procedures, training staff and streamlining processes. This initiative not only enhanced service delivery but also increased customer engagement and loyalty. Currently, she is focused on developing a comprehensive Treasury Services program. This initiative aims to enhance cash management solutions for customers, drive operational efficiencies within our branches, and expand GNBank’s service offerings to both existing and new customers.
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- Tammy has been with Dream First Bank, N.A. for 10 years. Her current position is Vice President over Operations. She has been instrumental in installing ITMs with virtual teller assistance at our branches in 2017 and 2018. They were one of the first to implement ITM’s in Kansas at that time. She has been project lead for the implementation of Zelle, Card Hub, Apple Pay, Google Pay and an online account opening project. In 2022, Dream First Bank went through a rebranding project which she lead all aspects of the core, digital products and card rebrand. She has been project lead for a Beta Project with Hyosung and their core, for core connected IBKs. They were one of two banks in the country for that project. Currently, they are working on a new Digital Platform project with greater access to FinTechs and a possible BAAS in the future. Dream First Bank is also finishing a digital card issuance project to benefit their customers when losing their debit cards or when fraud occurs.
Instant Payments Panel Speakers
*Click an image to read each speakers’ bio.
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- Joni Hopkins is Vice President of Customer Relations for Federal Reserve Financial Services based out of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Hopkins’ responsibilities include engaging and collaborating with community financial institutions throughout the United States to help define and prioritize system improvements that advance payment speed, efficiency, and security. Hopkins has been with the Federal Reserve System for over 25 years. Her background is rooted in working with community bankers across the United States. In addition to her experience at the Federal Reserve, Hopkins has worked for two commercial banks and a Payments Association. She was awarded the EPCOR Marquis Award for outstanding leadership, innovation and excellence in the development, implementation or advancement of electronic payments and risk mitigation solutions and is known as a champion for electronic banking services. Hopkins’s undergraduate is from Kansas State University. She received her master’s degree from Kansas Wesleyan University and is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management Executive Education program. She holds an Accredited ACH Professional designation.
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- Eric Dotson, Co-founder and EVP of Sales and Marketing at Aptys Solutions, spearheads the company’s growth as a leading provider of cloud-based payment solutions to over 5,500 financial institutions. With more than 30 years of global experience, Dotson drives business development and fosters strategic client relationships, significantly boosting Aptys’ industry presence. Prior to Aptys, Dotson was VP of Sales at Goldleaf Financial Solutions, where he played a pivotal role in advancing clearing services for Image Exchange, ACH, Wire, and Fed services. His expertise in modernizing payment infrastructures spans the Caribbean and Latin America, further highlighting his influence in the industry. A graduate of Brigham Young University with a degree in International Relations and minors in Business and Spanish, Dotson brings a unique blend of strategic insight and hands-on expertise to his work at Aptys, consistently advocating for enterprise-wide payment solutions for diverse financial institutions.
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- Keith Gray is a Vice President with The Clearing House with responsibility for Strategic Partnerships. Mr. Gray works with these technology companies to facilitate launching and supporting their payment related initiatives, as well as supporting banks and credit unions directly as they plan and execute their strategies to leverage RTP and other networks. During his 20-year+ career, Mr. Gray has worked extensively with financial institutions of all sizes, as well as financial technology companies on emerging payments initiatives, mobile solutions, and online banking applications. He worked with multiple early-stage organizations bringing new products to market. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and payments related functions.
Streamlining Operations Speakers
*Click an image to read each speakers’ bio.
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- Jake Martin is an industry leader in financial service and currently serves as the President and Chief Operations Officer at Invo Solutions. Invo provides industry-leading video banking technology to community banks and credit unions across the United States. Martin boasts a diverse work background that includes time in the healthcare and security industries, along with more than a decade of leadership experience.
Keynote Speaker
*Click the image to read the speaker’s bio.
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- Matthew Smith is the President of Bankers Helping Bankers and Director of Innovation Initiatives for the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT). Matthew joined the BHB team in 2022, following an eighteen-year career of strategic technology implementation in community banks in Texas and Oklahoma. Matthew’s experience provides him with a deep knowledge of IT infrastructure management, vendor management, process improvement and emerging financial technology. He is comfortable in the board room and in the server room, playing an important role in strategy development and deployment. In his role, Matthew is charged with the ongoing development of Bankers Helping Bankers, an initiative to connect bankers nationwide to navigate the changing landscape of financial services technology. He also serves as the staff leader of IBAT’s emerging technology committee and is a member of the IBAT Management Team.
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