Meet Your Association Team

Meet your Association Team

Samantha Beeler, President, LSCU

samantha.beeler@lscu.coop

Samantha is the President of the League of Southeastern Credit Unions. When she’s home, she loves spending time with her three little girls, being part of an Air Force family, coveting electric trucks, and learning more about political history. You might not know that Samantha has lived or worked in more than 30 countries, and she even speaks Mandarin! Her best advice is, “leave it better than you found it.” She says her Dad would encourage her family to do this with everything from public policy to a park bench.

Sydney Seral

Vice President of Advocacy sydney.seral@lscu.coop

Sydney manages all of LSCU’s advocacy efforts, which include federal and state legislation, grassroots efforts, political action committees (PACs), and regulations. She is also the lead lobbyist for the state of Georgia. Sydney loves being active. Sydney ran a State Senate campaign in Georgia for John F. Kennedy, a Republican in Macon (no relation). Her favorite piece of advice is, “if you’re not going to remember something in 5 years, why are you letting it dominate your mental space right now?”

John Rothell

Senior

Director

of Governmental Affairs - FL john.rothell@lscu.coop

John lobbies on behalf of credit unions and financial issues in Florida. He also Interviews candidates for office at the state and federal levels, contributing to those who may best serve credit unions while in office. When he’s not working, John enjoys coaching, watching his kids play sports, and cheering on the Florida State Seminoles. His best piece of advice is, “never jump into unfamiliar waters headfirst,” saying it works on so many levels.

Michelle Roth

Senior Director of Governmental Affairs - AL michelle.roth@lscu.coop

A native of Lakeland, Florida, Michelle is a graduate of the University of Alabama, with a B.S. in Marketing. She has served on several boards and executive committees of public policy, charities, and community organizations. Before joining LSCU, Michelle held the position of Executive Director of the Alabama Cable and Broadband Association. Now, Michelle is responsible for legislative affairs, public and community relations, and statewide advocacy in Alabama for the League.

Mat Willey

Deputy

Director of

Grassroots Advocacy mat.willey@lscu.coop

Mat has an extensive campaign and grassroots background and recently managed a Senate campaign in Iowa. His experience in grassroots advocacy includes work on a statewide ballot initiative, stints on both a U.S. Congressional and U.S. Senate race, and two nationwide campaigns. Before this, Mat spent more than seven years working throughout the Southeast in marketing, communications, and sales. Outside of work, Mat enjoys hanging out with his son, walking outdoors, and listening to Saint Louis blues music.

Murphy Kennedy

Deputy Director of Political Strategy murphy.kennedy@lscu.coop

Murphy assists with our state and federal lobbying, our political action committees (PACs), and grassroots advocacy. She does most of her work in the state of Florida. Murphy loves to cook and watch college football. She has two degrees from Florida State University. Her favorite piece of advice is to always read the book before seeing the movie adaption!

Grace Newcombe

Senior Director of Federal Advocacy and Communications grace.newcombe@lscu.coop

Grace ensures credit unions and LSCU priorities remain on the minds of federal lawmakers and consumers. During her free time, Grace enjoys hiking, running, and playing tennis. She’s an Irish twin as she and her brother are the same age for three days a year. Her favorite piece of advice is, “you have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Listen twice as much as you speak.”

Communications

Grace Newcombe Senior Director of Federal Advocacy and Communications grace.newcombe@lscu.coop

Grace ensures credit unions and LSCU priorities remain on the minds of federal lawmakers and consumers. Grace enjoys hiking, running, and playing tennis during her free time. She’s an Irish twin as she and her brother are the same age for three days a year. Her favorite piece of advice is, “you have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Listen twice as much as you speak.”

Mike Miller Communications Manager mike.miller@lscu.coop

Mike is the host of the LSCU podcast, Common Cents. He also does voiceover work for our advertisements and videos. He’s in charge of all of our social media channels. The Comms Team works together to write articles, press releases, newsletters, and marketing materials for LSCU, LEVERAGE, and our partners. He enjoys watching movies, streaming television shows, playing video games, and reading comic books, graphic novels, and books.

Lizeth George Communications Coordinator lizeth.george@lscu.coop

Lizeth is in charge of LSCU Insight, Southeastern CU News, press releases, HTML emails, the LSCU Awards, CUNA Awards, and new product launches. During her free time, she likes to act in musicals. Someday, Lizeth hopes to eventually start performing stand-up comedy. Her favorite piece of advice is, “just because you took longer than others does not mean you failed.”

Teri Hall

Vice President of Compliance & Risk Management teri.hall@lscu.coop

Teri graduated from the University of Louisville School of Business with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration for Accounting. She is also a graduate of CUNA Management School from the University of Wisconsin. Teri has regulatory, management, and operations experience in both the credit union and banking industries and is proficient in compliance, accounting, and strategic direction. In her free time, she loves spending time with family, cheering on the University of Louisville Athletics, supporting animal rescue efforts, and engaging in outdoor activities.

Bill Berg

Vice President of Compliance Training and Information bill.berg@lscu.coop

Bill is one of our Compliance experts. He answers the tough technical and regulatory questions for our credit unions. He runs PolicyPro, ComplySight, and custom performance reports for our affiliates. He also conducts training sessions, facilitates planning sessions, and improves league relations with our credit unions. Bill earned his Master of Business Administration in 1977 and he’s been with LSCU longer than any other employee. Bill’s favorite piece of advice is, “it’s not about who is right, but what’s right.”

David Pace Manager of Regulatory Advocacy david.pace@lscu.coop

David writes all the comment letters for LSCU. If there is a regulation out for comment and a credit union wants us to share their input, Davis is the person to speak to. David enjoys hiking in the woods, cooking, and reading. An interesting fact about David is that he spent five years living in Fargo, North Dakota. His favorite piece of advice is from the Star Wars Character Yoda, “do or do not, there is no try.”

Kela Wingard Manager of Compliance Services kela.wingard@lscu.coop

Kela answers any compliance questions, is in charge of the Weekly Compliance Newsletter, and manages InfoSight content. During her free time, she loves thrifting and reselling. She says, “be consistent, even when your motivation and energy fluctuate. Speak up, tame negative talk, and focus on what steps you can take to get to where you want to be.”

Tony Roberts Senior Shared Compliance Consultant tony.roberts@lscu.coop

Tony works with Alabama, Florida, and Georgia credit unions on all their compliance needs. When he’s not working, he likes to play golf. He says when he is deciding on compliance issues, he always makes sure it’s in the best interest of the credit union and the members.

Alisha Stair Vice President of Member Engagement alisha.stair@lscu.coop

Alisha works to provide our credit unions with opportunities to engage and interact with the League, peers, and the larger credit union system. She enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends. Her favorite piece of advice is, “prioritize lifelong learning and say yes to the things that scare you!”

Avery Ragsdale Member Engagement Consultant

avery.ragsdale@lscu.coop

Avery develops and manages relationships to provide ongoing support for credit unions. He works with the Member Engagement Team to promote membership growth and meets face-to-face with credit unions to promote LSCU events, products, and services. Avery mostly travels throughout Alabama and Georgia. When he’s not working, he enjoys shopping, golfing, attending Atlanta Braves games, biking, and fishing. Avery is the youngest member of the Board of Directors in the Bartow United Way’s history. He lives by the motto, “always do more.”

Susan Lee Member Engagement Consultant

susan.lee@lscu.coop

Susan ensures that credit unions are aware of all the resources available through the League. She mostly works with credit unions in Florida.

When she’s not traveling around the Sunshine State meeting with credit unions, she enjoys cooking, snorkeling, and paddle boarding. She says, “don’t ever stop learning and growing as a person.”

Southeastern Credit Union Foundation

Bobbi Grady Foundation Director bobbi.grady@lscu.coop

Bobbi is dedicated to the progressive professional development of credit union staff and volunteers, financial capability programs for all age groups, and the creation of valuable resources for our member credit unions and the communities they serve. During her free time, you can find her spending time with family and friends. Her favorite advice is, “instead of worrying about a future of unknowns, embrace the joy that is here in the present.”

Carrie Litherland Foundation Coordinator carrie.litherland@lscu.coop

Carrie supports the Foundation and its programs. Carrie lives in Florida but works on programs in all three of our states. Carrie loves to volunteer, kayak, hike, and attend her daughter’s dance competitions. An interesting fact is that Carrie ran for Mayor of Tallahassee in 2018. Her favorite piece of advice is, “have the audacity to believe you can be part of the solution.”

Maureen Bock Vice President of Education & Training education@lscu.coop

Maureen oversees the strategic direction and team that creates educational and training content and offerings at LSCU. Her greatest joy is seeing the collaboration and learning that happens at events we host. She says, “the greatest life skill is learning to accept change. It is constant and can be mostly driven by outside forces. If you can be open and resilient to change, it makes life easier.”

Nancy Golden Exhibit and Sponsorship Manager education@lscu.coop

Nancy oversees event sponsorship opportunities and manages exhibit booth sales and service for our signature events. Outside of work, Nancy loves spending time with family and friends, traveling, and going to the beach. Nancy calls herself a collector! She collects anything that has to do with sharks.

Hayley Trammell Director of Education & Training education@lscu.coop

Hayley assists in reviewing hotel contracts, speaker contracts and monitoring contracts to make sure all contractual obligations are met. She also assists with planning for in-person events, updating registration lists, and building registration links. Hayley was born in the Republic of Panama. She loves the quote, “do or do not, there is no try.” She says her Dad lives by this quote from Star Wars' Yoda so it has stuck with her.

Evin Torney Event Coordinator education@lscu.coop

Evin’s primary objective is to organize and run all virtual events and training. She also helps with all Aventri registrations and reports them weekly while providing administrative support for the Education and Training Team. Evin enjoys time at home with her fiancé and their 3 pets, taking their dogs for walks at the park, and jumping on any chance she gets to ride horses. Her favorite piece of advice is, “if you do not excel with talent, exceed with effort.”

Education & Training

Mission Statement

To

Vision

To