Meet Your LEVERAGE Team

Meet your LEVERAGE Team

Lindsey Cole

Chief Operating Officer lindsey.cole@myleverage.com

Lindsey does a little bit of everything at LEVERAGE and Affiliated Consolidated Services. She works out of the Tallahassee office but works with clients, vendors, and partners across the country. When she’s not working, she’s spending time with her three girls, going to the beach, traveling, finding adventures, and going to see live music. Lindsey tends to find calm within chaos and generally has an answer for nearly everything. She says, “respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal, and help one another.”

Laura Ernzen

Chief Innovation Officer laura.ernzen@lscu.coop

Laura leads the Innovation and Growth team, working closely with product development and management to offer innovative solutions to credit unions across the southeast and nationwide. Outside of work, she is a passionate traveler and enjoys nearly anything that brings her outdoors including running and hiking.

Lina Guzman

Administrative Assistant to the President lina.guzman@myleverage.com

Lina completes a broad variety of administrative tasks for LEVERAGE President Steve Willis. She works out of the Tallahassee office. She enjoys playing tennis, cooking, and watching movies when she's not at work. Lina loves puzzles so much; she won’t sleep until she finishes them! She lives by this – “Give 110% to everything you do.”

Product Development & Management

Alan Babcock

Senior Director of Product Development

alan.babcock@myleverage.com

Alan researches and develops new products and services for our ACS companies and manages the relationships with those partners providing the products offered by LEVERAGE. When he’s not on the job, he enjoys traveling, hiking with his two Brittany’s, and remodeling his home. A unique fact about him is that Alan has enjoyed the adventure of white water rafting on at least a dozen different rivers. His favorite advice is, “measure twice, cut once.”

Dave Hughes Director of Product Management

dave.hughes@myleverage.com

Dave maintains relationships with nearly 30 external partners and works closely with the sales, marketing, and accounting teams. Dave works with partners nationwide and the products we sell are in credit unions in more than 40 states. When he’s not working, he’s golfing, walking his dog, riding his bike, and playing pickleball. You might not know that Dave is a fantastic singer, formerly the lead singer of a band, and has written about 20 pieces of poetry. His favorite piece of advice is, “success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.”

Karen Frazee

Vice President of Business Development

karen.frazee@myleverage.com

Karen manages the sales team at LEVERAGE, works closely with product management, meets with credit unions, and finds solutions to fit their needs. Karen mostly works in Florida and Georgia. When she’s not in the office, she’s working in her yard, doing anything outside, and her new hobby is pickleball. She loves visiting major cities, saving animals, and spending time with her new granddaughter “Margo”. Her favorite piece of advice is, “don't sweat the small stuff.”

Donnette' Logan

Senior Business Development Consultant

donnette.logan@myleverage.com

Donnette’ takes time to get to know her clients and learns their success, pain points, and goals. After that, she finds different LEVERAGE partners that may fit the needs of the credit unions. When she’s not visiting credit unions, she’s spending time outdoors, in the water, and working out. Did you know that Donnette’ was awarded two Emmys during her 20 years in sports broadcasting? She lives by the motto, “you come into this world and leave this world with one thing, your name. Always make sure the way you carry yourself, speak, and your morals are associated in a positive light when someone hears your name.”

Steven Pullara

Senior Business Development Consultant

steven.pullara@myleverage.com

Steven has a passion for sales and finding solutions for credit unions. As the Senior Business Development Consultant, he visits credit unions from Jacksonville, Florida down to Key West, up and around through Tampa to Orlando. When he’s not visiting credit unions, Steven enjoys playing basketball and boating.

Payment Solutions

Stephanie Hainje

Director of Marketing and Consultative Services stephanie.hainje@myleverage.com

Stephanie works with credit unions nationwide to provide strategic recommendations for credit and debit portfolio growth as well as industry best practices. Additionally, she helps credit unions with processing, rewards, network, and loan payment solutions LPS offers. When she’s not working, she’s cooking, doing yoga, and entertaining family and friends. She loves to cook, entertain, and volunteer at the local food bank. “Food is love.” She lives by the motto, “you are not defined by your job. You are a snowflake, and we all have unique skills and abilities to contribute.”

Jonathan Wright

Director of Sales & Consulting jonathan.wright@myleverage.com

Jonathan has more than 15 years of financial consultative support experience servicing community banks and credit unions with a focus on portfolio management and RFP processes. With a degree in education, his focus is strictly consultative, with a focus on finding the correct solution that will best assist the client. He says he’s a people pleaser at heart, loves to serve, and finds the most satisfaction in finding solutions to problems. His mother instilled this value early on in his life - it's what drives him every day.

Julie Yanes

Payment Solutions Director julie.yanes@myleverage.com

Julie serves as back-office debit and credit card support for credit unions across the country. When she’s not on the clock and telling jokes in the office, she’s hanging out with her family and making REALLY GOOD cupcakes. She always says, “no matter what is going on, keep calm and carry on.”

Siddarth Kapur

Payment Consultant

siddarth.kapur@myleverage.com

Siddharth Kapur, much like The Force, brings balance to the team. He is a credit union veteran with eight years of experience in the industry. When he’s not in the office, he loves spending time outdoors and golfing with his friends. Siddharth aims to continue building successful card programs for financial institutions. For him, there’s nothing more rewarding than connecting with a new company, jumping into the data, and coming up with a plan to achieve financial goals quickly.

Angela Harris

Payment Solutions Manager consulting@myleverage.com

Angela coordinates, assists, and monitors all daily operations of the Card Services Department. She develops and maintains favorable relationships with member credit unions, their members, and staff through quality and efficient service.

Antoinette Plaster

Payment Solutions Specialist consulting@myleverage.com

Antoinette provides daily support by responding to incoming calls, maintaining accounts, and making monetary adjustments, as well as identifying, verifying, and correcting cardholder account issues by processing fraud and dispute claims via chargebacks, bond claims, fraud reporting, and pre-arbitrations.

Tammy Williams

Payment Solutions Representative consulting@myleverage.com

Tammy provides daily support by responding to incoming calls, maintaining accounts, and making monetary adjustments.

Willow Jones

Payment Solutions Specialist consulting@myleverage.com

Willow provides daily support by responding to incoming calls, account maintenance, and monetary adjustments, as well as identifying, verifying, and correcting cardholder account issues by processing fraud and dispute claims via chargebacks, bond claims, fraud reporting, and pre-arbitrations.

Gwen Davis

Payment Solutions Representative consulting@myleverage.com

Gwen provides daily support by responding to incoming calls, account maintenance, and monetary adjustments to the credit unions.

Crystal Gertjegerdes

Payment Solutions Representative consulting@myleverage.com

Crystal serves as the point of contact for credit unions requesting direction on changes or enhancements to their credit and debit card programs as well as providing guidance for daily operations such as monetary adjustments, account maintenance, and reporting.

Common Bond Title, LLC

Lynn Hightower-Moore

General Manager lynn@commonbondtitle.com

Lynn is in charge of real estate title insurance and closings at Common Bond Title. Right now, she covers Alabama, Florida and Georgia. When she’s not working, Lynn enjoys anything to do with water, yard work, and beading. Lynn is actually a twin! She lives by the motto, “always treat others as you wanted to be treated.”

Michelle Sheffield

Senior Closer michelle@commonbondtitle.com

Michelle prepares closing packages, oversees the closing department, helps close loans, and visits credit unions to promote the products and services of Common Bond Title. She’s based out of Birmingham, Alabama, but covers Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Michelle loves reading and spending time with her family and dog.

Kevin Moore

Senior Abstractor kevin@commonbondtitle.com

Kevin does title research and property closings for Common Bond Title. When he’s not at work, you can find him at home spending time with his wife and kids or video gaming.

Davis Hurst

Abstractor davis@commonbondtitle.com

Davis Hurst is an abstractor for Common Bond Title. He mostly works in Alabama. During his time off, he enjoys watching movies and spending time with his dog. Davis has a passion for cinema. He lives by the motto of “don’t sweat the small stuff.”

Cindy Gray

Title Specialist cindy@commonbondtitle.com

Cindy prepares title commitments, invoices, CPL, and prelim CD. When not working, she enjoys gardening. Cindy says that most of the time she can look at the title search and see how it transpires/connects. Her favorite piece of advice is to “slow down and take time looking at every aspect of work.”

Erin Skaggs Weber

Senior Underwriter erin@commonbondtitle.com

Erin reviews and underwrites property titles in Alabama. When she’s not working, she’s spending time with her family and enjoying the lake or her farmhouse. Erin says she has a lot of creativity with anything crafts. She can build anything imaginable out of wood and is rather good at refinishing antique pieces as well. She lives by these words: “be transparent. In a world full of pretend things and people, being genuine, honest, and open with client/ employee interactions will allow me to be one foot ahead of anyone else.”

Lizzie Henderson

Pre-Closer lizzie@commonbondtitle.com

Lizzie works in the Closing Department of Common Bond Title covering Alabama and Florida clients. When she’s not working, she’s going to her kids’ sporting events, hanging out with friends and family, reading books, or doing crafts. Lizzie says she is always willing to help anyone and everyone, if able. Favorite piece of advice ever received: “Not everyone is going to like or love you and that’s okay.”

Shirley Bell

Closer shirley@commonbondtitle.com

Shirley also works in the Closing Department of Common Bond Title. She enjoys hunting, swimming, and site seeing. Shirley says one of the most unique things about her is that she can give a lot of love. Her gold standard is to treat people the way you want to be treated.

Patrick Cockrell

Closing Agent patrick@commonbondtitle.com

Patrick assists borrowers/buyers/sellers with their real estate closings in Alabama.

Janet Friedman

Senior Post Closer janet@commonbondtitle.com

Janet disburses real estate files, troubleshoots issues, and does accounting work for Common Bond Title. When she’s home, she’s spending time with family, sewing, or reading. Janet says an interesting fact about her is that she’s really short. Her motto? “You have to make your own happiness, no one can do it for you.”

Lynda Hightower Post Closer lynda@commonbondtitle.com

Lynda completes the recording process, prints letters, gets the mail & FedEx out, and cleans folders. You name it, she does it. Outside of work, it’s family time. Lynda is a twin! A twin of Lynn Hightower-Moore. Her motto is, “don’t sweat the little stuff, and then, it’s all little stuff.”

Shelley Hereford Marketing Representative shelley@commonbondtitle.com

Shelley works out of the Birmingham, Alabama office for Common Bond Title. When she’s not working, she’s usually spending time with her family. You might not know this about her, but Shelley survived an F5 tornado. She says it’s best to never go anywhere without a business card!

Marcus King

Vice President of Auditing & Consulting marcus.king@cuacg.com

Marcus ensures all audits are being completed. He reviews most reports before they are sent to the credit unions and also completes some audits on his own. He offers support to all auditors when they need it. CUACG mainly works in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee, but the team is working to grow the company into other states. When he’s not working, he’s spending time with his wife, his daughter, and his three doodles. He and his family have a Saint Berdoodle, Labradoodle, and Golden Doodle. Marcus lives by, “treat others the way you want to be treated.”

Amanda Onkst Director of Product Development, Training, & Client Relations amanda.onkst@cuacg.com

Amanda works on the office side of CUACG with her main duties including 990 tax returns, reports, and contracts for audits. Outside of work, Amanda loves to spend time with her husband, two kids, and two dogs, and she loves to travel exercise, relax outside, and shop. She enjoys the true crime genre, including podcasts and documentaries. She lives by this: “Never stop learning. There is always something new to learn, and you cannot grow or advance if you are not seeking out new information.”

Evan G. Irwin Audit Manager of Tennessee and North Alabama evan.irwin@cuacg.com

Evan performs audits for credit unions in Southeast Tennessee. Outside of work, he enjoys hunting, fishing, coaching and watching baseball, and spending time with family. Evan says he’s extremely competitive, but also quick to learn and figure things out which leads to everyone the part of competitiveness. He lives by the motto, “put the same amount of effort into your job whether you are the lowest paid employee or the highest paid employee. Everyone has a role in the success or downfall of a company.”

Kaylee Wiley

Audit Manager of Florida, Georgia, and South Alabama kaylee.wiley@cuacg.com

Kaylee performs a variety of audit services for our credit union clients. She primarily works in the state of Georgia. When she’s not at work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, shopping, and traveling to new places with her husband. Her best advice is, “write it down and read it again tomorrow. Often times we are quick to say how we feel at the moment and not think rationally about the situation.”

Zachery Gilbert

Staff Auditor zachery.gilbert@cuacg.com

Zachery audits credit unions in Tennessee, specifically the Knoxville and Tri-Cities areas. When he’s not looking at numbers, he’s spending time with his family, golfing, woodworking, going to church, or watching TV. Zachery says he can wiggle his ears! His favorite piece of advice is, “treat others the way you would like to be treated.”

Christina Battle

Staff Auditor christina.battle@cuacg.com

Christina was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia. She acquired a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Columbus State University. Prior to working for LSCU & Affiliates, she worked as a Tax Associate for Goodwill Industries and as an Auditor for Novitas Solutions. She has experience in bookkeeping, income taxation, auditing, and customer service. A fun fact about her is that she has a fraternal twin sister. In her spare time, Christina loves to draw and crochet.

Alana Kennamore

Staff Auditor alana.kennamore@cuacg.com

Alana Kennamore is a recent graduate of the University of Memphis with a Bachelor of Accounting. She is currently working on obtaining her Bank Secrecy Act Compliance Specialist certification. Before joining CUACG, she was the financial secretary for Fayette County Public Schools, managing the county high school and vocational school finances and assisting with the Alternative Learning school. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, painting, and spending quality time her many pets. Alana audits credit unions out of West Tennessee.

Khatara Lott-Evans

Staff Auditor khatara.lott-evans@cuacg.com

KhaTara performs audits at credit unions in Alabama. When she’s not counting numbers, she’s traveling and spending time with her family. An interesting fact about her is that she does not drink sodas or sweet tea. She lives by the motto, “live your life with no regrets and do what makes you happy!”

Terrell McGrew Staff Auditor evan.irwin@cuacg.com

Terrell is a staff auditor who performs such things as cash counts, loans, financial transactions, policies, and many other things inside a credit union. He covers South Alabama and North Florida. When he’s not visiting credit unions, he enjoys spending time with family, watching sports, and watching movies/ TV series. An interesting fact about him is that he had a career in a paper plant working full time with day and night shifts, including mandatory overtime, all before graduating. His favorite piece of advice is to “never stop trying to learn. Try to learn something new every day.”

Amanda Hudson Administrative Coordinator amanda.hudson@cuacg.com

Amanda provides administrative support for the auditors at CUACG. Right now, she covers Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, and more! She likes to read, hike, work out, do crafts, and spend time with her dogs. Amanda is actually learning German right now. Her favorite piece of advice is “you never know unless you try!”

Kelli Silvernale

Vice President of Vendor Management kelli@cuvm.org

Kelli is the Vice President of CUVM and has been with the company since inception in 2008. CUVM works with many clients across the country and from all asset sizes. CUVM loves to build relationships with our clients . She is based in Conifer Colorado loves to spend time with her kids and family. She also enjoys skiing, coaching high school softball, and traveling. You might not know that Kelli is a volunteer firefighter. She lives by the motto, “adapt and improvise,” which was instilled in her at an early age by her high school football coach and student government teacher.

Christopher Christensen

Contract Management Analyst chris@cuvm.org

Christopher helps maintain due diligence on credit union vendors and assists with NCUA audits regarding said vendors. He’s based in Tallahassee, Florida, but he works with clients everywhere in the United States. He enjoys spending time with his growing family, reading, and philosophy. He says, “always be grateful.”

Brooke Collins Manager of Sales and Services brooke@cuvm.org

Brooke manages In house agreements for LSCU, LEVERAGE, LEVERAGE Payment Solutions, and CSI, and conducts demos, sales, and training presentations for clients. An interesting fact about her is that she is adopted and was able to find her reunite with her birth family. Her favorite piece of advice is to “make new friends but keep the old. One is silver, the other is gold. A circle is round, it has no end. That's how long, I will be your friend.”

Desario Smith

Manager of Vendor Relations desario@cuvm.org

Desario manages dozens of CUVM clients and three full-time employees, oversees all CUVM software programming, upgrades, maintenance, and data storage, and assists in CUVM administrative duties, billing, budgeting, and marketing. When he’s not working, he’s spending time with family in The Bahamas, learning hypertrophy training and nutrition, and playing/watching basketball. Desario is a professional natural men’s physique athlete and certified fitness trainer. He was once on MTV. Desario says, “success loves preparation.”

Lisa Felder

Due Diligence Coordinator lisa@cuvm.org

Lisa coordinates requesting and receiving due diligence documents from credit union vendors. It doesn’t matter where, she and the folks at CUVM serve clients everywhere. When she’s managing vendors, she’s listening to music, especially live music. An interesting fact about Lisa is that she has an abundance of knowledge about Disney in her head. She even worked at Magic Kingdom many years ago. Her favorite piece of advice is to learn to say “no” more often.

Kim McCallum

Senior Contract Management Analyst kim@cuvm.org

Kim assists credit unions in managing their vendor contracts, provides customer service, and shares CUVM’s products and services with potential clients. She works across 13 states right now. When she’s not on the job, she loves being outdoors, spending time with her family and friends, exploring Colorado, crafting, and reading. An interesting fact about Kim is that she has several adopted grown children! Her favorite piece of advice is to “love God, family, friends, and country, and live a life of integrity.”

Dany Recio

Contract Management Analyst dany@cuvm.org

Dany assists credit unions in managing their contracts. She attended Florida State University pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. She graduated Magna Cum Laude. Some interesting facts about Dany are that she speaks three languages and loves skydiving. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, going to the gym, playing the piano, and frisbee golf.

DESIGN

Kristi Arrington Vice President kristi.arrington@lscu.coop

Kristi leads the marketing agency, Growth by Design, which does work for LSCU, LEVERAGE, and credit unions in the Southeast. When she’s not working on marketing and design, she loves spending time with her husband and three girls. Kristi has the unique ability to see the silver lining in almost any situation. She lives by the motto, “make more time to live in the moment.”

Misty Waldrop Marketing Manager mistyw@growthbydesign.org

Misty is in charge of all things marketing while making sure clients have everything they need to succeed in this ever-changing, fast-paced digital world. She brings experience from multiple roles in marketing, sales, insurance, and credit union support. Misty spent 6 years with My Georgia Credit Union, where she focused on marketing and education. A Georgia girl at heart, Misty loves spending time with her husband and two beautiful daughters. When she’s not working, you can find her in the garden, camping, or searching for the next DIY project.

Cameron Carswell Website Development Manager cameronc@growthbydesign.org

Cameron works with clients to develop custom websites, web solutions, and web maintenance. It doesn’t matter when or where, but Cameron and the Growth by Design team tackle any marketing and design projects. He enjoys comic books, gaming, and spending time with his family. When talking about him, his coworkers will say, “what isn’t unique about Cameron?” Cameron lives by the motto of “love what you do.”

Chris Maddox Creative Director chrism@growthbydesign.org

Chris creates and manages the creative aspects of various marketing campaigns through print and digital media. He works on design projects for credit unions and organizations in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. When he’s off the clock, he’s spending time with his family, going to sporting events, or attending concerts. A unique fact about him is he once kept a clown fish (Nemo) alive for 15 years.

Nadine Ferere

Internet Products Project Coordinator

nadinef@growthbydesign.org

Nadine is the liaison between Growth by Design and its clients. Growth by Design is a marketing agency, so we’re not tied down to a specific territory. When she’s not working, she enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends. An interesting fact about her is that she’s not a fan of fried chicken. She tells everyone to “make time for those you love.”

Joanna Forrester

Senior Production Artist joanna.forrester@lscu.coop

Joanna designs marketing items for internal departments such as postcards, emails, flyers, banners, and more. She mostly works with clients internally and externally in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. When she’s not working, she’s either playing video games or painting. A cool fact about Joanna is that she’s walked on the Great Wall of China! She lives by the motto, “be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Kyle Fowler

Vice President of Member Alliances

kyle.fowler@lscu.coop

Kyle oversees and manages MAA & MCA companies. He currently has our three-state footprint; however, they can work in all US states. Kyle loves spending time with his wife and 3 boys as they travel and adventure together. An interesting fact about Kyle is that he’s been to the most northern and southern points in the United States. He says, “things will never be perfect; stop waiting for everything to align perfectly.”

Stephen Dunbar Quality Assurance Officer stephen.dunbar@lscu.coop

Stephen supports MCA as the local core system expert. He assists with the needs and requests of the credit unions that utilize the core system by performing custom reporting and project management functions as needed. Stephen enjoys spending time with family and friends. He’s a fan of watersports and loves to wake surf. His motto is, “treat others as you want to be treated.”

Garrett Mills

Operations Manager garrett.mills@lscu.coop

Garrett is focused on ATMs. Right now, he works with financial institutions in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. When he’s not working, he’s paddle boarding, Jeeping, exercising, watching and playing sports, attending concerts, and gaming. Garrett says a unique quality of his is “adaptability.” His favorite piece of advice is, “do it right or do it twice. Anything in life worth doing is worth overdoing.”

Lauren Hivale

Senior Operations Specialist

lauren.hivale@lscu.coop

Lauren is in charge of ATM management and daily operations for Members ATM Alliance. She works out of the LSCU Duluth, Georgia office. Away from work, she enjoys reading, walking, and spending time with her boyfriend and dog. An interesting fact about Lauren is that she speaks some French – enough to hold a basic conversation. She says, “don’t ever be too comfortable with where you’re at or what you’re doing. You always have room to improve.”

Emma Joseph Operations Specialist

emma.joseph@lscu.coop

Emma works all things ATMs. She has more than eight years of banking and credit union experience, and six years of technical support advisor experience. Emma looks forward to assisting clients’ needs and finding solutions whenever/wherever. Outside of work, she enjoys gardening and spending time outdoors with her dog, Scarlett, and her family.

Laura Vann Senior Director of Shared Branching laura.vann@myscservices.com

Laura facilitates cooperation among participating credit unions in developing and operating the shared branching network. She covers Alabama, Georgia, and Connecticut. She enjoys reading, antiquing, theatre, and college basketball when she's not working. Laura loves theatre so much; she’s seen more than 100 musicals or plays on Broadway or off-Broadway in New York City. Her favorite piece of advice is to “embrace change.”

Laura Heard Operations Specialist

laura.heard@myscservices.com

Laura works all things CO-OP related for shared branching and debit card processing. She is focused on Alabama and Georgia for shared branching and debit, she works with clients in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Outside of work, you can find her boating and watching football. An interesting fact about Laura is that she began water skiing when she was four years old and competed for three years when she was a teenager. Her favorite piece of advice is, “you can’t control other people’s actions, only your reaction.”

Mission Statement

To create an environment that enables credit unions to grow and succeed.

Vision Statement

Our vision is to be the trusted source for solutions that meet the needs of credit unions while supporting enterprise sustainability.

Alabama Office:

1 Perimeter Park South, Suite 130

Birmingham, AL 35243

Florida Office:

3692 Coolidge Court

Tallahassee, FL 32311

Georgia Office:

2810 Premiere Parkway, Suite 150

Duluth, GA 30097