Olympic Gold medalist, Dan Jansen, can be considered one of the most inspiring athletes of the past three decades. After recognizing his potential as a speed skater at only 11 years old, Dan fought through three disappointing Winter Olympic Games before bringing home a gold medal and setting a world record in 1994. The four-time Olympian (1984,1988,1992,1994) has won 46 World Cup victories, earned more than 75 World Cup medals, holds 20 World Championship medals and was inducted into the US Olympic Hall of Fame in 2004.
Since his retirement from competitive racing he has gone on to coach for the NHL Chicago Blackhawks and has remained close to the Olympic Movement as an announcer for the Winter Olympics broadcast. Today, Dan continues to inspire young athletes as a motivational speaker.
As Director of Business and Economic Analysis, Jay Hawkins builds econometric models for sales volume forecast for Visa products, including the twice-yearly update of the Bankcard Outlook, a comprehensive forecast of the bank card industry. He also provides expert consulting for Visa members to help them determine the impact of the economy on financial performance in the payments industry.
Jay previously worked as a senior economist at TransUnion and at The Hartford and has held economic research positions at several consulting firms, including Informa Economics and the Regional Economic Studies Institute of Towson University.
As Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing for Fiserv, Mark Sievewright works with financial institutions to develop successful business growth strategies, and provides insights into key business and industry trends through strategic marketing initiatives. A respected industry thought leader, Mark is a frequent speaker at financial services industry conferences and events, and creator of the Fiserv Boardroom Series, an online forum for financial services industry executives.
Prior to joining Fiserv in 2004, Mark held senior leadership roles at HSBC and MasterCard International and served as president and CEO of TowerGroup, a leading research and advisory firm for the financial services industry. He has bachelor’s degree in Finance and Associateship of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Canterbury, UK.
Karen M. Thomas is Senior Executive Vice President, Government Relations and Public Policy, for the Independent Community Bankers of America. Karen is responsible for overseeing ICBA's activities in the legislative, regulatory, lending, accounting and payment systems areas. Karen is quoted frequently on banking issues in the national and trade press and media such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, American Banker and others. She has also appeared on CNBC, Fox Business News, Reuters TV, “The Nightly Business Report,” and PBS’s “This Week in Business.”
Karen has broad experience in the field of financial institutions law, including bank regulatory law, mergers and acquisitions, legislation and litigation. Prior to joining ICBA in 1992 as Regulatory Counsel, she was a partner at Dann & Thomas, a Washington, D.C. law firm she co-founded. She has a B.A. from the College of William and Mary and received her J.D. with honors from George Washington University's National Law Center.
