2020 FDIC Accounting and Auditing Conference

JASPEN (JAS) BOOTHE | MAJOR (RET.) / MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER/COACH/VETERAN ADVOCATE

Meet Jas Boothe, a former Army Officer who flips adversity on its tail! A Chicago native, Disabled Army Veteran, Cancer Survivor, Veteran and Disability Advocate, and Speaker who gave over 17 years of service to this great nation, Jas is also an Oprah Winfrey Standing Ovation Recipient, CNN Hero, People Magazine Hero Among Us, YWCA Woman of Distinction and US Army Chief of Staff Outstanding Civilian Service Awardee. She deployed during the Operation Iraq Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom campaigns and her military career has been dedicated to working with and advocating for Soldiers and their family members.

Jas Boothe is the President and Founder of Final Salute Inc (www.finalsaluteinc.org); providing homeless women Veterans with safe and suitable housing. Final Salute Inc is the only non-profit in the DC Metro area that specifically supports the unique housing needs of homeless female veterans and their children; there are currently 55,000 homeless female Veterans nationwide.

Jas founded Final Salute Inc due to her life being torn apart by Hurricane Katrina, homelessness and cancer in 2005. Jas was a single mother in the Army Reserves who was headed to Iraq. Due to her efforts and tireless advocacy, Final Salute Inc has raised over 3 million dollars, supported over 7000 women Veterans and children and provided over 15,000 days of housing since 2011.

Here are a few additional awards and recognitions Jas has received the for her leadership and community impact: America Red Cross Tiffany Circle - Distinguished Woman Warrior Award, Redbook Magazine - We Learn From Her, Department of Defense Spirit of Hope Award, American Veteran's Center - Lillian K. Keil Award for Women's Contributions to the Military, Unstoppable Mom - Live with Kelly and Michael, All You Magazine - Be Inspired, YWCA Woman of Distinction, Marie Claire Magazine - America's Forgotten Heroes and the list goes on!

Jas is also featured in the 2017 documentary “Served Like a Girl”, produced by Lysa Heslov, which follows several American women who were wounded in action and are now transitioning from soldier to civilian after serving their country in Iraq and Afghanistan. The inspiration for this film stemmed from the Ms. Veteran America competition, which Jas also founded.

Boothe holds a BA in Mass Communications from Mississippi Valley State University and dual MAs in Human Resource Management and Management and Leadership from Webster University. Jas is the mother of two wonderful boys, Brandon (Afghanistan Veteran in the US Air Force) and Jammel Jr., and wife of a Marine Combat Veteran, Jammel R. Boothe Sr.

Boothe also recently launched her own speaker’s website www.jasboothe.com.

THOMAS P. BOSTICK | LIEUTENANT GENERAL (RET.) PHD, PE, NAE, FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER BOSTICK GLOBAL STRATGIES, LLC

Lieutenant General (Retired) Thomas P. Bostick recently served as Chief Operating Officer and President, Intrexon Bioengineering at Intrexon Corporation. Gen. Bostick serves on the Boards of CSX Corporation (NASDAQ: CSX), Perma-Fix (NASDAQ: PESI), HireVue and Streamside (both private companies), and American Corporate Partners (a 501c3 assisting Veterans).

He is a Forbes Contributor. Gen. Bostick served as the 53rd Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He served as the Deputy Chief of Staff, for Personnel; Commanding General, U.S. Army Recruiting Command; and Assistant Division Commander-Maneuver, then Assistant Division Commander-Support of the 1st Cavalry Division. He deployed with the Division in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom before commanding the Gulf Region Division of the US Army Corps of Engineers where he was responsible for an $18B construction program.

Gen. Bostick served as an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at West Point and was a White House Fellow, working as a special assistant to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He is a 1978 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and holds Master of Science Degrees in both Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, and a PhD in Systems Engineering from George Washington University.Gen. Bostick is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Construction, and the Hall of Fame of the George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science

RICHARD COFER, JR. | KANSAS CITY REGIONAL MANAGER, DIVISION OF INSURANCE AND RESEARCH, FDIC

Rich Cofer is the Kansas City Regional Manager in the FDIC’s Division of Insurance and Research. As such, he is responsible for managing macro-banking and economic surveillance in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Given the economic and demographic profiles of these states, his team focuses great attention on agricultural, rural, and community banking issues.

Rich began his career with the FDIC in 1990 as a bank examiner, before joining the Division of Insurance and Research in 2000. Rich holds an undergraduate degree in business from Rockhurst University and an MBA degree from the University of Missouri – Kansas City. Rich and his spouse are lifelong residents of the Kansas City area, and are blessed with three wonderful children.

BRET D. EDWARDS | DEPUTY TO THE CHAIRMAN & CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Bret D. Edwards assumed the role of Deputy to the Chairman and CFO on June 1, 2019.  Bret has more than 30 years of U.S. Government service with the former Federal Savings & Loan Insurance Corporation and the FDIC.  Since 2011, he has served as the Director of DRR, and prior to that, he was Director of the Division of Finance from 2007 to 2011.  Bret holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Business Administration with distinction from Cornell University.  Bret is a chartered financial analyst (CFA), certified public accountant (CPA), certified treasury professional (CTP), and a graduate of the American Bankers Association Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

CRAIG FISHER | PROGRAM MANAGER, OFFICE OF FINANCIAL INNOVATION AND TRANSFORMATION (FIT), BUREAU OF THE FISCAL SERVICE, U.S. DOT

Craig Fischer is a Program Manager within the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service who is focused on understanding the impact emerging trends and technologies will have on government finance. Craig leads the agency’s blockchain work where he and his team have carried out four proofs of concept over the past three years.

Prior to FIT, Craig held positions with a “Big Four” consulting firm, the Chief Financial Officer’s (CFO) Council, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Craig holds an MPA from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and a B.S. in Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

JARED FRONK | FINANCIAL ECONOMIST, ECONOMIC ANALSYS SECTION, DIVISION OF INSURANCE AND RESEARCH, FDIC

Fronk is a senior financial economist in the Economic Analysis Section of DIR and has been with the corporation since 2015. He received a BA in international relations from Brigham Young University and an MA and PhD in international trade economics from Georgetown University. Jared has also worked as a researcher at the U.S. International Trade Commission and at the World Bank. 

Jared is originally from Southern California, but has also lived in Massachusetts, Utah, the United Kingdom, and Romania—and is fluent in Romanian. He and his husband live in Washington, DC.”

BENJAMIN HAILEY | DIVISION OF RISK MANAGEMENT SUPERVISION, RISK EXAMINER

Ben is a Senior Examiner in the Nashville Field Office.  He has recently served as a temporary Special Assistant to the Dallas Regional Director.  He is a member of the FDIC’s Interdivisional Financial Technology Wholesale Working Group and helps lead work stream considerations focused on RMS examinations.  Ben leads the Dallas Region’s Interdivisional Emerging Technology Committee including examination oversight as training on FinTech topics for internal and external audiences.  Ben earned a B.S. degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.

JENNIFER HILL | PROGRAM ANALYST, OFFICE OF FINANCIAL INNOVATION AND TRANSFORMATION (FIT), BUREAU OF THE FISCAL SERVICE, U.S. DOT 

Jennifer Hill is a Program Analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Jennifer has worked in a variety of areas across Fiscal Service, including Financial Management, Procurement, and Systems Support. In her current role, she has led innovation initiatives to understand the value proposition that emerging technologies such as RPA, AI, and Blockchain may bring to federal financial management.

Most recently, Jennifer is helping lead her agency’s enterprise CX initiative to provide a modern, seamless, and secure experience for all of Fiscal’s customers.

KRISTEN A. KOCIOLEK | DIRECTOR, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND ASSURANCE TEAM, GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE

Kristen A. Kociolek is a director on the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) Financial Management and Assurance Team where she leads audits on Department of Defense financial management issues.

Ms. Kociolek has been a member of GAO’s audit standards team responsible for developing, drafting, and maintaining Government Auditing Standards (The Yellow Book) and Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government (the Green Book). Ms. Kociolek has also led GAO’s financial statement audits of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Prior to joining GAO, Ms. Kociolek worked as an audit manager with Ernst & Young in Harrisburg, PA, where her work focused on financial audits of state and local governments.

Ms. Kociolek graduated from Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, PA with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. She is a Certified Public Accountant, a Chartered Global Management Accountant, and a Certified Government Financial Manager. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, where she serves on the Auditing Standards Board, and a member of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

LOUISE W. REED | CPA, CEO AND FOUNDER AFLOAT, INC.

Louise W. Reed has been a public accountant for over 15 years and founded Afloat, Inc. in 2018 to democratize the transferable tax credit market with blockchain. Last fall, the AICPA Journal of Accountancy included the new startup as part of their occasional series “Future Tech Today.” Then, in December of 2019, the Virginia Business magazine featured Reed as one of 100 people to meet in 2020.

Most recently, Louise Reed won the VSCPA Innovation Award in May. Afloat’s team expects their first credit transfer to occur in October 2020.

SUZANNAH L. SUSSER | CORPORATE UNIVERSITY, CHIEF LEARNING OFFICER & DIRECTOR 

Suzannah Susser currently serves as the Director of Corporate University and Chief Learning Officer. She joined Corporate University as the Deputy Director of the College of Corporate Operations in June 2008. Prior to that, she served in the Division of Risk Management Supervision as the Deputy Regional Director in the Chicago Region. She also has served as Regional Manager in the Division of Insurance and Research in both the Chicago and New York Regions. Ms. Susser began her career at the FDIC in 1988 as an examiner in the Division of Risk Management Supervision, Kansas City Region, St. Louis Field Office.

In 2001, Ms. Susser worked on Capitol Hill as part of The Brookings Institution’s LEGIS program, a congressional fellowship program for federal government executives. Ms. Susser received certification as a Chartered Financial Analyst in September 1998 from the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri and the New York University Institute of Women and Management in Public Service. She is a former board member of the Federal Executive Institute Alumni Association and is a member of the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute and Women in Housing and Finance. Ms. Susser is a volunteer with the Junior League of Northern Virginia.

ROBERT A. WESTBROOKS | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PANDEMIC RESPONSE ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE

Robert A. Westbrooks was appointed Executive Director of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) on April 27, 2020. Mr. Westbrooks has spent 26 years in public service focusing on accountability and anti-fraud activities, serving the last 5 years as Inspector General for the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation conducting independent oversight, audits, and investigations to help protect the retirement benefits of 35 million American workers and retirees.

A former U.S. postal inspector, Mr. Westbrooks has served in leadership roles in several federal oversight agencies including the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (OIG), U.S. Department of Transportation OIG, U.S. Postal Service OIG, and National Archives and Records Administration OIG. At the SBA OIG, Mr. Westbrooks served as Deputy Inspector General and acting Assistant Inspector General for Audits.

Mr. Westbrooks is an attorney, certified public accountant, certified internal auditor, certified information systems auditor, and spent 21 years as a federal criminal investigator. From 2016 to 2020, Mr. Westbrooks served as chair of the Professional Development Committee of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) and as a member of the CIGIE Executive Council. He is a frequent speaker and author on the topics of oversight, enterprise risk management, and leadership.