NOW VIRTUAL: VeriLeaf Hemp Forum
Due to COVID-19, this training will now be virtual.
A link with login information will be sent to attendees prior to the start of the program.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
We are proud to be partnering with VeriLeaf on this Forum! This program will cover:
- Hemp: What’s the Opportunity – Why are these businesses such an attractive option for institutions? This session will answer that question and more. Join a FinTech expert and the COO of a North Carolina bank launching a national hemp program as they review the evolution of industrial hemp, including an analysis into their potential deposit volumes and earnings potential.
- An Update on the Dynamic Legal Landscape – Join an attorney with an expertise in cannabis to navigate through the current status of federal, state and tribal laws relevant to the production, processing, manufacturing and sale of hemp-related products.
- Managing the Risks of Banking Hemp – This interactive discussion will be led by a former OCC examiner, and will include practical tips for onboarding and ongoing due diligence, as well as big-picture guidance for updating your BSA program. This session will include insight into current federal and state banking guidance specific to hemp.
- Profile of a Hemp Customer – Let a real-life hemp entrepreneur take you through the daily life of operating a hemp business. This interactive discussion will provide insight into how to best serve these businesses, and how to ascertain the business is on the up-and-up.
- Panel Q&A – All speakers will be available to answer and discuss audience questions.
SPEAKER INFORMATION
Jessica Caballero, CERP, CRCM – Head of Compliance & Strategy, VeriLeaf
Jessica Caballero began her career as an examiner for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). After leaving the agency, she worked as both a banker and a consultant focused mainly on compliance and risk management in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. Jessica joined the RegTech space in 2015, working in various roles as a subject matter expert at a large company. Jessica assisted RegTech vendors in create technology solutions which addressed the evolving needs of the financial industry. Jessica is now the Head of Compliance & Strategy for VeriLeaf, a RegTech company focused on bringing efficiencies and automation to cannabis and hemp banking. She is passionate about helping community financial institutions accurately interpret regulation and guidance through web-trainings, whitepapers, workshops and conferences. Jessica earned her bachelor’s degree in business economics from Texas State University in 2008, and has achieved the Certified Enterprise Risk Professional (CERP) and Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) designations from the American Bankers Association.
Justin Fischer – CEO & Co-Founder, VeriLeaf
Justin Fischer has over 20 years of financial technology experience, with a heavy focus on community financial institutions and user experience. Before VeriLeaf, Justin was the founder and principal consultant of Launchy Consulting, which provided MSB and scale consulting to start-ups and financial institutions around the country. Launchy also worked with VC and PE groups for buy-side reviews of emerging technology companies.
Previous to Launchy, Justin served as the CEO and CPO for Student Loan Genius (SLG), a Prudential Financial-backed company with clients such as Voya, John Hancock, and New York Life. Prior to SLG, he served in various executive roles with Q2ebanking, including Senior Vice President of Operations, in the approach to their hugely successful IPO in 2014. Before Q2, Justin worked in the enterprise banking and international payments company S1, where he led senior development teams providing FinTech solutions for large financial institutions and payments processing. Justin was also the co-founder and CTO of CoreTrac, Inc., who developed some of the first CFI CRM and marketing solution software, and was later acquired by Aptean.
Oz Hackett – President & CFO, Open Book Extracts
Oz is a new venture formation and capitalization expert with multiple start-ups built and exited. He is a strategic CFO and GC with deep fundraising (equity and debt) and regulatory experience. He is a graduate of Georgetown and Harvard Law.
Melissa Marsal – EVP & COO, West Town Bank & Trust
Melissa is the current Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for West Town Bank & Trust and West Town Bancorp, overseeing Banking Operations, HR Compliance and IT. She also serves on the ALCO, IT, Compliance and HR Committees of the Bank and previously served as the Bank’s Information Security Officer. Ms. Marsal previously served as the Bank’s Chief Marketing Officer overseeing Sales and Marketing prior to her transition to COO. Melissa graduated from East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina in 1992 and was one of the original organizers and founders of Albemarle Bank & Trust assisting in the organizing of the proposed de novo that is now West Town Bank & Trust.
Tyler Russell – Attorney, Ward and Smith
Tyler is passionate about the hemp and cannabidiol (“CBD”) industries, their products, and their people. He co-chairs the firm’s Hemp Law practice group, and he represents clients in all aspects of the hemp and CBD industries – both in North Carolina and beyond. His clients include farmers and growers, processors, extractors, product manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers. He also assists clients who are involved in the industry but do not directly “touch the plant” – including brokers, consultants, marketing agencies, lenders and financial institutions, and other suppliers and vendors.
In his hemp and CBD practice, Tyler regularly provides advice and counsel to his clients on Federal, state, and local legal and regulatory compliance matters, and he regularly represents clients in all types of agribusiness, transactional, and corporate deals and agreements within the industry. He is also actively engaged in state-level lobbying and public activism efforts in support of the industry, its companies, and their products. The hemp and CBD industries are unique, and Tyler and the firm’s Hemp Law team are committed to helping the people and businesses within them.