MAY 7-8, 2026 Meeting, Lake Tahoe, CA
Introducing our keynote speaker…
Leading Through Change: Innovation and the Future of Work in an AI World
Speaker: Dan Chuparkoff, Innovation & AI Expert
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the future of work, and the leaders who thrive will be those who embrace its power while steering clear of its pitfalls. In this dynamic session, innovation expert Dan Chuparkoff—who built and reinvented teams at Google and McKinsey—will share best practices from the world’s most innovative companies. Community bank CEOs will not only gain practical strategies to accelerate decision-making, collaboration, and customer value creation, but also engage in a facilitated discussion with your peers. Together, you’ll explore how to harness AI to drive innovation and position their institutions for long-term success.
About Your Keynote Speaker
The world was already filled with an overwhelming stream of constant change. Now, people are facing the biggest change yet: Artificial Intelligence. Teams today are buried under an avalanche of information and technology can help. But it’s also one more thing on a pile that’s already too big.
Dan Chuparkoff is one of the world’s leading experts on innovation, AI, and the future of teams. He spent three decades as an innovative leader at companies like Google, McKinsey, and Atlassian. Dan built, led, and reinvented the teams who built products for billions of customers.
He knows that a constantly-changing world constantly demands new ways of working. Dan’s superpower is making complex things simple and useful. With his formula for HARNESSING THE POWER OF INNOVATION, he’s helped teams of every shape and size to harness the power of reinvention to escape disruption and and success. Dan shows teams how to harness the power of technology to learn faster, collaborate faster, create autonomy faster, and create the impact they need for the decades ahead.
About Your Meeting Facilitators
Paul Davis
Chief Facilitator
Paul Davis is the founder and CEO of Bank Slate Consulting, advising banks and fintechs on strategy, governance, and talent. He also publishes The Bank Slate, an influential media platform with a weekly newsletter and the Convos podcast. With 20+ years in financial services leadership and industry transformation, Paul works with executive teams and boards on strategic planning, corporate governance, succession, and GTM strategies. His work includes board assessments, executive onboarding, leadership offsites, and market-entry strategies for fintechs. Bank Slate is a preferred advisor within Grasshopper Bank’s fintech ecosystem, guiding early- and growth-stage companies on positioning, regulatory alignment, and commercialization.
Sandro Pardo
President, Community Banks
Sandro is a strategic B2B marketing and business development leader with over 15 years of experience driving demand generation, brand growth, and marketing operational excellence across SaaS, financial, banking and sustainability sectors. Throughout his career, Sandro has led multinational teams across North America and Latin America, delivering measurable business outcomes through SEO, SEM, content, and automation platforms. As a life-long New Yorker, Sandro is passionate about where he grew up: trying the latest international cuisines, the arts, as well as being involved in the community with his wife and son.
Dennis Sullivan, MBA
Founder & CEO, 40 Groups, Inc.
Dennis is an experienced executive, entrepreneur, professor, and credit union advocate. He has launched or turned around more than 100 products and businesses and serves as Chairman of CU Leadership Convention, a position he has held for more than 20 years. He has also served as a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University, recently named one of the world’s top business professors, and serves on the faculty of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses. He is a professor at the Community College of Baltimore where he also serves as Executive Director of CCBC Center for Business Innovation & Trades that has helped launch 65 new businesses in mostly underserved communities.
Agenda
THURSDAY
May 7, 2026 • 6:00 - 8:00 pm
(Members and plus 1 are welcome to attend the evening’s events.)
6:00 – 6:45 pm
Cocktail Reception
6:45 – 8:00 pm
Dinner
FRIDAY
May 8, 2026 • 7:30 am - 4:00 pm
7:30 AM– 8:30 AM
Breakfast
8:30 – 10:00 AM
Welcome and Keynote Speaker: Leading Through Change: Innovation and the Future of Work in an AI World
Speaker: Dan Chuparkoff, Innovation & AI Expert
10:00 – 11:00 AM
Workshop on Futurist Thinking into Economic & Financial Reality
11:00 – NOON
Roundtable discussions on current challenges/opportunities
Noon – 1:00 pm
Networking Lunch
1:00 – 1:45 PM
Deep Strategic Thinking on the #1 Challenge Facing Your Community Bank Today
1:45 – 2:30 PM
Roundtable discussions on current challenges/opportunities
2:30 – 3:15 PM
Best practices workshop
3:15 – 4:00 PM
Turning Ideas into Action – Practical Steps for Implementing Your Take-Home Plans
Next Meetings
MAY 7-8, 2026
Lake Tahoe, CA
SEPTEMBER 2026
Boston, MA
JANUARY 2027
Scottsdale, AZ









































