Speakers
Captain Kate McCue
Keynote Speaker
Captain Kate McCue is a pioneering maritime leader and the inaugural Captain of Celebrity Beyond and Four Seasons Yacht's first vessel, Four Seasons I. Known to millions around the world as “Captain Kate,” she has become one of the most recognizable figures in maritime and luxury travel, with more than 4.6 million followers across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
A San Francisco native, Captain Kate made history as the first American female captain of a mega-ton cruise ship, breaking barriers in the maritime industry and inspiring a new generation of leaders at sea. Throughout her career, she has led high-performing teams through some of the cruise industry’s most defining moments, including helping guide operations during the COVID-19 shutdown and recovery.
Today, Captain Kate brings those real-world leadership experiences to audiences through keynote presentations focused on resilience, leadership under pressure, change management, team culture and delivering exceptional client experiences. Her personal motto, “If you can SEA it, you can BE it,” continues to inspire audiences around the world.
Michael Christians
As principal of Michael Christians Consulting, LLC, Michael assists financial institutions and organizations across the country with ensuring their compliance programs conform to Federal laws and regulations. He provides counsel relative to current rules, assists with the strategic implementation of upcoming regulatory changes and offers customized education and training services. Michael has more than two decades of experience in the financial services industry with a primary focus on consumer compliance. He obtained his Juris Doctorate from Drake University Law School. He is a member of the Iowa State Bar where he is licensed to practice law.
Tracy Ashfield
Tracy Ashfield is President of Ashfield & Associates, a consulting and training firm that assists credit unions with mortgage lending strategy, development, policies, product design, training and strategic planning. Ashfield also works with the NCUA and NASCUS to provide training and education on residential mortgage lending for examiners and regulators.
Since 2001, Ashfield’s consulting work has benefited credit unions and their members. She has worked with the largest mortgage-granting credit unions to enhance their programs, and she has helped credit unions that are new to mortgage lending establish programs.
Ashfield is the Past President of the American Credit Union Mortgage Association (ACUMA). Before forming Ashfield & Associates she held a variety of management positions in the credit union industry. She was the Senior Executive for Mortgage Development at CUNA Mutual; the Senior Vice President of Operations of CUNA Mortgage Corporation, and she also worked with CMG Mortgage Insurance Company.
John Hudek
John Hudek, CFA, is Vice President of Treasury at Wright-Patt Credit Union, where he leads treasury, liquidity, funding, investment, and balance sheet management activities.
A graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Economics, John has been a designated CFA charterholder since 2011. He brings more than 20 years of financial services experience, with expertise spanning interest rate risk management, mortgage servicing rights management, treasury analytics, and balance sheet strategy.
Before joining Wright-Patt Credit Union, John spent nearly 20 years at Fifth Third Bank, where he led the Asset-Liability Management (ALM) desk and Treasury Analytics team. His experience includes managing complex risk-return tradeoffs across mortgage and banking portfolios, developing analytical frameworks that support strategic decision-making, and optimizing financial performance in changing interest rate environments.
Originally from West Virginia, John resides in the Cincinnati area with his wife and three daughters. He is passionate about developing balance sheet strategies that effectively manage risk while creating sustainable value for the members and communities served by Wright-Patt Credit Union. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family, coaching basketball and watching college football on fall Saturdays.
Paul Sutor
President of myCUmortgage
Paul joined myCUmortgage in 2021 as VP of Mortgage Risk Management, bringing with him over 25 years of financial services experience. He previously held positions at National City, Wells Fargo Mortgage and KeyBank Mortgage. Paul earned his B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Toledo and his M.B.A. from Capital University.
Chris Magary
Origination Manager, CU Select
Chris joined myCUmortgage in September 2009 as a mortgage loan originator for CU Select following the acquisition of Select Mortgage Group. He was named to his current position in September 2013. Chris has a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Northern Kentucky University. NMLS ID# 9487