Schedule
The Operations, Security & Technology Conference begins at 9 a.m. March 31, and concludes at 11:30 a.m. April 2.
Tuesday, March 31
| 8:30 a.m. |
Registration
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| 9 a.m. |
The 4Ls of Physical Security
Barry Thompson, Managing Partner | Thompson Consulting Group
Is that beautiful, flowering tree blocking sight lines to your entry? How long has that lightbulb been burnt out? This session reviews inexpensive and effective changes you can implement immediately to ensure the bank is safe and secure. Review exterior security concerns such as landscaping, lighting, location and locks. This session also reviews building design flaws and how to correct them. Discover why a night inspection program is essential and examine law enforcement’s best practices to protect financial institutions. |
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| 10 a.m. |
Refreshment Break
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| 10:15 a.m. |
First Amendment Auditors
J. Branch Walton, Consultant | Thompson Consulting Group
First Amendment auditors are individuals who attempt to enter and remain on city or public property to record your employees, officials and operations or to engage in other expressive conduct. They claim to be testing your knowledge of First Amendment rights and are well known for directly confronting and recording law enforcement officers on duty. Their goal is to record how your employees respond to their recording and to see if you violate their First Amendment rights by often engaging in verbal tactics to “rattle,” “bait,” “anger” or “surprise” your employee or official to illicit a “recordable response.” Any action taken by your employee to challenge or prevent them from recording may become grounds for a lawsuit, and the video often is placed on YouTube for public viewing. Learn common sense guidelines on how to properly respond to these frustrating and potentially volatile confrontations.
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| 11:15 a.m. |
Refreshment Break
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| 11:25 a.m. |
Current Cybercrime Trends
Matt Kenyon and Moises Diaz, Special Agents | FBI Kansas City Field Office
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| 12:15 p.m. |
Lunch
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| 1 p.m. |
Managing Security for Nonsecurity Professionals
Tim Keck, Partner and Vice President| SafeHaven Security Group
Are you responsible for safety and security but don’t have decades of safety and security experience? Sometimes in our jobs, we get the “other duties as assigned” and maybe for you, that involves safety and security. If you are not sure where to start, this training will provide you with resources and strategies you can use to immediately start keeping your people safe. |
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| 2 p.m. |
Break in Conference Trade Show
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| 2:15 p.m. |
Staying a Step Ahead: Real Scam Education Tactics from Real Financial Institutions
Moderator: Barry Thompson
Quentin McConkey, Security Officer | BTC Bank, Albany
Wade “Pee Wee” Bartels, President/CEO | Alliance Bank, Jackson
Too often, financial institutions make a single attempt to educate seniors or community groups about scams and when that first effort falls flat, the initiative is dropped with the familiar refrain: “We tried that, and it didn’t work.” However, successful scam education takes more than one try — it takes persistence, creativity and commitment. Discover how Missouri community banks built effective, sustainable programs to help account holders recognize and avoid fraud. Gain practical ideas you can adapt to fit your institution — no matter the size. |
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| 3:15 p.m. |
Internal Fraud: The Warning Signs
Barry Thompson, Managing Partner | Thompson Consulting Group
How prepared is your institution to detect and prevent internal theft and fraud? Embezzlement continues to be one of the most frequently reported Suspicious Activity Report events filed by financial institutions. This engaging session examines the behavioral red flags that often indicate internal fraud in progress. Learn the warning signs every staff member should recognize, how internal fraudsters conceal their activities and where stolen funds are commonly spent. Know when an institution should conduct an internal investigation versus engaging a certified fraud examiner. Gain a clearer understanding of how internal fraud works and how to stop it. |
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| 4:15 p.m. |
Reception & Vendor Networking
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Wednesday, April 1
| 7 a.m. |
Registration & Breakfast
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| 8 a.m. |
Welcome & Announcements
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| 8:15 a.m. |
Building Blocks: Breaking Down the Tokenized Money Landscape
Lee Wetherington, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy | Jack Henry & Associates
Dive into a lively, entertaining look at the landscape of tokenized digital money with Lee Wetherington as he explores stablecoins, tokenized deposits and deposit tokens (yes, there’s a difference between the last two). Discover their potential impacts on demand deposits and lending at banks and how tokenized money will affect the banking industry.
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| 9:15 a.m. |
Refreshment Break in Trade Show
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| 9:45 a.m. |
Think Like a Cybercriminal
Etay Maor, Chief Security Strategist | Cato Networks
We read about hacks and breaches daily, but what do we know about these cybercrime groups and how they conduct these attacks? This session dives into basic hacking techniques as Etay Maor demonstrates what types of tools hackers are using today. Examine the scope of these attacks and discuss best practices on how to protect yourself and your banks. Demonstrations will include a look into the dark web, hacking buildings social engineering tactics and more, including a live demo of how AI tools can be used by both threat actors and defenders. It is only once you understand how the attacker operates that you can defend against these attacks.
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| 10:45 a.m. |
Refreshment Break in Trade Show
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| 11 a.m. |
CISA/MO OHS Exercise — How CISA Can Help Your Bank
Robert Graham, CISSP, Cyber Security Advisor, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency | U.S. Department of Homeland Security
CISA works that “left-of-boom” approach to help your organization prepare for bad days by creating partnerships and offering free tools and resources to help organization make their systems more secure and resilient.
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| Noon |
Vendor Prize Announcement
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| 12:15 p.m. |
Lunch
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| 1:15 p.m. |
AI Ready: Preparing for The Future of the Financial Services Industry
Matt Sabo, Director | Wipfli Advisory LLC
Gartner predicts that by 2027, AI will touch all areas of the financial services industry, particularly front-line staff operations. It’s set to revolutionize work by automating routine tasks, providing personalized customer interaction and maximizing the value of your data with real-time analysis. To harness AI effectively, organizations must start with the right technology. Your bank needs to understand the industry changes, technology and technology partnerships that facilitate successful AI adoption. You also need to keep pace with changes in how data is searched, collected and used. Gain insights about the technology components necessary for successful AI implementation; how to evaluate the adequacy of core and cloud-provider offerings and when to consider adopting newer SaaS solutions.
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| 2:15 p.m. |
Refreshment Break
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| 2:30 p.m. |
Implementing Data Governance Successfully in Financial Institutions
David Fields, Partner | Wipfli Advisory LLC
Data governance is often confusing because it can be a self-defined term. Individuals often apply different meanings to the term, depending on their personal biases. Like any good business practice, effective data governance includes a set of best practices addressing how data are generated, curated, stored, used and disposed. These practices align with how data are used to address business objectives while securing data and meeting complying with regulations. Learn the necessary steps to implement data governance successfully, best practices for a data governance program in financial services, the types of software that aligns with each data governance best practice and measuring success of a data governance program.
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| 3:30 p.m. |
Refreshment Break
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| 3:45 p.m. |
Third-Party Risk Management in Less Than 40 Hours Per Year: Practical Vendor Management for Bankers
Jimmy Sawyers, Chairman | Sawyers & Jacobs
Sunsetting cores, banking as a service (BaaS) nightmares, fintech partnerships that require adult supervision and multiple technology investments and vendor relationships ... all must be managed to help the bank perform at a high level. These facts, combined with a need to satisfy your board, executive management and the regulators, make third-party risk management a sometimes overwhelming yet required task.
There are few solutions and no gimmicks. Buy a bloated vendor management system that must be fed constantly but produces no value? Include every vendor on the accounts payable listing? It’s time to stop the madness — there is a better way! Learn how to choose the right providers then manage the relationship effectively so your bank can leverage technology while improving operational efficiency and reducing your overall tech spend as a percentage of noninterest expense.
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| 4:45 p.m. |
Networking Reception
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Thursday, April 2
| 7 a.m. |
Breakfast
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| 8 a.m. |
Security, Privacy and Use Cases of Top AI Models
Cody Delzer, CISA, CDPSE, Principal Consultant | SBS CyberSecurity
Are you struggling to make sense of today’s generative AI platforms? You’re not alone. The rapid adoption of tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and DeepSeek raises urgent questions around data security, privacy and regulatory compliance. This session takes a comprehensive, unbiased look at these platforms and offers practical, actionable guidance for financial institutions. Learn key risks hidden in each platform’s terms and conditions and real-world use cases for AI platforms in the financial sector as you seek straightforward answers to the two questions every financial professional is asking — Are these AI tools safe to use? Can you trust them to protect your sensitive data? |
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| 9 a.m. |
Refreshment Break
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| 9:15 a.m. |
Is your Bank Overpaying for Underperformance? Evaluating Your IT Department
Rob Houser, Senior Strategic Account Advisor | Integris
What if we told you that neglecting your IT department is like leaving money on the table? Imagine the potential for growth and success if you understood how to leverage the power of technology to drive employee efficiency and customer satisfaction, without overpaying. Join our session to understand why partnering with your IT department is not just important, it’s essential.
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| 10:15 a.m. |
Refreshment Break
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| 10:30 a.m. |
Regulatory Panel: A Discussion on IT Exams and More
Invited panel members include representatives from FDIC, Federal Reserve Bank, Missouri Division of Finance and OCC
Now more than ever, it is critical to hear from both the state and federal banking regulatory agencies. Representatives will discuss current trends in operations and technology regulation, including internal controls and contingency planning. This session provides an opportunity to ask questions of various agencies and bring you up to date on regulatory issues.
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| 11:30 a.m. |
Adjourn
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