Foundation Announces 2021 Board of Trustees
The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation Board of Trustees met virtually to elect 2021 officers, approve the 2021 budget, and set programming plans for the year ahead. Guided by strong leadership and invaluable expertise for over 30 years, the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation continues to be Your Eye on the Future.
We are pleased to announce the 2021 Officers and Trustees:
Chair: Scott Thacker, Ivory Consulting Corporation
Immediate Past Chair: Jeffry Elliott, Huntington Equipment Finance
Vice Chair: Nancy Pistorio, Madison Capital LLC
Secretary/Treasurer: Zack Marsh, Orion First Financial
President: Ralph Petta, Equipment Leasing and Finance Association
Jeff Berg
Katie Emmel
Chris Enbom
Valerie Gerard
Miles Herman
James Johnson, Ph.D
Shari Lipski*
Brian Madison
Bonnie Michael
Michael Romanowski
William Tefft*
Thomas Ware
Bonnie Wright*
Donna Yanuzzi
*New Trustees
Get to Know Zack Marsh
Foundation Academic Outreach Committee Chair
As part of the Foundation’s efforts to engage academics and industry experts, the Academic Outreach Committee was formed. Leading the Committee is Chair Zack Marsh, Chief Financial Officer, Orion First Financial, LLC. The following is an interview delving into Marsh’s evolution within the Foundation, providing insight into some of the priorities for the Committee as we embark upon the new year.Why did you initially become involved with the Foundation, and how has your engagement evolved?
I began my involvement with the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) through the Emerging Talent Advisory Council (ETAC). That experience with ETAC, and the awesome collection of rockstars I was fortunate to meet and collaborate with, fueled a desire to stay involved when my Council term reached an end. I had already fixed my eye on the Foundation, and fortunately, the opportunity to join the Board of Trustees was availed to me. So far, it has been a fun journey and a really cool experience to see us launch the Scholarship Program in 2020.What impact on the industry does the Academic Outreach Committee have?
You’ve likely heard the saying when talking to other industry professionals; it goes something like, “I just stumbled into this space.” We want to be more strategic about driving interest in the industry and engage early and often with academics to make them aware of all the great things this industry does and supports. The Academic Outreach Committee was created to focus specifically on that academic realm. Today, it supports the Guest Lecture and Scholarship Programs, providing the tools and resources to elevate those efforts’ awareness, ultimately promoting the equipment finance industry and attracting the next generation of leaders.What are your 2021 goals for the Academic Outreach Committee?
In 2020 we launched the Scholarship Program, something new and really impactful. As we move into 2021, we intend to support and build upon that program. We also learned in 2020 that the Guest Lecture Program can be just as powerful given remotely to in-person. So in 2021, enhancing the toolset we developed for members to provide lectures from their home to a more widespread audience will be a focus.I look forward to engaging more members over the next year to help us expand the Foundation’s Academic Outreach efforts. You can learn more about our programs and resources, specifically for academics and researchers, at www.leasefoundation.org/academic-programs/home/.
Editor’s Note: This article was submitted before Zack Marsh was elected to serve as Foundation Secretary/Treasurer. We thank Zack for his leadership in helping to launch the scholarship program in 2020 and setting academic outreach goals for 2021. A new Academic Outreach Committee Chair will be named for 2021.
