The ELFA Nominating Committee has named the following individuals to stand for election by the ELFA membership. If elected, all nominees will begin their term of service at the conclusion of the ELFA Annual Convention, Oct. 26. Each ELFA member company may cast one vote for each nominee. On Aug. 18, voting materials and instructions will be emailed to each member company’s key contact, who may then vote via confidential electronic ballot on the ELFA website. The voting will conclude Oct. 6 at 5 p.m. ET.
Bob Neagle
Chair-Elect
Most recently Bob was President and General Manager of the Merchant Finance Division of Ascentium Capital LLC. In this role, he was responsible for Ascentium Capital’s entry into the payments industry and the general direction of the business and its P&L. Over the past 30 years, Bob has held senior management roles with leading companies in the equipment finance industry. He began his career with TriContinental Leasing, later Bell Atlantic Capital, where he was SVP and COO of the commercial equipment finance group. He later joined AT&T Capital, where he was SVP of Marketing for the Business Finance unit, which provided SBA loans, conventional loans and small ticket leasing. In addition to his position on the ELFA Board, he served as a Trustee of the Equipment Leasing & Financing Foundation. Over the years, Bob has published articles in and served as a member of the Editorial Review board for the Foundation’s Journal of Equipment Leasing Financing. He is a Ph.D. graduate of Loyola University Chicago.
Robert Boyer
Vice Chair
Rob is currently President of First Commonwealth Equipment Finance, a division of First Commonwealth Bank. Most recently, he was Senior Director and Senior Vice President at TCF Capital Solutions, a division of TCF Bank. Prior to that, he was the President of BB&T Commercial Equipment Capital Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Branch Banking and Trust Company (BB&T), now Truist. Rob has held a variety of positions throughout his career, including Sales Executive, Syndications Manager, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Syndications and Executive Vice President. He has served as Treasurer of the ELFA Board and is a member of its Executive Committee. Previously, he chaired ELFA’s Membership Committee and Small Ticket Business Council Steering Committee. He also has served as a Director for the Certified Leasing and Finance Professional Foundation (CLFP). Rob has been working in the equipment finance industry since 1995. He holds a bachelor’s degree from LaSalle University and attended the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking.
James Cress
Vice Chair
James is the Vice President and General Manager of Stryker’s captive finance arm, Flex Financial. He joined the company in 2008 and is responsible for delivering financial solutions that make it easier for Stryker’s customers to reach their clinical and financial goals. Previously, James was Senior Vice President and Vendor Business Unit Director for eight years at National City Commercial Capital and he spent several years as a Vice President in Small Business Banking at US Bank. James has been an active member of ELFA since 2000 and most recently served as a Director on its Board. He is currently serving as the LeasePAC Chair Emeritus and is a Guest Lecturer at Michigan State University. James holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s in executive leadership and organizational change from Northern Kentucky University.
Debbie Devassy Babu
Director
Debbie is a shareholder at Askounis & Darcy PC, a Chicago law firm. After graduating from the University of Illinois College of Law, she assisted in prosecuting and defending numerous cases stemming from the NorVergence equipment leasing fraud. She has handled a number of cases involving complex fraud schemes and appeals that have affected the equipment finance industry. Debbie has been actively involved in the equipment finance industry since 2004. She concentrates her practice in complex commercial litigation, collections, bankruptcy litigation and appeals, representing clients nationwide. Currently a Co-Chairperson for ELFA’s Amicus Curiae Subcommittee, she also served as the past Chair of ELFA’s Service Providers Business Council Steering Committee. Debbie resides in Chicago with her husband and two children.
Jon Biorkman
Director
Jon serves as the President for Healthcare Financial Services, GE Healthcare (HFS). With employees in more than 20 countries, HFS provides flexible financing solutions for GE Healthcare’s global customers to improve their clinical, operational and financial outcomes. Since joining GE in 2007, Jon has held roles of increasing responsibility in Corporate Lending, Commercial Equipment Finance, Industrial Financing Solutions and HFS. Prior to GE, Jon began his career at Morgan Stanley. He currently serves on ELFA’s Captive and Vendor Finance Business Council Steering Committee and has participated in the Foundation’s past two Industry Future Councils. Jon holds an MBA from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and a BBA in Finance from Boise State University, where he and his wife were student-athletes.
Kathleen Canum
Director
Kathy serves as VP, Administration for Canon Financial Services (CFS). She oversees Accounting, IT, Operations, Asset Management, General Affairs, and Project Management. Kathy provides substantial strategic direction at the Mount Laurel, NJ based subsidiary of Canon USA. This includes M&A activities, system conversions and change management. She created a program to promote women in leadership. Thirty percent of CFS employees currently volunteer on four committees to assist in this endeavor. Actively engaged in ELFA, Kathy has served on the Captive and Vendor Finance Business Council Steering Committee and the ELFA Women’s Council. Kathy currently holds her CPA license and, over the years, has held her Series 7 and insurance licenses. In her quest to learn, she also obtained her MBA from Wharton.
Eric Gross
Director
Eric is the Chief Operating Officer of Dext Capital, an independent lessor focused on serving the medical and health and wellness sectors. Dext Capital was formed in 2019 and is now recognized as one of the top 25 independent leasing companies. Prior to joining Dext, Eric spent 11 years at Bank of the West, where he was a Senior Vice President and led the third-party servicing group that was responsible for the management of captive manufacturer portfolios that exceeded $3 billion. Before joining Bank of the West, Eric spent 20 years working in the lease and finance industry with Ford Motor Credit, ORIX Financial Services and Portfolio Financial Servicing Company. Eric has been a member of ELFA for over 20 years and chaired the Captive and Vendor Finance Business Council Steering Committee. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Washington State University.
Kirk Phillips
Director
Kirk is President and CEO of Wintrust Commercial Finance. His 30-year career includes positions at ITT Commercial Finance, Transamerica Equipment Financial Services and AIG Commercial Asset Finance. Kirk has spoken and moderated at ELFA, Marine Money International, Marine Money Offshore and Workboat conferences. He has chaired the Financial Institutions Business Council Steering Committee and served on ELFA’s Membership and Advocacy Committees and the Foundation’s Academic Outreach Committee. He has been a Guest Lecturer at, and sits on the Executive Advisory Board of, the Nelson Rusche College of Business at Stephen F. Austin State University and has been a strategic advisor to HEROMakers, a nonprofit providing support for orphans located in Latin America. He holds a BBA and MBA in Finance from SFA.
Michael Romanowski
Director
Mike is president of CoBank Farm Credit Leasing (FCL). In this role, he is responsible for the overall management of FCL and leading the leasing team in 13 regional offices across rural America. Mike has been active in ELFA, serving on the Equality Committee and as Chair of the Financial Institutions Business Council Steering Committee. He also served on the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation Board as Development Director. Mike also serves on the Board of the Mill City Farmers’ Market, which supports local, minority and immigrant farmers in Minnesota. He is also active with the Bank’s charity efforts on behalf of Children’s Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Northern Illinois University. He passed the CPA exam in Illinois in 1982.
Robert M. Wax
Director
Bob is the Founder and Co-President of Kingsbury Wax Bova (KWB) LLC, the preeminent executive search firm started over 40 years ago that specializes in recruiting executives in the leasing and finance Industry. His mastery of the equipment finance industry, its segmentations and its myriad go-to-market strategies has helped him build an outstanding track record and a loyal following as a trusted advisor and friend of the industry’s leaders. Based in Brookline, Massachusetts, Bob has chaired ELFA’s Service Providers Business Council Steering Committee. He also served as a Trustee of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation for nine years. Bob is Chairman of Project Education, Inc. a non-profit that runs and support Clay International Secondary School in Ngomano, Kenya. Before starting KWB, he was the managing partner of the Boston office of E.J. Rhodes Associates, Inc. Previously, he worked in the field of psychology.
Bruce Winter
Director
Bruce is Founder and President of FSG Capital, Inc., a 30-year-old independent middle market lender headquartered in Maryland. He currently is a member of ELFA’s Independent Business Council Steering Committee and serves as the IBCSC’s representative to LeasePAC. He also serves on the Foundation’s Academic Outreach Committee. He has held numerous leadership positions with industry trade associations since 1996 and served on the Executive Board of the EAEL, NEFA and the CLFP Foundation. Bruce serves on the Board of Directors of The Lutheran Church Extension Fund, a $2.2 billion nonprofit financial institution and was a founding shareholder and Regional Director for Revere Bank, which grew to over $3 billion in assets before its successful sale in early 2020. He holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Bob Neagle
Chair-Elect
Most recently Bob was President and General Manager of the Merchant Finance Division of Ascentium Capital LLC. In this role, he was responsible for Ascentium Capital’s entry into the payments industry and the general direction of the business and its P&L. Over the past 30 years, Bob has held senior management roles with leading companies in the equipment finance industry. He began his career with TriContinental Leasing, later Bell Atlantic Capital, where he was SVP and COO of the commercial equipment finance group. He later joined AT&T Capital, where he was SVP of Marketing for the Business Finance unit, which provided SBA loans, conventional loans and small ticket leasing. In addition to his position on the ELFA Board, he served as a Trustee of the Equipment Leasing & Financing Foundation. Over the years, Bob has published articles in and served as a member of the Editorial Review board for the Foundation’s Journal of Equipment Leasing Financing. He is a Ph.D. graduate of Loyola University Chicago.
Robert BoyerVice Chair
Rob is currently President of First Commonwealth Equipment Finance, a division of First Commonwealth Bank. Most recently, he was Senior Director and Senior Vice President at TCF Capital Solutions, a division of TCF Bank. Prior to that, he was the President of BB&T Commercial Equipment Capital Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Branch Banking and Trust Company (BB&T), now Truist. Rob has held a variety of positions throughout his career, including Sales Executive, Syndications Manager, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Syndications and Executive Vice President. He has served as Treasurer of the ELFA Board and is a member of its Executive Committee. Previously, he chaired ELFA’s Membership Committee and Small Ticket Business Council Steering Committee. He also has served as a Director for the Certified Leasing and Finance Professional Foundation (CLFP). Rob has been working in the equipment finance industry since 1995. He holds a bachelor’s degree from LaSalle University and attended the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking.
James CressVice Chair
James is the Vice President and General Manager of Stryker’s captive finance arm, Flex Financial. He joined the company in 2008 and is responsible for delivering financial solutions that make it easier for Stryker’s customers to reach their clinical and financial goals. Previously, James was Senior Vice President and Vendor Business Unit Director for eight years at National City Commercial Capital and he spent several years as a Vice President in Small Business Banking at US Bank. James has been an active member of ELFA since 2000 and most recently served as a Director on its Board. He is currently serving as the LeasePAC Chair Emeritus and is a Guest Lecturer at Michigan State University. James holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s in executive leadership and organizational change from Northern Kentucky University.
Debbie Devassy BabuDirector
Debbie is a shareholder at Askounis & Darcy PC, a Chicago law firm. After graduating from the University of Illinois College of Law, she assisted in prosecuting and defending numerous cases stemming from the NorVergence equipment leasing fraud. She has handled a number of cases involving complex fraud schemes and appeals that have affected the equipment finance industry. Debbie has been actively involved in the equipment finance industry since 2004. She concentrates her practice in complex commercial litigation, collections, bankruptcy litigation and appeals, representing clients nationwide. Currently a Co-Chairperson for ELFA’s Amicus Curiae Subcommittee, she also served as the past Chair of ELFA’s Service Providers Business Council Steering Committee. Debbie resides in Chicago with her husband and two children.
Jon BiorkmanDirector
Jon serves as the President for Healthcare Financial Services, GE Healthcare (HFS). With employees in more than 20 countries, HFS provides flexible financing solutions for GE Healthcare’s global customers to improve their clinical, operational and financial outcomes. Since joining GE in 2007, Jon has held roles of increasing responsibility in Corporate Lending, Commercial Equipment Finance, Industrial Financing Solutions and HFS. Prior to GE, Jon began his career at Morgan Stanley. He currently serves on ELFA’s Captive and Vendor Finance Business Council Steering Committee and has participated in the Foundation’s past two Industry Future Councils. Jon holds an MBA from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and a BBA in Finance from Boise State University, where he and his wife were student-athletes.
Kathleen CanumDirector
Kathy serves as VP, Administration for Canon Financial Services (CFS). She oversees Accounting, IT, Operations, Asset Management, General Affairs, and Project Management. Kathy provides substantial strategic direction at the Mount Laurel, NJ based subsidiary of Canon USA. This includes M&A activities, system conversions and change management. She created a program to promote women in leadership. Thirty percent of CFS employees currently volunteer on four committees to assist in this endeavor. Actively engaged in ELFA, Kathy has served on the Captive and Vendor Finance Business Council Steering Committee and the ELFA Women’s Council. Kathy currently holds her CPA license and, over the years, has held her Series 7 and insurance licenses. In her quest to learn, she also obtained her MBA from Wharton.
Eric GrossDirector
Eric is the Chief Operating Officer of Dext Capital, an independent lessor focused on serving the medical and health and wellness sectors. Dext Capital was formed in 2019 and is now recognized as one of the top 25 independent leasing companies. Prior to joining Dext, Eric spent 11 years at Bank of the West, where he was a Senior Vice President and led the third-party servicing group that was responsible for the management of captive manufacturer portfolios that exceeded $3 billion. Before joining Bank of the West, Eric spent 20 years working in the lease and finance industry with Ford Motor Credit, ORIX Financial Services and Portfolio Financial Servicing Company. Eric has been a member of ELFA for over 20 years and chaired the Captive and Vendor Finance Business Council Steering Committee. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Washington State University.
Kirk PhillipsDirector
Kirk is President and CEO of Wintrust Commercial Finance. His 30-year career includes positions at ITT Commercial Finance, Transamerica Equipment Financial Services and AIG Commercial Asset Finance. Kirk has spoken and moderated at ELFA, Marine Money International, Marine Money Offshore and Workboat conferences. He has chaired the Financial Institutions Business Council Steering Committee and served on ELFA’s Membership and Advocacy Committees and the Foundation’s Academic Outreach Committee. He has been a Guest Lecturer at, and sits on the Executive Advisory Board of, the Nelson Rusche College of Business at Stephen F. Austin State University and has been a strategic advisor to HEROMakers, a nonprofit providing support for orphans located in Latin America. He holds a BBA and MBA in Finance from SFA.
Michael RomanowskiDirector
Mike is president of CoBank Farm Credit Leasing (FCL). In this role, he is responsible for the overall management of FCL and leading the leasing team in 13 regional offices across rural America. Mike has been active in ELFA, serving on the Equality Committee and as Chair of the Financial Institutions Business Council Steering Committee. He also served on the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation Board as Development Director. Mike also serves on the Board of the Mill City Farmers’ Market, which supports local, minority and immigrant farmers in Minnesota. He is also active with the Bank’s charity efforts on behalf of Children’s Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Northern Illinois University. He passed the CPA exam in Illinois in 1982.
Robert M. Wax Director
Bob is the Founder and Co-President of Kingsbury Wax Bova (KWB) LLC, the preeminent executive search firm started over 40 years ago that specializes in recruiting executives in the leasing and finance Industry. His mastery of the equipment finance industry, its segmentations and its myriad go-to-market strategies has helped him build an outstanding track record and a loyal following as a trusted advisor and friend of the industry’s leaders. Based in Brookline, Massachusetts, Bob has chaired ELFA’s Service Providers Business Council Steering Committee. He also served as a Trustee of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation for nine years. Bob is Chairman of Project Education, Inc. a non-profit that runs and support Clay International Secondary School in Ngomano, Kenya. Before starting KWB, he was the managing partner of the Boston office of E.J. Rhodes Associates, Inc. Previously, he worked in the field of psychology.
Bruce WinterDirector
Bruce is Founder and President of FSG Capital, Inc., a 30-year-old independent middle market lender headquartered in Maryland. He currently is a member of ELFA’s Independent Business Council Steering Committee and serves as the IBCSC’s representative to LeasePAC. He also serves on the Foundation’s Academic Outreach Committee. He has held numerous leadership positions with industry trade associations since 1996 and served on the Executive Board of the EAEL, NEFA and the CLFP Foundation. Bruce serves on the Board of Directors of The Lutheran Church Extension Fund, a $2.2 billion nonprofit financial institution and was a founding shareholder and Regional Director for Revere Bank, which grew to over $3 billion in assets before its successful sale in early 2020. He holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Maryland, College Park.
2022 Officers
Michael DiCecco,Chair
Kris Snow, Immediate Past Chair
Bob Neagle, Chair-Elect
Rob Boyer, Vice Chair
James Cress, Vice Chair
Dan Krajewski, Treasurer
Ralph Petta, President and CEO
Paul Stilp, Secretary
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