The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association has announced the results of the association’s September 2016 Business Council Steering Committee elections. The Business Council Steering Committees are the association’s primary constituent bodies and are an integral part of ELFA’s operations, providing critical input on the direction of the association and serving as a bridge between the membership and the Board of Directors and staff. Each committee analyzes the needs of companies in the segment it represents and recommends to the Board of Directors how to meet those needs. The committee members are elected by the Business Council membership for a term of two years on a staggered basis.

The following individuals will serve on the five committees in 2017. Asterisks indicate members who were newly elected or re-elected in the September 2016 elections. The ETAC Liaison are representatives from ELFA’s Emerging Talent Leadership Council.

The Captive and Vendor Finance Business Council Steering Committee represents financial services organizations that provide sales-assisted financing and vendor and manufacturer support activities, either on a third-party or captive basis.

• Michael Sweeney, EverBank Commercial Finance, Inc.* (Committee Chair)
• Andrew Blacklock, Cisco Systems Capital Corporation*
• Charles Carter, Volvo Financial Services Region the Americas*
• Todd Clegg, GE Capital
• RJ Grimshaw, UniFi Equipment Finance
• Dominic Janney, Canon Financial Services
• Michael Jones, CIT*
• Gene Karger, Toyota Commercial Finance*
• Sanjay Kumar, Cisco Systems Capital Corporation (Board Liaison)
• Keith Large, AGCO Finance
• Thomas Mariani, CNH Industrial Capital LLC*
• Chiara Medicina, Cisco Systems Capital Corporation (ETAC Liaison)
• Randy Montrose, Franklin Equipment, LLC*
• JP Nicoletta, GSG Financial LLC*
• John Okerson, Siemens Financial Services, Inc.
• Joel Van Vark, John Deere Financial
• Dan Waller, Wells Fargo Equipment Finance
• Gary Weiss, Pentax Medical

The Financial Institutions Business Council Steering Committee represents bank-related and other financial institutions (commercial banks, investment banks, and multi-line finance companies) engaged in the middle-market and large-ticket sectors.

• Michael Romanowski, Farm Credit Leasing Services Corporation* (Committee Chair)
• Peter Bullen, Key Equipment Finance*
• Jeffry Elliott, Huntington Equipment Finance
• John J. Evans, Bank of the West (Board Liaison)
• R. Timothy Evans, F.N.B. Equipment Finance
• David Farrell, Banc of America Leasing
• Nathan Gibbons, First American Equipment Finance, A City National Bank Company (ETAC Liaison)
• Joe Hines, SunTrust Equipment Finance & Leasing Corp*
• David Miele, Citizens Asset Finance, Inc.
• Eric Miller, CIT*
• Kirk Phillips, Wintrust Commercial Finance
• Ken Sullivan, TD Equipment Finance, Inc.*
• David Verkinderen, U.S. Bank Equipment Finance*
• Stephen White, Stonebriar Commercial Finance, LLC
• Mike Wiedemer, First American Equipment Finance, A City National Bank Company*
• Bonnie Wright, Wells Fargo Equipment Finance*

The Independent Middle Market Business Council Steering Committee represents non-bank-related organizations primarily involved in transactions between $250,000 and $5 million, either individually or through lines.

• Connie Eimers, Vision Financial Group, Inc. (Committee Chair)
• Michael Brigante, Nations Equipment Finance, LLC
• Malia K. Du Mont, Axis Capital, Inc.*
• Mark Duncan, Hitachi Capital America*
• Brian Eschmann, Trans Lease, Inc.
• Brian Fleming, FORT Capital Resources, LLC
• Don Hansen, Regents Capital Corporation*
• Willis Kleinjan, Northland Capital Equipment Finance*
• David Mirsky, Pacific Rim Capital, Inc. (Board Liaison)
• Nancy Pistorio, Madison Capital, LLC*
• Marci Slagle, VFI Corporate Finance*
• Carol Virgin, CHG-MERIDIAN USA Corp.*

The Service Providers Business Council Steering Committee represents organizations and firms providing a variety of related services to the members of the other four Business Councils. Associated company types include: accounting, collections, law, consulting, software, equipment management, university/government, executive recruiters, insurance, nonprofits/associations and publishers.

• Jeff Dicosola, Great American Insurance (Committee Chair)
• Donna Christensen, Corporation Service Company*
• Joe Collins, Orion First Financial, LLC
• Debbie Devassy, Askounis & Darcy, PC
• Jon Gerson, Executive Solutions for Leasing and Finance, Inc.*
• Jesse Johnson, LeaseTeam, Inc.*
• Martin Klotzman, Ivory Consulting Corporation (ETAC Liaison)
• Richard Lewis, JDR Solutions Inc.*
• Shari Lipski, ECS Financial Services, Inc.*
• Mark McClanahan, EDA (Equipment Data Associates)
• Vijay Negi, Genpact, LLC*
• Brittany Ogden, Quarles & Brady, LLP*
• Nathan Petrie, PayNet, Inc.*
• Bill Phelan, PayNet, Inc. (Board Liaison)
• Ross Taylor, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL*
• Mike Toglia, Equipment Finance Advisor
• Don Trost, NetSol Technologies
• David Wiener, The Alta Group*

The Small Ticket Business Council Steering Committee represents financial services organizations primarily involved in transactions under $250,000, either individually or through lines.

• David Normandin, Hanmi Bank (Committee Chair)*
• John Beard, LEAF Commercial Capital Inc.
• Quentin Cote, Mintaka Financial*
• Joseph T. (Tom) Ellis, U.S. Bank Equipment Finance*
• Michael Green, Dakota Financial, LLC
• Don Link, Hitachi Capital America Corp.*
• Zack Marsh, Mintaka Financial (ETAC Liaison)
• Bob Neagle, Ascentium Capital LLC (Board Liaison)*
• Mark Scardigli, Marlin Leasing Corp.
• Amy Spragg, Pacifica Capital*
• Shannon Stangl, DLL*
• John Vande Moore, ENGS Commercial Finance Co.*

The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) is the trade association that represents companies in the $1 trillion equipment finance sector, which includes financial services companies and manufacturers engaged in financing capital goods. ELFA members are the driving force behind the growth in the commercial equipment finance market and contribute to capital formation in the U.S. and abroad. Its 580 members include independent and captive leasing and finance companies, banks, financial services corporations, broker/packagers and investment banks, as well as manufacturers and service providers.