Patrick La Pine

Patrick La Pine serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates, a leading trade association representing the interests of 342 credit unions in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia and more than 10.1 million credit union members. LSCU & Affiliates was formed in 2009 through the consolidation of the Alabama and Florida Credit Union Leagues. It provides advocacy, compliance support, education, and information with other relevant services and business solutions to support credit unions. Before joining the LSCU & Affiliates in 2009 as its first President and CEO, Patrick worked for the Michigan Credit Union League for more than 10 years, rising to the level of Executive Vice President of Association Services. Prior to that, he worked for both the Michigan House of Representatives and the United States Senate.

Blake Westbrook

Blake Westbrook has been a member of the League of Southeastern Credit Unions’ advocacy team since 2011 and currently serves as the Director of Political Action & Grassroots His responsibilities include raising PAC funds for ACULAC, Georgia CUPAC and LSCU FEDPAC as well developing grassroots programs that will allow credit unions to have a greater impact on financial service issues in Montgomery, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. Prior to joining the League, Blake served as the campaign scheduler for the Sparks for Governor campaign, and later as the campaign finance director for Congressman Bobby Bright’s re-election campaign in 2010. Blake holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama in Political Science and History and a Master’s of Public Administration from Jacksonville State University.

Jeff Poor

Jeff Poor is the editor of Breitbart News’ media vertical, Breitbart TV, and a conservative opinion-maker throughout the state of Alabama. At Breitbart TV’s helm, Poor manages a team of reporters to monitor and deliver highlights from radio and television news. He also serves as Breitbart’s political correspondent for the state of Alabama and its neighbors.

Poor is a regular contributor to Yellowhammer News, a Montgomery, Ala.-based, conservative news outlet, and a political columnist for Lagniappe, Mobile, Ala.’s alternative weekly newspaper.

Boasting more than a decade of experience reporting on politics and the news media, Poor previously reported from Washington, D.C. for The Daily Caller and the Media Research Center.

Jeff grew up in Birmingham and holds a Building Science degree from Auburn University and a journalism degree from The University of South Alabama.

Allison Allen

Allison Allen is the Sr. Director of Governmental Affairs for LSCU & Affiliates. She previously served as Senior Government Affairs Associate for the Arizona Public Service Company (APS), Legislative Director under former Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, and Vice President of Government Relations for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce. Allison is an Alabama native and based out of Birmingham.

Steve Windom

Steve Windom was Alabama’s first Republican Lieutenant Governor since Reconstruction, winning election when the candidate at the top of his ticket was losing by 16 points. This was after nine years in the Senate – primarily in the 1990s – where he guided legislation to reform the state’s consumer finance code and served as the point person on tort reform issues.

As Lieutenant Governor, he finished the job on tort reform and championed a law that would provide reconstructive surgeries for women with breast cancer on Medicaid. Upon leaving office, he formed his own lobbying operation, Steve Windom, LLC, which now operates as Windom, Galliher and Associates.

The facts are impressive enough, but the things below the first layer are what make him Steve Windom. Ultimately, Steve is a grinder. For him, there’s always one more legislator’s office to stop by, one more phone call to make, just one more stone to turn over. If Steve leaves the State House before the legislative work is done for the day, then clearly a stretcher must have been involved. The reality is that he’s never left before adjournment because he knows while strategy is imperative, tactical opportunities to gain an advantage for your client only reveal themselves when you are on the scene until the final horn.

Steve, who holds undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Alabama, is married to Judge Mary Becker Windom, the presiding judge of the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. He is the father to two sons, Robert and Thomas (both attorneys like their father – one in California, one in DC), but more importantly he is grandfather to Lily, Tyler, Claire and Colleen. He loves his dogs, vintage automobiles and boats with the same passion he has in working for his clients.

Grace Newcombe

Grace Newcombe joined the League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates last year as the Senior Director of Federal Advocacy and Communications, where she serves credit unions in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Grace came to the League after serving as the Director of Communications and Governmental Relations for the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office. She graduated with a degree in Political Science and English from the University of South Alabama, where she also served as President of the Student Body.

John McKechnie

John McKechnie serves as Senior Partner for Total Spectrum, having been with the firm since 2011. In this role, McKechnie represents a wide variety of credit union and financial services providers on Capitol Hill. This follows five years in government as a Presidential appointee at the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), where he served three Chairmen in the capacity of Director of Public and Congressional Affairs. McKechnie’s career in the credit union industry began in 1987 as the director of political affairs with the Credit Union National Association. That was the first of many advocacy roles filled by McKechnie—his time with America's Credit Unions culminated in a four-year stint as America's Credit Unions’s chief federal lobbyist, heading up its entire federal legislative and political advocacy programs.

Among the highlights of his tenure at America's Credit Unions was his role in creating the nationwide grassroots campaign that created the momentum for passage of the landmark 1998 credit union membership legislation. McKechnie is also recognized for his work in passing bankruptcy abuse prevention legislation in 2005, and for propelling America's Credit Unions into the front ranks of Washington’s advocacy groups. He was named by The Hill newspaper as one of the Top 30 trade association lobbyists, and represented America's Credit Unions on a C-Span broadcast on the behind-the-scenes story of federal lobbying.

He left the private sector in 2006 when he became a Presidential appointee to the National Credit Union Administration. As Director of Public and Congressional Affairs for NCUA, McKechnie was responsible for media and congressional relations for this federal financial regulator during the recent economic dislocation. He was instrumental in the formulation and passage of the Corporate Stabilization Fund, the key legislation that enabled the credit union industry’s federal insurance fund to remain solvent and stable. McKechnie also was the day-to-day manager of a multi-media campaign that helped elevate the profile of NCUA during a time of heightened anxiety regarding the financial services industry.

During the Congressional action formulating the landmark Dodd-Frank legislation, McKechnie acted as the Agency’s principal liaison and was tasked with emphasizing the importance of carving out a separate regulatory regime for credit unions in recognition of their unique structure and role in the marketplace.

Prior to joining the Credit Union National Association, McKechnie served as a congressional aide to Representative Stan Parris (R-VA), and as campaign aide for a number of gubernatorial and legislative campaigns throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

McKechnie is a frequent speaker at conferences and financial institution planning sessions and is a contributor to national publications such as Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, Credit Union Journal and Credit Union Times.

More recently, the Credit Union Times recognized McKechnie as one of the “CUTimes25,” a ranking of credit union movement leaders who have been most influential over the past quarter century.

He is a 1983 graduate of Loyola College in Maryland, and resides in Bethesda, Maryland.

Lloyd Moore

Lloyd Moore is an accomplished credit union regulator and supervisor having served with the Credit Union Administration for over 26 years. He has served as assistant administrator for the Credit Union Administration for over 12 years and served as interim administrator during a transition period in 2014. Lloyd has served under five different administrators and has overseen or participated in examinations of over 102 credit unions. Prior to his time with the ACUA, Lloyd served as an internal auditor for First Alabama Bankshares and Colonial BancGroup, and an auditor with the National Credit Union Administration. He is a graduate of Auburn University with a B.S. in Finance.

David Pace

David Pace is the Manager of Regulatory Advocacy. He graduated in 2020 from Georgia State University with a bachelor’s in finance. He spent 2 years working in the risk management department of Associated Credit Union and spent a year as a FinTech examiner for the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance where he examined virtual currency companies and money service businesses.

Representative Chris Blackshear

Chris is a native of Phenix City, Alabama has represented District 80 since February 2, 2016 and serves as the Chairman of the Financial Services Committee. He also serves on the County and Municipal Government, Urban and Rural Development and Internal Affairs Committees.

Blackshear has served in the community most of his life, as a past board member of the Phenix City Boys and Girls Club, past President of the Central High School Football Booster Club and past member of the Chattahoochee Valley Community College Foundation Board.

In 2014, Blackshear was named as one of the “Five under 40” by Columbus and the Valley Magazine, which recognizes the top up and coming leaders in the Chattahoochee Valley area. Blackshear has also been nominated as the Community Member of the Year five times, and Volunteer of the Year three times by the Phenix City Educational Foundation.

Blackshear resides in Phenix City and has one daughter, Katelyn who is a senior at Glenwood School in Phenix City.

Mac McCutcheon

Mac McCutcheon was elected by his colleagues as the Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives in August of 2016. He first ran for the Alabama House in 2006 and serves House District 25 which encompasses the communities of Madison City, Huntsville, Capshaw, Monrovia and East Limestone. He is a native of Madison County and lives in Monrovia.

McCutcheon serves as Chairman of the Joint Transportation Committee as well as on the Advisory Boards for the Department of Senior Services and the Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program (ATRIP).

McCutcheon is a United States Army Veteran and was a farmer and an associate pastor. He spent 25-years with the Huntsville Police Department in fields ranging from hostage negotiation to serving as a probation officer before his retirement. He is a member of the American Legion, Fraternal Order of Police, Alabama Peace Officers, North Alabama Emmaus Community, Tennessee Valley Smallmouth Bass Club and City of Madison Chamber of Commerce.

McCutcheon holds an A.S. Degree in Criminal Justice from Calhoun Community College and a B.S. Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Trinity University.

McCutcheon and his wife Debbie are the parents of two children and the proud grandparents of a granddaughter and a grandson. They are members of College Park Church of God in Huntsville.

In his free time, McCutcheon enjoys fishing, camping, golf, spending time with his family, and traveling with his wife.

Todd Stacy

Todd Stacy is the Publisher of the Alabama Daily News and host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television. He has worked in and around Alabama politics for 20 years, from the State House in Montgomery to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. His Daily News morning Daily News email is a "must read" for Alabama politicians and policymakers in Montgomery and Washington. Todd hails from Prattville, Alabama and graduated from Auburn University.

Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth

Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth, husband to Kendall and father to Hunter, Hays, and Addie, is a farmer and small business owner from Marshall County.

Prior to entering public service, he worked as a youth pastor at Albertville’s Grace Fellowship Church.

A co-founder of Dream Ranch and the Tennessee Valley Hunting and Fishing Expo, he currently owns Ainsworth Real Estate and Ainsworth Homes, which specialize in residential real estate construction and development. Ainsworth also owns a commercial Hereford and purebred Brahman cattle operation in Guntersville.

In 2014, Ainsworth felt the call to serve his community through elected office and won a seat in the Alabama House of Representatives. While serving in the House, he was a champion for public education, passed election integrity legislation, supported pro-business measures, and was active on issues affecting agriculture and protecting family values.

Keeping a self-imposed legislative term limit promise, Ainsworth declared his candidacy for lieutenant governor in 2018 and received the most votes of any candidate for constitutional office on the general election ballot.

Through the work of the Lieutenant Governor’s Commission on a 21st Century Workforce, he has focused on improving workforce development so that Alabamians may fill and retain long-lasting, well-paying, 21st Century jobs. His efforts have helped Alabama become the ‘Workforce Engine of the Southeast.”

Ainsworth, who is committed to providing quality public education to Alabama’s schoolchildren, is a strong supporter of the state’s nationally recognized “First Class” Pre-K program.

As chairman of the Alabama Small Business Commission, and through work with national business leaders, Ainsworth promotes policies that allow both new and existing businesses – ranging from small, mom-and-pop operations to Alabama’s largest employers – to grow and expand.

Ainsworth also serves as chairman of the Alabama Military Stability Commission, which works to ensure Alabama remains the most military and veteran-friendly state in the country. As a result of his efforts, Ainsworth received the Pete Taylor Award from the U.S. Department of Defense for his work on behalf of military members and their families.

He was elected to serve as national chairman of the Aerospace States Association, which brings together aviation and aerospace interests from across the nation in order to provide networking opportunities, grow jobs, and expand economic development.

Break Sponsor

Legislative Reception Sponsor

Break Sponsor

Breakfast Sponsor

Lunch Sponsor

Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center
201 Tallapoosa Street
Montgomery, AL 36104
(334) 481-5000

Marriott Central Reservation Phone Number (to book hotel room via phone) 1-800-468-3571

Room Rates: $174 per night Hotel
Cut-off date: January 24, 2022 (you will not be able to book at our discounted rate after January 24, 2022).

Room Reservation