Our Speakers

 Bill Burke had a notable college football career as a quarterback for Michigan State University from 1995 to 1999. Bill worked his way into a starting role under 7X National Champion Head Coach Nick Saban with his most memorable season coming in 1999 when he led the Spartans to a 10-2 record that included a victory in the Citrus Bowl against Florida. He was known for his leadership, toughness, and ability to deliver in critical moments, highlighted by a school-record 400-yard game against Michigan and Tom Brady that helped solidify his legacy at MSU.

After his college football career, Bill transitioned into a successful business career that spanned two decades of diverse experience in sales and leadership. Today, he is a certified performance coach to executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders and shares his experience and knowledge through public speaking and high performance coaching. He is the host of “The Fortitude Forum” Podcast and founder of the BRKTHRU Collective community. 

Dr. TaRita Johnson serves as the Senior Vice President of Talent & Diversity at The Right Place, where she acts as a strategic connector between employers, educational institutions, workforce development organizations, and the State of Michigan. She leads the team responsible for regional talent attraction (via Hello West Michigan), sourcing, recruitment, and retention strategies.

Recognized in 2024 as one of Crain’s Grand Rapids Business Notable Black Leaders and a Notable West Michigan Leader in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Dr. Johnson develops collaborative partnerships across Greater Grand Rapids to strengthen the region’s talent pipeline.

She contributes her expertise on many boards, including Best & Brightest, Michigan Colleges Alliance, STEM Greenhouse, The Source, West Michigan Works, West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology, and the Truth’s Table Foundation. She also serves as an Elder at Lighthouse Full Life Center.

Before joining The Right Place in 2021, Dr. Johnson served as the Director of Calvin University’s Career Center and previously held roles including Adjunct Professor and Talent Acquisition Manager at Meijer, where she oversaw corporate recruiting across accounting and financial services, HR, technology, legal, properties, procurement, and real estate. Her earlier professional experience includes positions such as Vice President of Colleges & University Relations at KeyBank, Assistant Director of Admissions at Baldwin Wallace University, Enrollment Management Officer at Penn State University, Psychiatric Specialty Counselor at Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic, and Program Specialist for TRIO’s Educational Talent Search at Savannah State University.

Dr. Johnson holds a doctoral degree in higher education from Azusa Pacific University, a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Social Work from Miami University. She is the proud momma of two beautiful girls, ages 17 and 11.

 Chad Helminak brings two decades of leadership experience supporting purpose-driven organizations and leaders in the credit union industry. He has worked with notable organizations including CUES, the National Credit Union Foundation, TruStage, Filene Research Institute, and the Wisconsin Credit Union League. Chad facilitates experiential training for credit union leaders, leads boards and executive teams through strategic sessions, and drives growth in people, programs, and organizational capabilities.

Chad lives in Wisconsin with his family. Outside of work he enjoys playing guitar, running, basketball, and discovering new music from different cultures and eras.

 Christopher Lorence is a nationally recognized financial services industry leader, digital marketer, and speaker. With over twenty years of executive leadership experience, Christopher has expertise in marketing, strategic communications, brand building, and market share development. He's earned a reputation for being tenacious and resilient; he's also mentored and coached to help others cut through ambiguity and step into their creativity and capability. A witty and humorous storyteller, Christophers' philosophy of "be the bringer" has helped him lead and deliver results with transparency, candor, and authenticity.

As the former executive director of the nation's only initiative to increase brand awareness and consumer consideration for credit unions, Christopher built upon a foundational concept that ultimately delivered results beyond expectations, including an increase in market share and more than 16 million consumer visits per year to YourMoneyFurther.com.

 As the Director of Advisory Services at Filene, Caroline leads the Member Pulse initiative, focusing on advanced segmentation strategies for credit unions. She also manages the creation and standardization of presentation materials to ensure consistent messaging across the organization and contributes to Filene's thought leadership as a co-author of Thinking Forward, a monthly LinkedIn newsletter offering insights on industry trends.

With nearly 25 years in the credit union industry, Caroline’s previous roles include leading the consumer research program at Raddon, where she authored more than 20 research studies. She has also served as CFO at Clackamas Federal Credit Union and SVP of Marketing and Member Experience at Elements Financial. Her decision to join Filene was inspired by the organization’s commitment to helping credit unions thrive and better serve their members, aligning perfectly with her passion for driving meaningful innovation and member-focused solutions.

Caroline earned her bachelor’s degree from Emory University and her MBA from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business.

 Cortney aims to prepare credit unions for the next generation. She thrives on making human connections to understand what drives people and then helps guide them to act using research-based solutions. These connections, insights, and passion are the pillars that guide Cortney’s approach to leading Filene’s communities. With more than 15 years of experience in financial services, she has gleaned critical insights into ease-of-use, the importance of building relationships, and, most importantly, a knack for creative and transformational leadership development.

Cortney earned a BA in Communication Studies from California State University, Long Beach, and an MBA in Organizational Leadership from University of Massachusetts, Global. Cortney was selected as a GAC Crasher in 2016, which helped cement her commitment to the credit union movement. When she isn’t working or traveling, she enjoys camping, hiking, coffee, and watching Futurama, Fringe, or Bob’s Burgers with her kitties Francis and Milly.