Nir Bashan

Nir Bashan is a top business speaker leading innovation for high performing leaders and individuals around the globe. As founder and CEO of The Creator Mindset® LLC, he helps organizations and leaders foster a culture of innovation with his groundbreaking creativity and problem-solving keynote speeches that supercharge business models to improve profitability, increase sales, and boost customer service.
He speaks at conferences and events on the creative potential in every single human being on earth. Nir Bashan speaks about creativity, innovation and problem solving at work, and regularly speaks to some of the most beloved brands on earth such as Rolex and Porsche and many, many more.
He has spent many years working in Hollywood, advertising agencies and writing best selling books on the topic. Nir’s biggest compliment comes from attendees using the items they learned about in the keynote immediately when they get back to work and for years after. He lives in Orlando with his family and two fluffy Bernedoodles named Waylon Jennings and Pee Paws (don’t ask).

Brittany M. Clark, Associate, Bankruptcy &
Restructuring Department
Lowenstein Sandler

Brittany Clark represents creditors’ committees, individual creditors, debtors, liquidating trustees, and other interested parties in complex Chapter 11 cases and related adversarial proceedings.
Brittany has represented or currently represents creditors’ committees in numerous Chapter 11 cases, including Royal Paper, H-Food Holdings (dba Hearthside Food Solutions), Nevada Copper, Nogin, Pegasus Home Fashions, Proterra (Liquidating Trust), Williams Industrial Services Group, Nielsen & Bainbridge (NBG Home), Benefytt Technologies, Tuesday Morning Corporation, Vital Pharmaceuticals (dba Bang Energy), Diocese of Camden, Roman Catholic Bishop of Oakland, and Franciscan Friars of California. She also represents dozens of defendants facing more than $100 million of preference claims in the Celsius Network crypto platform bankruptcy.
A former Lowenstein Summer Associate, Brittany previously interned for the Hon. Alan S. Trust, Chief Bankruptcy Judge in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of New York.
Brittany’s other noteworthy experience includes her work as a New York City Bar Diversity Fellow and law clerk at Citizens Financial Group, where she assisted in drafting proxy statements and made recommendations to the shareholder relationship committee on supermajority voting requirements, exclusive forums, and boardroom diversity.
While pursuing her J.D., Brittany was a member of her law school’s Bankruptcy Advocacy Clinic, where she supported indigent clients filing Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 petitions.

Amy Cook, CCE

McNaughton-McKay Electric Co.

Amy has been a credit/AR professional since 1999. She has a BA from Spring Arbor University in Management and Organizational Development and is currently a regional credit manager for McNaughton McKay Electric Company. Amy is actively serving as a board member for NACM Connect.

Diana Crowe, Regional Director
NACM Southwest

Diana Crowe of The PowerUp Mindset and Regional Director for NACM Southwest, creates an inspired and motivated learning environment to bring focused training for professionals looking to advance their careers, improve customer relationships (both internal and external), effectively communicate, and add to and improve their power skills! In addition to her over thirty years in a variety of corporate cultures, Diana holds a Bachelor’s in Organizational Management and, under her pen name, she has published several full-length novels and is a USA Today Best-Selling Author. She has been featured in podcasts and published articles in NACM Business Credit Magazine and Credit Research Foundation.

Thomas Fawkes, Partner
Tucker Ellis

Thomas Fawkes is a partner with the law firm of Tucker Ellis LLP in its Chicago office. Tom focuses his practice on bankruptcy, creditors’ rights, and financial restructuring matters, representing official committees, unsecured and secured creditors, debtors, financial institutions, post-confirmation trustees, and asset purchasers in chapter 11 and 7 bankruptcy cases, out-of-court restructurings, and liquidation proceedings throughout the United States. Tom also assists his clients in structuring commercial transactions with a view towards mitigating risk of future bankruptcy and insolvency losses. Among other honors, Tom has been recognized as an Illinois Leading Lawyer in Bankruptcy & Workout Law: Commercial, and by Chambers and Partners as one of the leading bankruptcy and restructuring attorneys in Illinois.

Matt Fluegge, Vice President of Sales and
Strategic Partnerships
United Tranzactions LLC

Matt Fluegge is the Vice President of Sales and Strategic Partnerships with United TranzActions (UTA), and prior to that, was an executive consultant with Worldpay. UTA is the nation’s largest check and ACH guarantee payments provider, and Worldpay is the world’s 2nd largest credit card processor. Matt is a 23-year industry veteran with considerable payment processing and credit card surcharging expertise. He has a Business Administration degree in Finance. In addition to being a national presenter on payment processing topics, Matt works one-on-one with B2B and B2C merchants to provide payment processing services that reduce risk and costs and improve security and operational efficiency.
At Uline, he leads a team responsible for reviewing the highest-risk customers and presents to executive management on a bi-weekly basis. He works with management to create new efficiencies for the department and helps develop the analytical skills of team members.

Paul Ott, CCE, Retired
U.S. Steel

After an initial assignment in Hourly Payroll, Paul began his career in credit as a Credit Analyst at Jones & Laughlin Steel, Pittsburgh, PA. Following J&L Steel, Paul’s career stops included credit management assignments at LTV Steel and Luria Brothers, Director of Credit assignments with Dietrich Industries (17 years) and Harbison Walker Refractories (6 years). Paul joined the Credit Department at United States Steel, in March 2009, eventually serving as General Manager – Treasury for U.S. Steel’s European Operations in Kosice, Slovakia (2011 – 2013).
Paul was named Director, Credit at U.S. Steel in February 2016.
Paul has been an active member of NACM for over 35 years including serving more than 25 years on the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Association of Credit Management. Paul has also participated in and served on the Board or Steering Committee of several NACM sponsored Trade Credit Groups including the National Refractories Credit Group, the National Building Materials Manufacturers Credit Group and the International Flat Rolled Steel Credit Group. Other affiliations and memberships include the International Credit and Trade Finance Association and The Credit Research Foundation.

Michael Papandrea, Counsel, Bankruptcy &
Restructuring Department
Lowenstein Sandler

Michael Papandrea provides counsel to debtors, creditors’ committees, individual creditors, liquidating trustees, and other interested parties with respect to corporate bankruptcy and creditors’ rights matters, including bankruptcy-related litigation. Reliable and efficient, Mike is appreciated for his innate ability to effectively apply and convey his understanding of the law and general business principles with respect to complex issues, both while providing advice to clients and while aggressively advocating on their behalf. Mike works tirelessly to understand clients’ needs and provide practical solutions that are reasonable, balanced, and favorable to the clients he serves.

Alec Papesch, Director of Strategic Partnerships
NCS Credit

Alec Papesch is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at NCS Credit, the industry’s only B2B full-service provider of Notice & Mechanic’s Lien, UCC Filing, and Commercial Collection services. Alec consults Credit Associations and Industry Trade Groups nationwide, providing expert guidance on the complexities of Construction Credit and the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). Alec specializes in demonstrating the advantages of secured transactions and leveraging technology to improve operational efficiency and strengthen financial reporting capabilities.

Brian Suthoff, Founder and President
Truverto

Brian Suthoff is the founder and President of Truverto. For small and midsize businesses that extend trade credit to their customers, Truverto provides credit information that saves time and protects privacy through integrated systems. Prior to Truverto, Brian’s passion to help businesses innovate using data motivated him to start other businesses. Tally Street provided thousands of accountants and SMBs with customer insights, and Localytics grew to a mobile engagement solution deployed on 2 billion devices. Brian has an MBA from The George Washington University and a Finance & Economics degree from Rockhurst University.

Where is Chapter 11 Headed
in 2026 and Beyond?

CRANBERRY I  |  November 12

9:45 — 11:00 A.M. CT

Brittany M. Clark, Associate, Bankruptcy &
Restructuring Department
Lowenstein Sandler

Brittany Clark represents creditors’ committees, individual creditors, debtors, liquidating trustees, and other interested parties in complex Chapter 11 cases and related adversarial proceedings.
Brittany has represented or currently represents creditors’ committees in numerous Chapter 11 cases, including Royal Paper, H-Food Holdings (dba Hearthside Food Solutions), Nevada Copper, Nogin, Pegasus Home Fashions, Proterra (Liquidating Trust), Williams Industrial Services Group, Nielsen & Bainbridge (NBG Home), Benefytt Technologies, Tuesday Morning Corporation, Vital Pharmaceuticals (dba Bang Energy), Diocese of Camden, Roman Catholic Bishop of Oakland, and Franciscan Friars of California. She also represents dozens of defendants facing more than $100 million of preference claims in the Celsius Network crypto platform bankruptcy.
A former Lowenstein Summer Associate, Brittany previously interned for the Hon. Alan S. Trust, Chief Bankruptcy Judge in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of New York.
Brittany’s other noteworthy experience includes her work as a New York City Bar Diversity Fellow and law clerk at Citizens Financial Group, where she assisted in drafting proxy statements and made recommendations to the shareholder relationship committee on supermajority voting requirements, exclusive forums, and boardroom diversity.
While pursuing her J.D., Brittany was a member of her law school’s Bankruptcy Advocacy Clinic, where she supported indigent clients filing Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 petitions.

AI Integration: A Panel
Discussion

CRANBERRY II  |  November 12

1:30 — 2:45 P.M. CT

Amy Cook, CCE

McNaughton-McKay Electric Co.

Amy has been a credit/AR professional since 1999. She has a BA from Spring Arbor University in Management and Organizational Development and is currently a regional credit manager for McNaughton McKay Electric Company. Amy is actively serving as a board member for NACM Connect.

Leading the Way: Qualities of
Effective Credit Leadership

CRANBERRY II  |  November 12

9:45 — 11:00 A.M. CT

Diana Crowe, Regional Director
NACM Southwest

Diana Crowe of The PowerUp Mindset and Regional Director for NACM Southwest, creates an inspired and motivated learning environment to bring focused training for professionals looking to advance their careers, improve customer relationships (both internal and external), effectively communicate, and add to and improve their power skills! In addition to her over thirty years in a variety of corporate cultures, Diana holds a Bachelor’s in Organizational Management and, under her pen name, she has published several full-length novels and is a USA Today Best-Selling Author. She has been featured in podcasts and published articles in NACM Business Credit Magazine and Credit Research Foundation.

Standby Letters of Credit Bootcamp

CRANBERRY II  |  November 12

3:15  — 4:30 P.M. CT

Thomas Fawkes, Partner
Tucker Ellis

Thomas Fawkes is a partner with the law firm of Tucker Ellis LLP in its Chicago office. Tom focuses his practice on bankruptcy, creditors’ rights, and financial restructuring matters, representing official committees, unsecured and secured creditors, debtors, financial institutions, post-confirmation trustees, and asset purchasers in chapter 11 and 7 bankruptcy cases, out-of-court restructurings, and liquidation proceedings throughout the United States. Tom also assists his clients in structuring commercial transactions with a view towards mitigating risk of future bankruptcy and insolvency losses. Among other honors, Tom has been recognized as an Illinois Leading Lawyer in Bankruptcy & Workout Law: Commercial, and by Chambers and Partners as one of the leading bankruptcy and restructuring attorneys in Illinois.

Regulations and Laws to Stay Compliant and Keep Costs Low: Payment Processing

CRANBERRY I  |  November 12

1:30 — 2:45 P.M. CT

Matt Fluegge, Vice President of Sales and
Strategic Partnerships
United Tranzactions LLC

Matt Fluegge is the Vice President of Sales and Strategic Partnerships with United TranzActions (UTA), and prior to that, was an executive consultant with Worldpay. UTA is the nation’s largest check and ACH guarantee payments provider, and Worldpay is the world’s 2nd largest credit card processor. Matt is a 23-year industry veteran with considerable payment processing and credit card surcharging expertise. He has a Business Administration degree in Finance. In addition to being a national presenter on payment processing topics, Matt works one-on-one with B2B and B2C merchants to provide payment processing services that reduce risk and costs and improve security and operational efficiency.
At Uline, he leads a team responsible for reviewing the highest-risk customers and presents to executive management on a bi-weekly basis. He works with management to create new efficiencies for the department and helps develop the analytical skills of team members.

Use Key Metrics and Dashboards to Align Teams and Boost Your Value

CRANBERRY I  |  November 12

3:15 — 4:30 P.M. CT

Brian Suthoff, Founder and President
Truverto

Brian Suthoff is the founder and President of Truverto. For small and midsize businesses that extend trade credit to their customers, Truverto provides credit information that saves time and protects privacy through integrated systems. Prior to Truverto, Brian’s passion to help businesses innovate using data motivated him to start other businesses. Tally Street provided thousands of accountants and SMBs with customer insights, and Localytics grew to a mobile engagement solution deployed on 2 billion devices. Brian has an MBA from The George Washington University and a Finance & Economics degree from Rockhurst University.