About ATPC

The ATPC fosters a bespoke payments processing community that allows member companies, sponsors, and legislators to engage directly in curated programing.

WHAT WE DO

LOCK

Protect

Leading advocacy efforts that further the interests of payments processors throughout federal and state governments, leveraging a “hub-and-spoke” approach (our members have facilities and people all over the country) to ensure the industry’s voice is heard.

MEGAPHONE

Promote

Driving thought leadership about how payments industry innovation empowers small businesses, drives consumer financial inclusion, and maintains the rails supporting the critical infrastructure of America’s economy.

COIN

Preserve

Ensuring industry longevity and vibrancy by expanding the talent pipeline, offering educational programs, and securing investment and tax incentives at the state and local level.

WHAT WE ARE

WHO IS ATPC

The ATPC was created because the payments processing industry didn’t have or was unable to use its voice on Capitol Hill during Dodd Frank ideation and passage. A fledgling payments processing trade association idea was validated by legislators who said they didn’t know about, understand, or hear from the industry. That’s because the American payments processing industry traditionally kept their head down in the legislative foxhole.

The ATPC was built on the premise that existing organizations weren’t doing enough on their own at the time to elevate the industry’s visibility and thought leadership in impactful ways. In 2013 it was clear there was need for an organization like the ATPC who would provide a unique form of advocacy tailored to the needs of the processing community.

The ATPC was able to fill the trade association gap that existed by leveraging nearly 300 years of combined senior leadership experience starting by building Georgia delegation champions, then leveraging a hub-and-spoke model to pull in additional legislators across the U.S. Congress.

ATPC Event

This approach allowed the ATPC to exponentially expand relationships to elevate awareness of the industry and its impact in home districts and key hubs and to become the go-to educational resource on legislation and regulation.

At the same time, we work at the state level to ward off bad policy, educate the next generation of legislators, and build champions who could influence their D.C. colleagues. The ATPC learned quickly that our member companies needed economic development help in the form of investment and workforce development and have secured relocation and infrastructure incentives and collaborated on workforce development programs.

The ATPC also helps overcome industry talent issues through our Future Leaders and upcoming Pay it Forward initiatives.

OUR HERITAGE

WE GREW FROM TRANSACTION ALLEY TO SUPPORTING ALL OF AMERICA

The ATPC has been a payments processing industry force since its founding in 2014, intentionally promoting, protecting, and preserving the interests of the industry through government relations and public affairs. And we’ve taken a very measured approach to building credibility on Capitol Hill, state legislative bodies across the country, and in Georgia’s “Transaction Alley” (a term our organization coined and is now recognized internationally throughout the payments and fintech industry).

Our approach includes building unique platforms to accomplish key outcomes that benefit the industry and to drive force multiplier results.

The Capital

OUR INFLUENCE

SUCCESSFUL PLATFORMS & SPHERES OF INFLUENCE INCLUDE:

Peachpay

PEACH PAY

Partnered with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta to create the Fintech & Payments Industry Forum that convenes experts across both the public and private sector to discuss what is trending in the ecosystem including innovation to regulatory initiatives, and financial inclusion.

Fintech Atlanta

FINTECH ATLANTA

Partnered with TAG and the Metro Atlanta Chamber to create the largest industry led economic development platform promoting “Transaction Alley” as a Fintech Capital

p20

P20

Developed a first of its kind annual transatlantic payments thought leadership forum for the top industry leaders to meet and share perspectives with U.S. and U.K. legislators and regulators; the event covered industry challenges and how best to promote US/UK and EU regulatory frameworks across the globe against the backdrop of a rising China.

Georgia FIntech Academy

Georgia Fintech Academy

Worked with the University System of Georgia to develop the world’s first talent development initiative giving learners the specialized educational experiences needed to enter the fintech sector regardless of where they live in the state or the college in which they enroll. Nearly 5,000 students enrolled in Academy courses since 2019, and more than 800 of these experienced a fintech project with an industry employer.

ATPC Cyber Council

Cyber Council

ATPC created the first platform for leading payments industry CISO’s to share and collaborate on best practices and to become better informed on regulatory and legislative dynamics. Council members routinely educate Congress and Federal Agencies about the industry’s role as critical infrastructure to the U.S. economy and the challenges that it faces, and the council is an active member of the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council. This council works directly with the Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies to enhance the financial services industry’s resiliency and protects and secures the nation’s critical infrastructure from cyber and physical incidents.

Our Leadership

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Barry McCarthy
Board Chair
President & CEO, Deluxe

Barry McCarthy was named President and CEO of Deluxe in November 2018. Barry is also a member of our Board of Directors. Prior to joining Deluxe, Barry spent 14 years at First Data Corporation, where he served in a variety of senior executive positions, most recently Executive Vice President and Head of Network and Security Solutions, a $1.5 billion publicly reported segment of the company. Barry is an accomplished executive and financial technology leader with an extensive track record of developing and building tech-driven solutions for financial institutions and small businesses. His strong background in product development, sales, marketing and technology innovation have supported the significant growth of companies from a Silicon Valley start-up, to major divisions of global Fortune 250 organizations.

Barry earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and attended the University of Illinois.

Dave Schneider
David Schneider
Board Vice Chair
President and CEO of PULSE, Discover

David Schneider is President of PULSE, a Discover Financial Services company headquartered in Houston, Texas. PULSE is one of the nation’s leading debit/ATM networks. Financial institutions, merchants, processors and ATM deployers across the United States and around the world depend on PULSE’s comprehensive suite of products and services and its commitment to providing exceptional client service, flexibility, security and superior economics. PULSE also is a resource for debit education, research and knowledge drawn from more than three decades of industry experience.

Schneider also serves as a Senior Vice President of Discover and is a member of Discover’s Management Committee. He is responsible for managing PULSE, and for evaluating debit growth opportunities.

Before joining PULSE in September 2000, Schneider was a partner in the Houston law office of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., practicing in the Corporation, Banking and Business Department.

Schneider has a B.A. in economics, summa cum laude, from Tulane University and a J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center.

Seamus Smith
Board Treasurer
EVP, Group President, FIS

Global head of FIS market leading Accounts Receivable/Accounts Payable/B2B payments & value added services business. Leading great teams serving financial institutions and businesses around the world, helping them move and manage money smartly and securely.

Experienced global business leader with a successful track record in #payments #fintech sectors. Led businesses in Global multi-nationals as well as FTSE 250. Strong focus on strategy, M&A, execution & colleague engagement. Regulatory and Compliance credentials. MBA in International Business from Henley Management College. Named in 2018 Financial Times global top 50 ‘Male champions of Women in business’.

Crista Dracos
Crista Dracos
Board Governance Director
SVP, Head of Enterprise Risk & Compliance, ACI Worldwide

Crista leads the Enterprise Risk Management & Compliance organization for ACI Worldwide, a global provider of digital and real-time payments and banking solutions. Directed the uplift of enterprise risk and compliance programs, processes and supporting teams; instituted enhanced risk and governance processes, resulting in improved risk management capabilities, reporting and awareness.

Financial services professional with deep experience in compliance process design and risk management, and banking operations, with a focus on the design, development and implementation of commercially focused compliance and risk management programs.

Experienced leading teams focused on compliance and business risk management, governance, control program development, and compliance monitoring and assurance, information security, audit and business process development.

Extensive experience designing compliance programs for BSA, AML & CTF, HIPAA, CFPB-Dodd Frank, PCI DSS, Federal Reserve Regulations, Sarbanes-Oxley, FDCPA, UDAAP, information security, risk assessment, and forensic fraud investigations.

Chiro Headshot
Chiro Aikat
Board Member
EVP, US Market Acceptance, Mastercard

Chiro Aikat is executive vice president of U.S. market development for Mastercard and a member of the company’s management committee. In this role, he leads a team focused on advancing commercial and strategic efforts with key acceptance partners across the country, including merchants, acquirers and processors.

He also has oversight of the commercial center of excellence and public sector engagement in the U.S., while helping to cultivate relationships with merchants operating across multiple regions.

Throughout his two decades at Mastercard, Chiro has played an integral role in helping all customers implement a wide range of products and programs across the U.S. market. Prior to this role, he led the development and management of the company’s priority initiatives in North America, such as Mastercard Installments/buy now pay later, open banking, account-to-account payments, and bill pay, ensuring continued value delivered to merchants, financial institutions and consumers.

He has also helped lead a team that co-created and customized solutions for some of the largest issuers across the globe. Earlier in his career, he was part of the leadership effort to migrate the U.S. market to the EMV chip standard, as well as the introduction of contactless payments in North America.

Chiro holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Saint Louis University.

Tom-Bell
Tom Bell
Board Member
CEO and Co-Founder, Maast

 

Experienced executive with a demonstrated history of working in the technology and services industry. Skilled in IT Strategy, Business Transformation, Corporate Development, Payments, and Mergers & Acquisitions. Strong business development professional with a B.S. focused in Finance from Auburn University.

Brault
Adam Brault
Board Member
SVP, Financial Services, InComm

Adam Brault joined InComm in 2018 and leads the company’s financial services businesses, overseeing product development and management, marketing, acquisition, and issuer and payment association management for all open-loop prepaid, general purpose reloadable and digital banking products. In addition, Adam has responsibility for InComm’s e-commerce and alternative payments businesses and regional responsibility for the Asia-Pacific region. Prior to joining InComm, Adam held several positions of increasing responsibility at American Express, most recently managing business operations and strategy for the company’s Prepaid & Alternative Payments business.

Adam holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and currently resides in Atlanta, GA.

Wally Mlynarski
Board Member
Head of Merchant Solutions, Bank of America

Wally Mlynarski leads Merchant Solutions at Bank of America.

Prior to his current role, Wally Mlynarski was the Chief Product Officer at Elavon leading Global Product and Innovation with a focus on delivering market leading payment and commerce solutions to markets in North America and across Europe. Before this leadership role Wally headed up the Mobile and Omni Commerce division at Elavon, Inc. providing mobile payment acceptance, mobile payment and supporting commerce solutions to the market for merchants and partners globally. He launched The Grove at Elavon, an innovation center focused on harvesting innovation in and around payments to help merchants grow their business. He has experience in developing, delivering, and supporting industry leading mobile and enterprise product portfolios.

Prior to Elavon, Wally worked for CorFire, the mobile commerce business unit of SK C&C USA, a global pioneer of mobile commerce solutions, providing mobile commerce enabling solutions for various companies throughout the ecosystem including major OEMs, top Acquirers, prepaid providers, major domestic and global MNOs, large Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) and other major merchant brands.

Throughout his career, Wally has worked with numerous providers to establish relationships for partnership or collaboration including POS and Merchant Solution Providers, Payment Processors, MNOs, Consortiums and other Mobile Commerce Technology Enablers in North America and Europe. Wally also has extensive experience working in the mobile and telecom space at Nokia preceding his role at CorFire.

Rob Morris
Rob Morris
Board Member and Past Board Chair (2023)
SVP, Business Development, Fiserv

As SVP of Business Development, Rob is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with key industry channel partners. Before joining Fiserv, Rob was the Senior Vice President of Client Development for Citi Cards from 2007 to 2009. His responsibilities incorporated the full scope of general management for Specialty Retail portfolios within the partnership group. This encompassed both co-brand and private label products for P&L, marketing, risk management, pricing, customer service and partnership relationships for the portfolios. Customers included Staples, Dell, The Children’s Place, J.Jill, and Fred Meyer.

From 2004 to 2007, Rob served as the Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Co-brand relationships for U.S. Bank—the fourth largest bank in the nation—and was responsible for the end-to-end management of the Co-Brand Division. This included P&L accountability, product management, marketing and partner relationships. Partners included Northwest Airlines, Harley-Davidson, Gymboree, Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) and Korean Airlines. The division represented $400 million in Customer Net Revenue, approximately $25 billion in purchase volume, and $3.5 billion in assets. Prior to his role at U.S. Bank, Rob held a variety of senior management positions at American Express, Bank of America, MasterCard, and Infospace.

Rob holds a B.S. in Accounting from Illinois State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix.

Alexander Paull
Alexander Paull
Board Member
Vice President, American Express

Alex, Vice President, is responsible for growing small merchant coverage for American Express in the U.S. through OptBlue and Payment Facilitator partnerships.

Dr. Johnson Rajakumar
Johnson Rajakumar
Board Member
EVP & Chief Digital Transformation Officer at NCR VOYIX

Currently, I serve as Chief Transformation Officer for NCR VOYIX.

As an executive information technology leader, I have gained 25+ years of experience developing and executing strategies to help organizations achieve new levels of growth and success. Through a deep understanding of global technology needs, I have led organizations to optimize information technology and cybersecurity as well as drive complex technology projects.

Across my career, I have built and strengthened technology operations, developed security controls and programs, mitigated risk, directed divestiture/M&A programs and projects, and managed business continuity and disaster recovery efforts. I led the company’s successful divestiture of the security division into two separate public companies, overseeing technical due diligence, organizational restructuring, and change management efforts. At Verint, I moreover led my team to be recognized for the highest rate of innovation and best organizational culture across the company.

Along with expert IT strategy and governance, I am highly skilled in leading risk management efforts. I have successfully managed and mitigated high profile infosec incidents in my career within a few hours.

Prior to my experience at Verint, I held various roles at First Data Resources where I was tasked with designing and building the company’s first-ever private cloud computing technology from scratch. Additionally, I delivered strategic and innovative leadership while designing a fully compliant EMV system, deploying a world-class asset and operations platforms, along with numerous transformations which improved processes and optimized costs.

Along with strategy development and execution skills, I specialize in building and developing high-performing teams through a motivational leadership style and focus on professional development.

Kirk Stuart
Kirk Stuart
Board Member
SVP, Head of NA Merchant and Acquiring, Visa

Kirk Stuart, Head of NA Merchant, for Visa Inc., is responsible for Visa’s North American Merchants and Acquiring business. Kirk manages a world-class team focused on driving enterprise value for Visa’s merchant/seller ecosystem. He brings a diverse and unique background that encompasses both depth in digital payment and in the co-brand / loyalty space.

Throughout his career, Kirk has been known as a “culture builder” through his leadership focused on transparency, trust, integrity and the advancement of those that are underrepresented within each level of the workforce.

Over twenty years at Visa, Kirk’s career highlights include redesigning Visa’s strategy and approach to the merchant/seller community. He is also credited with launching Visa’s global partnership/co-brand practice and growing some of the worlds’ leading credit and loyalty programs with top airline, lodging companies, and retailers.

Prior to Visa, Kirk worked for Delta Airlines, where he led their global financial services partnerships and strategy. Kirk began his career in payments and loyalty with GE Capital, where he held various management positions spanning marketing, risk and operations.

Richard Swales
Richard Swales
Board Member
Chief Risk & Compliance Officer, Paysafe

Richard joined Paysafe in October 2019 and has global responsibility for Risk, Compliance, Regulatory Affairs and ESG Reporting.

Richard brings extensive knowledge of these various disciplines gained during a 30+ year career which has seen him work in Europe, Asia and the US. He started his career working in the public sector as an Officer for the UK’s HM Customs & Excise followed by more than 25 years in banking, commercial finance, insurance, telecoms and payments with a focus on risk management, compliance, operational effectiveness, regulatory affairs, strategy and business development. Richard has also led initiatives in developing markets with an emphasis on financial inclusion.

Before Paysafe he worked for PayPal where he spent nine years leading their global risk and compliance strategy and was instrumental in supporting significant growth for the business.

Jamie Walker
Jamie Walker
Board Member, Former Board Chair (2021-2022)
CEO, Elavon

Jamie Walker has been with Elavon since 2001 and served as chief executive officer since 2017. He is responsible for Elavon’s global acquiring business, operating with more than 4,500 employees in the United States, Canada, Mexico and throughout Europe.

Since joining Elavon, Walker’s leadership roles have spanned many areas. They include leading accounting operations, managing acquisitions and international expansion as chief financial officer, and assessing risk and opportunities for strategic growth in the role of chief administrative officer for U.S. Bank’s Payment Services division. Prior to Elavon, Walker was a senior accountant at Ernst & Young.

Walker holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and marketing from Emory University. He is active in the Atlanta community and serves on the board of directors for the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber of Commerce.

Tony Catalfano
Tony Catalfano
Founding Chair 2014-2016
Former President and CEO, Worldpay US

Tony served as CEO of Worldpay, US from March of 2012 to January 2016 and was the founding Chairman of the ATPC. He previously joined Fiserv in 2002 through the company’s acquisition of Electronic Data Systems Corp’s (EDS) Consumer Network Services (CNS) business. During his time at Fiserv Tony served as Division President Electronic Payments business, and Division President of Fiserv’s Bank Solutions Division. While Tony has gained significant payments industry experience throughout his career, he has also developed key strengths in IT, leadership, change management and business transformation. Tony has nearly 25 years of experience in the payments industry. He was elected as the founding Chairman of the ATPC in December of 2013. He also serves as a Trustee of the Atlanta Ballet.

Scott Meyerhoff
Scott Meyerhoff
Former Chair (2016 – 2017)
Group CFO, InComm (2011-2020)

With over 22 years of corporate experience, Scott is currently the Chief Operating Office and Chief Financial Officer at InComm, an Atlanta-based prepaid and payments technology company that innovates new commerce solutions to reward consumer loyalty, drive foot traffic at retail and provide unique gift-giving opportunities. He has completed multiple public debt and equity offerings, raising in excess of $1 Billion, and he has played a key role in over 100 mergers and acquisitions.

Prior to joining InComm, Scott spent time consulting in executive capacities at companies such as Arthur Andersen, Intercept, Infor Global Solutions and Intersect. Prior to InComm, Scott most recently was the Founder and Partner in The Intersect Group, a provider of tailored finance, accounting and technology solutions. Under Scott’s direction, Intersect was named to the prestigious Inc. 500 List in 2010.

Scott resides in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife and three children.

Bruce Lowthers
Bruce Lowthers
Former Chair (2018 – 2019)
CEO and Executive Director, Paysafe

Bruce Lowthers has served as CEO and Executive Director of Paysafe since 2022.

He previously served as COO of the Integrated Financial Solutions (IFS) organization. In this role, Lowthers was responsible for developing and delivering FIS’ banking, wealth, payments and treasury offerings for financial institutions, retail, government and corporate clients in North America.

Previously, Lowthers served FIS in a number of executive positions including head of the company’s Payments business, head of Product Sales and Global Sales Operations and general manager of the Global Payments Software business. Prior to joining FIS, Lowthers held the position of senior vice president of Community Markets for eFunds, where he was responsible for the P&L for all payment and risk products for that market. He also held executive officer positions at four startup companies.

Lowthers serves on the board of P20, the new transatlantic payment experience. He also serves on the American Transaction Processors Coalition and the Armed Forces Financial Network. Lowthers was named 2017 “Maverick of the Year” by The American Business Awards and International Business Awards and “World’s Most Influential Payments Professional” by the World Payments Congress.

Lowthers holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts and began his career as a certified public accountant.

Royal Cole
Royal Cole
Former Chair (2020 – 2021)
Former EVP, FI Payment Solutions, FIS

Royal Cole was EVP, Head of North America Merchant Acquiring for FIS. He Joined FIS in 2019 after the merger of FIS and Worldpay. Prior to that, Royal was Executive Vice President, Head of the North American Region at Worldpay since 2018. Prior to that, he was responsible for two of the largest business units in Vantiv, including Merchant Services and Financial Institution Services. He joined the company in March 2010 from Western Union where he was Executive Vice President and General Manager, overseeing day-to-day operations and was responsible for strategic development of the Global Payment Services Group. While at Western Union, Royal also led the North American Distribution Network organization.

Frank DAngelo
Frank D’Angelo
Honorary Board Member

His career spans 35 years in the financial services, digital banking and payments industries. Most recently, Mr. D’Angelo served as Executive Vice President and President, Banking, at NCR Corporation. He currently serves as Chairman of the board of directors of Evertec, Inc., a transaction and payments processing company in Latin America and the Caribbean. At Evertec, Mr. D’Angelo has served as interim CEO and serves on the Compensation Committee. He is a past Chairman of the Electronic Funds Transfer Association and has served on the Payments Advisor Counsel of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

Previously, he was President of Monitise Americas, Inc., a provider of mobile banking, payments and commerce networks. Prior to that post, Mr. D’Angelo was Executive Vice President of the Payments Solutions Group at FIS and head of Payments and Digital Banking at Metavante. He also held several executive positions at Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated, including CEO of Diebold Mexico, living in Mexico City.

Mr. D’Angelo served in US Air Force and serves on the board of directors of Walsh University where he serves on numerous committees including the audit and investment committees.

Pamela Joseph
Pam Joseph
Ex-Officio Board Member

Pam Joseph most recently served as president and chief operating officer for TSYS. Prior to joining TSYS, she served as vice chairman of U.S. Bancorp’s payment services division and chairman of Elavon from December 2004 to June 2015.

At U.S. Bancorp, Joseph had executive responsibility for all electronic payment product lines including consumer credit, debit, small business, prepaid, corporate, purchasing and fleet card programs and global acquiring. She has been recognized by Payments Source as one of the Most Influential Women in Payments and by the American Banker as one of the Most Powerful Women in Banking.

Before joining Elavon in 1994, she served with Visa International as director of new market development. Prior to Visa, Joseph worked in the banking industry for more than eight years with Wells Fargo Bank.

Joseph also became a member of the TSYS Board of Directors in March of 2016, and currently serves on the board of directors of TransUnion and Paychex. She is Chairman of Women Leaders in Action, a nonprofit organization that helps educate young women in Africa, and is a member of the Board of Trustees for Spelman College.

Joseph earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois.

O.B. Rawls
O.B. Rawls
Ex-Officio Board Member

O.B. Rawls was Paysafe’s CEO, Global Payment Processing. He is an accomplished executive with a demonstrated record of success in the payments, banking and technology sectors. As CEO and President of iPayment, he was responsible for setting the vision and strategy for the organization to achieve annual growth and exceed revenue objectives. Following the completion of Paysafe Group’s acquisition of iPayment in June 2018, O.B. became first the strategic advisor to then Paysafe President and CEO Joel Leonoff, and then President of Payment Processing for North America for the Group.

Prior to joining iPayment in 2016, O.B. served as the Senior Vice President and General Manager, Partner Solutions, First Data. His expansive career also includes executive leadership roles with Hypercom, Caredata, Unified Merchant Services and Bank of America. O.B. holds an MBA from Queens University of Charlotte and a BS in Social Work from East Carolina University.

Our Leadership

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Vanluvender_Headshot
Rick Van Luvender
Cyber Council Chair
SVP, Head of Cybersecurity International & Cyber Outreach, Fiserv

As a Senior Vice President Head of Cybersecurity International & Cyber Outreach at Fiserv, Van Luvender leads and manages a diverse global cybersecurity team, overseeing associates in the US, Asia Pacific, EMEA, and Latin America. Van Luvender has over 20 years of experience in the field of information security, with expertise in network and computer security, fraud prevention, and industry-specific regulatory requirements.

Van Luvender drives a consistent global cybersecurity strategy across all regions, aligning with corporate objectives and industry standards, to mitigate risks and protect critical assets. He fosters strong partnerships and collaboration between Global Cybersecurity Services and regional business leadership, facilitating effective communication and alignment of cybersecurity initiatives and priorities.

He also represents Fiserv externally by providing ongoing information security thought leadership across the financial services sector, participating in strategic councils and forums, and contributing to policies, guidelines, and frameworks that enhance the industry’s overall cybersecurity resilience.

Rich Santoro
Richard Santoro
Public Policy Chair
VP, Head of Government Affairs, Discover

Our Leadership

ATPC TEAM MEMBERS

West
H. West Richards
Executive Director

H. West Richards has spent the last 25 years of his diverse career in both the public and private sector.  His public sector experience includes seven years on Capitol Hill in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving in such capacities as Legislative Director, Press Secretary and Chief of Staff.  Mr. Richards also had oversight responsibilities in what is now the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. In 1990, Mr. Richards was the youngest Chief of Staff in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was also the youngest person to have direct oversight responsibilities for a House Subcommittee.

After leaving the U.S. House of Representatives, Mr. Richards focused his energies on helping the Georgia Institute of Technology prepare for the 1996 Atlanta Centennial Olympic Games.  As Special Assistant to the President of Georgia Tech, Mr. Richards was responsible for developing the university’s public relations strategy as it applied to the Centennial Olympic Games.

In 1997 Mr. Richards went to work for the Law Firm of Troutman Sanders, LLP to create the first Internet Trade Association based in Georgia (2nd in the nation).  In this role as Executive Director of the Georgia e-Commerce Association (GECA), he pioneered the largest statewide public/private Internet lobby in the U.S. and helped to develop Internet e-Commerce regulation that was eventually adopted not only by the State of Georgia but also by the federal government.  GECA boasted over a dozen Fortune 500 members and nearly 50 smaller corporations. It also included a dozen governmental agencies and NGO’s. In 1999, Mr. Richards was recruited by PMG.net to execute his first commercial restructuring initiative.  Mr. Richards successfully shifted the core business of this small Internet enterprise from web development to advanced application development. The result was a five-fold increase in sales and the creation of alliances with Ariba Software, Deloitte Consulting, iXL and Anderson Business Consulting. Today, according to the Gartner Group, PMG.net is now recognized as the most successful Enterprise Service Catalog software firms in the world.

In late 2000 Mr. Richards was recruited by Andersen Business Consulting to lead their I.T. Business Development practice in Georgia.  Following this, he founded two small technology start-ups and sold one in 2007.  From 2007 through 2009 Mr. Richards served as Executive Vice President of XS International, a premiere High Performance Computing enterprise.

Since leaving Washington and now returning to Washington, Mr. Richards has remained active in politics and has served as a strategic advisor in one Gubernatorial campaign and two Congressional campaigns.  He maintains strong political ties across the state of Georgia and in Washington, D.C.

From 2010 to 2014 Mr. Richards lobbied in the Financial Services arena representing the largest Reverse Mortgage companies in the United States, several of which are backed by a number of prestigious Wall Street firms such as Guggenheim Partners, Knight Capital and JAM Equity Partners.  Mr. Richards in his role as Executive Director of the Coalition for Independent Seniors led an entire team of federal lobbyists, aging consultants and media relations experts to represent industry concerns in the U.S. Congress. This organization enjoyed tremendous success during a time when the Reverse Mortgage Industry was facing an existential threat in Congress.

In early 2014 Mr. Richards co-founded the American Transaction Processors Coalition with the prestigious Washington, DC based law firm Hunton& Williams, LLP. The mission of the Coalition is to Protect, Preserve and Promote the interests and advancement of the Transaction Processing industry.  This also includes working with both the private and public sector to create economic development opportunities for the industry which has a high concentration of enterprises in Georgia. Mr. Richards is responsible for Federal, State & Local Government Relations, Public Affairs, Community Affairs, University Relations and Economic Development. The ATPC is headquartered in Atlanta with offices in Washington, DC.

Mr. Richards is a graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University in Public Policy & Management with a concentration in Management Information Systems. He enjoys skiing and has competed in seven Triathlons mostly on behalf of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society one of which was an IRONMAN (70.3). Mr. Richards lives with his wife and Airedale Terrier in Roswell, GA.

Michael Mills
Chief Operating Officer

Michael P. Mills serves as Chief Operating Officer for the ATPC, driving programs, events, organizational strategy and other projects. He brings nearly 30 years of experience growing and protecting brands in the corporate, PR agency, nonprofit, trade association and political sectors.

He is particularly adept at helping clients find white space that creates new revenue and programmatic or other impactful opportunities.

Michael also has extensive ESG/CSR, crisis communications and proactive brand-building experience, epitomized by serving as a media spokesperson, communications strategist, charitable giving agent, and stakeholder ambassador for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

He owns consulting firm Laurentide Strategies, which works with trade associations, corporations and nonprofits. He is also a Canandaigua City Councilmember.

Prezzano Headshot
Dobbin Prezzano
Chief Development Officer

Dobbin brings a unique talent set to the team.  A collaborative, partner-centric, results oriented, strategy development executive with proven success having a 25-plus years in managing financial technology, payments and marketing technology companies.  Dobbin is a force in conceptualizing and implementing sales, marketing, product and strategy methodologies. These methodologies include successful campaigns with the world’s largest financial institutions, payment companies, card brands, retailers and dozens of other Fortune 500 corporations. Dobbin is a partner with Karyon Holdings and Harvest Payments and is currently involved as a board member and/or advisor within a portfolio of successful payment technology companies.

Dobbin has a wealth of experience in payment technology, managing product and marketing for a top 12 Payment Processor while also managing product and strategy development in partnering with some of the world’s best-known brands in the space such as MasterCard and American Express.  Highly accomplished in, vendor partnerships, board leadership, and developing advocate relationships with C-suite executives. The combination of his strategy and payment technology experience will help differentiate the ATPC brand offering.

Michael Wasserfuhr
Michael Wasserfuhr
Chief Financial Officer

Michael is principal and founder of MWBT and provides strategic, finance and operational support for FinTechs. He has held executive positions in several Atlanta based companies as CFO of Ingenico N.A., Worldpay US and Vesta Corp. Michael began his career at one of the leading financial institutions in Germany where he worked until 2000. He serves as a board member of the Technology Association of Georgia FinTech Society and as Finance Director of P20. Michael holds an MBA and a PhD from Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Robert Green
Robert Green
Senior Counsel
Holland & Knight, LLP

Robert Green is Senior Counsel at the law firm of Holland & Knight. Prior to joining Holland & Knight’s Atlanta office, Robert was a Senior Attorney with the law firm of Hunton& Williams LLP.

Throughout his career, he has worked with a wide range of financial institutions and service providers, including some of the largest banks in Georgia, Florida and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. He has provided legal and technology advice regarding compliance, processing, data, new product development, joint ventures, partnerships, outsourcing, information technology and global expansion to major US data aggregators, the largest payment processors in the world and other IT enabled companies.

Robert is also the publisher of Atlanta Trend, a newsletter dedicated to the senior executive leadership of metropolitan Atlanta.

kehoe roth
Roth Kehoe
Legal Counsel
Holland & Knight, LLP

Roth Kehoe is a partner in Holland & Knight’s Atlanta office and a member of the firm’s Corporate Services Team. Mr. Kehoe focuses his practice on international and domestic public and private mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, investments, joint ventures, infrastructure transactions and public-private partnerships.

Mr. Kehoe represents companies engaged in a diverse range of industries, including transaction processing and merchant acquisition, finance, life sciences, specialty chemicals, biotechnology, infrastructure and energy. He also advises boards of directors on corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic transactions as well as securities compliance and reporting matters.

Mr. Kehoe was a certified public accountant and auditor with Arthur Andersen and an auditor and systems consultant with Marshall, Jones & Co.

Norma Krayem
Norma Krayem
Director, ATPC Cyber Council
Van Scoyoc Associates

Ms. Krayem created one of the first-ever cybersecurity practices at a major international AmLaw 100 law firm in 2005 at a time when most practices only focused on data security or privacy. Since that time she has held leadership roles running cybersecurity and privacy teams across a number of firms. She focuses on the intersection of trade, technology, homeland security and cyber risk for clients in heavily regulated critical infrastructure sectors. She focuses on the nexus of strategic business, policy and regulatory advice, coupled with the tools that a government relations practice brings to clients in the areas of cybersecurity, data privacy and digital innovation. She works with Fortune 500 companies, non-profits and public sector entities in key sectors including banking and financial services, energy, communications, health, all modes of transportation and other critical sectors. She also works extensively on emerging technologies including FinTech, blockchain and virtual/cryptocurrencies and created a FinTech policy practice at her last firm.

She also works with U.S & international regulators on global cybersecurity and privacy issues including in bilateral and multilateral agreements spanning the G7, G20, EU, APEC and other multinational organizations. She has worked U.S.-EU programs including the Safe Harbor program, Privacy Shield, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and others including the APEC Cross Border Privacy Rules.

Ms. Krayem works on a daily basis with the executive branch, Congress and the White House on a host of matters including those pertaining to the U.S. Departments of State, Homeland Security, Commerce, Defense, Treasury, House and Urban Development, Education, Health and Human Services as well as the Federal Trade Commission among others. She also works extensively with key congressional committees, including Armed Services, Appropriations, Banking, Commerce, Foreign Relations, Finance, Homeland Security, International Affairs, Judiciary, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Ways and Means.

Ms. Krayem has more than 20 years of experience addressing major issues within the national policy-making arena having worked in government and the private sector. During her extensive career in Washington, D.C., Ms. Krayem has held executive-level positions in the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce and Transportation. She was also a consultant at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). She has provided key insight and guidance to major officials at the White House, in Congress, and at state and local levels around the country. Ms. Krayem has worked closely on the passage of significant homeland security, transportation and trade legislation, including the creation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). During her tenure working with these agencies, she was involved in nearly 100 bilateral trade and aviation related negotiations as well.

As the deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Ms. Krayem provided strategic oversight and advised the secretary on domestic and international policy, regulatory, legislative, budget, safety and security issues impacting the aviation, maritime, rail, highway, transit, pipeline and motor carrier sectors. While at DOT, Ms. Krayem also served as the chief of staff and acting deputy administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration at DOT. There, she focused on freight railroad safety matters, Amtrak, high-speed rail corridors and maglev issues, in addition to broader passenger and rail matters.

Ms. Krayem served as the director of special projects at the U.S. Department of State working on the G7 the first year Russia was allowed to attend the Summit (later known as the G8). She worked directly with the member countries on the planning and implementation of the G7, which included Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as Russia.

Ms. Krayem has also held various senior positions at the U.S. Department of Commerce, within both the Office of the Secretary and the International Trade Administration. During that time, she focused her efforts on counseling state and local government, as well as private sector companies, on exporting fundamentals, which include identification of export finance opportunities with partner agencies such as the Export Import (EXIM) Bank and Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC); understanding export controls governed by agencies such as the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS); and helping companies find matchmaking opportunities around the globe.

Ms. Krayem uses her diverse and comprehensive experience to help public and private sector clients navigate complex national and international issues. Having worked on more than 100 bilateral and multilateral agreements during her career, she helps private sector clients navigate the intricacies of international diplomacy and substantive policy challenges. Ms. Krayem introduces leading-edge approaches and tools to clients in order to help them think about economic development and infrastructure development through the use of innovative finance, public-private partnerships (P3), and intermodal and multimodal development. Ms. Krayem also works clients to understand and integrate in dynamic technology solutions while understanding the policy and regulatory regimes that goes with these solutions. Using her knowledge of the ongoing use of “Big Data” and the “Internet of Things,” she helps clients focus on gaining a broader awareness and understanding of the need for both “privacy by design” as well as “security by design.”

Ms. Krayem also has extensive experience dealing with a number of national security issues, including those involving port, cargo and supply chain security; international aviation; emergency communications and interoperability needs; emergency preparedness and response capabilities; border security issues; the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States; avian flu and pandemic preparedness; as well as U.S.-VISIT and other biometric-related programs.

Ms. Krayem began her career in Connecticut working for the speaker of the house and deputy majority leader, where she focused on higher-education issues, banking and financial services, as well as broader economic development issues. She is a veteran of five presidential campaigns and two presidential inaugural committees.

Ms. Krayem received a Master of Public Administration in state and local policy analysis from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Connecticut. She is a member of The Chatham House, The Royal Institute of International Affairs; WTS International; Women in Cybersecurity. She served on the prestigious Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Cybersecurity Task Force from 2015-2017 drafting strategic cybersecurity recommendations for the 45th President.

Jay Morgan
Jay Morgan
State Government Relations (Georgia)
J. L. Morgan Company

In his role as an advocate for some of the Fortune 500’s leading corporations and business organizations, Jay Morgan has developed a reputation for building strong coalitions to withstand controversy on tough issues. Politicsmagazine.com named him as a “Top 10 Georgia Influencer” for 2010 and commented, “He is at the top of his game”. In his first announcement as Governor-elect, Nathan Deal appointed him as the co-chairman of the 2011 Inaugural Committee and a senior advisor to his transition team.

In January 2007, the Atlanta Journal Constitution drew distinction with his colleagues by saying, “lobbying when Democrats were in charge, he has continued to have success now that the Republicans run things.” Morgan was heavily involved in the 2007 video services legislation which passed both houses overwhelmingly as well as telecommunications deregulation legislation at both the federal and state level. Also during 2007, he successfully “quarterbacked” tort reform legislation (successor liability relief). In the 2003 session of the Georgia General Assembly, he provided strategic and tactical leadership in passing legislation that began the process known as public private partnerships (P3) to address pressing infrastructure needs. He was the lead strategist in passing tax legislation that resulted in securing Philips Arena, a top-rated concert and professional sports facility, for the city of Atlanta at no cost to the taxpayers. He has twice led efforts to pass legislation that improved access to “Epi-pens” for schools and organizations such as 4H camps. He has been recruited to work on lobbying teams for his experience in forming coalitions on controversial issues such as healthcare, litigation reform, criminal justice reform, state tax credits, and financial transactions.

Embracing the entrepreneurial spirit instilled in him by his father and grandfather, he established his own firm in 1996 after serving as Senior Vice President of the former firm of Edington, Wade, and Sanders. He is a partner in the National Field Resource Network, which he co-founded so his clients would be able to access the most experienced grassroots activists in all fifty states. He is the current chairman of the Federal Affairs Committee for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s Government Affairs Council. He serves on the Board of Governors of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, a premier state-based “think tank”, as a member of the board for The Essential Economy Council, and as the immediate past chairman of the Georgia 4H Foundation.

As a consultant to over twenty-five state, federal, and local campaigns as well as a regional director for the George H. W. Bush for President Campaign and the Republican National Committee, he has experience in directing strategic campaigns that is unparalleled for its longevity among Georgia-based public affairs consultants. He was a senior strategist in each of U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson’s runs for the U.S. Senate and has performed key roles with Governor Nathan Deal (R-GA), Speaker Newt Gingrich, Governor Pete Wilson (CA), the late Congresswoman Tillie Fowler (R-FL), former Congressman Mac Collins (R-GA), and numerous state legislative leaders. Following the 1992 elections, he served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Collins and directed both his re-election campaign in 1994 as well as the “Committee on Committee” campaign to win a seat on the prestigious House Ways and Means Committee.

For almost thirty years, Jay Morgan has provided corporations, coalitions, candidates, and business associations with solid strategic plans for execution of public affairs tactics. As the youngest Executive Director of a Republican Party organization in the country in his home state of Georgia, he applied grassroots and telemarketing strategies for the first time in Georgia and oversaw the effort to triple the party’s donor base at a critical time in its development. With then-GOP Chairman Paul Coverdell, he engineered the Georgia GOP’s first algebraic targeting system for state legislative races, which identified vulnerable incumbents and winnable open seats.

Joe Testa
Joe Testa
State Government Relations (50-State)
Joseph Testa and Associates

Joe Testa is founder and principal of Joseph Testa and Associates. He is an experienced lobbyist and executive in the corporate and non-profit sectors. Before launching the firm in 2022, Joe worked for 16 years at American Express where he rose to lead their high performing government affairs team in 50 states and Canada. He previously held leadership roles at Capital One and the American Council of Life Insurers and staff positions at two state legislatures.

Joe is also an expert in coalition and association management. He currently serves as treasurer and board member of EcoAction Arlington, a locally focused non-profit organization in Virginia. Previously, Joe was on the board of the NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures, served as Chair and Treasurer of a leading payment industry trade group, and was appointed by successive Governors to the Virginia College Building Authority.

Joe resides in Arlington, Virginia where he serves as an Election Officer and US Soccer certified referee.

tom worrall
Tom Worrall
Federal Government Relations
Whitmer & Worrall, LLC

Tom Worrall is a founding Partner of Whitmer & Worrall, LLC, a government relations and strategic consulting firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. As a senior government affairs professional, a campaign manager, an adjunct university faculty member, and a National Finance Committee member of three Presidential campaigns, Mr. Worrall has played a substantial and active role in national politics for over twenty-five years. While he’s had many people who have influenced him over the years, he attributes much of his professional and political experience to his years working with the late Congressman/Secretary Jack Kemp, one of his political heroes and mentors.

Mr. Worrall is a respected legislative strategist with an impressive nationwide political and corporate network. His broad and proven experience has enabled him to successfully lead dozens of legislative campaigns across broad issue areas, including: innovative technology, energy, state & federal business development, education, coalition management, FinTech and general corporate representation.

Mr. Worrall has served as the lead strategist and lobbyist for numerous Fortune 500 companies as well as some of America’s most well-known corporate leaders, such as Monster.com, Thermo Fisher Scientific, PPG Industries, Echostar Satellite, Rotech Healthcare, Plextronics, and RedZone Robotics. He has successfully helped many of his clients realize legislative victories by getting their top public policy priorities signed into law. These achievements are a result of Mr. Worrall’s ability to develop winning strategies to most effectively target, recruit, and mobilize Congressional champions. Mr. Worrall maintains extensive ties with the current House and Senate leadership and with senior public policy staff on Capitol Hill.

From 1999 through 2004, Mr. Worrall was a senior executive with The Rhoads Group (previously Boland & Madigan, Inc.), a top government relations firm and a division of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). Most recently he served as the firm’s Senior Vice President and was the head of the technology practice area. He played a key role in growing the client base and doubling the revenue of the firm in less than three years.

In addition to Mr. Worrall’s extensive government relations experience, he also has extensive political and campaign experience. In the 2008 and 2012 Presidential campaigns, he served as an early member of the National Finance Committee for a leading Presidential contender. During the 2004 presidential campaign, Mr. Worrall earned the distinction of becoming a “Bush Maverick” for his fundraising efforts and was featured in Influence as “one of President Bush’s elite fundraisers.” Currently, he is a member of the National Finance Committee for the Republican Governor’s Association where he enjoys a strong working relationship with many of the country’s most prominent Governors. In 1997, Mr. Worrall was recruited to lead TEAM 100, the Republican National Committee’s premier fundraising entity. Under his direction, working closely with RNC Chairman Jim Nicholson and Republican leaders nationwide, TEAM 100 greatly exceeded its fundraising goals during the 1997-1998-election cycle. While at TEAM 100, he also spearheaded the RNCs outreach to America’s leading technology industries, to form the RNC Technology Advisory Board (TAB).

From 1991 until he joined the Republican National Committee, Mr. Worrall worked around the country as a senior political and campaign operative. He has served as a chief strategist and campaign manager for candidates running for the United States Senate, the United States Congress, and at the state level.

Mr. Worrall has been a regular speaker on the American political process and has served the last ten years as an adjunct professor of campaign management at the George Washington University. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he holds a Master’s degree in Political Management from George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management and an undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire.

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