Peer Groups
FIRMA peer groups are small, member-driven networks designed to facilitate professional networking, knowledge sharing, and collaboration among FIRMA members. Established in 2016 as a member benefit, peer groups allow members to connect based on geography (e.g., East Coast), discipline (e.g., audit), business line (e.g., personal trust), or other criteria.
Most groups meet virtually by video conferencing several times per year, and group size typically ranges from 5–20 members. Peer group leaders determine the organization and membership size, while FIRMA assists in populating groups with interested members.
If you are a FIRMA member interested in joining or leading a peer group, please contact Amy Caple at the FIRMA Office -- [email protected]
Peer Group Coordinators
- Michael Bridgeman, CFP, CFIRS – Trust Company of the South
- Denise Morrison – Regions Bank
- Tammie Sandoval, JD, CTFA – Bank OZK
General Focus Groups
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Group
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Leader
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Meeting Frequency
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Organization Size
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Accepting Members?
|
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General Focus – Smaller Organizations
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David Charvat (Fifth Third Bank, VP-Compliance Manager)
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Quarterly
|
Mostly smaller
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No
|
|
General Focus – Wealth Departments
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Donn Lassila (Peak Trust, CCO)
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Bi-monthly (even months)
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$220MM – $30B
|
No
|
|
General Focus – Larger Organizations
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Holly Bailey (Northern Trust, SVP, Manager-Global Fiduciary Risk)
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Quarterly
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Varying
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Yes
|
|
Audit & Compliance Focus
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Kimberly Breithaupt (KRB Consulting)
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Quarterly
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$500MM – $400B
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Yes
|
|
General Focus – Varying Organizations
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Michael Bridgeman (Trust Company of the South, Chief Compliance & Risk Officer)
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Quarterly
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Varying
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No
|
|
General Focus – Varying Organizations
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Valerie Nielsen (Longview Leader Corp)
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Quarterly
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Varying
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Yes
|
Subject-Specific Groups
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Group
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Leader
|
Meeting Frequency
|
Accepting Members?
|
|
Senior Auditors of National Trust Banks
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Patrick Renaud (Glenmede Trust, General Auditor)
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Quarterly
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No
|
|
Audit – Any Level
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Rachel Saxon (Horizon Bank, VP Internal Audit)
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Quarterly
|
No
|
|
Audit – Any Level
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Marisabel Fortenbury (Principal Financial Group, Audit Manager)
|
Quarterly
|
No
|
|
Regulators/Examiners
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Jamie Bazarow (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Supervisory Examiner)
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TBD
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Yes
|
|
Enterprise Risk Management
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Jeannie Woods (Raymond James Trust, Director-Compliance)
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Quarterly
|
Yes
|
|
Retirement Services
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Danny McHale (Straight Arrow Solutions LLC, President)
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Quarterly
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Yes
|
|
Senior Auditors, Large Organizations
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Keith Bujalski (JPMorgan Chase, Managing Director, Audit Dept)
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TBD
|
No
|
|
Second Line of Defense
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Deb Austin (Wells Fargo, Executive Director)
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TBD
|
Yes
|
|
Operations
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Pat Dugquem (Sunflower Bank, SVP, Trust Operations Manager)
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Quarterly
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Yes
|
|
State-Chartered Non-Depository Trust Companies
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Alex Hendler (Brown Advisory, Head of Fiduciary Oversight)
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Quarterly
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Yes
|
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Emerging Leaders
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Stephen Cantrell (Onpoint Community Credit Union, Chief Risk Officer)
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Bi-Monthly
(every two months)
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Yes
|
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BSA/AML/OFAC Compliance
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Jeff Kropschot and Ron Downs (Kropschot Consulting Partners)
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Quarterly
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Yes
|
|
Artificial Intelligence-Compliance/Risk
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Mark Gray (Raymond James Trust Company, Sr. Manager, Compliance
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Quarterly
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No
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