President and CEO, Expansion Capital Group
Vincent Ney
RBFC Board Member
Evan Smiedt
RBFC Board Member
RBFC Board Member
RBFC Board Member
Mary Donohue is the Executive Director for the Revenue Based Finance Coalition (RBFC). Before joining RBFC, Mary worked as a government relations specialist for CATALYST Government Affairs. At CATALYST, Mary managed various client portfolios in areas ranging from a variety of financial services issues to foster care policy in many states across the country as well as in Washington, DC. Her prior work also consists of developing and managing the federal and state public policy strategies for the small business lending brands within Enova International (NYSE: ENVA) (OnDeck, Headway Capital, The Business Backer), including coordination with Enova SMB’s P&Ls, corporate support groups, third party consultants, and industry organizations. Mary also developed and led public policy promotion campaigns and built networks of trade associations, industry partners, and non-profit groups to support policies that help create and maintain access to credit over the internet for America’s small businesses.
A well-seasoned government affairs professional, Mary lived and worked in Washington, DC for over ten years with a significant amount of time spent at one of DC’s top federal lobbying firms, Polaris Consulting. At Polaris, Mary specialized in financial services and labor client portfolios and implemented various strategic objectives through Congressional outreach and research.
Mary holds a Masters in Public Administration and Policy from American University and graduated magna cum laude from St. Lawrence University with a double major in Government and Psychology. In her free time, Mary enjoys hanging out with her husband, Parker, who is a U.S. Naval Officer and former Fighter Pilot, and their two dogs Cosmo, a Dalmatian, and Comet, an English Setter as well as her off the track Thoroughbred, Mucho.
Scott Crockett is the founder and CEO of Everest Business Funding. He is a seasoned professional with 20 years of experience in the finance industry. Mr. Crockett’s track record includes raising more than $500 million in capital and creating thousands of jobs. Scott has founded, built, and managed several finance companies in the consumer and commercial finance sectors.
Kate is a partner in Hudson Cook, LLP’s Maryland office and co-chair of the firm’s Business Funding practice group. Her practice focuses on the areas of Consumer Financial Services and Small Business Financing. Kate represents banks, finance companies, private equity and investment bank investors, merchant cash advance companies, and small business lenders establishing new programs and products, and conducts due diligence and compliance reviews of consumer lending and business financing portfolios.
William J. Gallagher is the President of CFGMS. Prior to becoming the President of CFGMS, Mr. Gallagher was the Chief Credit Officer of CapFlow Funding Group where he was responsible for all aspects of underwriting and credit risk management.
Prior to co-founding CapFlow Funding Group, Mr. Gallagher was a Managing Director at Hudson Castle Group, a financial services company which provides debt financing solutions to the global financial institutions sector where he was head of capital markets and treasury management, responsible for managing the daily funding of five asset-backed finance companies with $20-25 billion outstanding. Prior to joining Hudson Castle Group, he served as a Director in the Fixed Income Division at Barclays Capital, heading the front-end high grade corporate bond and credit trading group, specializing in the analysis and trading of the short-term debt of global financial institutions. In this capacity, Mr. Gallagher advised senior management and corporate clients on front-end credit market trends, debt issuance and liability management.
From 1991 to 2004, Mr. Gallagher held various institutional trading positions in the Fixed Income Division at Lehman Brothers in New York City, including senior trader on the high grade credit and commercial paper trading desks. As a Senior Vice President on the institutional commercial paper trading desk, Mr. Gallagher was responsible for leading a team of traders in the new issuance and secondary trading of investment-grade corporate bonds, floating rate notes and commercial paper.
Mr. Gallagher received his B.A. in economics from Villanova University in 1989.
Since joining in early 2019 as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of United First, Boris has been responsible for driving company-wide Operations, Information Security, and Underwriting program deployment. Boris has over twenty years of Cybersecurity and Operational executive experience, having previously served in these roles as an Executive Director for JP Morgan Chase (JPMC). Prior to his executive experience at JPMC, he developed his encompassing skill set in global leadership roles at the Royal Bank of Scotland, Citigroup, and Deutsche Bank. This experience has allowed Boris to drive company-wide critical improvements across people, processes, and technology, successfully securing a senior debt facility of up to $100 million and setting the stage for continued growth.
Tim Mages joined Expansion Capital Group (ECG) in 2016 as CFO and now serves as Chief Strategy Officer. He currently oversees capital markets, business development, legal and regulatory. Before ECG, Tim spent seven years as an investment banker covering specialty finance businesses and five years with SBIC funds under the SBA program, providing debt to small businesses. His career also includes positions at Wachovia (now Wells Fargo), Royal Bank of Canada, and Stephens Inc.
Tim's experience as an SBIC lender post-2008/2009 recession provided firsthand insight into the challenges small businesses face accessing traditional capital. ECG, like other FinTechs, addresses this gap by providing much-needed working capital. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, ECG has delivered over $1 billion in working capital to U.S. small businesses since its founding in 2013. ECG has been recognized multiple times by Inc. 5000 as one of America's fastest-growing private companies and also named one of the "Best FinTechs to Work For" by Source Media.
For more than 25 years, Deveron M. Gibbons has served as a strategic and tactical business leader and an advisor and counselor to governors, legislators, and members of Congress. He has established himself as a creative force helping to shape the next generation of leaders, serving on the boards of trustees of three institutions of higher learning in his native Florida.
As Executive Director of the Revenue Based Finance Coalition, Gibbons leads the day-to-day operations of an organization whose members fund well over $100 billion per year to help meet the needs of American entrepreneurs running small and medium-sized businesses. The Coalition works nationwide to educate policy leaders on issues related to Revenue Based Finance, an innovative finance option that helps small businesses secure access to capital, quickly providing financing to address immediate needs.
Before assuming his leadership position with the Coalition, Gibbons served as Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Business Development at a large consumer financial entity that served more than 3 million customers each month. In that position, he served as a resource to policymakers and helped strengthen laws and regulations governing the financial services industry.
Gibbons also serves as Executive Vice President of Everest Business Funding, where he provides strategic counsel to support the company’s growth. In this role, he helps drive business development initiatives, strengthen industry partnerships, and guide Everest’s efforts to expand access to flexible financing solutions for small businesses.
A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, Gibbons earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Florida in 1995 and his master's in Public Administration from the University of South Florida in 2006. He then earned his Juris Doctor from the Florida A&M University College of Law in 2016 and a master’s in Business Administration from Florida A&M University in 2018.
Gibbons was appointed by Florida’s governor in 2006 to serve on the St. Petersburg College Board of Trustees, and was reappointed by two subsequent governors. He is also a member of the Boards of Trustees of Florida A&M University and of Bethune-Cookman University.
Gibbons lives in St. Petersburg with his family.
Brad is the Co-Founder and Chairman of The Fundworks, LLC, a software-enabled alternative lender, based in Los Angeles. He is also a Partner of Rivonia Road Capital, an alternative investment firm focused on the financial services industry. Before co-founding The Fundworks, Brad sourced, structured and oversaw private equity investments for Lightyear Capital, an investment firm that acquires financial services businesses including banks, insurance companies and specialty finance firms. Brad started his career as an investment banking analyst at Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown. He holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and an AB from Stanford University.
Vincent Ney is the President and CEO of Expansion Capital Group (ECG), a small business lending firm specializing in innovative financial services for the small business community.
Over the past 25 years, Vincent has been a leader in alternative financial services for both the consumer and commercial sectors. His companies have helped thousands of underbanked and underserved consumers and small businesses across the nation achieve financial success. Vincent specializes in Risk Management, Strategic Planning, Business Development, Marketing Strategy, and Credit, and has a proven record of success for building financial services businesses across the United States.
Alex Shvarts is a distinguished American business executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FundKite, a leading Florida/New York-based fintech company. With over 30 years of experience in starting and scaling businesses, Alex consistently has showcased his entrepreneurial acumen.
Prior to founding FundKite in 2015, he engineered and sold proprietary technology to the fintech industry. From his early involvement in chess clubs as a child, Alex developed a passion for numbers and strategic thinking, skills that he seamlessly incorporates into his projects. As the CEO of FundKite, he oversees both day-to-day operations and the technical side of the business, contributing to the company’s success in the alternative funding market. Beyond FundKite, Alex is the founder of the Bytox Hangover Patch, showcasing his versatility. His management experience enables him to understand the nuanced needs of business owners, addressing aspects such as cash flow, leadership, seasonality, and expansion. In recognition of his contributions, Alex was included in the Forbes Technology Council in March 2021, highlighting his role as a distinguished technology executive. With an innovative vision and entrepreneurial drive, Alex Shvarts continues to propel FundKite to the forefront of the financial technology sector.
