Keynote Speakers
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William A. Longbrake, Vice Chair of Washington Mutual, Inc. |
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William (Bill) A. Longbrake is vice
chair of Washington Mutual, Inc.
and serves as the company's primary
executive liaison with regulators,
legislators, industry trade organizations,
and government-sponsored enterprises.
Bill has been vice chair since 1999
and a member of the Executive Committee
from 1996 to 2006. He was an executive
vice president from 1996 to 1999
and served as the company's chief
financial officer from 1996 to 2002.
Bill joined Washington Mutual in 1982 as executive vice president and chief financial officer, a position he held until his appointment in February 1995 as chief financial officer and deputy to the chairman for finance at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). He returned to the company in October 1996 as chief financial officer, a position he served in until October 2002. In 2001, he was named CFO of the Year in the Driving Revenue Growth category by CFO Magazine. He began his career in Washington, D.C., where he served in various positions, including senior deputy comptroller for resource management for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and special assistant to the chairman at the FDIC. Bill earned his bachelor of arts degree in economics from the College of Wooster in 1965, graduating with honors. He earned his master's degree in monetary economics in 1968 and his master of business administration degree in 1969 from the University of Wisconsin. He received his doctorate in finance by the University of Maryland in 1976. He is active in numerous academic, business and community service organizations, particularly those involving issues surrounding affordable housing. Currently, he is a member of the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors for Washington State and the University of Washington Business School Advisory Board. He also serves on the boards of directors for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle, the Washington Financial League and America's Community Bankers. He serves on various other industry-related committees. Bill previously served as chairman of the Washington State Affordable Housing Advisory Board, Threshold Housing, the Capitol Hill Housing Improvement Program, and is past president of the Washington State Chapter of Financial Executives International and the Puget Sound Council of Financial Institutions. He is also a former member of the Fannie Mae National Advisory Council and the Thrift Institutions Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. In the academic sector, Bill has taught courses in business administration and finance at the University of Maryland and Seattle University. Currently he serves on the board of trustees of the College of Wooster. |
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Ron Gailey, Senior Vice President, Washington Mutual |
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Ron Gailey joined Washington Mutual
in 1988 and has directed Research
for Washington Mutual for the past
thirteen years, a time that has
seen Washington Mutual grow from
a $6 billion Washington State bank
to a $330 billion financial services
provider with operations across
the nation. His team provides research
that has helped the company create
industry-leading customer acquisition
strategies, award-winning advertising,
trend-setting branch design, successful
new market entries, improved products,
and much more. Ron and his seasoned
team carry out practically all of
this research in-house, conducting
ethnography studies, moderating
focus groups, executing and analyzing
phone and web surveys, executive
interviews, facilitating ideation
sessions, doing advanced analytics,
and so forth.
Ron was asked to start the market research function at Zion’s Bank in Utah, while working on his undergraduate degree in finance. He ran the research department at Zion’s Bank for 5 years, attending school part time. After completing his MBA, he accepted a position at Washington Mutual Bank in Seattle. The Research Group at Washington Mutual consists of 30 employees. Ron has been recognized at Washington Mutual with such honors as Outstanding Contribution, Premier Group Manager, and Chairman’s Circle awards. |
