STRIPES Leadership Program celebrated the graduation of 14 leaders during its Certification Ceremony in Philadelphia on April 16, marking the culmination of an intensive six-month leadership journey and the beginning of what’s next.
Cohort 8 brought together high-potential professionals from across the equipment finance industry, each stepping forward to expand how they lead, think and show up within their organizations. Throughout the program, participants challenged their assumptions, approaches and strategies, strengthened their leadership capabilities, created and presented a capstone project and expanded their business acumen in the areas of organizational change, growth and efficiency and managing performance.
The following leaders were recognized:
- Samantha Borgeson, Apple U.S. Sales Manager, DLL
- Dana Bota, VP, North America Compliance Officer, Mitsubishi HC Capital America
- JP DeStefano, VP, Senior Manager, First Citizens Bank
- Addison Flumerfelt, Capital Markets Associate, Wintrust Commercial Finance
- Jacob Hirsch, Controller, Dakota Financial
- Amanda Kasbohm, VP, Sales, First Citizens Bank
- Sally Laing, SVP, Documentation Manager, Bell Bank
- Jacob Mathes, AVP, Finance, Wintrust Asset Finance
- Valerie McMillen, Late-Stage Collections Manager, PEAC Solutions
- Vu Nguyen, SVP, Business Development & Sales, Taycor Financial
- Kevin Rice, SVP, Revenue Operations, Financial Partners Group
- Adrienne Sharma, Regulatory & Compliance Manager, Channel
- Mark Swearingen, AVP, Credit, Wintrust Commercial Finance
- Clay Fischer, VP, Credit, Oakmont Capital Services
The ceremony featured a keynote address by Dominic Janney, president of Canon Financial Services. Throughout his keynote, he reinforced a clear throughline: leadership is a practice, not a position. It requires intentionality, self-awareness and a commitment to continuous growth. The leaders who make the greatest impact are those who challenge themselves to think bigger, act boldly and take responsibility for both results and the people they lead.
“I am surrounded in a world of professionals who are just focused on doing more with less people all the time. You chose to become more, which is invaluable to the organizations that you’re in,” Janney said during his keynote. He encouraged graduates to carry forward the momentum built during the program and to actively shape their own development.
“You completed STRIPES, but it’s not the end of your development. It’s the beginning of your responsibility to your development,” Janney said. “This is not the finish line. It is really a starting point for all of you in your career.”
That message was reinforced by the graduates themselves, who shared how the program has already made a meaningful impact on who they are as leaders and how they perform in their roles.
“The three main takeaways I got from STRIPES were the transition from doer to leader, not my confidence in myself as a leader but my confidence in my conviction as a leader and, finally, the importance of community and how you’re showing up for people,” Kasbohm said. She also shared that she recently stepped into an expanded leadership role, growing from leading a team of 10 to 30.
As Cohort 8 steps forward, STRIPES continues to build a network of leaders committed not only to their own growth, but to elevating those around them and shaping the future of the industry.
STRIPES Cohort 9 will commence April 21, beginning with the Transformational Leadership Launch in Philadelphia.
For more information about how to become a STRIPES Leader and STRIPES Leadership Program, contact carolynn.caruso@stripesleadership.com or visit www.stripesleadership.com.
