Primary Facilitator:

Jon Walls 

Chief Operating Officer, B. Wilson Partners

Mr. Walls was formerly a Senior Vice President of investment banking for Lehman Brothers in its Financial Institutions Group. He has extensive expertise in bank M&A as well as debt and equity financing. In addition, Jon possesses an in-depth understanding of valuing, structuring, negotiating and executing complex transactions for financial institutions.

Currently serving as Chief Investment Officer and acting CFO of a mid-sized California-based mortgage lender, he is responsible for managing a pool of investment funds dedicated to funding the company as well as overall management of the company’s finance and accounting operations. Jon has also held senior positions with two private equity groups, and has taught business classes as an adjunct professor at the University of California at Irvine.

Jon earned an MBA with an emphasis on finance from Harvard Business School and a JD, cum laude, with an emphasis on Taxation from Harvard Law School.

Guest Speaker (11/1-11/2 session only):

Randy D. Dennis

President, DD&F Consulting Group

Mr. Dennis founded DD&F Consulting Group in 1993 after advising financial institutions for over 15 years. He actively works with bank directors and senior management teams in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and strategic planning.

Randy has been involved in all phases of the bank acquisition process and has led DD&F to be annually ranked among the top ten financial advisors in the United States in mergers and acquisitions. He has served as the Principal or Senior Consultant for over 200 bank and thrift mergers, change in control applications, and holding company applications, overseeing all aspects of acquisitions including financial, tax, and regulatory factors. Randy is also actively involved in helping banks identify and articulate their strategic direction. He has facilitated planning sessions and worked with numerous boards across the country to help them focus on their bank's plans and opportunities.

Randy serves on the faculty of Barret School of Banking in Memphis, Tennessee. He is an alumnus of the University of Arkansas, holding an MBA from the Graduate School of Business as well as a B.S. in Psychology. Additionally, he is a graduate of the Advanced Marketing School at the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Business.

Guest Speaker (11/5-11/6 session only):

Andrew K. Gibbs, CFA, CPA

Vice President , Mercer Consulting
Mr.. Gibbs joined Mercer Capital in 1999 and currently serves as a vice president and the leader of Mercer Capital’s Financial Institutions Team. Mercer Capital is a premier business valuation and investment banking firm serving a national and international clientele.

Mr. Gibbs provides valuation and corporate advisory services to financial institutions for purposes that include mergers and acquisitions, employee stock ownership plans, profit sharing plans, estate and gift tax planning and compliance matters, corporate planning and reorganizations.

Andrew has assisted buyers in evaluating the attractiveness of acquisition candidates, determining a price for the target institution, structuring the transaction and evaluating different forms of financing. For sell-side clients, Mr. Gibbs has analyzed the potential value that the institution may receive upon a sale, assisted in locating potential buyers, and participated in negotiating a final transaction price and merger agreement. 

Mr. Gibbs has also participated in projects in a litigated context, including tax disputes, dissenting shareholder actions, and employee stock ownership plan related matters.

In addition, he actively participates in projects involving compliance with SFAS 141 and 142, which entail, for example, the identification and valuation of intangible assets under SFAS 141 and impairment testing under SFAS 142.