NOW25 KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Don't miss out on our other Special Events
Thursday, October 16
11:30 AM – 11:50 AM
Caribbean Ballroom
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER:
Kelly Loeffler
28th Administrator
U.S. Small Business Administration
Kelly Loeffler, the 28th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, is an entrepreneur, executive, philanthropist, and former U.S. Senator from Georgia who has dedicated her three-decade career to growing businesses and advancing economic opportunity for all.
A self-made businesswoman, Loeffler rose from modest beginnings. She grew up in rural Illinois working on her family’s farm, attending public school, and waitressing - becoming the first in her family to graduate college. She was recruited into the automotive industry and later earned her MBA.
She then built a 25-year career in financial services and technology, including as SVP of Investor Relations, Chief Communications Officer, and Chief Marketing Officer at Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE). As a member of the executive leadership team at ICE, Loeffler contributed to more than a dozen transactions including the company’s acquisition of the NYSE - helping grow the business from a small startup with less than 100 employees to a Fortune 500 company.
In 2018, she was the founding CEO and first employee of Bakkt (NYSE:BKKT), a fintech startup formed to bring institutional infrastructure to the crypto asset class.
Loeffler was appointed to serve in the U.S. Senate in 2020, where she brought her private-sector experience to Washington. She championed conservative values, advocated for small businesses, and passed legislation to strengthen healthcare, veterans’ services, and economic growth. A decade-long WNBA team owner, she was the first U.S. Senator to introduce a bill to protect girls’ sports.
After her Senate service, Loeffler founded Greater Georgia Action, an election integrity advocacy and voter outreach nonprofit. She also founded RallyRight, a conservative tech startup – while serving on several corporate and philanthropic boards.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois College of Commerce, an MBA from DePaul University Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, and is the only CFA® charterholder to ever serve in Congress. A lifelong Catholic, she is also a tireless advocate for President Trump’s America First agenda and strongly supports the pro-growth policies that enable the American Dream.
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INTRODUCTIONS:
Rhonda D. Pointon
President & CEO
National Association of Development Companies
Rhonda Pointon is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Development Companies (NADCO), executing the mission, strategies and objectives of the organization. She joined NADCO in March 2013, serving as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Training, representing industry priorities before the Small Business Administration (SBA), Congress and other federal agencies. Ms. Pointon serves on the Board for NADCO, Development Company Funding Corp and on the Board of Managers for Development Company Finance LLC and Eagle Compliance, LLC. She has over thirty-plus years of experience in commercial banking and small business lending, including extensive expertise in SBA finance programs. Prior to joining NADCO, Ms. Pointon was a member of the executive management team for a Greater Washington D.C. area Regional Bank. She also spent seven years as a Business Development Officer/Lender with Business Finance Group, a Certified Development Company in the Greater Washington D.C. area. Rhonda earned her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Bank Management.
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