About Our Speakers

John Asbury
Chair, American Bankers Association
Past Chair, Virginia Bankers Association
CEO, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation

John Asbury is Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation (NASDAQ: AUB), having joined the company in October 2016.

Asbury came to Atlantic Union as part of a planned succession for the former CEO, who retired following 26 years in role. Asbury is a career banker with over 35 years of experience in commercial banking. Previously, he was President and CEO of privately-held First National Bank of Santa Fe, a multi-state bank with locations in New Mexico and Colorado.  Prior to that, he was Senior Executive Vice President and Head of the Business Services Group at Regions Financial Corporation, one of the nation’s largest full-service banks. At Regions, Asbury led all lines of business that serve the company’s business and commercial banking customers. Prior to Regions, he spent 17 years at Bank of America, ultimately leaving as the Pacific Northwest Region Executive for Business Banking in Seattle, Washington. Asbury began his career in the management training program at Wachovia Bank & Trust in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Active in civic and industry affairs, Asbury is prior Chairman of the Mid-Size Bank Coalition of America, and is a prior Chairman of the Virginia Bankers Association. He also serves on the board of directors of a number of not-for-profit organizations, and was appointed by the Governor of Virginia to the Port of Virginia Board of Commissioners, where he currently chairs the port’s growth committee.

Asbury holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from Virginia Tech and an MBA from The College of William & Mary. He is a native of Virginia, born in Radford.

Anton Korinek
Professor, Department of Economics and Darden School of Business, University of Virginia

Anton is a Professor at the University of Virginia, Department of Economics and Darden School of Business as well as a Visiting Scholar at the Brookings Institution, a Senior Researcher at the Complexity Science Hub Vienna, a Research Associate at the NBER, and a Research Fellow at the CEPR. He received his PhD from Columbia University in 2007 after several years of work experience in the IT and financial sectors. He has also worked at Johns Hopkins and at the University of Maryland and has been a visiting scholar at Harvard University, the World Bank, the IMF, the BIS and numerous central banks.

His research analyzes how to prepare for a world of transformative AI systems and has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, the Economist, and TIME Magazine. He investigates the implications of advanced AI for economic growth, labor markets, inequality, and the future of our society. In his past research, he investigated the mechanics of financial crises and developed policy measures to prevent future crises, including an influential framework for capital flow regulation in emerging economies. 

Mark Nutsch
Green Beret Commander Portrayed in the Movie 12 Strong & New York Times Best-Seller, Horse Soldiers

From the battlefield to the business world, Mark Nutsch shares his remarkable story and the secrets to his success—from leading a heroic 12-man Green Beret team in defeating the Taliban to founding a wildly popular and award-winning bourbon brand.

In October 2001 following the attacks on 9/11, Mark Nutsch led a team of U.S. Special Forces on a covert mission to Afghanistan, where they would ride to war on horses to fight the enemy—side by side with their Muslim counterparts—capture the strategic city of Mazar-i-Sharif within a matter of weeks, and successfully overthrow the Taliban. Now a consultant to Special Operations Command, he earned a Bronze Star with valor for his bravery. The story inspired a New York Times bestselling book by Doug Stanton, Horse Soldiers, and a 2018 major motion picture called 12 Strong, in which Mark is portrayed by actor Chris Hemsworth.

Years after this historic event, Mark and a few of his fellow Green Berets teamed up for a different sort of mission: Co-founding American Freedom Distillery and their signature offering, Horse Soldier Bourbon, which is sold in bottles pressed in molds made from steel salvaged from the World Trade Center site. The company achieved remarkable success, and Horse Soldier Bourbon has won more than 30 awards, including three Double Gold Medals at the San Francisco International Spirits Competition, and in 2024 the brand became the “Official Dark Spirit” Sponsor of the Professional Bull Riders.

On stage, Nutsch enthralls audiences with an edge-of-your-seat, behind-the-scenes account of how this almost unbelievable event played out, impacted the world, and earned them the gratitude of a nation. He also shares his impressive entrepreneurial story, discussing how he and his team applied the lessons they’d learned in the military—deliberate and focused planning, short- and long-term coordination, and maintaining a strategic vision—to grow their business and establish an unforgettable legacy. He inspires audiences to leverage these principles to achieve their own personal and professional goals.

Rob Nichols
President and CEO, American Bankers Association

Rob Nichols is the president and CEO of the American Bankers Association, the voice of the nation’s $23.7 trillion banking industry and the only organization that represents banks of all sizes and charters in Washington.

Since joining ABA in August 2015, Nichols has led ABA’s advocacy efforts, working to ensure that banks of all sizes operate in a policy environment that allows them to best serve their customers and communities. In 2018, Nichols led ABA’s successful efforts to win passage of the first major banking bill in nearly a decade. Among other things, the bipartisan legislation modified rules for community banks originally intended for larger institutions.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nichols and ABA played a critical role in helping banks navigate unprecedented challenges. ABA resources and advocacy helped banks of all sizes rapidly deliver 90 percent of the $800 billion Paycheck Protection Program, the largest economic rescue plan ever deployed for the private sector, protecting more than 80 million Americans from job loss. The banking industry’s efforts helped limit the pandemic’s effects on the U.S. economy.

As ABA’s president and CEO, Nichols has advanced a number of industry-wide initiatives. In 2019, Nichols encouraged all banks to offer low-cost, easy-to-use Bank On-certified accounts. The effort has been credited with helping reduce the number of unbanked in the U.S. to its lowest level ever. And ABA’s award-winning #BanksNeverAskThat public education campaign has won national recognition for empowering consumers to spot scams before they can do harm.

As the leader of one of Washington’s largest trade association workforces, Nichols has reshaped ABA’s workplace. Since 2018, ABA has been certified as a Great Place to Work by independent analysts, and in 2022, Nichols moved ABA into a contemporary, collaboration-focused new office adapted for hybrid teams.  

From January 2020 – January 2023, Nichols served as chairman of the International Banking Federation, whose members include the national banking trade associations representing every major financial center. Nichols joined ABA following 10 years at the helm of the Financial Services Forum, a nonpartisan economic policy and advocacy organization whose members are the chief executive officers of the largest and most diversified financial institutions doing business in the United States. During his time at the Forum, Nichols led the industry through the financial crisis and the Dodd-Frank Act, guiding his members and the broader banking sector in its policy response and the law’s implementation.

Before joining the Forum, Nichols served in the George W. Bush administration as assistant secretary for public affairs at the Treasury Department a position requiring confirmation by the United States Senate.  In this role, he acted as chief spokesperson and head of the office of public liaison, serving as Treasury’s lead representative with the media, business, professional trade organizations, consumer groups and the public.

Prior to that, he worked as communications director to the late Sen. Slade Gorton and press secretary to the late Rep. Jennifer Dunn. He began his career in public service in the West Wing as a White House aide in the George H.W. Bush administration.

Nichols is a recipient of the Alexander Hamilton Award, the highest honor of the Department of the Treasury. He also is consistently named as one of the most influential people in Washington by Washingtonian, and one of Washington’s top lobbyists by The Hill. He has been described as one of the “new generation of trade group CEOs” by the Washington Post.

Nichols serves on the board of governors of FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) and is a Corporate Advisory Council member at Children’s National Hospital.

He is a graduate of the George Washington University.