COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (October 2025) — The National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders (NAGGL) welcomed more than 1,100 SBA 7(a) lenders, partners, and industry professionals to its 2025 Annual Conference at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, celebrating the people and partnerships shaping the future of 7(a) small business lending.
The conference kicked off with a special recognition of Tony Wilkinson, NAGGL’s longtime President & CEO, marking his 100th NAGGL event. NAGGL also honored Jane Butler for 50 years of service to the SBA lending industry. In her honor, NAGGL announced the creation of the Jane Butler Future Lending Leaders Scholarship, which will support an individual’s participation in the Future Lending Leaders Program each year.
Throughout the week, NAGGL recognized outstanding individuals and organizations across multiple award categories:
Advocacy Award
- Advocacy Excellence Award – Kale Gaston, LendingClub Bank
Distinguished & Lifetime Achievement Awards
- Distinguished Service Award – Ashley Horner, Summit Bank
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Greg Clarkson, Former NAGGL Chair
Education Awards
- 2025 Instructor of the Year – Mimi Case, U.S. Bank
- 20-Year Instructor Award – Jane Butler, NAGGL
- Fundamental Diploma Recipients –
Gabriela Arias
Armie Avila
Rocio Bruni
Levi Byram
Tomeshia Collier
Michael De Mayo
Alex Demkiw
Rachel Estis
Cole Frick
Zack Gabriel
Gigi Goshorn
Brook Jones
Emily Kirby
Nichole Kniep
Natalia Link
Charles Macchione
Andrew Martin
Michael Nichols
Monique O’Donnell
Nicole Pedriani
Justin Quainton
Leah Ramirez
Tammy Schaeffer
Aaron Schmidt
Tyler Stevenson
Katie Sultany
Stephanie Thomas
Joshua Thompson
Tevin Townson
Omar Veerjee
Ashley Wells - Advanced Diploma Recipients –
Tricicia Brown-Reed
Alicia Carroll
Ariana Day
SJ Hoecherl
Jessica Huffman
Amanda Loescher
Denise Mlynarick
Derek Price
Ali Qualmann
Reece Sanford
Industry Awards
Nominated by their industry peers, the following individuals were selected by a committee of industry professionals for the following awards:
- Emerging Leader of the Year – Scott Gillanders, Berkshire Bank, a Division of Beacon Bank & Trust
- Origination Excellence Award – Sherry Martin, Citizens Trust Bank
- Servicing Excellence Award – Erika Gutierrez, Columbia Bank
- Industry Solutions Award – Brett Caines, Lumos Data
- Executive of the Year – Erik Daniels, U.S. Bank
Sustaining Member Awards
Presented to Organizations that have upgraded their membership to the Sustaining Member level in 2025.
- Always Bank
- America First Federal Credit Union
- Gulf Coast Small Business Lending
- Lendistry SBLC
- NHB Bank
NAGGL extends heartfelt congratulations to all award recipients for their exceptional contributions to the SBA 7(a) lending community and their commitment to supporting America’s small businesses.
For more information about NAGGL’s programs, initiatives, and upcoming events, visit www.naggl.org.
