Equipment Finance Cares Board of Directors

President of Consult Disrupt and Founder of Equipment Finance Cares

Jesse graduated from West Virginia University in 2003 with a degree in Business Administration, Marketing. Jesse has over 20 years of professional selling and marketing experience. Some highlights of his professional career include increasing an equipment leasing vertical revenue from $300k to $3million in five years and playing a major role in increasing an organization's overall revenue from $7million to $21million over a five-year period.  Jesse currently serves on the ELFA Communications Committee, and has previously been on the board of directors for NEFA, NEFA membership committee chair, two-time NEFA conference chair and the ELFA Service Provider Committee. He spends his nights and weekend consulting with local small businesses. In 2021, Jesse founded Equipment Finance Cares, a platform for awareness through thought leadership and networking with industry peers.  

Jesse lives in Queen Creek, AZ with his wife Brooke and two children, Jeremy and Rori. 

Love Life Now Foundation

Lovern Gordon is a two-time sur-THRIVER of domestic violence – DV (a child witness until she was 15 years old in Trinidad and a 2-year, young adult relationship in the States). She has been with Boston Financial and Equity Corporation since 1999 and ten years after leaving abuse, she became the full- time Founder of Love Life Now Foundation, Inc. - LLN), where she used 2 back-to-back pageantry wins to increase awareness around issue in 2010. The following year, LLN was formed. Today, Their organization has appeared on numerous radio and television shows including CBS This Morning nationally and internationally on Trinidad and Tobago’s TV6 News. They conduct DV Awareness Workshops worldwide, hosts events that raise thousands of dollars to benefit DV shelters, offers direct financial assistance to those fleeing abuse and points people in the right direction for DV resources. She has become a huge voice in the equipment finance industry around the issue and continues to represent Boston Financial at various funding conferences.

ABLE Leadership

Renowned for leadership in high-profile executive positions, R.J. Grimshaw is a seasoned professional adept at navigating intricate business landscapes. Armed with a wealth of experience, Grimshaw excels in overcoming complex challenges and making high-stakes decisions, guided by a robust work ethic and a history of sound judgment.

Specializing in Corporate Strategy & Development, Grimshaw is hailed as a visionary, strategist, and tactician. His track record boasts consistent and extraordinary results in driving growth, enhancing revenue, optimizing operational performance, and maximizing profitability.

With a strong focus on operations and finance, Grimshaw spearheads impactful initiatives such as infrastructure design, process reengineering, turnaround management, and organizational restructuring. His strategic prowess extends to leveraging human capital, where he excels at motivating, mentoring, and leading a team of talented professionals. Grimshaw not only champions empowerment and accountability but also lives the organizational culture, setting a compelling example for others to follow.

SVP, Director of 1st Equipment Finance

Donna is a highly accomplished executive currently serving as the Director–Executive Management at 1st Equipment Finance, part of the esteemed FNCB Bank. With an impressive 25-year career, Donna has excelled in various leadership roles, including a significant tenure as the Managing Director at F.N.B. Equipment Finance and 14 years as an Editor at TV Guide. Holding a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Bloomsburg University, she brings a strong foundation to her primary focus on Sales, Profitability, Marketing, Policy Management, and Managing Risk. Donna's expertise extends to effective team management, having successfully overseen sales teams in the Indirect Vendor Program, Commercial Bank Leasing, and Bank Small Business. With notable achievements, such as building and managing a portfolio just under $1 billion, she has earned national recognition, ranking F.N.B. among the Top 50 finance/leasing companies by Monitordaily. Donna is also celebrated as one of the "2020 Top Women in Equipment Finance" by Monitordaily, actively contributing to industry associations, including the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), where she holds key roles in the Academic Outreach Program, Research Committee, and Business Council Steering Committee. Donna is also a proud member of the Women’s Council and serves as a Mentor Volunteer, showcasing a commitment to industry development and mentorship.

CEO of Leasepath

Jeff serves as Chief Executive Officer of Leasepath and is member of its Board of Directors. Leasepath is growing quickly as a respected solution provider to the global Asset Finance and Leasing industry, delivering a best-in-class product in a quick-deployment, cloud-based SaaS model. Leasepath is serving clients across North America and Europe, with an eye on continued growth.

Jeff is a recognized technology executive with >20 years of experience aligning business and technology strategies. He is proven to build strong business relationships throughout international organizations and across industries. Jeff has demonstrated leadership by building high-performing, highly engaged teams across multiple locations by integrating strategies into an achievable roadmap of innovation and operational excellence, and never yielding focus from superior customer satisfaction. He has a track record of engaging teams around a defined purpose to bring strategic visions to life.

Prior to Leasepath, Jeff served on the Board of Directors and was President at Netsol Technologies (Nasdaq: NTWK) where he led the transition to the company's first cloud product, transitioned revenue to a SaaS model, and guided the team to build a robust sales pipeline and close new deals. 

Hollis Bufferd is the CEO of Star Hill Financial. She has over 10 years of experience in the equipment finance business. She saw the growing need for a minority owned and operated lessor in the equipment financing space. That need, combined with her passion for helping other companies be successful, led to the creation of Star Hill. She prides herself on providing the utmost service to Star Hill’s clients, and continually developing those relationships to drive results. Hollis received a Bachelor of Science in Management with a concentration in Small Business Consulting from the University of Connecticut.

Kirsten is a Experienced marketing professional with strong client management interactions that include client customer relations, client collateral, and social media. Diverse background and experience with professional experience and community service that demonstrate a strong commitment to success by focusing on results and personal interactions. 

Blair Dawson is the Principal of Sterling Rose Marketing and Communications Solutions. Within the realm of Sterling Rose, Blair specializes in the domains of branding, content creation, and the development of cutting-edge marketing strategy. With a strong background in leadership development, Blair’s expertise extends seamlessly across all echelons, showcasing a knack for steering teams toward success. Motivated by a passion for collaboration, she stands as a seasoned manager, skillfully nurturing relationships and lending her expertise to champion the priorities and strategic initiatives of her clients. 

Prior to starting Sterling Rose Marketing & Communications Solutions, in June of 2023, Blair was the Executive Director & General Manager of the STRIPES Leadership Program. Blair entered the equipment finance industry in 2019 as the Vice President of Marketing and Events for the National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA).  Blair has a BS in Marketing from Saint Joseph’s University.

Stephanie Hall currently serves as the Vice President of Sales at Quality Leasing Co., Inc.  She has extensive experience in small-ticket equipment finance, having made her home in the space for more than 15 years.  She was previously Executive Vice President of the Small Ticket segment of BankFinancial Equipment Finance., prior to BankFinancial she was Executive Vice President at ACG Equipment Finance (formerly BlackRiver Business Capital) where she was responsible for syndication, portfolio sale, oversight of credit and funding, compliance and documentation. Prior to joining ACG, she was Vice President of Third-Party Originations for Bryn Mawr Funding for more than 10 years.  Ms. Hall earned her CLFP designation in 2014 and has been very involved in industry associations.  She spent several years on the board of directors for the National Equipment Finance Association, culminating with her service as President/Chairman of the Board in 2016-2017.  She is currently serving on the Chris Walker Education Fund Committee, the Advisory Council for Equipment Finance Cares, the Small Ticket Business Council Steering Committee for the ELFA and on the Standards and Ethics Committee for the National Equipment Finance Association.

Jaimie Haver began her career in the equipment leasing industry more than 30 years ago. She enjoyed working with an independent lessor for greater than 20 years and with a bank for about 12 years. She has experienced each role and responsibility that is part of the life cycle of a transaction and loves almost every one of them! She has a deep commitment to delivering the best customer service and feels that happy employees produce happy customers and wants to create more enthusiasm in the workplace. Jaimie recently retired from Hanmi Bank as SVP of Operations of Commercial Equipment Leasing to follow her passion of helping others find their happiness in their processes of fulfilling customer obligations, regulatory requirements, and collaboration across departments. She is the founder and Chief Enthusiasm Officer (yes, a different kind of CEO) of Happy Manufacturing, Inc. Her ultimate objective is to really help put the FUN in funding so that everyone involved in the experience is happy with the outcome. Jaimie is a CLFP and has been active with ELFA Women in Leadership Committee, where she hopes to have made a difference in the mentoring program. She resides in Tustin, CA with Darren, her husband and Jack, their son. She is an advocate for individuals who are blind, visually impaired and individuals with different abilities. She is a prior board member for Beyond Blindness, formerly Blind Children’s Learning Center and through her efforts and enthusiasm, she helped raise more than $1.2M to support programs to promote independence. 

Sean McKenna has dedicated over eight years to advancing the business development efforts within the Specialty Equipment Division of Great American Insurance Group. As National Sales Manager, his focus is on creating programs that mitigate risk, enhance operational efficiency, and protect valuable asset portfolios.  He is convinced that success hinges on creating meaningful connections and offering customized solutions that address the specific needs of clients and potential customers. Sean is actively engaged with various industry associations. His commitment to professional growth and industry advancement is evident through his previous involvement with the ELFA Emerging Talent Advisory Council and his current participation in the Service Provider Committee and the Advisory Council for Equipment Finance Cares.

Ricardo graduated from Boston University’s School of Management with concentrations in Finance and Accounting. Before graduating, Ricardo was selected to be part of Banco Popular of Puerto Rico’s Management Trainee Program where he was exposed to all areas Puerto Rico’s largest banking entity (Treasury, Auto Financing Subsidiary, Mortgage Subsidiary, Commercial and Retail Banking, Investment Subsidiary, among others). After completing the Program, Ricardo became Financial Analyst of Banco Popular’s (High New Worth) Investment Management Consulting Group (IMCG).After two years with IMCG, Ricardo founded a Bicycle Infrastructure Company in Puerto Rico and later joined the CEFI team in 2012. Ricardo is a NASBITE Certified Global Business Professional and has completed CFA Level I Exam.