The 2026 Elevate Banking Forum

Elliot Eisenberg, Ph.D., is an internationally acclaimed economist and public speaker specializing in making the arcana and minutia of economics fun, relevant, and educational. He earned a B.A. in economics with first-class honors from McGill University in Montreal, as well as a Master's and Ph.D. in public administration from Syracuse University. Eisenberg, a former Senior Economist with the National Association of Home Builders in Washington, D.C., is the creator of the multifamily stock index (the first nationally recognized index to track the total return of public firms principally involved in the ownership and management of apartments), the author of more than eighty-five articles, and is a regular consultant to several large real estate professional associations, hedge funds, and investment advisory groups. He has spoken to thousands of business groups and associations, usually as a keynote speaker.

Chris has 30+ years of banking experience, is an active bank investor, small business owner, frequent speaker, co-author of The Successful Lender’s Field Guide, and frequent blogger. Before SouthState Bank, Chris was President/CEO of PCBB Capital Markets, sat on the executive committees of Pacific Coast Bankers’ Bank; helped found FinancialOxygen, a banking technology company; and held operating positions at the Bank of America Corporation, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Chris holds a degree in economics from the University of California, is a sworn law enforcement officer and a flight medical officer.

Nathan Stovall is the director of the financial institutions research team for S&P Global Market Intelligence, which is responsible for data-driven news and research focused on banks and insurers. Nathan has 20 years of experience covering the financial institutions sector, with a focus on U.S. banks.

Mark Kanaly is co-chair of Alston & Bird’s Corporate Area, overseeing Corporate & Securities, Finance, Financial Services, Health Care, and Real Estate groups. He previously chaired the firm’s Partners Committee and Financial Services & Products Group. Mark focuses on financial services clients, assisting with mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, capital raising, corporate governance, and regulatory matters.

Ed Kofman serves as the Managing Director of Loan Sales and Trading at SouthState's Correspondent Division, where he helps community banks offer non-derivative hedging solutions to their commercial borrowers. Ed has over two decades of experience in corporate/commercial law and finance, including credit analysis, corporate finance, financial modeling, derivative structuring, and sales. His previous experience includes serving as Managing Director at PCBB Capital Markets, a financial risk manager at Wells Fargo Bank's Capital Markets group, and at Bank of America where he was responsible for general risk management, the production of capital allocation tools, and the creation of risk-adjusted return on capital models. Ed received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto, has an MBA and JD from York University, and holds a CFA designation. In addition, Ed holds FINRA certifications including a Series 7 and 63.

Jeff Hancher is the Founder of Jeff Hancher Enterprises, which specializes in organizational leadership solutions, leadership training and development, and sales training. His keynote speaking and corporate trainings are designed to help other leaders turn the pressure they feel into the potential for greater success and lasting impact. He believes that everyone should invest in their personal development and has earned certifications in sales, corporate culture development, meticulous hiring, emotional intelligence, and communication. Prior to starting his own business, he was a Senior Leader for a Fortune 500 company. While working in corporate America, Jeff earned numerous awards for his sales and leadership performance. He developed over 50 employees into their own leadership roles as well. Jeff is also the author of the USA Today Bestseller Firm Feedback in a Fragile World, a veteran of the United States Army, and the host of The Champion Forum Podcast.