Panelists

Scott Alvarez served as General Counsel to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Open Market Committee for 13 years, retiring in September 2017 after serving 36 years as an attorney for the Board of Governors.  As the chief legal officer for the Board, he provided legal and policy advice on a wide range of regulatory, administrative, organizational, legislative and other issues related to the duties and operations of the Federal Reserve Board, Federal Reserve System, and FOMC. Alvarez managed the Legal Division, which was comprised of 95 attorneys and 25 staff.  He also served as a representative of the Federal Reserve on the Financial Stability Oversight Council. Alvarez was an Adjunct Professor at the Boston University Law School and has been a guest lecturer at many other law schools.

Alvarez received an AB in Economics from Princeton University and his JD from Georgetown University Law Center.

Betsy Bodien serves as Associate General Counsel at Bank of America. She focuses her practice on banking regulatory matters. In her role, Bodien coordinates bank regulatory applications, facilitates relationships with bank regulatory supervisors, and provides regulatory advice to lines of business and other support partners on various regulatory matters. Prior to joining Bank of America, Bodien held a variety of roles with Royal & SunAlliance, Orion Capital Corporation, and Aetna Health Plans.

Bodien received her BA from the University of Connecticut and her JD from the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Lissa Broome is the Burton Craige Distinguished Professor, director of the school’s Center for Banking and Finance, faculty adviser to the North Carolina Banking Institute journal, and head of the school’s Director Development Initiative (DDI), which works to help match aspiring board members, particularly those from underrepresented groups, with for-profit and nonprofit board opportunities. The DDI also provides training for those interested in corporate board service. Broome serves as the University’s Faculty Athletics Representative to the Atlantic Coast Conference and the NCAA. She teaches Banking Law and Secured Transactions. Broome has a degree in finance from the University of Illinois and earned a JD from Harvard Law School.

Eric Spitler joined the UNC Law faculty in 2020 as an Adjunct Professor of Law. His teaching and research interests include banking and securities law, with a focus on legal responses to financial crises. Spitler is the author of a comprehensive review of the efforts to amend the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. His work has appeared in the American Banker and the North Carolina Banking Institute journal. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer on deposit insurance, financial reform, and financial crises. Early in his career, Spitler practiced law at Neely & Player in Atlanta, Georgia and worked for two Members of Congress. Subsequently, Spitler served as Director of Legislative Affairs for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation during the 2008 financial crisis and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission during the negotiations and passage of the Dodd-Frank Act.  After retiring from the federal government, he formed Delverton Strategies, LLC, a financial consulting firm.

Spitler earned his BA from Furman University and his JD from the UNC School of Law.

John Stoker is the Senior Counsel in Moore & Van Allen’s Financial Regulatory Advice & Response Team. Stoker advises clients on a broad array of federal and state banking laws and regulations impacting financial services products, services, and operations. He supports clients in evaluating the permissibility and compliance considerations associated with new product and strategic investment initiatives as well as assisting clients in risk management remediation projects.

Prior to joining Moore & Van Allen, Stoker led the Corporate Regulatory Section in the Wells Fargo Legal Department. During his 15 years with Wells Fargo, he served as a senior member and then as the manager of the Section, which provided legal support on regulatory compliance requirements to business groups and to the company’s compliance, risk, regulatory relations, and other enterprise functions. He engaged directly with bank regulatory authorities at senior levels concerning significant regulatory issues, including the permissibility of products and investments, strategic acquisitions, and supervisory and enforcement matters, and he also served as a Legal Department representative on various enterprise risk management governance committees.

Stoker received his undergraduate and legal degrees from the University of North Carolina. He is a regular speaker at the University of North Carolina Law School’s annual ABCs of Banking Law program.

Phill Wertz is an Associate General Counsel in the Bank Regulatory Group of the Legal Department of Bank of America Corporation and is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.  He provides enterprise-wide legal advice and subject matter expertise on U.S. bank regulatory matters.  Wertz joined Bank of America Legal Department in February 2001. Prior to joining Bank of America, he was an associate with the law firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, where he worked on commercial and capital markets financing transactions. He received his BA from UNC-CH and graduated from the Duke University School of Law with a joint JD/LLM degree in law and a master’s degree in international and comparative legal studies.