Jesse Thompson - The Federal Reserve Bank

Jesse Thompson serves as senior business economist at the Houston Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Thompson, who joined the Bank in 2010, performs research and analysis on issues affecting the Houston and Gulf Coast economy. In particular, he studies issues surrounding area hydrocarbon industries. He also collects information for the Dallas Fed’s Beige Book summary of current economic conditions. He is author of the monthly Energy Indicators, the Houston Economic Indicators, and contributes to the quarterly publication Southwest Economy.

Thompson earned an MA in economics, with emphasis on empirical microeconomics, and BA in philosophy and economics from the University of Houston.

Adam Faust is a founding partner of 5+8, a branding agency headquartered in Houston, Texas. With a passion for strategic creativity, Adam has been at the helm of 5+8 since its inception in 2013, creating innovative branding solutions that empower businesses to thrive in the modern market. 

An alumnus of Texas Christian University (TCU), Adam completed his undergraduate studies there, acquiring a solid foundation in business and design. Eager to further refine his expertise, he embarked on a journey to the London College of Communication for his postgraduate education, immersing himself in the dynamic world of communication arts.

Under Adam's leadership, 5+8 has grown into a recognized industry leader, consistently pushing the boundaries of design, strategy, and innovation. His keen eye for detail, strategic thinking, and commitment to excellence have propelled the agency to collaborate with diverse clients, from emerging startups to established global brands.

In the late 90’s Dave saw the vision of using inkjet to address mail rather than labels and he founded Array Technologies which is the R&D company responsible for MCS’ inkjet and camera tracking solutions which are prolific today.  The ink and consumables company, Think Ink was formed shortly thereafter and in 2017 ECS joined his corporate family.

Dave’s family has been a big part of his life in this industry – and a big part of his success.  Dave’s son, Kevin joined the company after graduating from DePaul in 2016 and is heading up MCS’ International division.  Dave is holding out for his daughter Tracy to join the team since graduating from George Washington in 2019.  Traveling over 45 weeks per year leaves little free time for this former Restaurant Management student.  However, Dave does enjoy vacations to sunny FL with his wife Lisa and driving his muscle cars around town.

Dave now has over 50 employees, 3 offices nationwide and his group of companies has combined revenue over $50 million.

Paul Bobnak is the Direct Mail Evangelist for Who's Mailing What! Paul's passion for the industry shines through in his contributions to the industry. He is known for sharing his wealth of knowledge through articles, presentations, and interviews, providing practical tips and strategies to improve direct mail campaigns. His expertise extends to other marketing channels as well, making him a multifaceted resource for marketers seeking to maximize their outreach.

As a thought leader in the field, Paul Bobnak continues to shape the direct mail industry by sharing his insights and staying on top of emerging trends. His dedication to improving the effectiveness of direct mail marketing has made him an invaluable asset to Who's Mailing What and an influential figure in the marketing space.

He hosts the "Meet the Mailers" video podcast as well as writes for the site's blog. He creates written and video content for mailing.com, Lob, and other companies. He also speaks about direct mail at marketing and printing industry events, webinars, and groups.

Jill has leading roles in two related startups, President of Who's Mailing What! and VP, Human Resources for it's partner company, Wyzoo.

At Who's Mailing What!, they apply the AI and machine learning capabilities of Wyzoo to the world's largest repository of actual direct mail programs to produce a new data intelligence product called Who's Inspired By What. With Who's Inspired By What, direct mail marketers see which of their customers will be most likely to respond to specific types of campaigns. The results are lower costs and better response rates.

Wyzoo, a data intelligence company that specializes in serving direct mail marketers and their agencies, marks another in a succession of well-funded startups where I generate solutions to business problems, drive efficiencies and raise contribution levels.

Josh is a Director at the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. He joined the USPS OIG in 2011 after 12 years at the U.S. Government Accountability Office. He brings nearly 24 years of experience providing oversight of major federal programs and activities, specializing in the U.S. Postal Service. His work has crossed key Postal Service operational and financial activities, with a recent focus on retail and international operations and customer experiences. He has a master’s degree in Public Financial Management from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University-Bloomington and a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy & Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Josh and his wife Kristen are proud parents of four boys — PJ, Tate, Charlie, and Cole. 

Leo Raymond is Managing Director of Mailers Hub, an information resource for mailing service providers and other companies in the mailing community, and has five decades' experience in postal affairs and related mailing issues.

He formerly was Director, Postal and Member Engagement, for Idealliance, based in Alexandria, Virginia.  Before that, he was VP for Postal and Member Relations for legacy Epicomm and its predecessor associations.  In those positions, he served the associations’ members nationwide regarding general postal questions, mailing problems, and related government issues, and supported the associations’ chapter- and conference-based educational programs.

Leo joined then-MFSA in March 2003 upon his retirement from a career with the US Postal Service that spanned over 35 years.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from North Adams (MA) State College and has studied at the Darden Graduate School of the University of Virginia.  Leo and his family live in Northern Virginia.

Tom specializes in Business Processes and Postal Affairs at Ricoh, USA. Over his impressive career of more than 30 years, Tom has become an authority in direct mail marketing, including process improvement, digital transformation, and leveraging Lean concepts to enhance operational efficiencies in production environments.

Notably, Tom is a member of MTAC (Mailers Technical Advisory Committee), underscoring his influence and expertise within the industry. He is also an member of the Mailers Hub Postal Operations Team and possesses certifications from Mailers Hub, including the prestigious USPS Mail Piece Design Consultant certification. Furthermore, Tom's contributions extend beyond industry recognition with his role in creating the Idealliance MailPro Mail Education Program.

Tom's commitment to continuous improvement is exemplified by his attainment of a Six Sigma Lean Black Belt Certification, highlighting his dedication to delivering exceptional outcomes to clients. Moreover, his exceptional leadership has led teams to receive patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, notably for the development of MLOCR sorting equipment with groundbreaking features such as cloud address correction lookup and data consolidation and rescheming.

Currently driving innovation, Tom's visionary thinking has resulted in a Provisional Patent, soon to be a Utility Patent, for a process that effectively utilizes USPS data to optimize delivery process timing and reporting.