Our Team

Peter Nugent | Director

[email protected]
o: 920.445.8881
c: 920.227.8532

Peter Nugent is a Director and Founder of Enlighten Financial, a specialized consulting firm that focuses on providing loan review and risk management services to community banks and credit unions. Peter guides the Company’s service offerings, which include in-depth loan reviews, commercial and personal underwriting/analysis, internal process improvement and workout services. Enlighten Financial was launched in 2008.

Peter’s background includes extensive commercial and retail banking experiences working with both community banks and large regional banking firms. He has held executive level leadership positions within the banking industry and he has wide-ranging working knowledge of commercial banking, private banking, mortgage banking, and professional practice banking.

Peter holds various banking credentials in addition to a BBA and a BS in Economics from St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI.

He and his wife, Jackie, live in Green Bay with their three children and their two bulldogs named Abe and Millie. Peter enjoys travelling, biking, reading and several outdoor activities. He enjoys mentoring entrepreneurs and volunteering in various community organizations.

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Kathy Fries | Manager

[email protected]
o: 920.445.8136

Kathy Fries joined Enlighten Financial as a Manager in 2016. Kathy, who previously was a Senior Analyst for Enlighten Financial, partners with our clients to establish loan policies and approval procedures that minimize risk and ensure good decision-making.

Kathy has nearly 15 years of experience in the banking industry, including several executive-level positions. During that time, she worked for community banks and a larger regional bank, and gained experience in portfolio management, credit analysis, underwriting review and loan review. Fries also has an understanding of the various Small Business Administration loan programs and their related underwriting requirements.

Kathy earned a BBA in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and an MBA in finance from Marquette University. In her free time, Kathy enjoys running, biking and golfing.

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Karen Taylor | Consultant

[email protected]
o: 920.445.88186

Karen Taylor joined the Enlighten Financial team in 2016 as a Consultant after having worked in the banking industry for more than 15 years. Karen has extensive experience in commercial lending, credit analysis and underwriting, cash management and correspondent banking.

She has held roles in both large regional financial institutions and community banks, focusing on the needs of business customers. She has also held various roles in a multi-state correspondent bank, working closely with community banks throughout the region.

Karen earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Karen enjoys spending time with her husband and their two active boys, time up north, walking, golfing and boating.

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Richard Rudolph | Senior Consultant

[email protected]
o: 920.445.8133
c: 248.234.0854

Richard (“Rick”) Rudolph brings more than 30 years of experience to the Enlighten Financial team, which he joined as a Senior Consultant in 2017. Rick has a passion for finding the best credit structure for commercial loan relationships to enhance their ability for success and growth while minimizing risk to the financial institution.

His experience includes directly developing and managing commercial loan relationships of various sizes across a wide range of industries, managing and developing commercial lending teams, implementing credit training programs to improve credit skills and approving credit relationships to commercial borrowers of all sizes. Rick also has experience working directly with examiners to maintain sound lending policies and procedures. Rick is well respected in the industry and brings a unique approach to a chief credit officer role, focusing on risk management and business development.

Rick received a Bachelor of Science degree in resource development and an MBA in finance from Michigan State University. Rick enjoys spending his free time with his family, traveling and outdoor activities including hiking, boating and golf.

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Jacob Pyle | Analyst

[email protected]
o: 920.445.8110
c: 920.277.2574

Jacob Pyle, CPA, joined the Enlighten Financial Team in 2019. After earning his Bachelor of Business Administration, Accounting and Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Jacob went on to hold management positions in two community-based financial institutions in Northeast Wisconsin, including roles in commercial and retail banking as well as operations.

Jacob has had success overseeing financial institution assets, evaluating and analyzing financial data for informed decision-making, and monitoring performance of institutional products and services. As a Loan Review Specialist for Enlighten Financial, Jacob will perform assessments of credit quality, evaluate and recommend appropriate risk ratings, test for compliance with policies and procedures, and provide technical guidance to the credit underwriting units and best practices to enhance quality and consistency for Enlighten Financial customers.

Jacob enjoys running, playing basketball and soccer, and he is a fan of all Wisconsin sports teams. In addition, he is a member of the Young Wishmakers of Wisconsin – a volunteer group within the Make a Wish Foundation.

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John Ronzia | Senior Consultant

[email protected]
c: 608-334-3789

John Ronzia joined Enlighten Financial in 2022 as a Senior Consultant and brings more than 30 years of experience with national and community bank groups to his current role. He has a strong background in commercial lending and underwriting, managing commercial banking teams and developing strategies aligned with bank goals and initiatives.

With his specific responsibilities as a relationship manager and then as a manager of regional banking teams, John had the opportunity to work with businesses of all sizes and within many industries. As a result of that experience, he understands the importance of a common sense and collaborative approach towards exceeding client expectations while always maintaining focus on the banks need to manage risk and grow its business.

Johns holds a Bachelor of Science from the UW-Madison and enjoys a range of outdoor activities, including hiking, cycling, fishing and golf.

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What Shall I Do… Or Not Do?

 Posted Mar 14, 2023

Are We There Yet?

 Posted Feb 16, 2023
“The staff at Enlighten have been available for questions, in addition to the engaged work that they do. They've been very helpful as a resource beyond the major audit.”
— Meghann Kasper, Chief Credit Officer, Bank First
“Enlighten gives us a very good second set of eyes on our transactions. They're not afraid to challenge us on some of the work that we've done, which is what is needed. I don't need to pay somebody to tell me I'm good, I need to pay somebody to tell me where I've made mistakes.”
— Robert McPherson, VP of Risk Management, Peoples State Bank
“Enlighten provided industry best practices that weren’t going to show up in an audit report. They would say, ‘Hey, I noticed you do this. This is really unique, you do a really great job of it.’ And then they might add, ‘Some other clients that I have are doing something like this.’”
— Bill Beardsley, President, Michigan Business Connection
“By questioning some of our methodologies, Enlighten has helped us say, ‘Okay, this is where we need to train staff better and focus on so that they understand what they're doing better.”
— Robert McPherson, VP of Risk Management, Peoples State Bank
“The organization of the communication — before, during, and after the reporting process — was certainly better with Enlighten than what I've experienced with a lot of auditors.”
— Bill Beardsley, President, Michigan Business Connection
“The staff at Enlighten have been available for questions, in addition to the engaged work that they do. They've been very helpful as a resource beyond the major audit.”
— Meghann Kasper, Chief Credit Officer, Bank First
“Enlighten gives us a very good second set of eyes on our transactions. They're not afraid to challenge us on some of the work that we've done, which is what is needed. I don't need to pay somebody to tell me I'm good, I need to pay somebody to tell me where I've made mistakes.”
— Robert McPherson, VP of Risk Management, Peoples State Bank
“Enlighten provided industry best practices that weren’t going to show up in an audit report. They would say, ‘Hey, I noticed you do this. This is really unique, you do a really great job of it.’ And then they might add, ‘Some other clients that I have are doing something like this.’”
— Bill Beardsley, President, Michigan Business Connection
“By questioning some of our methodologies, Enlighten has helped us say, ‘Okay, this is where we need to train staff better and focus on so that they understand what they're doing better.”
— Robert McPherson, VP of Risk Management, Peoples State Bank
“The organization of the communication — before, during, and after the reporting process — was certainly better with Enlighten than what I've experienced with a lot of auditors."
— Bill Beardsley, President, Michigan Business Connection