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.
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.
Karen Taylor | Consultant
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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.
Richard Rudolph | Senior Consultant
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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.
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.
Stephanie Serafini | Analyst
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c: 920-888-2026
Stephanie Serafini joined Enlighten Financial in the Spring of 2023. Stephanie has more than 19 years of experience in the financial industry. Prior to joining Enlighten Financial, she was a loan sale coordinator and government insurer, and spent many years in mortgage processing.
Her extensive background has given her the knowledge and experience to play a variety of roles in the mortgage and loan sectors throughout her career. Stephanie has been able to successfully adapt to ever-changing rules and regulations, and has developed a strong problem-solving proficiency.
As an Analyst for Enlighten Financial, Stephanie provides mortgage quality control and consumer loan review services, including pre-close, post-close, servicing, and consumer underwriting.
Stephanie has lived in Virginia her entire life with her two children and her family. She loves to read, bake and garden.
Loyce Brooks | Credit Risk Analyst
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c: 920-641-5110
Loyce Brooks joined the Enlighten Financial team in the Fall of 2023. An accomplished and detail-oriented finance professional with experience in credit analysis, Loyce is skilled at financial modeling, credit analysis, and commercial lending. He thrives on assisting clients with expert credit analysis and providing out-of-the-box thinking to loan requests, finding where clients can best help their borrowers while maintaining disciplined credit practices.
Loyce’s previous roles include commercial credit analyst, credit associate, and real estate valuation analyst. A graduate of Texas State University’s McCoy School of Business, he’s also had advanced training in financial statement analysis, commercial lending, and real estate financial modeling. His success in preparing underwriting models and portfolio management will be an asset to Enlighten Financial’s clients.
In his free time, Loyce enjoys investing, and loves football and basketball.
Kristy Stiefvater | Manager
[email protected]
c: 920-445-8110
Kristy Stiefvater joined the Enlighten Financial Team in Spring 2024. With an extensive background in business banking, she’s collaborated with business leaders in analyzing financial data, monitoring key performance indicators, and providing insight and guidance on industry trends, opportunities and risks. A skilled communicator, Kristy is focused on providing the most effective and beneficial solutions to benefit her clients.
As a Manager for Enlighten Financial, Kristy will partner with clients to ensure strategic plans and benchmarks are being achieved and assist them in meeting their long-term goals and objectives. She will leverage her expertise in developing processes in order to streamline workflow and improve quality and accuracy, and she will work with clients to establish loan policies and procedures that minimize risk and ensure good decision-making.
With a home in Northeast Wisconsin, Kristy loves to stay active in her down time. She is an avid runner and golfer, she loves to read, and she enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters.