As CEO at Zest AI, Mike has made it the company’s mission to leverage AI in consumer credit underwriting to build financial equity and create a better, richer, and fuller life for all. In his 30 years prior experience to Zest AI, Mike focused on amplifying the voice of consumers to governments and businesses through organizations like Nielsen, Harris Poll, and JD Power. His experiences converge to show his capacity to lead organizations in translating data into insights that enable the betterment of consumers’ lives.

Mike received his MBA from the University of Southern California (Fight on!) and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University, Northridge. Mike lives in Southern California with his wife, kids, two cats, and dog.

As COO, Dan plays a pivotal role in shaping company strategy and driving operational excellence, including delivering on the mission to broaden access to equitable credit through AI lending technology. Over the course of his career, Dan has focused on building businesses that serve customers with a personalized approach through organizations like Nielsen and The Harris Poll.

He received his BA in Communications and Advertising from St. John Fisher University and lives in Westport, Connecticut with his wife and children.

Belinda is a firm believer in leveraging business as a tool for creating a better world. This conviction is clearly reflected in her role as CFO at Zest AI. By partnering with lenders big and small, AI technology is used to reduce economic inequality and help build generational wealth across the US. As a leader, she subscribes to the philosophy of servant leadership, providing her teams with the necessary tools and resources to eliminate obstacles and promote growth.

With a rich career spanning over 25 years, Belinda has amassed extensive finance experience working with tech startups as well as Fortune 500 companies, including OpenX, Yahoo!, and The Walt Disney Company. She holds a BS in Commerce from The University of British Columbia. Currently, she resides in Los Angeles with her family and two beloved cats.

Sean is the Chief Technology Officer at Zest AI, where he leads engineering and data science teams. His teams focus on building robust systems, innovative AI applications, and scalable, transparent models that drive performance, fairness, and automation in credit underwriting. Under Sean’s leadership, Zest AI enables financial institutions to deploy cutting-edge AI/ML solutions that are both powerful and compliant, while ensuring ease of implementation.

Sean holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University in Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering and conducted post-graduate work at the NASA Ames Research Center. Before joining Zest AI, Sean led large-scale projects, including managing a team of over 200 engineers to improve the safety of aging US natural gas pipelines.

Sean and his family reside in Burbank, California, where he attempts to play outdoor tennis year-round, with varying degrees of success.

As Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel at Zest AI, Marc leads the legal, finance, compliance and corporate development/partnerships teams. 

He brings more than 20 years of experience providing strategic legal and business counsel to public and private companies. His subject matter expertise includes mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, public and private equity and debt offerings, intellectual property licensing and protection, SEC reporting and compliance, enterprise risk management, executive compensation and corporate governance.

Prior to joining Zest AI, Marc served as Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel and Global Head of Partnerships at Delos, a leading wellness real estate and technology company. Before Delos, Marc was the Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel of EyeLock, a market leader of identity authentication and cyber security technology solutions. Marc also served as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of Harris Interactive, a publicly traded, global business information and services firm, where he led the sale of the company to Nielsen, and General Counsel, North America of Taylor Nelson Sofres plc, a publicly traded, global media and marketing information firm. Marc began his career as a M&A and securities lawyer at the Wall Street law firm, Thacher Proffitt & Wood.

Marc received his MBA and JD from Boston College and his Bachelor’s in Economics from Cornell University. Marc resides in New York City with his wife, two daughters and quirky goldendoodle.

As Head of Public Policy and Chief of Staff, Esther Kahng serves as a strategic advisor to the CEO and leads the company’s engagement with policymakers and regulatory bodies, drawing on her extensive experience in financial services policy and legislation.

Esther brings to Zest AI extensive legislative expertise, following more than a decade on Capitol Hill. Esther’s work has led to over 100 bills being enacted into law, demonstrating her exceptional skill at building consensus and collaborating effectively with colleagues from both sides of the aisle.

Most recently, she served as Chief Counsel to the House Financial Services Committee under Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA). In this role, she was at the forefront of legislative and regulatory efforts around financial technology and AI, championing technological advancements that benefit consumers and community financial institutions. Prior to her role as Chief Counsel, Esther served in other senior positions within the House Financial Services Committee, including Director of Housing and Insurance Policy and Senior Counsel, demonstrating her leadership in driving a proactive legislative agenda and moving bipartisan legislation. 

A native of Los Angeles, CA, Esther received her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, San Diego, and her law degree from Georgetown University. She is currently a member of the D.C. Bar Association.

Aaron is a native of St. Louis MO and currently resides in Atlanta, GA with his two teenagers. He believes people are the core of every business and if you invest in them, you are investing in the long-term success of your company. Aaron has spent over twenty years leading teams that are motivated to win together and partnering with clients to ensure their success. 

As Head of Business Development for Zest AI, his team makes sure credit unions reach their strategic goals. Also, making sure their members, including our nation’s underbanked, achieve financial success. He has held other notable roles at American Express, Equifax and Fiserv.

Patti is a passionate and experienced human resources leader with an extensive foundation in the entertainment industry and private sector including Sony Pictures Entertainment, Comcast, and DirectTV, as well as running her executive leadership development consulting firm for over eight years. She is a certified Executive Coach and also holds a certificate in HR studies from Cornell University, focused on Labor and Industrial Relations.

At Zest AI, Patti leads all aspects of our talent force and stewards Zest’s tight-knit culture. She fosters connection, empowerment, and sustainable action toward individual and team goals, and enables professional development across the company. She also spearheaded the implementation of the Zest Cares and oversees the foundation’s work and impact. Patti lives in Malibu and can often be found at the beach near her home.

José has spent over 15 years leading diverse teams as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, where he also served as a helicopter pilot, tactics instructor, and systems development advisor. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the US Naval Academy, a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland, and a MBA in Finance from UCLA.

José is driven by producing positive social impact through the purposeful application of technology, and at Zest AI, this drive helps navigate integrations of strategic partnerships that will best benefit clients and the people they serve.

Adam spends most of his days in conversation with Zest AI’s clients, finding pain points and bringing innovative solutions to the table to push the lending industry towards a more efficient and inclusive future. He’s built his career within the financial services sector and believes that AI can be a powerful tool for building a strong economic ecosystem.

Prior to Zest AI, Adam was an analyst at Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs. He received his Bachelor’s in Finance from Penn State University, and then an MBA from the University of Chicago. He lives in New York City and enjoys reading, traveling, and rock climbing.

Curtis works with some of the world’s most innovative lenders to help them get the most out of switching to AI/machine learning in their underwriting practices. He’s been at Zest in various capacities since 2018 and now leads the Client Engagement function. Previously, Curtis spent several years as an economic consultant at Analysis Group, Inc., where he helped Fortune 500 companies manage multi-billion dollar liabilities across a range of industries including technology, finance, and chemicals.  He holds an MBA from MIT and an economics degree from Santa Clara University, where he was an Academic All-American baseball player.

As Head of Marketing at Zest AI, Judy leads a team focused on delivering high-quality content, exceptional experiences, and value to our customers. She believes in servant leadership and is committed to developing the next generation of leaders. Before Zest, she held marketing leadership roles at two of the largest tech companies, LinkedIn and Adobe. Previously, as a startup founder, she gained valuable experience scaling businesses to the hyper-growth phase.

Judy lives in San Francisco. In her free time, she loves traveling and being an auntie to her two nephews and niece.