Thomas Gryp, Chair/CEO, is also the President/CEO of Notre Dame Federal Credit Union. Spanning a financial services career of more than 40 years, Tom possesses a broad array of operational acumen with an emphasis in lending, technology, and investment management services.
Since joining Notre Dame FCU in 2010, Tom has led efforts to radically transform the credit union into a dynamic, entrepreneurial institution, with an extensive and growing national presence. His constant innovation earned him the CEO Trailblazer of the Year Award from Credit Union Times in 2016.
Prior to this role, Tom was Managing Director and Regional President of Northern Trust Corporation in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he was responsible for leading a team of commercial lenders, trust officers, portfolio managers, financial advisors, and personal bankers.
Tom holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University.
David Brenner is the former Executive Director of Innovation Park at Notre Dame. Founded in 2009, Innovation Park has become a significant contributor to the creation of a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem at the University of Notre Dame, whose mission is to cultivate new innovations emerging from university research into marketable new ventures. Over 75 new companies have been established since 2010 and raised over $55 million in equity investment.
Mr. Brenner is an accomplished executive, with over 35 years of experience in FORTUNE 100 companies, with direct responsibility to lead new business activities, either internally or externally, via internal development, acquisitions or start-ups. His background includes the founding of IdeaWorks, LLC, a new venture accelerator in Grand Rapids, Mich. Prior to IdeaWorks, Dave served as senior vice president for Amway Corporation in global market development and as founder and president of Amway Ventures, Inc., which developed and launched several new independent business ventures. His professional experience also includes corporate executive positions at Kelloggs in the US and in Europe, as well as in senior business development roles at Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble.
David has been active with the Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies in the Mendoza College of Business and was a member of its advisory board for several years. David was also a former member of the Board of Directors for the Irish Angels; a Notre Dame-inspired angel investor group dedicated to supporting new ND-DNA ventures.
He is the former chairman of the Michigan Great Lakes Entrepreneurs Quest business plan competition, a co-founder of the Western Michigan chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth, and serves on several boards, including the Edison Innovation Awards and a number of non-profit boards including the Notre Dame Federal Credit Union. He is a board member of Middleburg Capital Development in Middleburg, VA and is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame.
Thomas J. Feeney, Chief Investment Officer, has been professionally involved in asset management and investment consulting since 1969. He has worked with cities, states and major corporations, concentrating particularly on service to charitable and other not-for-profit organizations. In addition to his responsibilities at Mission Trust, Tom was President of Mission’s predecessor firm, Marathon Asset Management Co., Inc. He was previously Executive Director of Stewardship Services, Inc. and a Senior Vice President of Atalanta/Sosnoff Capital Corporation in New York City. Prior to his investment career, Tom served on the faculties of the University of Santa Clara, St. Joseph’s College and Guadalupe College. In later years, he lectured on investments at the University of Notre Dame and Georgetown University. His own academic background includes an A.B. in Economics from Boston College, an M.B.A. degree from the University of Santa Clara, studies at the Stanford Law School and additional post-graduate work at the University of San Francisco. Tom’s community activities include supporting and promoting charitable and other non-profit organizations.
Susan L. Ernsky, President, oversees day-to-day company operations and is a member of the Client Advisory and Portfolio teams. She joined Mission Trust in 1996 after serving as regional manager and Tucson bank president at Citibank and Norwest Bank, respectively. Susan earned a B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of Arizona. Community-minded, she was Chairman of the Board for TMC HealthCare and served on its captive insurance subsidiary board. A recipient of numerous awards, including the Women on the Move Award from the YMCA, Susan values working with a team that really cares about its clients. Earning her clients’ trust and confidence is the most rewarding aspect of her time with Mission Trust.
Mo is currently the Chief Financial Officer at Irish Realty Group where her focus is on the financial strength of the four entities encompassed within this group. Prior to this role, Mo has held an extensive career in finance, including as Chief Financial Officer & Secretary Treasurer for Charles S. Hayes, Inc. and as Interim Chief Executive Officer at Holy Cross Village at Notre Dame.
Mo holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Indiana University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame. She is a CPA and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Indiana CPA Society.
In addition to her role on the board of Notre Dame Federal Credit Union, Mo is a board member at Holy Cross Village at Notre Dame and Triangle Homeowners Association, as well as a committee member with Trinity Health Systems/St. Joseph Hospital Secret Sisters Society.
James Summers is the owner of The Summers Group, LLC (TSG). TSG designs business solutions that improve profitability through diversity and inclusion. The company’s primary focus is on small and very small businesses, assisting them to develop the effective business processes to build capacity and grow. James has over 30 years of business leadership experience launching new and innovative products and services for fortune 500 companies and leading and directing profitable multi-million dollar business operations.
For the Chicago Urban League he developed and led Diversity & Inclusion Programming. For the consulting firm the Kaleidoscope Group, he directed marketing activities and served as President of their multicultural marketing subsidiary. For the Whirlpool Corporation, James was director of Global EBusiness and a Diversity & Inclusion Committee Chair. For Spiegel, Inc. he directed Electronic Publishing.
James serves on several boards, committees and commissions including the Youth Service Bureau- South Bend, IN; Community Forum for Economic Development; The South Bend Career Academy; The Community Education Impact Committee and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Entrepreneurship Advisory Board. He is the current Economic Development Committee Chair for the 100 Black Men of Greater South Bend and the past Diversity & Inclusion Advisor for the Society for Human Resource Management Michiana and Oakbrook, IL chapters.
