Agenda & Speakers

Amanda McMahan, Sr. Insights Director, CMB

Amanda McMahan is a Sr. Insights Director at Chadwick Martin Bailey (CMB) who specializes in turning complex data into clear, actionable strategy for some of the world's most recognized brands — including American Express, Meta, Dell, Intel, Microsoft, and Netflix. With a background spanning market research, brand health, consumer journey, and growth and innovation, she brings a rare breadth of expertise that allows her to meet clients where they are, whether they're trying to understand their customers, break into new markets, or strengthen brand loyalty. Amanda has a knack for asking the right questions, connecting the dots across industries, and translating research into insights that actually move the needle. A Virginia Tech Hokie based in Blacksburg, VA, she balances her love of data with a love of adventure — whether that's exploring new trails, dusting off her roller derby quads for a skate night, or traveling with her two young sons.

Moderator: Sarah VanDerHart, Customer Loyalty Insights and Strategy Leader, ITA Group

Sarah VanDerHart is the Customer Loyalty Insights and Strategy Leader at ITA Group, bringing more than 14 years of experience across B2B marketing strategy, experiential marketing, and marketing operations. She translates data-driven insights into results-oriented strategies that align with market trends and build emotional connections between customers and brands. As a leader of award-winning marketing teams, Sarah is known for her ability to turn complex insights into clear, actionable direction that drives growth and loyalty. She holds a degree from Iowa State University and is based in West Des Moines, Iowa. Outside of work, you’ll find her hosting gatherings with friends, running around with her husband and two daughters, or cheering on the Iowa State Cyclones.

Max Kenkel, Customer Loyalty Sr. Manager, ITA Group

Max Kenkel is the Sr. Customer Loyalty Solutions Manager at ITA Group, where he leads the Customer Solutions line and oversees the six essential components of successful loyalty programs—from strategy and data to rewards and execution. With more than a decade of experience across customer, channel, and employee loyalty, Max brings a pragmatic, data-first perspective to building programs that are both effective and defensible to stakeholders. He is a frequent voice on the role of data in decision-making, often emphasizing that while intuition has its place, results are easier to justify when backed by insight. Max regularly shares his expertise through industry podcasts, articles, and conference conversations focused on emotional loyalty and customer engagement. Outside of work, he plays bass in a pop punk band, explores national parks, and published his first book of poetry in 2023.

Nicole Hulstein, Loyalty Marketing Manager, Food Lion

Nicole Hulstein currently holds the role of Loyalty Marketing Manager for Food Lion, a grocery retailer that operates 1,108 grocery retail locations over 10 states. As Loyalty Marketing Manager, Nicole is responsible for ensuring that the strategy of Food Lion's Loyalty Program achieves the key performance indicators of a strong loyalty program while achieving the financial obligations for the organization. She serves as the key CRM owner of the email and push channels.

Nicole has worked in grocery retail for 19+ years in many capacities including procurement, financial analysis, merchandising, category management and her current passion - loyalty marketing! In the years of service, Nicole has led teams through innovative dynamic supply chain changes, system migrations, process changes and category management of a multi-million dollar business. She brings creativity and a curious mindset to the loyalty area of the business - traits that were paramount to the creation of a 3 year strategy plan to inform the future of Loyalty for Food Lion.

Nicole has a bachelor of science degree with a marketing concentration from Pfeiffer University. She has enjoyed many post graduate training and development opportunities including: Cornell University Food Management Program, Scotwork North America Advanced Negotiation Skills and Emerging Leaders Program at the University of Arizona.

Nicole brings creative high energy and optimism to address business opportunities and align teams on a go-forward process to achieve objectives. She has a keen understanding of the supply chain side of the organization and our customer which she brings into creating meaningful marketing materials which communicate the right message while driving strong financial performance.

Nicole has received several professional recognitions including "Produce Business Top 40 Under 40" (2020), Emerging Leader (2021) and Mentor in the Making (2022).

She resides in Kannapolis, NC with her husband (Kevin), children - Noah and Quinn. 

SuAnn Carriero, Head of Loyalty and Rewards Program - Product and Channel Integration and Business Insights, Bank of America

SuAnn Carriero is a Rewards Executive at Bank of America and head of Loyalty and Rewards Program, Product and Channel Integration and Business Insights. In this role, she connects partner initiatives and develops business insights across Preferred Rewards, BankAmeriDeals®, the Travel Center, and Card Rewards Redemption, all designed to deepen client engagement, drive satisfaction, and increase retention and spend.

Prior to her current role, SuAnn served as Head of BankAmeriDeals, where she led the launch of a new, intuitive offers platform in partnership with a third‑party provider. This transformation significantly enhanced functionality, personalization, and the overall client experience, enabling clients to save seamlessly during everyday spending.

Earlier in her career, SuAnn led Quantitative Analytics teams, overseeing segmentation, investment, and rewards analytics. She supported the launch of the Preferred Rewards® program in 2014, leading the Quantitative Analytics team responsible for measuring client impact, optimizing benefits, and scaling the program successfully across the enterprise. Beyond Loyalty and Rewards, SuAnn has held leadership roles across several critical areas at Bank of America, including Business Intelligence, External Reporting, and Finance, and previously served as Chief Financial Officer for America’s Investment Banking business.

With more than 30 years at Bank of America and Merrill, SuAnn is deeply committed to associate development and employee engagement. Over the past five years, she has helped establish employee satisfaction initiatives focused on cross‑team collaboration and the sharing of best practices, reinforcing a culture of growth, inclusion, and high performance.

SuAnn has an MBA from Lehigh University and is a certified public accountant.

SuAnn resides in Scarborough, Maine, and loves to spend time outside hiking, skiing, paddleboarding, and biking.  She is also active in her community across various school and non-profit organizations.