MAG Leadership

John is CEO of the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG). As CEO, John helps MAG’s 140 plus merchant members to drive positive change and innovation in the payments industry, serving merchants’ interests through collaboration, education and advocacy. 

Prior to joining the MAG, John enjoyed a 20-year career at Walmart holding various leadership positions in Payments Acceptance, Marketing and Financial Services. As part of the leadership of Walmart’s Payments team, John helped shape and implement a comprehensive strategy increasing the ease of payments in an omni-channel environment while ensuring Walmart could deliver on its brand promise of helping its customers save more so they can live better. John chaired both the Merchant Advisory Group and the U.S. Payments Forum Steering Committee.  He also held a steering committee seat for the Federal Reserve’s Faster Payment effort, as well as a seat on the Governance Framework Formation Team.

Industry stakeholders have recognized John for his ability to find common ground and drive positive outcomes from opposing views. John attended Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree.  He currently lives in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Laura serves as the COO of the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG).  In this role, she is responsible for delivering on operational optimization strategies on behalf of MAG’s merchant members through collaboration with industry stakeholders which is an integral part of MAG’s overall strategic plan. Laura is as an independent consultant to the Merchant Advisory Group and the broader retail community with focus on strategic planning, operational optimization strategies, and cost control tactics specific to consumer payments, emerging payment technologies and trends, and corporate cash management.  

Previously, Townsend led corporate cash, consumer payment, and global digital product management initiatives including emerging innovative consumer experience opportunities at McDonald’s Corporation most recently as the Senior Director, Global Cashless & Digital Products. In addition, Laura has held various leadership roles on external industry boards and special interest groups with the objective to drive positive change in payments through multi-stakeholder collaboration and education.  Laura has an undergraduate degree from Northern Illinois University and is a native of Illinois.

Beth Provenzano is vice president for public affairs at the Merchant Advisory Group.  In this role, Provenzano serves as the MAG’s spokesperson; directs communications strategy and outreach to the media; and leads advocacy efforts with policymakers and regulators.

Prior to joining the MAG, Provenzano was vice president of government relations and political affairs at the National Retail Federation, lobbying on financial services, technology and intellectual property issues before Congress and the Administration, as well as directing advocacy and political engagement with Members of Congress and staff. Previously she served as deputy chief of staff for the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, handling a variety of duties including serving as spokeswoman for the office, preparing testimony and organizing Senate leadership events. Provenzano spent a number of years on Capitol Hill, serving in the offices of former Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, D-W.Va., and former Senator Bob Graham, D-Fla.

A graduate of George Washington University, Provenzano received an M.A. in political management. She graduated with honors from Southern Methodist University with a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast journalism.

Eric serves as Vice President Collaboration and Education for the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG). In this role, he has responsibility for all of the educational programs MAG offers including webinars, conference content, development of Best Practice & readiness material and eLearning. In addition to providing cross education on payments business and technology issues, Eric is also responsible for the strategic direction of MAG’s Special Interest Groups.

Previously, Eric served as Senior Manager of Payment Operations & Analytics at Dunkin’ Brands. In his role there, Eric oversaw the business vertical of payments acceptance for Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins with a focus on financial analytics, accounting, and franchisee relations regarding payments. In addition to day-to-day responsibilities, Eric also managed the relationships with the card brands and acquirers, ensuring rules compliance and representing payments throughout the Dunkin’ ecosystem with many cross-functional teams on digital initiatives and fraud mitigation.

As a merchant, Eric served as the Co-Chair of the MAG Collaboration Committee and led the Small Ticket/Restaurant Special Interest Group. He has a Business Degree from Suffolk University and is a native of Boston.

Leah has oversight of MAG content, marketing, and overall communications editorial calendar intended to offer relevant information, education, and learning for merchants’ payments professionals through various delivery channels striving for consistency in message and timeliness in delivery of content.  Providing expertise on instructional design efforts and development of learning activities to support overall MAG education efforts.

Leah has over a decade of expertise in Nonprofit Organization management, Learning Development, Communications and Marketing. She is an expert at developing creative marketing strategies and overseeing the creation of internal and external collateral materials. In previous positions, Leah has led the development and standardization of corporate policies and comprehensive customer focused procedural documents.

Leah received a bachelor’s degree from the College of St. Catherine in Communication Studies and a Master’s in Education degree from Saint Mary’s University in Learning Design Technology.

Kari currently serves as the Director, Member and Administrative Services for the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG).  In this role she is responsible for managing members and sponsors, coordinating board of directors and committee meetings in addition to assisting with conference efforts and providing administrative support.  Kari has been with the MAG since 2011.

Kari graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD.  Prior to joining the MAG Kari was an Executive Assistant for a large direct selling company in Minnesota.  Kari currently resides in Northwest Arkansas.

Emily serves as part of the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) staff in a variety of roles. She is responsible for database management, planning and facilitation of MAG webinars, supports with website and communications content, coordinates event registration, , assists with member engagement and renewals, and supports various projects and initiatives the MAG takes on. Emily has 4 years of Association Management experience and has been a part of the MAG team for 3 years.

Emily graduated with a bachelor of arts in psychology from the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University in St. Joseph, MN. Prior to joining the Harrington Company, Emily did two years of AmeriCorps with a non-profit called College Possible. She is a member of Associations North and the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).

Karen is an Administrative Assistant for the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG).  In this role she assists the Director of Member Services as well as MAG staff.  Karen has been with the MAG since 2013.

Karen graduated with a BA degree in Elementary Education, minors in Mathematics and Psychology from the University of Minnesota.  Karen also runs her own art quilting business and competes internationally.  Previously, she worked as the Sales and Marketing Manager for a manufacturing company in Minnesota.  Karen currently resides in Northwest Arkansas.

Jennifer joins the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) as the Conference Planner. In her role as Conference Planner, Jennifer works closely with the MAG Director of Tech Engagement to lead all of the logistical and content planning efforts for our Tech Forums. She also plans, manages and executes all of MAG webinars and provides additional planning and logistical support to the Conference Director to execute the Annual and Mid-Year Conferences.

 Prior to joining MAG, she served as the Meetings and Events Manager for the North American Primary Care Research Association. She was responsible for the planning and execution of mid-year and annual conferences and brings experience in multiple facets of the events industry for both in-person and virtual events. Jennifer graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, with an emphasis in Conference and Event Planning and currently resides in Kansas City, Missouri.

Mary is the Communications Manager for the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG). In this role she is responsible for sharing relevant and beneficial content for MAG merchants’ payments professional members. Mary joined the MAG in February 2021. She has four years of association management experience and was previously employed as an Education Specialist at the American Hospital Association.

Mary graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Communication from Western Michigan University. She is a member of Associations North and the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). Her favorite part about the association world is supporting professionals as they grow in their careers. 

Andrea serves as the Merchant Advisory Group’s (MAG) Director of Conference and Events. In this role, she collaborates with staff and key stakeholders to lead MAG's conference strategy and logistics.

Andrea was previously Senior Program Manager with Freddie Mac, where she oversaw conference and event management and a variety of other critical projects for the multifamily division.  Prior to her time at Freddie Mac, she was Director of Administration for the financial industry trade association CRE Finance Council (CREFC) where she managed Human Resources, Financial Operations and was an integral member of the conference planning team.

A native of Minnesota, Andrea currently resides in Maryland.  She attended The Ohio State University where she earned undergraduate degrees in International Business and Spanish before moving on to complete her MBA degree from George Washington University in Washington, DC.  Andrea holds both Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) certifications.

Robert serves as Director of Tech Engagement for the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG). In this role, Robert leads the Tech Forum, Tech Webinars, Executive Tech Advisory Board, the Tech Operations Committee and works with merchants and sponsors to define educational requirements related to payments technology solutions and innovation.

Previously, Robert served as Director of Enterprise Payment Solutions for the Product & Technology division at T-Mobile. In this role, Robert led the core payments product and technology strategy across the enterprise inclusive of the customer journey, channel expansion, acquiring relationships, and technology and product development. He managed a wide array of customer payments experiences while leading an Agile DevOps technology team. Robert has held senior leader roles in acquiring, issuing, and merchant verticals, always with a focus on delivering exceptional experiences through advanced technology solutions.

Justine serves as a Conference Planner with the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG).  her role as a Conference Planner, Justine is dedicated to management of the Annual and Mid-Year Conferences.  She will coordinate conference communications, lead speaker management and execute overall logistical planning and on-site management of the Annual and Mid-Year Conferences. Prior to joining MAG, Justine held event-focused roles at associations and nonprofits in Washington, DC, most recently in the travel and transportation industries. Justine has executed numerous events from the ground up and managed event registration processes.

She graduated from James Madison University with a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and a minor in Modern European Studies. Justine spent years living abroad in Serbia and Romania and currently resides in the DC area.

Amy serves as the Executive Director for the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG). In this role, she is responsible for coordinating day-to-day operations including working with the Board of Directors and MAG staff to accomplish strategic goals, plan educational programs and conferences, member engagement, marketing efforts, database management, and financial and budget oversight. Amy has over 15+ years association management experience and has worked with a variety of professional associations during her tenure.

Amy graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN. Prior to joining the Harrington Company, Amy worked as a college recruiter for a computer software company in the Denver area. She is a member of Associations North and the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).