Marlene Leonis

Marlene Leonis is a Senior Consultant at Samaha & Associates Inc. With over 30 years of experience in the banking and software industries, she specializes in leading complex project implementations designed to improve member satisfaction and business performance. Excelling at managing multifaceted projects, she expertly collaborates with clients, technologists, and vendors, while optimizing resources to meet strategic objectives.

Before joining Samaha & Associates, Marlene held a senior leadership role at Finastra, where she oversaw critical projects in core and card processing, shared branch operations, and mergers. Her role involved ensuring seamless transitions during mergers and conversions, managing project resources, and delivering comprehensive user education and training materials. With a proven track record in incident management, particularly fraud detection and compromised cards, she has successfully championed technological advancements, such as new chip card features and brand flips for major payment networks.

Throughout her nearly three-decade tenure at Finastra, considered one of the largest fintech companies in the world, Marlene proved to be an exemplary model of how the credit union industry encourages professional development and leadership training through practical, hands-on experience. She attended Chabot College and Merced College and continually pursues industry-specific coursework to further hone her technology consultancy and project management skills.

Residing in Livermore, California, Marlene enjoys spending time with her husband and children and is a proud grandmother. Outside of work, she likes boating, cooking, and actively supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a charity that holds special significance for her family.