Meet Illuma’s Leadership Team
Meet the leadership team behind IllumaSHIELD™ Voice Security. With expertise spanning artificial intelligence, passive voice authentication, fraud prevention, cybersecurity, and financial services, our leaders are advancing how organizations secure voice interactions. Their work helps banks, credit unions, and contact centers prevent account takeover, detect AI-generated voice fraud and deepfakes, eliminate security questions, and deliver faster, more secure experiences for account holders.
Illuma’s Executive Team
Milind Borkar, PH.D. 
Founder & CEO
With over 10 years of experience in R&D, Marketing, and Business Development within high-tech industries, Milind has a proven track record of leading cross-functional teams and managing global accounts. He has successfully launched over 50 products, driving innovation and growth.
Milind’s passion lies in supporting banks and credit unions, recognizing their unique role in serving local communities. He is proud to lead a company dedicated to providing financial institutions with secure, convenient solutions that keep people connected to their money safely.
“At Illuma, we are deeply committed to empowering financial institutions that are truly dedicated to serving their communities. It’s a privilege to lead a company focused on providing secure, seamless solutions that keep people connected to their finances with confidence and peace of mind.”
Jeremy Whittington
Co-Founder & CTO
With over 20 years of experience in architecting SaaS applications for Fortune 100 companies, Jeremy has designed and deployed multiple systems that have been utilized across a global computer security software company. He is also the founder of two successful technology startup ventures.
Jeremy’s career began in customer service, and that passion for improving the customer experience continues to drive his work today. He finds great excitement in developing technology that not only reduces fraud but also enhances the customer experience—a rare and valuable achievement.
“My career started in customer service, and that has been a primary driver over the past 20 years. It’s exciting to work on technology that can reduce fraud and improve the customer experience at the same time. A rare achievement.”
Amy Travers
Vice President of Sales
Amy Travers leads Sales at Illuma, where she works closely with financial institutions to transform voice interactions into secure, seamless, and trusted experiences. Her leadership is focused on delivering measurable business value while protecting account holders and enhancing the overall contact center journey.
Before Illuma, Amy led sales in Fraud and Biometrics at Nuance, continuing in voice security at Microsoft after its acquisition. She brings deep expertise in voice authentication, AI-driven fraud prevention, and customer experience at scale.
Earlier, she founded a large contact center, giving her firsthand insight into the challenges of delivering secure, practical solutions.
“I’m passionate about helping financial institutions create secure, human-centered voice experiences. At Illuma, we’re redefining what trust sounds like.”
Illuma’s Board Members
Our board members are dedicated to guiding Illuma’s growth with strategic insight and strong industry expertise. Together with our executive team, they support Illuma’s mission to deliver cutting-edge voice security solutions that protect contact centers while improving the account holder experience.
Dave Tucker
Dave Tucker is a Partner at Next Level Ventures and a seasoned technology executive with a career focused on building and scaling high-growth companies. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Technology at Workiva, helping grow the company from a pre-revenue startup into a 1,600+ employee public company with over $400M in annual revenue. Today, Dave invests in and advises innovative technology organizations, serving as a board member or advisor to companies including Illuma, Nymbus, Posh, Facteus, DefenseStorm, PortX, Provision IAM, Silvur, Allure Security, Tractor Zoom, and Vertex.
Venu Shamapant
Venu Shamapant is a co-founder of LiveOak Ventures and has invested in early-stage Texas companies since 1999. He serves on the boards of LiveOak portfolio companies including AmplifAI, Osano, Flo Recruit, Take Command Health, and Illuma, and has supported multiple successful exits such as Mavenir (acquired by Mitel), eventador.io (acquired by Cloudera), Infocyte (acquired by Datto), and data.world (acquired by ServiceNow). Prior to LiveOak, Venu was a General Partner at Austin Ventures and previously worked at McKinsey & Company and Mentor Graphics.
Nick Evens
Nick is the President and CEO of Curql Collective, LLC, where he helps credit unions and fintechs collaborate on transformative technologies that reduce risk and improve the member experience. Curql Fund I includes 68 credit union and industry investors with over $250MM in capital to deploy. Previously, Nick led equity investment strategy as President of The Veridian Group, Inc., the CUSO holding company of Veridian Credit Union.
Illuma’s Client Advisory Board
The Client Advisory Board brings together Illuma’s leadership and experienced industry practitioners to collaborate on the evolving needs of account holder experience, fraud prevention, and contact center operations. CAB members provide real-world perspective on threats, operational demands, and market opportunities, guiding Illuma’s continued focus on measurable value and outcomes.
Chad Rogers
President & CEO
Connexus Credit Union
Chad Rogers is an accomplished financial services executive with more than a decade of experience leading Connexus Credit Union’s transformation and growth. As President and CEO, he guides strategic initiatives that foster member-focused innovation, governance excellence, and sustainable community impact. Under Chad’s visionary leadership, Connexus has grown into one of Wisconsin’s largest credit unions, earning consistent industry recognition.
Brenda Wilbur
SVP/Client Engagement Center
Banner Bank
Brenda Wilbur is a seasoned financial services executive with more than 20 years of experience driving client-centric strategies and operational excellence. With a 14-year background in IT, she specializes in technology modernization initiatives that enable differentiated, seamless client experiences. Her unique blend of financial expertise and technology insight positions her as a trusted advisor in shaping innovative solutions aligned with evolving client needs and industry trends.
Brent Nelson
VP, Virtual Communication Center
Wellby Financial
Brent Nelson is Vice President of the Virtual Communication Center at Wellby Financial, where he leads contact center and eBranch operations, digital interaction strategy, workforce optimization, and enabling technologies. With 12+ years of leadership experience across credit union and fintech service environments, Brent has advanced Wellby’s automation and digital self-service strategy while supporting secure, frictionless member interactions. He also brings prior fintech leadership experience with TitleMax and Advance Financial.
Stephen Goodwine
SVP, Head of the Contact Center
Hudson Valley Credit Union
Stephen Goodwine has spent over 15 years within HVCU’s Contact Center, beginning as a part-time Contact Center Specialist and progressing through multiple leadership roles. As Senior Vice President and Head of the Contact Center, he provides strategic leadership and oversees daily operations while building internal and external partnerships to support departmental performance and enterprise goals.
Ready to Strengthen Your Voice Security?
Illuma’s leadership team is helping organizations redefine Voice Security through passive voice authentication, AI-powered fraud detection, deepfake detection, and adaptive caller authentication. Whether you’re evaluating Voice Security for a credit union, bank, or contact center, our experts are here to answer your questions, share best practices, and help you identify the right solution for securing every voice interaction. Connect with our team to learn how IllumaSHIELD™ can strengthen fraud prevention, eliminate security questions, and deliver a faster, more secure experience for account holders.
