We’re thrilled to celebrate our 2026 Payments Institute Scholarship winner, Dani Gutierrez, AAP, AFPP, APRP, NCP of Lead Bank, who attended Nacha’s Payments Institute! Now, she’s sharing a look at her experience, what she learned and what made this learning opportunity so special.
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Dani at a Glance
As the Principal Payments Compliance Analyst at Lead Bank in Olathe, KS, Dani’s work sits at the intersection of product, risk and operations. Her role includes reviewing new and existing payments products, including ACH, faster payments, wires and checks, for regulatory and network-rule compliance. She also assists with design and challenge controls and supports Lead Bank’s partner Fintechs as they launch and scale.
A typical day for Dani can include reviewing due diligence materials, working through risk assessments, answering “can we do this?” questions from partners and translating complex rules into practical guidance for internal teams.
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A Community That Shares Her Passion
Attending TPI on Campus was an energizing experience and an opportunity that allowed Dani to connect with others who share her passion for payments. She says, “It's one of those magical times where everyone speaks ‘payments’ as a first language, and that makes the sessions and hallway conversations incredibly valuable.”
She returned from the event with concrete ideas to implement, a broader perspective on where payment systems are headed and several valuable new connections.
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Learning Through Real-World Scenarios
When asked about her favorite session, Dani pointed to The Payments Court. During the session, participants argued both sides of a Regulation E error claim, stepping into the roles of both the client and the financial institution.
Dani appreciated the session’s hands-on approach and the opportunity to examine a real-world scenario from different perspectives. She described it as a “fun, high-energy way” to work through consumer protections while also challenging some of the assumptions and biases financial institutions can bring to these cases.
Seeing the Payments Ecosystem Differently
One of Dani’s biggest takeaways was the importance of looking at the payments ecosystem as a whole. She says, “You can’t look at ACH, card and faster payments in isolation—decisions you make in one rail can create risk or opportunities in another.”
The experience gave Dani a clearer framework for thinking about end-to-end payment flows and reinforced another important lesson: compliance can be more than the team that says “no.”
Instead, Dani sees compliance as a strategic partner that can help organizations design better, safer products while navigating an increasingly complex payments landscape.
Final Thoughts and Advice
Dani encourages anyone considering applying for the scholarship or attending Nacha’s Payments Institute to take the opportunity.
“I’d say apply, go in curious and be ready to ask questions and share your own experiences. You’ll get much more out of it than just slides and continuing education credits.”
We’re so glad you had the opportunity to attend, Dani! Thank you for sharing your experience with us, and we can’t wait to see where your payments journey takes you next.