Conference Speakers

Lisa Little has been a passionate member of the pawn industry since 1987 and was the first woman in the nation to become a Certified Pawn Professional®. After attending the University of Georgia, she and her father co-founded a chain of four pawn shops, along with numerous other businesses. In 2013, Lisa became CEO and Managing Member of all of the family businesses. In her spare time Lisa loves spending time with her daughters, Victoria and Alexandria, homeschooling, traveling, and serving as a Bible class teacher and youth education coordinator. She also loves genealogy, Agatha Christie and all things Jane Austen. 

Johnny and his wife, Tara, own and operate Kendale Pawn Shop in Sanford, NC. The store was opened by Tara’s father, Jimmy Johnson, in 1980, and Johnny has been running the store full time since 1986. A member of the North Carolina Pawnbroker Association for many years, he has served on the board in many capacities, including President multiple times. Johnny and Tara have been married for 33 years and have twin daughters, Rebecca and Katie, and five grandchildren. 

Cliff Andrews has 20 years of experience serving as a chief advocate and advisor to association clients on public policy, public relations, and mission-focused association management in an ever-changing political and economic landscape. Cliff currently is the Principal of CapCity Advocates, LLC, a federal government relations and consulting firm that he opened in 2004. Cliff works in a bipartisan manner before Congress, regulators, and private sector stakeholder groups on a variety of policy issues, including small-dollar lending regulation. He is a true “Washingtonian,” born and raised in the nation’s capital. Cliff lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, daughter, son, and Alaskan Malamute. 

John Bocker is an NSSF Security and Compliance Team member and the co-founder at FFL Consultants Team Member. FFL Consultants is a small-business consulting agency specializing in commercial security and ATF – FFL compliance. The goal at FFL Consultants is to educate the firearms industry and protect FFLs against unexpected losses resulting from burglary, robbery and internal control failures. Have a question regarding this article or the National Shooting Sports Foundation membership? Contact John at (720) 336-0028 and visit www.FFLConsultants.com.

Lauren Kaminsky Goldman, aka GOLDGIRL, has been immersed in the world of jewelry since birth. Lauren’s love for treasure hunting began at her grandfather’s pawnshops where she would sift through trays of jewelry to find unique pieces and pretend to negotiate the best deals with the staff. She was taught how to properly value gold and diamonds, along with developing an appreciation for the craftsmanship of fine jewelry. Now, as Chief Operating Officer and President of EZ Pawn Corp, she oversees 15 locations, working alongside her father, brother, & sister.

In 2011 she founded ByGOLDGIRL, and as her new company’s first venture, collaborated with Tao Group Hospitality and celebrity chef Chris Santos on the opening of Beauty & Essex in New York City. Her pawnshop-inspired retail store greets guests who can peruse her curated offerings of vintage finds and curiosities before entering the glamorous restaurant that awaits behind the back door. The successful venture led to additional Beauty & Essex locations in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

In 2022, as part of her mission to share of love of gold further, she created a ByGOLDGIRL collection for QVC, which features new fine jewelry crafted with 14k gold and real diamonds, inspired by her favorite finds sourcing pre-loved pieces for her retail shops at Beauty & Essex. She also works directly with clients on bespoke custom pieces under her MyGOLDGIRL brand.

Brent West is the Director Of Operations at Braswell & Son.  My number one goal is to find  ways to serve the members of my team.  Since joining Braswell & Son we have been voted a “Best Place To Work” for the past 8 years.   This achievement is only possible by having great folks on my team.  My personal motto is to become great, we must first serve others and through service we can achieve great things.   On a personal note, I’m a novice chef and will travel if fishing is involved.

I’m a first generation pawnbroker owning multiple stores in the last 25 years.

By leveraging online marketing strategies and Topshelf customer service methods we have doubled our retail business in just 2 years.

I really enjoy vintage cars as much as I enjoy giving excellent customer service.

Jeff started his 32-career working in the pawn industry with Cash America International. After 4 years in the retail pawn industry, Jeff assumed a corporate role with Value Pawn & Jewelry, where he trained over 175 new GM’s using the principles of Covey Leadership. During his time with VP&J as Director of Leadership and Development, the company grew to 75 stores over a four-year period. Jeff went into partnership with Bay Area Pawnshops in Clearwater FL and later sold his interest in the stores. He joined ICG Pawnshop Consulting and worked as the Director of store operations and led the organization’s operational initiatives. Jeff moved on to spend 3 years working with Cashwiz as their Director of Leadership and Store Support, which Jeff still consults for today. In 2018 Jeff joined National Pawn and Jewelry, which was a consulting client as Director of Training and Profitability. Today Jeff is the Director of Store Operations for NPAJ.

Michael Cohen owns Top Dollar Pawn & Jewelry with two locations in Maryland. Michael is a second-generation pawnshop owner. Top Dollar Pawn’s first location was founded by his father in 1985. Michael has also been serving as a board member for the Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce for over ten years. In 2014 Top Dollar Pawn & Jewelry was honored with the Excellence in Business Community Service Award by the Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce. 

Lisa Kennedy is a GIA subject specialist in gemology including the areas of diamond and colored stone identification.  She started in the jewelry industry as a sales associate for a fine jewelry store.  While completing the GIA Graduate Gemologist program and the Gem-A Gemmology Foundation course, she joined GIA as a gemologist focusing on fancy colored diamonds and diamond identification.  She went on to become a gemology instructor and subject specialist at GIA, writing new gemology curriculum and sharing her passion for gems by imparting her knowledge to students.  In this role, Lisa has led seminars and webinars to foster continuing education and training for trade members. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with an emphasis in crystallography. 

Tony Gallo is the Managing Partner for Sapphire Risk Advisory Group. His company specializes in loss prevention and armed robbery/burglary awareness for high-risk business owners nationwide. Their clients are pawnshops, payday loan, liquor stores, firearm, cannabis and convenience store business owners.

Tony has more than 30 years of experience in the Loss Prevention, Audit, Safety, and Risk/Emergency Management fields. For 17 years, he was the Director of Loss Prevention, Audit and Safety for EZCorp, Inc. (EZPawn, Value Pawn, Cash Converters, Empeno Facil and EZMoney) and managed over 1,300 pawnshop and payday loan locations in Canada, United States and Mexico. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from New Jersey City University and is considered one of the leading authorities in pawn loss prevention, safety, audit, armed robbery and burglary investigations. Tony is a published author on pawn loss prevention, safety, audit, emergency planning and has spoken at numerous pawnbroker business conferences on these topics.

Former board member and membership chairman of the National Pawnbrokers Association. Current President of the Mississippi Pawnbrokers. Managing partner of six USA Pawn locations in Mississippi with 31 years of experience.

Jeremy is a third generation pawnbroker from Louisiana. He owns and operates a single store, taking over the business in 2013 after his father’s passing. He has been working in the store since he was old enough to talk to customers. He does not believe there is any other job he would rather do, he enjoys the challenges we face every day as pawnbrokers.

Diana Machado is a seasoned professional with 23 years of experience in the pawn industry and has excelled in leadership and human resources management roles. As the former COO of the largest pawn shop chain in Canada and spokesperson for the pawn industry, she leveraged her expertise to streamline operations, champion employee engagement, and advocate for policy changes, successfully altering public perception of pawnshops. In her free time, Diana enjoys camping with her partner Jason and spending quality time with her two daughters and two stepdaughters.

Ben Levinson is a past President of the National Pawnbrokers Association and President of Dynasty Jewelry and Loan, LTD in Norcross, GA. He received a BBA in Marketing from the University of Georgia. After a successful run with Tandy Corporation, Ben decided to follow his family’s entrepreneurial spirit and open Dynasty in 1987. Over the years, he has developed one of the most respected pawn stores in the country. His dedication to his customers and employees has been paramount to his success. Ben has always believed in supporting the community through the Future Business Leaders Scholarship Program, the Mr. Holland Opus Foundation, Toys for Tots, and other charitable organizations. He currently resides in Peachtree Corners, GA with his wife Susan, enjoying time with their grandchildren and their schnoodle.

I have been a pawnbroker since 2001, when we opened our first store, Monster Pawn, in Bloomington, IL. We now own four
pawnshops in Central Illinois. My favorite thing about the pawn industry is that every day
is different. The day goes by fast. I could never have a sit-down job! I am most proud of my
family – both my personal family and my pawn family. Two of my three children work for
our company, and the third is a Marine.

My first NPA meeting was in 2006 as a guest in Atlanta, GA. I remember looking and
listening to the best in the country and was just blown away with the information that
everyone was willing to share. I served on the NPA Board of Directors from 2007 to 2018. I
have worn many hats over the years, including Secretary and Chair of the GRC. It has come
full circle for me, with our convention in Atlanta in 2023!

The Government Relations Liaison is the connection between the States and Federal
government and pawnbrokers. I take our customers’ stories and needs seriously. For some
customers, pawnbrokers are witnesses to their lives. It is the GRC Team’s job to make sure
our elected officials understand who we are and how we serve our customers.

It is an honor to serve my fellow pawnbrokers across the country as the Government Relations Liaison and to be working with the
GRC Team. It’s great to be back and working with the NPA.

Ryan Carlton of Norcross Pawn is a first generation pawnbroker with over a decade of experience in this industry. From the beginning, he knew this job would be a perfect fit. He is drawn to the fast paced environment and obtaining the knowledge it takes to stay ahead. His store has gained the reputation of loaning on items that others may not take a chance on. This is how he became involved in the sneaker world. Since then he has attracted clientele from all around the Atlanta area. With a small team of amazing people, Ryan has been able to grow his store giving him the ability to help out in his community. In his free time, Ryan plays music, coaches his son’s soccer team and plays golf. 

Josiah is the Vice President of American Pawn and Jewelry, Inc. / Pawn Superstore in Garland, Texas. He is also a Board Member of the Texas Pawnbrokers Association and is an active member of the Young Professionals of the National Pawnbrokers Association.

Ryan has been a shoe enthusiasts for over 20 years amassing a personal collection of more than 400 pairs of shoes. His channel on Whatnot, Shoe Daddy Kickz, is a fast growing start up on the Whatnot Platform that has garnered nearly 14k followers in less than 6 months and has sold over 2k shoes in that same time frame. They are entering phase two of their growth process by launching ShoeDaddyDripz focusing on vintage and street wear, and branded merchandise. His company motto is simple, “Look good on the outside, feel good on the inside”. When not selling our sourcing he enjoys spending time his navel orange of 17 years Mika and the their 3 children and fur baby.