Strategic executive appointments position the company for scaled financial institution onboarding, disciplined growth, and expanded industry engagement.
Boca Raton, FL – February 25, 2026 – PayOnward today announced the expansion of its executive leadership team with the appointments of Stephen Lapp as Chief Operating Officer, Matthew Thomas as Director of Sales, and Amanda Gilmer as Vice President of Marketing. The leadership additions come as the company advances its growth strategy and prepares to meet credit union leaders at America’s Credit Unions GAC 2026.
The strengthened leadership structure reflects PayOnward’s transition from foundational product build to scaled financial institution onboarding and disciplined revenue growth. With the ability to deliver white-labeled SMB Bill Pay and Receivables alongside Member Bill Pay within credit union environments, and continued advancement in security, compliance, and operational controls, the company is positioning for broader adoption across credit unions and community financial institutions.
“Credit unions want partners that can deliver secure, practical solutions with operational discipline,” said Cary Strange, CEO of PayOnward. “As adoption increases, our focus is to deliver the best solution possible. Stephen, Matthew, and Amanda bring the operational depth, FI experience, and structured growth strategy necessary to scale responsibly and support long-term institutional partnerships.”
Leadership Appointments
Stephen Lapp, Chief Operating Officer
Lapp brings over 15 years of experience across fintech, operations and payments, including leadership roles at Credit Human Credit Union. His background supporting credit unions and financial institutions positions PayOnward to further strengthen onboarding processes, enhance FI readiness documentation, and support parallel implementations. As COO, he will oversee operational scaling, implementation discipline, compliance execution, and client success infrastructure.
Lapp brings over 15 years of experience across fintech, operations and payments, including leadership roles at Credit Human Credit Union. His background supporting credit unions and financial institutions positions PayOnward to further strengthen onboarding processes, enhance FI readiness documentation, and support parallel implementations. As COO, he will oversee operational scaling, implementation discipline, compliance execution, and client success infrastructure.
Matthew Thomas, Director of Sales
Thomas has worked extensively with financial institutions across core systems, digital banking, lending, and payments solutions. His experience navigating consultative sales cycles within regulated environments aligns with PayOnward’s FI-first distribution strategy. He will lead pipeline development, conference engagement initiatives, and structured sales execution as the company advances its growth objectives.
Thomas has worked extensively with financial institutions across core systems, digital banking, lending, and payments solutions. His experience navigating consultative sales cycles within regulated environments aligns with PayOnward’s FI-first distribution strategy. He will lead pipeline development, conference engagement initiatives, and structured sales execution as the company advances its growth objectives.
Amanda Gilmer, Vice President of Marketing
Gilmer joins PayOnward to lead strategic marketing execution, brand alignment, and industry visibility initiatives. Her focus includes disciplined messaging across business and member solutions, conference engagement strategy, and thought leadership positioning within the credit union and community banking ecosystem. In addition to supporting PayOnward, she will collaborate across other Black Dragon Capital portfolio companies to align a coordinated market presence.
Gilmer joins PayOnward to lead strategic marketing execution, brand alignment, and industry visibility initiatives. Her focus includes disciplined messaging across business and member solutions, conference engagement strategy, and thought leadership positioning within the credit union and community banking ecosystem. In addition to supporting PayOnward, she will collaborate across other Black Dragon Capital portfolio companies to align a coordinated market presence.
Advancing SMB and Member Bill Pay
Credit unions continue reevaluating traditional bill pay models and the fragmentation between SMB Bill Pay and Receivables, while also seeking to modernize Member Bill Pay and broader payment workflows. PayOnward focuses on unifying these capabilities through white-labeled SMB Bill Pay and Receivables together with enhanced Member Bill Pay and Payments, using AI-driven workflow intelligence to improve automation, visibility, and operational control within the financial institution’s ecosystem.
The company’s priorities include:
· Expanding AI-driven automation across bill pay and receivables workflows to reduce manual effort and operational risk
· Delivering deeper integration within credit union digital banking environments to enhance member experience consistency
· Improving operational visibility and control for financial institutions to support compliance and risk management
· Supporting scalable onboarding and long-term institutional growth to drive revenue expansion and non-interest income opportunities
The expanded executive team supports this structured approach to scale.
Meet PayOnward at GAC 2026
Members of the PayOnward leadership team will attend America’s Credit Unions Governmental Affairs Conference 2026 in Washington, D.C., happening from March 1-5, 2026. Credit union executives interested in modernizing bill pay, embedding accounts receivable, and adopting AI-driven financial workflows are invited to connect with the team during the conference.
To meet the team or see the PayOnward solution at GAC 2026, contact us at www.payonward.com or via the included email address.
About PayOnward
PayOnward delivers white-labeled SMB Bill Pay and Receivables, Member Bill Pay, P2P, and AI-enabled payment workflows designed specifically for credit unions and community financial institutions. The platform enables institutions to modernize bill pay, strengthen small business relationships, and maintain control over the payment experience within a secure and scalable infrastructure.
About Black Dragon Capital
Black Dragon Capital℠, founded over a decade ago by recognized financial technology leaders, is a multi-phased investment firm focused on disruptive technologies in high growth industry segments that strengthen economic stability within communities. The firm is led by a collaborative team with a combination of intense operating experience, community impact focus, and a proven track record of successfully transforming companies. Learn more at www.blackdragoncap.com
Media Contact:
Viviana Lauschus
Marketing Manager
SOURCE PayOnward