Wayne Gonzales, AAP
Chief Compliance Officer
Usio, Inc.
Biography
Wayne Gonzales is a nationally recognized payments and compliance leader with deep expertise in ACH risk management, Third-Party Sender oversight, and payments governance. He serves as Chief Compliance Officer at Usio, Inc., where he oversees ACH compliance, BSA/AML, fraud risk, and enterprise risk management across a complex payments ecosystem. Under Wayne’s leadership, Usio achieved Nacha Certified Third-Party Sender status—demonstrating a sustained commitment to the highest standards of ACH risk management, operational controls, and regulatory compliance. Wayne brings more than a decade of hands-on experience designing and executing ACH risk frameworks that align Nacha Rules with real-world operational demands. In addition to his executive role, Wayne is a frequent speaker at ACH and payments conferences, where he presents on topics including ACH risk management, Third-Party Sender relationships, sponsor bank expectations, and best practices for managing nested payment risk. He is widely regarded as a trusted and practical voice in the payments industry, known for translating regulatory requirements into scalable, business-ready solutions.
How is the nominee propelling the industry forward?
Wayne is advancing the ACH industry by strengthening how organizations manage Third-Party Sender risk, governance, and accountability. At Usio, he helped operationalize Nacha’s Third-Party Sender expectations by embedding risk controls into onboarding, monitoring, and audit processes—shifting compliance from a check-the-box exercise to an integrated operational discipline. As a Nacha Certified Third-Party Sender, Usio demonstrates how TPSs can exceed baseline requirements to better protect the ACH Network. Wayne emphasizes transparency with ODFIs, rigorous originator due diligence, continuous transaction monitoring, and independent control validation. He also contributes through education and advocacy, speaking at ACH and payments conferences on risk management, sponsor bank relationships, and Third-Party Sender oversight. Recognized as a pragmatic and trusted voice, Wayne helps financial institutions, fintechs, and processors better understand their risk responsibilities—promoting stronger governance, consistency, and accountability across the ACH ecosystem.
Where do you see the nominee succeeding in the future?
Wayne is well-positioned to continue shaping the future of the payments industry as ACH volumes, complexity, and third-party dependencies continue to grow. His experience uniquely positions him to influence next-generation Third-Party Sender governance models, particularly around nested relationships, real-time risk monitoring, and enhanced sponsor bank transparency. In the future, Wayne will continue to succeed as a leading industry voice on ACH risk and compliance, expanding his role as a speaker, advisor, and thought leader. He is poised to contribute meaningfully to industry working groups, policy discussions, and education initiatives that help modernize how ACH risk is managed across banks, processors, and fintech platforms. By consistently aligning innovation with sound risk management, Wayne’s work will continue to strengthen trust in the ACH Network—making him a lasting and impactful leader within the payments ecosystem.