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Racquel Oden to Receive The ELC’s 2026 Achievement Award for Leadership in Financial Services and Expanding Opportunity

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HSBC executive recognized for a career building businesses, developing talent, and widening access to wealth and financial prosperity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Executive Leadership Council (ELC) will honor Racquel Oden, HSBC’s U.S. Head of International Wealth and Premier Banking and Private Banking, with the 2026 ELC Achievement Award at The ELC Recognition Gala on October 30, 2026, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

With more than 25 years of financial services experience, Oden has built a career at the intersection of business growth, client leadership, and talent development. At HSBC, she leads businesses serving affluent and globally connected clients in the United States, bringing a client-first approach to one of the world’s largest financial services organizations.

“Racquel brings a rare combination of commercial discipline and genuine investment in people,” said Michael C. Hyter, President and CEO of The Executive Leadership Council. “She understands that leadership is measured in business results, certainly, but also in the people you prepare for greater responsibility and the doors you make easier for others to open. Her career reflects the kind of enterprise leadership The ELC has championed for 40 years.”

Oden’s career spans some of the world’s most prominent financial institutions. Prior to HSBC, she served as a Managing Director at JPMorgan Chase, where she led Network Expansion and held leadership roles across national sales, Consumer Banking and Wealth Management. She previously spent eight years at Merrill Lynch in several Managing Director roles and more than a decade at UBS in senior leadership positions. She began her Wall Street career in equity trading at Morgan Stanley.

Throughout that journey, Oden has described her leadership philosophy as one rooted in service and in helping people become the strongest versions of themselves. That philosophy also informs her work to expand access to wealth, opportunity, and financial fluency.

Her leadership extends across corporate and civic institutions. Oden serves on the corporate board of National Life Group and chairs the Board of Directors of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. She also serves on the boards of the Apollo Theater and the New York City Police Foundation.

Her honors include the National Urban League’s 2026 Women of Power award and recognition among Barron’s Most Influential Women in Finance, American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Finance and Forbes’ 50 Over 50.

Oden holds a Bachelor of Arts from James Madison University and an MBA from Hampton University.

The ELC Achievement Award recognizes corporate executives whose careers reflect exceptional professional accomplishment, leadership and impact. Oden joins a distinguished group of past ELC honorees whose influence has reached across companies, industries and communities.

The ELC Marks 40 Years of Developing Leaders
Oden will receive the Achievement Award during a milestone year for The Executive Leadership Council. Founded in 1986, The ELC is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026, marking four decades of developing leaders who perform at the highest levels of business and strengthening the leadership pipeline that sustains that excellence.

The 2026 ELC Recognition Gala will take place Friday, October 30, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Hosted by Emmy Award-winning television journalist and Entertainment Tonight co-host Kevin Frazier, the black-tie celebration will feature a special musical performance by 10-time GRAMMY Award winner Chaka Khan.

The Gala is the signature fundraising event of The ELC’s 2026 Gala Week, October 28–31, which will bring together more than 3,000 members, students, senior executives and business leaders as The ELC celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Gala Week is designed to span the leadership journey. The Honors Symposium connects ELC Scholars with senior executives and hiring managers as they prepare to enter the workplace. The Mid-Level Managers’ Symposium develops high-performing professionals preparing for greater leadership responsibility. Corporate Board Navigator helps ELC members prepare for corporate board service.

ABOUT THE ELC

The Executive Leadership Council is an independent nonprofit founded in 1986 that opens channels of opportunity for the development of global executives to positively impact business and our communities. Learn more at elcinfo.com.

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SOURCE The Executive Leadership Council

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GeoComm and Mutualink Partner to Strengthen Indoor Location Intelligence for Emergency Response

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Collaboration combines indoor mapping expertise with interoperable communications to support coordinated emergency response in schools, hospitals, and other complex facilities.

ST. CLOUD, Minn. and WALLINGFORD, Conn., Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — GeoComm and Mutualink today announced a partnership focused on strengthening the indoor location information available to organizations preparing for and responding to emergencies. By pairing GeoComm’s public safety grade indoor maps with Mutualink’s interoperable communications, the companies are addressing a common gap: teams on different systems and in different agencies often lack clear building context when minutes matter.

Mutualink’s LNK360™ platform connects voice, radio, video, and data across systems during emergencies. Its RemoteView™ capability allows incident participants to view Smart Floor Plans alongside camera locations and live video. GeoComm Indoor Safety turns building records and floor plans into structured indoor GIS data, applying uniform features and public safety mapping standards. GeoComm converts a facility’s existing floor plans into indoor maps, including rooms, doors, exits, and points of interest such as utility shutoffs and AEDs. Those maps serve as the floor plan layer in RemoteView, so camera locations and live video appear on a detailed map of the building.

Indoor maps are most useful when responders can interpret them quickly and trust that they reflect the building as it exists today. Floor plans often come from different sources, use different symbols, and change as facilities are renovated. GeoComm turns building records and floor plans into structured indoor GIS data, applying consistent features and public safety mapping standards to help organizations manage that information across facilities.

“During an emergency, the people coordinating response need a clear understanding of where help is needed and how to reach it,” said T.J. Kennedy, President and CEO of GeoComm. “Our work with Mutualink brings together trusted indoor location intelligence and the communications that connect response teams. That combination can help organizations prepare more effectively and give responders better context when it matters.”

Keeping maps current is a continuing part of that work. GeoComm’s Map Data Manager gives facility teams a way to flag room name changes, layout updates, and other details that need attention. GeoComm reviews and incorporates those changes into the maps. Its Public Safety Content Library then provides a secure way to host indoor map content and make it available to authorized public safety applications and partners.

The need is especially clear in large or changing facilities. A campus may add a building, renumber rooms, or change an entrance that responders would use during an incident. Maintaining those details in a consistent indoor map helps emergency managers and response partners work from information that remains useful after an initial mapping project is complete.

For schools, hospitals, and other complex facilities, the partnership reflects a shared goal: strengthening the information people can use while coordinating an emergency response. Mutualink’s communications capabilities help participants connect across systems. GeoComm’s indoor mapping expertise helps give location information the consistency and care required for public safety use.

“When first responders arrive on scene, they need to know what they’re walking into,” said Chrissie Coffey, CEO of Mutualink. “Our partnership with GeoComm builds on Mutualink’s existing Smart Floor Plans by bringing more detailed, accurate, and actively maintained indoor mapping into RemoteView. Through GeoComm’s subscription-based mapping services, customers can keep building layouts, critical assets, and points of interest current as their facilities evolve. Combined with live video and interoperable communications, these capabilities strengthen emergency preparedness and give responders the situational awareness they need to make informed decisions when every second counts.”

About GeoComm

GeoComm provides public safety grade location data and maps that technology partners embed to bring operational context and trusted location intelligence into critical workflows. Through indoor and outdoor mapping, flexible integrations, and actively maintained data, GeoComm helps partners strengthen their platforms with better operational context and shared situational awareness. Together, these capabilities help partners deliver the shared operational picture agencies, organizations, and responders need, supporting faster, more informed decisions across critical operations. Learn more at geocomm.com

About Mutualink

Mutualink, Inc. delivers True Interoperability® for public safety, education, healthcare, critical infrastructure, and government. Its LNK360™ platform enables agencies and organizations to securely share radio, voice, video, text, and data on demand while maintaining control of their existing systems and the information they share. RemoteView™ provides first responders with access to live video and building floor plans before arriving on scene, while the Mutualink Go-Kit extends interoperable connectivity to virtually any location in minutes. Mutualink has earned certification under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s SAFETY Act and is trusted by federal, state, local, and tribal agencies, schools, and hospitals nationwide. Learn more at mutualinkusa.com

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SOURCE GeoComm, Inc

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Eyemart Express Offers First Responders 20% Off Glasses for National First Responders Day

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Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, nurses, and doctors can save on prescription glasses and sunglasses at 277 stores nationwide, with many pairs made on-site and ready the same day

DALLAS, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — First responders can take 20% off prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses at national optical retailer Eyemart Express ahead of National First Responders Day on Oct. 28. The first responder discount is available year-round at all 277 Eyemart Express stores, where on-site lens labs can often have glasses ready within an hour—a plus for anyone working long, unpredictable shifts.

There are an estimated 4.6 million career and volunteer first responders in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. A single call can take them from bright midday sun into a dark stairwell, or onto a highway at night under flashing emergency lights. Seeing clearly is part of the job, yet irregular schedules make routine errands like replacing glasses easy to put off.

Eyemart Express’ first responder discount applies to the full purchases, including the optical retailer’s two-pair pricing, so a first responder can pick up an everyday pair of glasses and a pair of prescription sunglasses in one visit. Options include polarized, mirrored, and tinted sunglass lenses, as well as light-adaptive lenses that darken outdoors and clear up indoors.

“First responders show up for our communities every day, and it is a safety hazard to squint through a shift,” says Katy Hanson, Eyemart Express President. “Our year-round discount, same-day glasses, and community outreach programs are small ways to show our appreciation and help protect them on the job.”

Beyond celebrating hometown heroes on National First Responders Day, local Eyemart Express stores recognize police and fire departments throughout the year. The national optical retailer has participated in National Night Out, an annual event to promote police-community partnerships, and store teams foster local connections year-round by delivering meals directly to police and fire stations in their neighborhoods.

First responders can find the nearest Eyemart Express store here.

About Eyemart Express
Eyemart Express is more than just a local eye care provider—we are eye care experts embedded in the fabric of our local communities. Doctor-founded in 1990, our team has grown alongside our customers and their families, bringing quality and accessible eye care services to each town we serve. Partnerships with local optometrists, skilled lab specialists, and local labs enable us to deliver glasses within an hour in our 277 stores nationwide. We offer a seamless blend of the latest technology, comprehensive eye care, and genuine human connection to deliver glasses that are “Made Today, Shipped Tomorrow” anywhere in the United States. Eyemart Express is a VSP Vision™ company that ranks among the top optical retailers in the country with its family of brands: Vision 4 Less, Visionmart Express, and Eyewear Express. For more information about Eyemart Express, visit eyemartexpress.com.

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SOURCE Eyemart Express

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AmeriTrust Solutions Expands Point-of-Care Medicaid Application Support to All 50 States

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Available today, the platform gives hospitals and RCM partners a practical way to help eligible patients pursue coverage without a major IT project.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AmeriTrust Solutions today announced that its Medicaid application platform is available across all 50 U.S. states. As hospitals and revenue cycle management (RCM) partners prepare for Medicaid changes under H.R.1, the platform gives them a practical way to help eligible patients pursue coverage and address uncompensated care at the point of care.

The platform addresses a source of uncompensated care that begins before billing: patients who may qualify for Medicaid but never complete an application. By simplifying the process when the need for coverage is immediate, AmeriTrust Solutions helps patients overcome application barriers and gives hospitals a path to reimbursement for care that might otherwise be written off.

The scale of the problem is substantial: U.S. community hospitals provided $42.7 billion in uncompensated care in 2020, according to the American Hospital Association.

Uninsured encounters are often written off as uncompensated care, even when patients may qualify for Medicaid. Long applications, confusing questions and information patients struggle to gather can stand between them and coverage, leaving hospitals without payment for care that could otherwise qualify for reimbursement.

“Hospitals already know what uncompensated care is costing them,” said Peter Justen, founder and CEO of AmeriTrust Solutions. “They need a practical way to help eligible patients get covered and create a path to payment for the care they provide. That starts with an application patients can actually finish.”

AmeriTrust Solutions uses verified third-party data to prefill available information and plain-language questions to guide patients through what remains. Patients review and certify their information before submission through the state’s existing process. The state makes every eligibility decision.

Available today, the platform is designed for straightforward deployment alongside existing hospital workflows, without a major IT project or replacement of state eligibility systems. Hospitals can begin submitting applications as soon as the platform is live, creating the potential for Medicaid reimbursement within weeks, depending on state eligibility decisions and claims processing. Hospitals can offer the experience under their own brand, giving existing teams a straightforward way to help patients complete applications at intake or the bedside.

RCM partners can add this capability to their hospital offering without developing Medicaid application technology internally. That gives them another way to support hospital clients serving uninsured and self-pay patients, with a focus on helping more applications reach submission.

As healthcare organizations evaluate AI and other new technologies, AmeriTrust Solutions puts the emphasis on a clear, guided application process and the value it can deliver. The platform uses verified information, relevant questions and applicant review to make a complex administrative task more manageable.

“The questions hospital leaders are asking are straightforward: What will this do for us, and how soon can we put it to work?” Justen said. “Our focus is helping patients complete applications now, so hospitals can begin addressing the coverage gaps that contribute to uncompensated care.”

Hospitals and RCM partners can learn more about the platform and discuss deployment at ameritrustsolutions.com/.

About AmeriTrust Solutions
AmeriTrust Solutions helps hospitals and RCM partners reduce uncompensated care by simplifying Medicaid applications at the point of care. Verified data prefill and guided questions help patients complete more accurate applications for submission through existing state eligibility processes. By reducing administrative burden and helping eligible patients access coverage, the company creates a clearer path to reimbursement—supporting rural hospital financial stability and helping preserve local access to care. Visit https://ameritrustsolutions.com/

Media contact
Tina Burgess
AmeriTrust Solutions
(202) 770-0272
pr@ameritrustsolutions.com

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SOURCE AmeriTrust Solutions

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