The U.S. Veterans Scholarship

"As a veteran, I understand the transition challenges and the value of career-enhancing certifications like CAMS. Reviewing these scholarship applications was a rewarding experience, and it’s truly inspiring to support veterans striving for professional growth."

Todd Duso is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of The Bob Woodruff Foundation. He brings strategic operations and organizational experience from the public and private sectors to the role. Todd has held executive leadership positions in the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, and in the Pentagon.

An Army veteran who has seen both combat and noncombat deployments, Todd has a special place in his heart for veterans, military members, and their families. He has lived through many of the challenges the Foundation works to solve. Some of the most difficult, however, were those Todd navigated while transitioning to civilian life, including how to find and build a community to replace what he had in the military.

Todd promotes the Foundation’s mission with the same resolve that took him from enlisted soldier to commissioned officer–more commonly known as a Mustang. He simply does not quit when he believes in something.

"I was impressed by each candidate’s poise and accomplishments. The overriding theme throughout the entries was the continuing desire to contribute in a meaningful way to society. Congratulations to all the scholarship recipients!"

Karla Monterrosa-Yancey is the award-winning editor-in-chief of the ACAMS Today (AT) magazine, a publication of ACAMS. Under her guidance, the magazine has won over 300 awards for content, design, copywriting, interviews, media and much more. Recently, Monterrosa-Yancey was selected as part of E&P magazine’s “Editors Extraordinaire Class of 2024.”

Monterrosa-Yancey has expanded the global reach of AT by launching two additional titles to the ACAMS Today repertoire: ACAMS Today Europe digital (published in English, French and German) and ACAMS Today Español digital.

Monterrosa-Yancey is currently a Florida Magazine Association (FMA) board member and former president of the same. She is also a board member of the Anti-Human Trafficking Intelligence Initiative.

Monterrosa-Yancey is extremely involved in the publishing industry and has judged for a string of prestigious awards. Prior to joining ACAMS, Monterrosa-Yancey worked in the accounting, education, and technology industries. Monterrosa-Yancey is CAMS certified, fluent in Spanish, French and holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations and a master’s degree in business administration.

"It was an honor to be a judge for this new military veteran-focused ACAMS Scholarship. We had an outstanding candidate pool and I’m confident the scholarship will help transitioning service-members improve their AFC knowledge and support their AFC journey."

Nick Schumann is HSBC’s U.S. Head of Financial Crime Framework, where he oversees HSBC’s involvement in public-private partnerships in the U.S., amongst other responsibilities. He is also a U.S. Army Reserve officer with multiple deployments and serves as a leader for “Valor”, HSBC’s Employee Resource Group for veterans. Additionally, Nick helps lead the ACAMS South Florida Chapter as Board Co-Chair.

Before joining HSBC in 2015, Nick spent nearly seven years with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, where he supported the development of targeted financial measures against national security threats with a focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. While at Treasury, he served as the Senior U.S. Treasury Representative to U.S. Southern Command (Southcom) in Miami, FL, where he helped establish their Counter-Threat Finance Branch.

He earned his MBA and BA (History) from the University of Florida, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Florida International University. Nick is CAMS certified, and was recognized as the 2023 ACAMS Anti-Financial Crime Professional of the Year.

"I was reminded of how the military prepares leaders with diverse experience that often complement AFC efforts. I appreciated hearing the candidates’ successes, how they overcame adversity, and especially how the CAMS scholarship can help them professionally while also helping broaden the talent in the AFC space."

Michelle Rance is the Instructional Design Supervisor at ACAMS, where she partners with cross-functional teams and subject matter experts to develop engaging compliance learning experiences, including the Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) Certification.

Michelle served as an Airborne Cryptologic Linguist Specialist in the United States Air Force for 5.5 years. During that time, she flew 95 combat missions in support of Operation Southern Watch and Provide Promise. She also served as the Hebrew Intelligence Analyst for 2 years and the Hebrew Training Manager for another 2 years. The military introduced her to instructional design and helped her develop those skills.

Michelle was an adjunct faculty member for the National Cryptologic School, where she developed and taught 5 Middle Eastern politics and religion courses. She was also an Instructional Designer at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University prior to joining ACAMS. She has a Master’s degree in Instructional Technology and four children, two of whom are active-duty military.

Michelle’s desire to serve extended beyond her military career and is a motivating factor for why she joined ACAMS.. She earned her CAMS in 2018.