Wes Boyd is the Assistant General Counsel at Resurgent Capital Services, LP, where he manages a team responsible for a nationwide portfolio of class action and single-plaintiff consumer finance litigation. Wes joined Resurgent in 2017, having previously worked in private practice in consumer collections and general civil litigation. Wes obtained his J.D. in 2009 from Charleston School of Law, after graduating from Wofford College.

Manny Newburger leads the Consumer Financial Services Law Practice Group at Barron & Newburger, P.C. A frequent author and speaker on the FDCPA and other consumer protection laws, Mr. Newburger is known internationally for his expertise in consumer and commercial law, consulting on FDCPA, FCRA, and TCPA compliance across the globe and defending of individual and class consumer litigation and regulatory matters across the United States. His practice focuses on litigation, litigation management and strategy, regulatory defense, and compliance, and he serves as a settlement negotiator in complex cases. Mr. Newburger has consulted to collection industry members throughout the U.S., India, the Philippines, and Canada, and his clients include financial institutions, debt buyers, law firms, and collection agencies.

Mark has been involved in the stratification of over 800 individual transactions, including the analysis behind the potential liquidation for over $20 Billion in purchased accounts. Mark is a frequent speaker on topics ranging from Data Security, Operational Best Practices, Historical Industry Analysis, Encryption Methodology, Risk Mitigation and Relationship Building.

He was appointed to serve on the task force committee that implemented certification within RMAI, a cornerstone of what inevitably became RMAI’s federally recognized compliance program. He was also a founding board member of the Certification Committee and continues to teach the introductory course for Certification. An RMAI Certified Receivables Compliance Professional, Mark was elected to the RMAI Board of Directors in 2014, and after serving two terms as President.

Alan Hochheiser is a leading practitioner in the areas of creditors’ rights and bankruptcy law. He advises and represents businesses, regional and national banks, credit unions, equipment lessors and other lenders, as well as secured and unsecured creditors.  Among his accomplishments, he has successfully resolved non-dischargeable claims based upon fraud conversion and breach of fiduciary issues and has successfully handled the assumption of leases in the bankruptcy of a major airline. Al has been named to ALM’s list of Cleveland’s Top-Rated Lawyers and is peer-rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, the worldwide guide to lawyers.

John H. Bedard, Jr. is the managing attorney of Bedard Law Group, P.C. located in Atlanta, Georgia.  John represents creditors, asset buyers, and debt collectors helping them stay in compliance with state and federal law.  He also manages the nationwide litigation for several collection agencies and focuses his litigation practice on FDCPA, TCPA, and FCRA defense.  John’s practice also focuses on defending regulatory actions including CFPB investigations and travels the country performing CFPB readiness assessments for the collection industry.  He received his law degree from the Syracuse University College of Law and his undergraduate degree in Economics from the Pennsylvania State University.

Anne Thomas has been with Cavalry Portfolio Services for more than 15 years and has been in the debt collection industry for nearly 20 years. As part of her role, Anne is responsible for designing, implementing, and monitoring the Compliance Management System. In addition, she serves as a member of Cavalry’s Compliance Committee.

Lauren is a licensed attorney and a regulatory and compliance specialist for the financial services industry. Having served as general counsel for many years in the financial services industry, Lauren has a breadth of experience advising on compliance with federal and state consumer protection laws, government regulation and affairs, state licensing requirements, data privacy, litigation defense, labor and employment issues, transactional matters, and business strategy. Her background makes Lauren uniquely positioned to help companies operationalize compliance across an organization. Her hands-on experience leading cross-functional teams to design, implement, and test policies, procedures, processes, and compliance management systems gives Lauren a unique perspective that is sensitive to the realities companies face when determining how to best mitigate risks while optimizing resources.

Lauren is a leader in the accounts receivables industry. She serves on multiple committees for ACA International and RMAi, and is an ACA certified Credit and Collection Compliance Attorney. She has presented and/or written compliance commentary for InsideARM, ACA International, AccountsRecovery.Net, Receivables Info, and the California Association of Collectors (CAC). Lauren has also served as guest on multiple industry podcasts. She was recognized as a Top 50 Receivables Professional and a Top Women Leader in Accounts Receivable in 2019 by Receivables Advisor.

A passionate thought leader in the accounts receivables management industry, Sara is a highly sought-after compliance leader with a background in operational processes.

As the Owner and President of ARM Compliance Business Solutions, Sara Woggerman works with organizations to drive compliant business practices through her consulting solutions. Sara’s personalized approach prepares financial institutions for regulatory examinations, manage litigation risk, and improves the consumer experience. Sara is known for her passion in helping companies overcome their unique compliance and operational challenges through delivery of compliance risk assessments, policy development, service provider management and oversight, and executive level training programs designed to help financial services companies mitigate risk and maximize efficiency.

Prior to starting ARM Compliance Business Solutions, Sara led the Compliance Services Department at Ontario Systems, LLC.

John H. Bedard, Jr. is the managing attorney of Bedard Law Group, P.C. located in Atlanta, Georgia.  John represents creditors, asset buyers, and debt collectors helping them stay in compliance with state and federal law.  He also manages the nationwide litigation for several collection agencies and focuses his litigation practice on FDCPA, TCPA, and FCRA defense.  John’s practice also focuses on defending regulatory actions including CFPB investigations and travels the country performing CFPB readiness assessments for the collection industry.  He received his law degree from the Syracuse University College of Law and his undergraduate degree in Economics from the Pennsylvania State University.

Catherine joined Spring Oaks Capital in 2020 after an extensive career in compliance and operational controls with both Bank of America (MBNA) and Wells Fargo.  While at Bank of America, Catherine worked in collections, credit, and customer service, gaining experience throughout the entire credit life cycle.  Additionally, she was instrumental in establishing a vendor controls and oversight program for legal and collections vendors.  During her tenure at Wells Fargo, Catherine was a Business Risk and Controls Manager supporting recovery, third party collections, legal collections, and bankruptcy.  She also served as an Assistant Attorney General with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.   Catherine holds a BA from Bowling Green State University and earned her law degree from the University of Akron.

Michelle is the Managing Partner and Chief Compliance Officer at Bridgeforce, a consulting firm focused on consumer lending, payments and deposits. She jointly oversees Bridgeforce’s U.S. practice and leads the Consumer Reporting Compliance practice. Michelle’s 35+ years of industry experience gives her a unique blend of working with the art of the possible while understanding the black and white necessities of compliance to protect both Bridgeforce and our clients. Her deep knowledge of consumer reporting, usage and disputes means that she is frequently tapped to share her expertise at high-profile industry conferences and webinars hosted by CDIA, CBA, SBFE, ARMLaw, AccountsRecovery.net, insideARM, NAFCU and ACA.

Joel Strickland serves as Director of Client Relations for Online Data Exchange LLC, and is responsible for client management with respect to Data Furnisher customers using e-OSCAR®. Mr. Strickland and his team work to monitor delivery against contractual obligations, ensures the platform is meeting the service needs of Data Furnishers, drives customer learning and outreach, supports key initiatives, and drives improvements in the areas of customer experience, control, receivables management and expense.

Michael R. Stillman is the founding principle of Stillman Law Office, a full-service creditor’s rights law firm headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The Firm operates in Michigan, Maryland, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Virginia, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. Personally Licensed in Michigan, Maryland, Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia, Michael’s areas of practice include commercial/retail collections, insurance subrogation, equipment lease litigation, and creditor’s rights in bankruptcy. Michael has lectured in the areas of collections, bankruptcy, landlord/tenant evictions, and foreclosures. In addition to the Receivables Management Association International, Michael is also a member of the following organizations: National Creditor’s Bar Association, Commercial Law League of America, International Association of Commercial Collectors, Commercial Collection Agencies of America, American Bar Association, and the National Association of Subrogation Professionals. Michael is also a licensed Residential Builder and Real Estate Broker and received his B.A. from Michigan State University and his J.D. from the University of Detroit.

Gary Tier is president and publisher of The Forwarders List of Attorneys, a reliable, trusted listing and portfolio of qualified, reputable attorneys who specialize in all aspects of collections, including commercial and retail receivables. Gary is currently on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Commercial Collectors (IACC). He has also served two terms on the Board of Governors of the Commercial Law League of America (CLLA). Tier serves on key committees for the Receivables Management Association, Inc. (RMAI), the Commercial Collection Agencies of America (CCA of A) and the International Association of Commercial Collectors (IACC). He has been a presenter at dozens of industry conferences, including the IACC, CLLA, CCA of A, RMAI, National Creditors Bar Association (NCBA) and the American Collectors Association (ACA International.)

Dan Crowley is a partner in K&L Gates’ Washington, D.C. office. He leads the firm’s global financial services policy practice. In the decade before joining K&L Gates, he led the government relations efforts at the Investment Company Institute, The Nasdaq Stock Market, and the National Association of Securities Dealers. Previously, he served as general counsel to then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and to House Oversight Committee Chairman Bill Thomas. Dan also serves as RMAI’s Federal Counsel.

David Reid serves as General Counsel for the Receivables Management Association International (RMAI). In this capacity, David manages the legal, state legislative, regulatory, and advocacy activities of the association. David also serves as staff liaison to the RMAI Certification Council and its Standards and Remediation Committees. David is a graduate of Canisius College and Albany Law School. He is admitted to the California, New Jersey, and New York bars.

Meghan draws on her first-hand experience in high-level consumer protection roles to counsel clients through state attorney general investigations and enforcement actions across several key industries, including education, financial services, health care, hospitality, pharmaceuticals, and telecommunications. Prior to entering private practice, Meghan served as chief of the Consumer Protection Division in the Office of the Nebraska Attorney General, a role in which she was responsible for the investigation and enforcement of state and federal laws related to deceptive and unfair trade practices, data privacy and security, antitrust, nonprofits, tobacco regulation, and charitable trusts. Meghan also served for nearly a decade in the consumer protection and antitrust division of the Office of the Kansas Attorney General.

Shantanu Gangal is the CEO and co-founder of Prodigal. Prodigal maximizes payments for lenders and debt collectors by building dynamic strategies and motivating consumers with highly engaging, personalized treatments. Building Prodigal is the culmination of Shantanu’s experience innovating at the intersection of finance and analytics. His professional background includes associate and analyst roles at Boston Consulting Group and Blackstone, and Head of Data Science and Analytics at Fundbox. Shantanu is a computer science gold medalist from IIT Bombay and holds an MBA from Wharton.

Kristyn Leffler is the Vice President of Digital Strategy and Operations for Resurgent Capital Services. Her teams are responsible for all aspects of Resurgent’s digital operations: strategic segmentation, content design and delivery, product management, execution, revenue performance, and oversight. Leading these efforts has given her a front-and-center view and renewed appreciation for the application of new and innovative technologies in the finance and fintech environment. Previous roles in her eleven years with Resurgent include portfolio and strategy analytics, inventory integration and segmentation, and non-performing judgment strategies. She holds an MS in Applied Economics and Experimental Statistics from Clemson University and a BS in Business Administration from Duquesne University.

Shelly Gensmer‑Cleek is an accomplished compliance and legal executive in the ARM and financial services industry. She currently serves as Chief Compliance Officer at Unifund and works independently as a contract compliance consultant focusing on career mentorship and helping organizations build cost‑efficient, regulation‑forward compliance frameworks. Shelly’s expertise is grounded in more than 20 years specializing in legal and compliance, data privacy and cyber security law. Shelly holds several industry recognized certifications as well as additional accreditations from her alma mater, Purdue Law School.

Jonathan L. Pompan is a Partner in Venable LLP’s Washington, DC office and co-chair of the firm’s consumer financial services practice group.  Jonathan has extensive experience representing companies before the FTC, CFPB, state attorneys general, and state regulators. His experience includes several CFPB investigations and enforcement matters, examination preparation and appeals, conducting compliance audits, obtaining licenses, and assisting in the formation and development of new products and services. In addition, he provides ongoing compliance and general counseling advice to clients in the consumer financial services sector, including debt buyers and collectors, loan originators, fintech service providers, and advertisers and marketers, including lead generators.  Jonathan is versatile and creative in addressing legal and business considerations, and in developing compliance programs and advice tailored to his client’s unique needs and meeting government expectations.

Nicole M. Strickler is a seasoned litigator focusing her practice in the defense of consumer financial services litigation throughout the country. This includes representing clients in both individual and class actions involving state and federal consumer protection laws, such as Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and similar state laws. Her clients include corporations, lending institutions, collection agencies, asset purchasers, lawyers as well as individuals. While she always strives to win prior to trial, Ms. Strickler has successfully defended numerous bench and jury trials on behalf of her clients, including class claims. She is routinely solicited to speak before national industry trade organizations, and in publications, concerning issues affecting the credit and collection industry.

Lou DiPalma is Managing Partner with Garnet Capital Advisors and has 30 years of experience as a loan portfolio broker on Wall Street and at Garnet Capital. He has written for and been widely quoted in numerous industry publications and presented at numerous loan and fintech events.

Laura Jensen joined Absolute Resolutions Corp.—a leading purchaser of distressed consumer assets in the United States—in 2012. In 2022, she was named Chief Marketing & Acquisitions Officer, where she leads the company’s branding and marketing efforts, strategic and portfolio acquisitions, market research, competitive intelligence, and relationship management with financial institutions throughout the country.

With a broad background in the Accounts Receivable Management (ARM) industry, Laura has held key roles in business development, portfolio sales and acquisitions, vendor and recovery management, project oversight, compliance, and client services.

She earned her Certified Receivables Compliance Professional (CRCP) designation in 2019 and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and webinars. Laura has served as a panelist on topics including fintech asset sales, recovery strategies, and compliance challenges. A dedicated industry advocate, she has volunteered on numerous RMAI committees since 2013 and served on its Board of Directors from 2020 to 2024.

Through her professional and volunteer work, Laura brings deep insight into the evolving challenges of the ARM space. She is a passionate proponent of responsible engagement, regulatory adaptability, and fostering innovation and opportunity across the industry.

Rebekah Luebcke is Vice President of Operations for Crown Asset Management, LLC. In her role, she oversees the team of Relationship Managers who support both the Litigation and Agency networks that service Crown’s consumer credit portfolios, empowering performance through data and systems education and navigation of portfolio nuances. Her team serves as a liaison between and an advocate for the servicers and the various departments within the organization. Before her work with Crown, Rebekah spent nearly 15 years gaining experience in the collections, payments processing, and revenue cycle management industries.

As Vice President, Marian is chiefly responsible for the oversight and management of analysis and information technology systems of the Company. Her responsibilities span all of the Company’s varied business functions and she is a Certified Receivables Compliance Professional.

Through her 30+ years of industry experience, she has kept The Bureaus, Inc. at the forefront of technology, developing proprietary tools that include account-level net present value modeling and data management systems. Marian has pioneered many software suites popular in the ARM industry. She works closely with developers to improve the products for business use. Marian Sangalang served as the President of Receivables Management Association International in 2019 and was a member of the RMAI Board of Directors 2014-2022. Marian currently serves on the RMAI Certification Council and Chairs the Remediation Committee.

Chuck Dodge is a partner in the Maine office of Hudson Cook, LLP.  Chuck is a member of RMAI and the ACA, as well as the Consumer Financial Services Committee of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association.  Chuck practices exclusively in the area of consumer credit regulatory compliance counseling.  His practice focuses on federal and state laws related to debt collection, account servicing, debt buying, foreclosure, repossession and the enforcement of creditors’ rights more generally.  Chuck’s practice also regularly involves assisting national, regional and local debt buyers and debt collectors, as well as their investors and lenders, with regulatory compliance matters related to licensing, conduct rules and recovery.

Andrew J. Blady, Esquire is General Counsel/Co-Founder of Spring Oaks Capital, a national accounts receivable debt buyer based in Chesapeake, VA. Andrew co-founded and joined Spring Oaks Capital with considerable experience in both consumer compliance and consumer litigation.  Prior to joining Spring Oaks Capital, Andrew spent several years serving  both as outside counsel and inside counsel, where his practice was concentrated in providing guidance in compliance to debt buyers and debt collectors along with providing litigation defense.

John McNamara is Chief Growth Officer for digital engagement provider, Avtal. Prior to joining Avtal, John was the Principal Assistant Director of Markets in the Research, Regulations, and Markets Division of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. There he led a team of subject matter experts and analysts covering credit card, payments, deposits, student, auto, small dollar, marketplace, and installment lending, credit reporting, debt collection, debt relief, fintech, mortgage, small business lending and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning and Consumer Financial services. He also managed budgeting, staffing, and administration of the Bureau’s Markets Office. At the CFPB, John was a key member of the team that wrote Regulation F, the implementing regulation for the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

John Rossman is a founding partner at Rossman Kirk, PLLC with more than 31 years of successful experience representing debt buyers, debt collectors and creditors in litigation, regulatory enforcement actions and compliance matters.  Rossman is responsible for dozens of the most important debt collector victories in Courts throughout the United States. John recently launched a new podcast series focused on legal issues for debt buyers called The Collection Code after previously hosting a popular collection industry podcast series for more than a decade.

Kat O’Brien has fifteen years of experience in the ARM industry translating complex legal requirements into compliant operational processes. She is Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel for United Holding Group, a national debt buyer, where she enjoys working with many Agencies, Collection Law Firms, Vendors, Financial Institutions, and FinTech Companies. Kat has earned ACA International’s distinguished Credit and Collection Compliance Attorney (CCCA) as well as RMAI’s Certified Receivables Compliance Professional (CRCP) Designation.