Credit & Collections Management Conference : ELFA

Credit & Collections Management Conference

June 01 - June 03, 2020

Hilton Palacio Del Rio, San Antonio, TX

ELFA Coronavirus Update

Due to growing health concerns related to the COVID-19 coronavirus, ELFA has postponed or cancelled a number of upcoming events. These changes are in keeping with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which as of March 16 is urging a nationwide halt to gatherings of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks. We are monitoring health professional advice and updates from the CDC and WHO regarding the COVID-19 coronavirus and following the guidelines from these agencies and local health departments, and will make any necessary modifications to our event schedule as needed to ensure the health and safety of our members, staff, vendors and others. For questions regarding ELFA events, please email meetings@elfaonline.org.

See details here

Striking the Right Balance: Innovation without Forgetting the Past

This event has been cancelled

The Credit and Collections Management Conference & Exhibition addresses the new and emerging issues relevant to credit and collections professionals and emerging professionals in the equipment finance industry. The 2020 conference will include sessions on downturn preparedness, efficiency vs. risk, human capital and diversity, the legal and regulatory environment and many other relevant topics. Additionally, the conference will provide ample opportunity to network with colleagues in the equipment finance industry.

Conference Attire: Business Casual

Program Highlights

Staying Ahead of Tomorrow
The 2020 Economic Outlook
Credit & Collection Managers Effectiveness Survey Results and Discussion
Would You Do the Deal? Discovering ways to strengthen the transaction and make it work
Bank and Non-Bank Roundtable Discussions
Legal Update
Managed Services
Downturn Preparedness
Multiple networking opportunities: Texas Museum, hosted receptions, Senior Management breakfast and the Diversity & Inclusion Brunch.

Exhibitor & Sponsorship Opportunities

A fantastic exhibition is held in conjunction with this conference and many sponsorship opportunities are available. To receive more information about exhibiting or sponsoring, please contact Steve Wafalosky at 440-247-1060 or stevew@larichadv.com.

Registration Fees

Price Description	Amount
Attendee (ELFA Member, 1st Person)	$1255.00
Attendee - Non Member (All)	$2515.00
Attendee Additional (ELFA Member)	$1135.00
Committee - Member	$610.00
Exhibitor Additional (Member)	$1135.00
Exhibitor Additional (Non Member)	$1135.00
First Time Attendee To The Conference	$1075.00
Speaker - Non Member (Attending Entire Conference)	$610.00
Speaker -Member (Attending Entire Conference)	$610.00
Spouse/Companion of Member	$250.00
Spouse/Companion of Non Member	$250.00

View cancellation and other policies

Conference Schedule

Session descriptions and speakers are all located in the conference schedule. Download the schedule here!

Special Networking Events

Diversity & Inclusion Brunch Hosted by the Women’s Council
Monday, June 1st * 11:00 am - 12:15 pm
This event is open to all who would like to attend and have an interest in Diversity in the leasing industry.

Off-site Event - TBD
Monday, June 1st * 6:30 - 9:30 pm
(pre-registration and additional fee required)
More details coming soon!

Exhibit Area
Monday, June 1st - Wednesday, June 3rd * Refreshment Breaks, Breakfast and Receptions Held Here
The Exhibit Area is always a popular place to meet during the conference. Located centrally to the conference sessions, various financial service companies provide information and solutions to your daily professional struggles. Stop by and meet our fantastic exhibitors to see how they can help make your professional life a little easier. All refreshment breaks, breakfasts and most receptions will be held in this area.

Available Functions

	Bank Roundtable	$0.00
	Tampa Bay Yacht Dinner Cruise	$85.00
	New Comers Reception
	Non-Bank Roundtable	$0.00
	Women’s Council Brunch	$0.00

Speakers

Martha Ahlers

President
United Leasing & Finance

Martha Ahlers is President of United Leasing & Finance. She has over 20 years of commercial leasing experience and started with the company in 1996. Ms. Ahlers holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of Illinois. She is involved in numerous civic and community organizations including the Ronald McDonald House Charities, Evansville Executive Forum, Tri State MS Association Board, and Carver Community Daycare. She has previously served on the Equipment Leasing and Finance Foundation Board of Directors, and is currently Chair of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) Board of Directors.

Robert Cohen

Partner
Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP

Robert S. Cohen is a Partner at Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP, with offices located on Long Island and in New York City. With over 26 years of experience in all facets of the equipment leasing and asset based lending industries, Bob's practice is devoted to commercial litigation, creditors' rights, corporate transactions and bankruptcy matters. Bob has particular experience in the documentation of financial transactions, enforcement of equipment leases and secured loans, as well as the negotiation of workouts and resolutions. He frequently serves as a speaker and author on various topics relating to the leasing industry.

Bob devotes a significant portion of his time as an active member of ELFA, serving on its Credit and Collections Management Committee, as well as participating as a presenter at its various conferences, including its 2013 Legal Forum Conference, and 2012 and 2011 Credit and Collections Conferences where he served as a speaker at sessions on litigation strategy, electronic discovery, forbearance agreements, lease/secured transaction documentation and legal updates in the finance industry. He is also an active member of NEFA, serving on both its Legal and Education Committees and participating as a presenter at its annual conferences.

In 2012, Bob also presented at the Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys' CLEW Conference. In addition to his professional endeavors, Bob is an active supporter of the Special Olympics of New York-Long Island Region, where he has served as a Chairman of its Annual Gold Coast Tour for Champions Golf Outing for the past eleven years.

Alexander Darcy

Shareholder
Darcy & Devassy PC (formerly Askounis & Darcy)

Alex Darcy is a shareholder at Askounis & Darcy PC in Chicago. Alex specializes in representing banks, finance companies, and vendors in equipment lease litigation, appellate, bankruptcy and transactional matters. He has litigated equipment leasing related matters in all fifty states and Puerto Rico. Since graduating in 1993 from The Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, he has practiced exclusively in the equipment finance area with Tom Askounis.

Alex cut his teeth on the $180 million Recomm equipment leasing fraud, a mid-1990s Ponzi scheme in which the vendor rebated a portion of the lease payments back to the lessees through separate, undisclosed "royalty" contracts. More recently, Alex worked to uncover fraud in the Wildwood Industries and Equipment Acquisition Resources matters. He also defended an equipment finance company from the Federal Trade Commission's challenge to floating forum selection clauses in equipment lease contracts, winning dismissal of that part of the Federal Trade Commission's Complaint.

Alex is licensed to practice law in Illinois, California, and Maryland, as well as numerous federal courts throughout the country. He is a 1987 graduate of Hamilton College.

Robert Fagan

Vice President of Customer Service & Collections
Eastern Funding LLC

Julia Gavrilov

Partner
Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP

Julia Gavrilov concentrates her practice in equipment leasing, secured finance, asset-based lending and all areas of complex commercial litigation. On the transactional side, Ms. Gavrilov specializes in the drafting of equipment lease and loan documents in various secured financing transactions on behalf of secured lenders, banks and lessors, and in representing both buyers and sellers in syndication and capital market transactions. Based on her steady rise throughout the leasing and finance industry, Ms. Gavrilov has been invited to speak on numerous industry panels, including the Legal Forum for the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), the ELFA Annual Convention, the ELFA Credit & Collections conference and the National Equipment Finance Association’s Finance Summit.

As a seasoned litigator, Ms. Gavrilov’s commercial litigation practice includes the enforcement and/or preservation of lender/lessor’s rights under defaulted equipment lease and secured loan transactions, and in regularly representing both institutional and individual clients in actions involving breach of contract, fraud, shareholder derivative disputes, trademark infringement, counterfeiting, trade diversion, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO), attorney malpractice and bankruptcyrelated disputes before the Federal and State courts, as well as various arbitral bodies.

In addition to her daily practice, Ms. Gavrilov also Chairs the Firm’s Women’s Initiative program: “MHH WINS” – “Women’s Initiative for Navigating Success”, and serves as a member of the Firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

Education:

New York Law School, J.D. 2006
Barnard College, Columbia University, B.A. 2002

Admissions:

Ms. Gavrilov is admitted to practice in New York, as well as before the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Affiliations:

Ms. Gavrilov is a member of the American, New York State and Nassau County Bar Associations. She is also member of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), where she serves on its Service Providers Business Council Steering Committee as well as on the Research Committee of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Foundation. Additionally, Ms. Gavrilov is a member of the Secured Finance Network's (SFNet) Women in Secured Finance Committee, as well as a member of GGI-Worldwide Alliance of Independent Law Firms.

Recognitions:

2021 - Top Women in Equipment Finance (The Monitor)
2021 - NextGen Leader / 40 Under 40 (The Monitor)
2020 - SFNet Top Women In Commercial Finance
2020 - SFNet 40 Under 40 Award

Languages:

Russian

Arlene Gelman

Shareholder
Vedder Price P.C.

Arlene N. Gelman is a Shareholder at Vedder Price in the firm’s Commercial Litigation and Corporate Reorganization, Bankruptcy and Insolvency groups and currently serves as Co-Chair of the firm's Creditors' Rights and Collections group.

Ms. Gelman concentrates her practice in the representation of lenders, equipment lessors and other creditors in U.S. state, federal district, appellate and bankruptcy courts, including prosecuting numerous breach-of-contract and replevin actions, and representing the interests of secured and unsecured creditors in various state courts and in bankruptcy matters.

Ms. Gelman is a frequent and sought after speaker on equipment finance and bankruptcy related topics. She is a member of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), Chicago Bar
Association, The Illinois State Bar
Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation.

In 2020 and 2022, Ms. Gelman was included on Lawdragon’s list of the 500 Leading U.S. Bankruptcy and Restructuring Lawyers. Since 2013, she has been selected by her peers as a Leading Lawyer in Bankruptcy & Workout: Commercial
and Creditor’s Rights/Commercial Collections. She has also received an "AV Preeminent" Peer Rating in Martindale-Hubbell. Ms. Gelman was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America in the 2023 edition for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency Law and Reorganization Law.

Ms. Gelman is a graduate of the University of Illinois (B.A., with distinction, 1989) and Boston University School of Law (J.D., 1994), where she was an Edward F. Hennessey Scholar. Ms. Gelman also served as a staff attorney to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois; Law Clerk to the Honorable Ronald Barliant, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Illinois; Law Clerk to the Honorable Eugene Wedoff, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Illinois; and Law Clerk to the Honorable Joan H. Lefkow, U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Illinois.

Ms. Gelman is currently a member of ELFA’s Legal Committee and is a past member of ELFA's Credit and Collections Committee.

Ms. Gelman's past ELFA speaking events include:

Speaking as a moderator at the Legal Update panel at ELFA's 2022 Legal Forum

Speaking as a panelist at the Legal Update panel at ELFA's 2021 Credit & Collections Management Conference

Speaking as a panelist at the Legal Update panel at ELFA's 2021 Legal Forum

Speaking as a panelist at ELFA's 2020 Webinar: Covid-19's Hidden Costs: Bankruptcy, Repossessions & Challenging Legislation

Speaking as a panelist on the Legal Update panel at ELFA's 2019 Legal Forum

Speaking as a panelist on the Legal Update panel at ELFA's 2019 Credit & Collections Conference

Speaking as a panelist on the Legal Update panel at ELFA's 2018 Credit & Collections Conference

Speaking as a panelist at ELFA's 2017 Equipment Management Conference and Exhibition on the topic of forbearance agreements

Daniel Goderis

Director, Portfolio Management
GreatAmerica Financial Services

Dan joined GreatAmerica Financial Services Corporation in September of 2001 and during his tenure has provided portfolio management leadership in nearly every one of GreatAmerica's business units. In his current role, he is responsible for leading the portfolio management team of nearly 35 individuals across all business units. In addition to maintaining acceptable levels of delinquency and minimizing write-offs, he is charged with setting the strategic direction of the function and ensuring that GreatAmerica Financial Services has the right team members, training and tools to be successful in our changing markets. Before joining GreatAmerica, Dan held collection leadership positions with GE Capital Vendor Financial and was the General Manager of H & R Receivables Management.

Dan has been a member of the ELFA Credit and Collections Conference Committee for the past 11 years as well as a regular panel speaker at the conference.

Education: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Nicholas Jones

Vice President, Credit & Risk Region North America
Volvo Financial Services

Nicholas Jones is Vice President of Credit and Operations for the Americas Region at Volvo Financial Services, the global finance arm of the Volvo Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment, and marine and industrial engines. Nicholas’ region encompasses the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Peru and he leads the functions that include portfolio management, risk analysis, credit, documentation, and funding, and booking processes in those diverse markets.

Nicholas joined Volvo Financial Service in 2005 and has held a range of senior management roles in credit, risk, operations and market optimization within the organization in Europe and North America. Prior to joining Volvo Financial Services, he worked in several independent and captive equipment finance and leasing organizations over his 20+ year career. Nicholas holds an MBA from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Northern Illinois University, and resides in Greensboro, North Carolina with his wife and son.

Chris Jung

Director, Americas Credit & Risk Officer
Cisco Systems Capital Corporation

I have been at Cisco for 11 years, all in credit roles, beginning with Canada and then taking the North America role, followed by the Americas Trade Credit role, and now Americas Trade Credit and Latam Term Credit. Prior to Cisco I managed the credit department at Mitel Networks, which included a roughly $500M captive leasing portfolio. In this role I was also responsible for preparing quarterly reporting to the Mitel board of directors with regards to economic indicators, portfolio analysis, and trends. Prior to that role I was the controller for the Nevada, Utah, and Colorado branch locations, which included oversight for Accounting, Inventory Management, and branch P&L's. Previously I spent three years in Leasing Sales.

I received my bachelors with a dual major in Finance/Economics from the University of Nevada. And then my Masters in Science, Finance, also from the University of Nevada.

Rachel Kling

Lending Manager

Cecile Latouche

Executive Director
Sumitomo Mitsui Finance & Leasing Co., Ltd.

Cecile Latouche has over 15 years of leasing experience in originating, structuring and underwriting commercial transactions. In her last position she was the Chief Risk Officer with 36th Street Capital, an independent leasing company focused on bank adjacent credits. Prior to joining 36SC, Cecile was a Principal at Atalaya Leasing, where she managed a fund dedicated to leasing. Prior to this, she was the Credit Risk Officer for the equipment finance segment at Sterling National Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing (SMFL) and Societe Generale Equipment Finance where in her leadership role she was instrumental to the development and growth of the company’s footprint in the US.

Louis Maslowe

Chief Risk Officer, Commercial Domain
DLL

Lou Maslowe, Chief Risk Officer – Commercial at DLL, is a results-oriented leader with more than 30 years of experience in the equipment finance and asset-based lending industries. Maslowe first joined DLL in 2005, where he held multiple senior risk management roles, with the last four years as Chief Risk Officer – Americas. In early 2017, Maslowe moved into the role of Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer at Marlin Capital Solutions, a publicly traded specialty finance company. After five years with Marlin, Maslowe returned to DLL in the role he holds today. Prior to joining DLL, Maslowe held various senior risk and commercial roles with HP Financial Services, HSBC Business Loans,, ORIX Financial Services, and Westinghouse Credit Corporation.

Maslowe is an active ELFA member, currently serving as a committee member for the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation and the Climate Financing Working Group. From 2018-2022, Maslowe served as the Chair for the ELFA Credit & Collections Conference Planning Committee.

Maslowe earned his undergraduate degree in Finance from Bloomsburg University and went on to earn an MBA from Drexel University.

Chris Maudlin CLFP

SVP, Chief Operating Officer
Wintrust Specialty Finance

Chris Maudlin, CLFP is the Chief Credit Officer for Wintrust Specialty Finance, a Division of Beverly Bank & Trust Company, N.A. Prior to joining Wintrust, he was SVP Risk and Analytics for Hanmi Bank and VP Commercial Credit Manager for Banc of California. Chris has more than 15 years’ experience in commercial equipment finance serving in a variety of roles for both independent lessor’s as well as bank owned finance companies. Chris earned his Certified Lease & Finance Professional designation in 2013 and is actively involved in supporting the industry. Chris currently serves on the ELFA Credit & Collections Committee and speaks regularly at conferences around the country.

Scott McCann

Senior Credit Officer
Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc.

Scott McCann is a Senior Credit Officer with Pinnacle Financial Partners, covering Equipment Finance and Franchise Finance. Scott has served in senior underwriting and portfolio management roles for more than 20 years, primarily in the equipment finance industry. He previously worked as a bank regulator for 11 years, including as a National Bank Examiner for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Scott holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Augustana College, Rock Island, IL.

Eric McGriff

Chief Risk Officer
36th Street Capital

Eric has been in the Equipment Finance industry for 37 years and has served as a senior leader whose responsibilities have included credit, portfolio management, collections, asset management, operations, customer service, legal operations and statistical modeling. Eric is Chief Risk Officer at 36th Street Capital.

Andrew Mesches

Director

Andy Mesches, a director at The Alta Group, helps companies increase the growth and profitability of leasing and finance operations by improving their credit risk management strategies. He has extensive expertise in credit underwriting, credit policy, portfolio management, compliance, and collections.

He has worked in the financial services industry for four decades, including three in the highly regulated banking industry. Mesches particularly enjoys working with organizations to institute proven and effective approaches to mitigate risk.

Prior to joining Alta, Mesches was executive vice president and chief risk officer at Key Equipment Finance in Superior, Colo., from 1995-2010. There, he was responsible for the management of the company’s $10 billion loan and lease portfolio. Preceding Key, Mesches was senior vice president for credit and operations at BancOne Leasing Corporation in Columbus, Ohio. His BancOne responsibilities included management of a $5 billion loan and lease portfolio, various equipment management activities and human resources.

Earlier in his career, Mesches held vice president and assistant vice president positions at San Francisco-based United States Leasing Corp. and Bank of the West, respectively. He began his career at the State Bank of Albany in Albany, N.Y., holding various management roles.

Mesches is a long-time member of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association and has served on the association’s Credit/Collections and Basel II Advisory committees. He received ELFA’s Distinguished Service Award in 2012 for his work on behalf of the industry.

He received a B.A. Degree in Economics from the State University of New York at Buffalo and also did graduate work at the State University of New York – Albany.

Patrick Moore

Director, Credit Strategy Consulting
Equifax

Patrick Moore has been at Equifax Commercial as Director: Credit Strategy Consulting since 2012, responsible for credit/risk strategy consulting to lenders based on peer benchmarking, credit score analyses, and Strategic Business Reviews. He is also involved in industry-wide analysis and the creation and publishing of Equifax's commercial indices. Prior to Equifax Commercial he had almost ten years’ experience in commercial lending with GE Capital, as a Credit Manager of a team at GE Commercial Distribution Finance, and as a Risk Analyst at GE Transportation Finance. He has a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Michael Mount CLFP

SVP, Credit Executive
U.S. Bank

Michael A. “Mic” Mount has been in risk management roles in the equipment finance industry since 2001. He joined U.S. Bank Equipment Finance in Portland, OR in 2012 and is currently Senior Vice President and Credit Executive for mid/large ticket underwriting, portfolio review, and document negotiations.

Prior to transitioning to U.S. Bank, Mic was Senior Vice President and Credit Executive at another large regional financial institution, where his responsibilities included oversight of the credit underwriting process and credit teams located in offices in the U.S., Europe, and APAC.

Mic began his career as a national bank examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, then transitioned into a role as a consultant with a nation-wide bank accounting & consulting firm, and then as commercial lender at a Midwest-based regional bank.

Mr. Mount holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder and was awarded the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 2002. He earned his CLFP designation in 2018. Mic previously served on the University of Colorado Alumni Association’s Board of Directors and as the Association’s Treasurer. In his free time, Mic enjoys time with his family and dog, the outdoors, and is an avid skier and golfer.

Dana Pace

Senior Vice President, Director of Operations & Asset Resolution
PNC Equipment Finance

Dana M. Pace is the Director of Operations and Asset Management for PNC Equipment Finance, overseeing operations and equipment management. PNC’s combined leasing and equipment finance portfolio exceeds $18 billion in assets making the firm the 3rd largest bank leasing company in the country. She has more than 25 years of experience in collections, equipment valuation, remarketing, vendor finance operations and portfolio risk management. Her prior work experience includes her start with Information Leasing Corporation (ILC) and through mergers and acquisitions Provident Bank, National City Bank and National City Commercial Capital Corporation.

Currently, by managing both the front-end asset management valuations and the back-end asset management lease end loan operations teams. This allows her to see industry changes both from an equipment perspective and a client perspective, enabling them to stay nimble and react quickly when markets change. As real-time data is often the key to moving the finance and leasing business to the next level, Pace ensures data transparency throughout the transaction lifecycle is the norm for asset management.

Over the last decade as a member of the ELFA Credit & Collections Management Committee, Pace has contributed to conferences and coordinated ELFA Women’s Council events. Featured by the Monitor in 2019 as a top woman in Equipment Finance. She is member of ASA American Society of Appraisers and a PNC Certified Women’s Business Advocate.

Ms. Pace holds a bachelor’s degree out of the College of Education, University of Cincinnati.

Outside of work, Pace is actively involved in global wildlife conservation and fundraising for conservation reserves, as well as local zoo conservation research projects to protect endangered species and habitats. She resides in a suburb of Cincinnati with five dogs and is active in AKC breed and confirmation events.

Sarah Palmer

Head of Credit, AML and Commercial Finance
DLL

Sarah Palmer was named Senior Vice President of Credit Underwriting for Key Equipment Finance (KEF) in 2016, overseeing the underwriting activities for KEF’s Bank Channel and Specialty Finance originations. Palmer also oversees the portfolio management activities for the KEF portfolio. Most recently, Palmer began oversight of the Asset Management activities for KEF, including new business support for equipment leases and end of term remarketing events.

Previously, she served as Credit Executive for commercial credit risk across KEF, and Vice President of Credit Operations and Reporting, providing support for the KEF Credit team across all risk disciplines related to underwriting, financial analysis, project management, and data reporting. Palmer began at Key Equipment Finance in 2006 as a Credit Analyst.

Palmer serves on the Credit and Collections Planning Committee for ELFA, and is also a member of the Captive & Vendor Finance Business Council Steering Committee for ELFA.

Palmer earned her bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Colorado at Denver.

Ralph Petta

Ralph Petta is the President and CEO of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), the premier trade association representing 550+ member organizations in the $1 trillion equipment finance sector. Mr. Petta leads the organization in executing its mission to foster business development, deliver industry information and analysis, provide educational opportunities and advocate for the industry. He is also President of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation, which is dedicated to inspiring thoughtful innovation and contributing to the betterment of the equipment leasing and finance industry.

Mr. Petta, an authority in the business of equipment finance, has been with the association since 1987. Before assuming the role of President and CEO in January 2016, he served as Chief Operating Officer for six years, providing coordination, direction and oversight of ELFA programs and services designed to add value to the association's member organizations. Prior to that, he served as Interim President. From 1987 to 2010 he was Vice President-Research & Industry Services, managing ELFA's information, benchmarking and market research initiatives. Throughout his career at ELFA, Mr. Petta has assumed leadership roles in virtually all functional areas within the organization, including governance, membership marketing, communications, business and professional development, state advocacy and the association's affiliated Foundation.

He is often quoted in industry trade publications and is a frequent speaker about the role of equipment finance in the U.S. economy and trends and developments in the equipment finance sector.

Mr. Petta is a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), as well as ASAE's Key Industry Association Committee (KIAC). He completed the ASAE/University of Maryland College of Business and Management executive development certificate program in association management. He also was selected for and participated in the ASAE Future Leaders Conference. Mr. Petta is a member of the Exchequer Club of Washington, DC.

Before joining ELFA, Mr. Petta worked for nine years in the office of United States Senator Sam Nunn, serving in a variety of professional capacities. He was Senator Nunn's legislative assistant when he left to join the association. Mr. Petta graduated from Syracuse University, earning a B.A. degree in political science.

Kevin Prykull CLFP

Adjunct Professor in Finance --Duquesne University

Kevin P. Prykull, CLFP
Retired SVP & Credit Underwriting Executive
PNC Equipment Finance, LLC (PNCEF)

Kevin P. Prykull is a seasoned equipment leasing and finance professional specializing in credit risk management. He has over 42 years of industry experience and worked for PNC Bank for more than 30 years until his recent retirement. At PNCEF he managed all credit underwriting, approval and portfolio functions for PNC Bank’s leasing and equipment financing subsidiaries. He was responsible for the credit and risk activities within the direct segments and specialty businesses like corporate aviation, municipal, alternative energy, structured finance, Canada, and vendor -- including the underwriting and approval of new transactions, portfolio management, and related credit administration matters. PNC’s combined leasing and equipment finance portfolio exceeds $18 billion in assets making the firm the 3rd largest bank leasing company in the country.

His prior work experience includes: an independent finance company (Senstar Capital Corporation), global lease consulting firm (Amenbal, Deane and Associates), a Fortune 500 manufacturer and captive lessor (Joy Manufacturing), and a local regional bank (Equibank). Much of his background is in risk, credit, equipment, leasing, teaching, and consulting.

Mr. Prykull holds an undergraduate degree in accounting (BSBA) from Duquesne University and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Robert Morris University. Although he does not practice, Kevin has passed the Pennsylvania CPA exam.

Prykull is an active member of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA). Since 2008, he has served in various roles as chair, member and leader on the association’s Credit and Collections (C&C) Planning Committee and Conference. In addition, Kevin is responsible for the Credit Manager Survey whose results are presented annually at the conference. He was the recipient of the ELFA Distinguished Service Award. The award honors an individual who has made significant contributions to the association and to the equipment finance industry. Kevin is active on the ELFA’s Research Committee and is involved in the annual publication of the Summary of Equipment Finance Activity (SEFA). Kevin has been interviewed and quoted in numerous articles for the ELFA Leasing Today magazine and the Monitor.

Kevin has earned and maintains the Certified Lease and Finance Professional (CLFP) designation offered through the CLFP Foundation. Kevin is on the Executive Committee of the CLFP Board serving as the Immediate Past President. He chairs the Body of Knowledge and Recertification Committees. Further he functions as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for all credit and risk matters. Kevin teaches at the Academy for Lease and Finance Professionals (ALFP), including the newest “virtual” ones. Kevin is an Adjunct Professor in Finance at Duquesne University. A native of the Pittsburgh, PA area, Kevin resides in Peters Township with his wife Karen. He has three grown children and three grandchildren.

Kevin P. Prykull
506 Harvest View Drive
Venetia, PA 15367

(412) 337-0250
kevin.prykull@gmail.com

www.linkedin.com/in/kevinprykull

Jennifer Rosenberg

Senior Vice President, Senior Credit Officer
Fifth Third Bank, National Association

Jennifer Poland Rosenberg is the Senior Credit Officer for MB Equipment Finance, overseeing credit and equipment management. She has more than 20 years of experience in risk management, financial analysis and business valuation.

From 2012 until the merger with MB, she was senior vice president, credit for Cole Taylor Equipment Finance. Prior to that, Rosenberg was senior manager with Tucker & Meltzer Valuation Advisors in Baltimore where she focused on corporate valuations of closely held businesses and private equity investments. She spent three years as a risk manager for GE Capital Corporation where she was responsible for underwriting and closings of commercial loans and leases. Rosenberg also held roles with LaSalle National Leasing Corporation, Morgan Stanley, and Ernst & Young LLP earlier in her career. She had earned and held both the CPA and ABV accreditations, both of which are no longer active.

She earned a B.A. in Business Accounting from Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Micheal Smith

President & CEO
RTR Services, Inc.

For over 35 years, Mike has been active in the Leasing and Financial industry. Since 1996 he has been the President and CEO of RTR Services, Inc. the leading national asset management firm specializing in Appraisals, Repossessions, Remarketing and Inspection Services. Mike along with the rest of the RTR Staff are a dependable resource for banks, leasing companies and attorneys across the nation, helping them to determine their equipment’s value and the development and implementation of sound asset management principles.

Mike currently serves on the Equipment Leasing and Financing Association (ELFA) Equipment Management Committee. He served on the ELFA Credit and Collection Committee from 2010-2012. Mike presently serves on the board of RSA as finance committee chair. In addition to his committee work, Mike / RTR are also members of the National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA), the American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (AACFB), the Chamber of Commerce, and the National Auction Association (NAA).

James St. Clair

With a notable career spanning over four decades in the financial services industry, Jim St. Clair stands as a seasoned Independent Consultant specializing in portfolio management, risk management, and commercial and consumer collections.

St. Clair’s professional experience includes 30 plus years in the equipment leasing and finance industry, including 15 plus years as Director of Outsourcing, at De Lage Landen F.S., where he demonstrated exceptional leadership in managing the company's 3rd party outsourcing partners, including collection agencies, repossession agents, and law firms. He also led a proficient team of Litigation Specialists, showcasing his expertise in special workouts, repossession, and bankruptcy.

Prior to De Lage Landen F. S., Jim spent 16 years at Bank of America Leasing where he held the position of VP Risk Operations. During his tenure, he managed a dedicated team of 40 professionals and oversaw a small to middle-market portfolio of delinquent, workout, litigation, and bankrupt contracts. His portfolio had a combined exposure exceeding $5 billion and encompassed 120,000 lease schedules.

Before his role at Bank of America, Jim honed his skills at the Michigan collection law firm of Douglas Shermetta. His responsibilities included enforcing consumer bankruptcy reaffirmations, post-judgment enforcement, payment negotiations, and collateral recovery, further solidifying his expertise in the field.

Jim has been a member of the ELFA Credit & Collections Management Committee since 2013, where he actively contributes to shaping industry best practices and standards.

With his vast experience and in-depth industry knowledge, Jim offers strategic consulting services tailored to meet the unique needs and challenges of financial institutions.

Thomas Ware

President
Tom Ware Advisory Services, LLC

Now an independent analytics, risk, and credit scoring consultant, Tom Ware was for 18 years Senior Vice President of Analytics & Product Development at PayNet, which was acquired by Equifax in 2019. In that role he was responsible for the development of PayNet’s MasterScore and probability of default models, which have been used by hundreds of lenders to help decision millions of commercial loan and lease applications worth over $300 billion. He was also responsible for creating loss forecasting models, peer lender performance benchmarking and Strategic Business Reviews, and for developing a wide variety of research about commercial lending that appeared regularly at ELFA conferences as well as in the Wall Street Journal, American Banker, RMA Journal, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, Crain’s, Bloomberg, Reuters, AP, CNBC, ABC News, Congressional Testimony, and the published papers of two Federal Reserve Governors.

Prior to PayNet, Tom had 17 years’ experience as a lender with banks and finance companies, including as General Manager of a billion-dollar division of J.I. Case/CNH Capital, and as Chief Credit Officer & Senior Vice President, Operations of Rockford Industries, a NASDAQ-traded finance company that was acquired by American Express. Tom began working with commercial credit scoring in the mid-1990s, when he was responsible for bring scoring to a mid-sized bank, and within a few years developed scores that were auto-decisioning 40% of applications under $100,000. Previously he founded Sequa Credit Corporation, later acquired by Hypercom. Tom began his career with a Boston management consulting firm that became the New England office of Oliver Wyman.

Tom is Chairman of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation’s Research Committee, and is a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and its Executive Committee. He is a long-time member of the ELFA’s Credit & Collection’s Committee, and previously served on ELFA’s Small Ticket Business Council, and on the Board of Governors of RMA’s Washington D.C. & Maryland chapter. He is a frequent contributor to Equipment Leasing Today and the Monitor, where he published, as a three-part series of articles, “The 12 Secrets of Commercial Credit Scoring.” The ELFA selected him as the 2021 recipient of the Michael J. Fleming Distinguished Service Award, for contributions to the Association and the industry. Tom graduated with Distinction in Mathematical Economics from Dartmouth College, and has an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Hotel Information

A block of rooms is being held for attendees of the 2020 Credit & Collections Management Conference at the Hilton Palacio Del Rioat the San Antonio Riverwalk, 200 South Alamo Street, San Antonio, TX. Rooms are available for a discounted rate of $179 +tax. Check in time is 3:00 pm and check-out time is 12:00 Noon. Please call Reservations at 1 (800) 445-8667 or use the link below before the discounted room rate deadline of Sunday, May 17, 2020. Reservations made after May 17, 2020 are based on the hotel pricing and this group rate will no longer be offered.

Make hotel reservations online here: https://bit.ly/3aDsXKQ

The Hilton Palacio Del Rio hotel puts you in the heart of the San Antonio River Walk, near popular cultural attractions, shops, dining, entertainment experiences and more. Whether it's a relaxing dip in the outdoor pool or a riverboat tour beginning steps outside the hotel doors, Hilton Palacio Del Rio offers the services you need, the amenities you expect, and the extras you deserve.

Getting There

The Hilton Palacio Del Rio is 8 miles and about 20 minutes from the San Antonio International Airport (SAT). Approximate cost from the San Antonio International Airport to Hilton Palacio Del Rio is approximately $19.00 one-way with Super Shuttle and $22.00 one-way via Taxi.

Parking
Only Valet parking is available at the hotel for $44.00 per day as a hotel guest. Self-parking is not offered. Non-hotel guests are allowed to park at the hotel, but availability is not guaranteed.

Things To Do:

Explore the Alamo located two blocks from the Hilton Palacio Del Rio or take a riverboat cruise and board right outside the hotel. Take an evening stroll along the River Walk and stop at numerous cafes, restaurants and pubs. So much to do for everyone! View a full list of entertainment options from the hotel.

Hilton Palacio Del Rio
200 S Alamo St
San Antonio, TX 78205

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