Justin Angotti is an associate with Reed Smith in the Global Regulatory Investigations and Enforcement Group. His practice focuses on the legal regimes governing international trade, including economic sanctions, export controls, anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws, anti-money laundering requirements, and import regulations. Justin advises clients on developing compliance programs, provides day-to-day regulatory counseling, and assists with internal investigations. He also represents clients in regulatory enforcement matters, including voluntary disclosures; agency-led investigations involving subpoenas, detentions, or seizures; and administrative appeals.

Before law school, Justin worked in higher education for ten years, primarily in compliance roles focused on policy development, training, investigations, and remediation.

Justin received his juris doctorate from George Mason University School of Law. He was awarded the Daniel D. Polsby Award for Excellence in Leadership, Excellence in Oral Advocacy Award and was the George Mason Law Review – Senior Notes Editor.

Justin graduated from American University with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies: Communication, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government and Political Science with University Honors in Political Science.

Chris Arrington is the Chief Credit Officer for SRS Distribution in McKinney, Texas. Chris Arrington joined SRS in 2020 following an 18-year career in trade credit at Ferguson. As Chief Credit Officer, Chris is over both the SRS and Heritage groups. He is responsible for the extension of credit, collection of the A/R, DSO and bad debt performances, cash application, and customer set up functions.

Before SRS, Chris went through the MIT program at Ferguson. He had various management roles in credit across the country before becoming the Director of Credit Management at Ferguson. In his tenure with Ferguson, Chris saw the company grow from $5 billion to a $17 billion publicly traded company. This insight gave Chris experience in turning Credit and Financial departments into a competitive advantage that leverages technology and leadership for better performance.

Chris is a graduate of Oklahoma State University. He also completed NACM’s Graduate School of Credit & Financial Management.

Adam Aune is credit manager for Butler Machinery in Fargo, North Dakota.

Andrew Behlmann is a partner with Lowenstein Sandler LLP in their New Jersey office. Andrew leverages his background in corporate finance and management to approach restructuring problems, both in and out of court, from a practical, results-oriented perspective. With a focus on building consensus among multiple parties that have competing priorities, Andrew is equally at home both in and out of the courtroom, and he has a track record of turning financial distress into positive business outcomes. Clients value his counsel in complex Chapter 11 cases, where he represents debtors, creditors’ committees, purchasers, and investors. Andrew writes and speaks frequently about bankruptcy matters and financial issues. Before becoming a lawyer, he worked in senior financial management at a midsize, privately held company. He has a JD from Seton Hall University School of Law and a BS from University of Missouri-Saint Louis.

Ian Benney, a Technical Special Agent (TSA), is currently assigned to the U.S. Secret Service’s Las Vegas Field Office. In this role, he actively engages in cyber investigations and digital forensics, along with handling protection assignments. TSA Benney has played a crucial role in various protection assignments especially overseeing Critical Systems cyber security measures for the President, Vice President, and foreign dignitaries.

TSA Benney graduated from Kansas State University in 1993 with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. He earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, in 2003 and obtained a Cyber Security Certificate from the University of Louisville in 2023. After serving as a State Trooper with the Kansas Highway Patrol, he transitioned to the U.S. Secret Service. Throughout his career with the Secret Service, he has held diverse roles, including assignments at the Kansas City Field Office, Criminal Investigative Division, Dignitary Protective Division, Vice Presidential Protective Division, Washington Field Office, Louisville Field Office, and currently, the Las Vegas Field Office. Additionally, he worked internationally as an Assistant Attaché with the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt, Germany.

Georgette Bevan, CCE recently retired after 20 years of active duty in credit management and 22 years with NACM Business Credit Services in Utah and Arizona. Georgette has been earnestly engaged in teaching CAP and ACAP classes, coaching, mentoring and leading NACM Professional Designation review classes since receiving her CCE designation.

Bryan Boaz is in charge of Talent Acquisition for Dolese Bros. Co. in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Wanda Borges, Esq. is the principal member of Borges & Associates, LLC, a law firm based in Syosset, New York. For more than thirty-nine years, Ms. Borges has concentrated her practice on commercial litigation and creditors’ rights in bankruptcy matters, representing corporate clients and creditors’ committees throughout the United States in Chapter 11 proceedings, out of court settlements, commercial transactions and preference litigation. She is a member and Past President of the Commercial Law League of America and has been an Attorney Member of its National Board of Governors, a Past Chair of the Bankruptcy Section Executive Council, a past member of the executive council of its Eastern Region and is a Past Chair of its Creditors’ Rights Section Executive Council. She is the Past President of the Commercial Law League Fund for Public Education.

In October, 1996, Ms. Borges was awarded the Mercy College Trustee’s Medal for outstanding dedication to her profession and alma mater. In September 2000, she was named one of the “50 Outstanding Alumni” of Mercy College. In February, 2001 she received the “Career Achievement Award” from the Broadcast Cable Credit Association. In November, 2010, Ms. Borges received the “Robert E. Caine Award for Leadership” from the Commercial Law League of America. In April 2015, Ms. Borges received a “Woman of Distinction” award from St. Catharine Academy, her high school alma mater. Ms. Borges has been included in the New York Super Lawyers – Metro Edition list (Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights) each year since 2009.

Gina Calabrese Sylvester, CMP, CGA is Executive Vice President of NACM Tampa, Inc.  Gina began her NACM Tampa career in 1991 as a local Credit Group Administrator and was promoted to National Group Coordinator in 1993. As NACM Tampa continued to develop its Credit Management System (CMS) software, Gina’s knowledge and deep understanding of member needs became key as she accepted the responsibility of managing the CMS‐NACM Affiliate relationship on behalf of NACM Tampa in 1998.

Gina’s understanding of how members use and rely upon the platform that fuels their industry credit groups positioned her to carry the vision of what was needed in the platform to create what it now known as the NACM National Trade Credit Report. She was instrumental in the redevelopment and redesign of the WebCMS software, used by most NACM Affiliates to not only manage their businesses, but also their NACM industry credit group operations, credit reporting and collections. Gina has driven the design and implementation of new products and tools, supporting NACM members nationwide.

In 2013, Gina was promoted to Executive Vice President, and continues to work closely with the Information Systems team to improve NACM’s National Trade Credit Report and various products. In 2018, Gina returned to the Group Services Department to manage the daily operations and continues to oversee the NACM Affiliate relationship. Gina earned the prestigious Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation in 1998 and the Credit Group Administrator (CGA) designation in 2013.  Gina holds a BS from Florida State University.

Kevin Chandler, CCE has over 30 years of experience in the international credit, collections, third party risk management, and order to cash space. He has done business in over 140 countries and built three global credit organizations. He has worked in the software, services, manufacturing, financial, and construction industries. Kevin is currently the Director of Financial Services at Zachry Group in San Antonio, Texas.

Scott Chase is currently the Global Director of Credit and Collections for Gibson Brands, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, the manufacturer of iconic names like Gibson, Epiphone and Kramer guitars, Mesa Boogie amplifiers and KRK studio monitors. Scott’s career spans a 45-year career in credit and collections leadership.

Scott obtained his Certified Credit Executive certification in 2006, CICP in 2012 and is a graduate of the Graduate School of Credit and Financial Management. Scott has been a certified educator for NACM and was named Educator of the Year twice by NACM BCS in Salt Lake City. Scott has written and published several articles for NACM Business Credit magazine.

Scott holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Colorado Christian University. Scott finds great enjoyment with the game of baseball and playing his guitars. Along with his lovely wife Karyl and German Shepherd Shiloh, Scott makes his home in North Carolina where together they own a business run by his wife Karyl.

Staci Cima is the Director of Customer Success North America for Sidetrade. She was formerly with Huttig Building Products as Director of Credit.

Amy Cook, CCE is the Regional Credit Manager for McNaughton McKay Electric. Amy had her first management position at the age of 18. After years of working in the food industry, discovered her passion for Credit Management in 1998 after taking a position as an AR clerk. This change from the food industry to AR and credit made a huge impact. Amy earned her CBA shortly thereafter. Continued education to include dual associate degrees in Accounting and Business Management, as well as being named the business student of the year at Owens College. From there earning a Bachelor’s in Management and Organizational Development from Spring Arbor University and moved on to get her CCE in 2016. Amy is currently the Northern Region Credit Manager for McNaughton McKay Electric Company, an electrical distributor that provides products to companies in almost every business sector, providing for a diverse set of accounts and opportunities. Amy supervises the Accounts Receivable/Collections team and works with sales and operations over multiple locations. In April of 2024 Amy accepted a position on the Board for NACM Connect.
Amy is a proud mother of 3, including a son currently serving in the US Marines, and the grandmother to 3 wonderful boys.

Dr. Amy Crews Cutts is a nationally recognized thought leader and chief economist focused on providing strategic economic analysis rooted in practical business terms. Amy is the President and Chief Economist of AC Cutts & Associates LLC and also serves as the Chief Risk Officer for Bright Query LLC, the Chief Economist for the National Association of Credit Management, and as the Consulting Economist for Primerica. She was previously Senior Vice President and Chief Economist for Equifax and Senior Director and Deputy Chief Economist at Freddie Mac before that. With over 25 years of economic analysis and policy development experience, Amy is a passionate advocate for expanding consumer and small business access to low-cost, nonpredatory credit. She is a noted expert in credit reporting, consumer and small business credit markets, loan servicing, securitization, residential real estate including home equity and price indices, and trends in employment and compensation.

A polished and engaging presenter, Dr. Cutts is a sought-after speaker and panelist. She is a frequent guest on the Urban Institute’s webinars on housing trends, Third Bridge Forums, and RiskSpan webinars. Often quoted in national print and broadcast media, she has also published numerous studies in academic journals and books on such topics as the economics of subprime lending, the impact of technology on foreclosure prevention, and the drivers of strategic mortgage default. In 2015 she won the Pulsenomics® Crystal Ball Award for Outstanding Performance in the Zillow® Home Price Expectations Survey for her forecast accuracy and is a participant in the Wall Street Journal’s Survey of Leading Economists and the Blue Chip Economic Indicators® survey panel.

Cutts holds an MA and PhD in Economics from the University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX. In 2015 she became a Certified Business Economist®, a distinction of professional achievement from the National Association for Business Economics (NABE). She serves on the board of directors for NABE and the National Business Economics Issues Council, the policy advisory board for The Reinvestment Fund, the advisory board for Riskspan, and the housing advisory board for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. She has taught economics at Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Virginia and was Assistant Professor of Economics and Senior Researcher in the Maxwell School for Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. In 2021 she published the book Chopin Through the Window: An Autobiography with Franziska Stein.

Diana Crowe, Regional Director for NACM Southwest, is a sought-after speaker and presenter, drawing upon her experience in credit management, her deep understanding of collections and deductions management along with her strong background in training and education.

Diana has enjoyed leading webinars and on-site sessions on a wide variety of topics for audiences that range from credit professionals to aspiring and published authors as well as various industry groups. Along with her Bachelor’s in Organizational Management, her credentials include published articles for NACM Business Credit Magazine and Credit Research Foundation. She holds a Bachelors in Organizational Management and, under her pen name, she is a USA Today Best-Selling Author. 

Krystal Daugherty, CCE is an accomplished credit professional, bringing 15 years’ experience managing people and leading teams. From her passion to teach others, she found a niche category that often gets overlooked – onboarding new employees. As the Order to Cash Manager at Acuren Inspection, Inc. Krystal is no stranger to onboarding new employees as she has moved the company from outsourced credit & collection teams to bringing those activities in house.

For the past 10 years, Krystal has served as a board member of NACM Business Credit Services, including chairman of the board in 2020-2022. She was awarded Top 15 Credit Manager in 2022 by Ferguson Enterprises for exceeding goals in collections and risk management. Most recently Krystal was highlighted as a leading Women in Construction for 2024 by Buildingblocks (hosted by handle.com).

In her free time, Krystal enjoys cycling and crochet where she specializes in custom baby blankets and pattern-making.

As the CEO of this Carixa’s order-to-cash cloud technology business since 2021, Shyarsh is focused on scaling the business by deeply understanding client needs, growing the team and making smart investments in technology to back it all up. From 2012 to 2019, he was CEO of Credit2B, which was a leader in B2B credit decision automation until its sale to Billtrust, where he served as Group President.

Prior to this, he held management positions at Global Compliance (now Navex) and Dun and Bradstreet where he focused on strategy, growth and business development. In his early career, he worked at IBM in multiple roles across the enterprise, including leading key solutions for IBM in the financial services vertical and later in corporate development. Shyarsh has degrees from the University of Bombay and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Fred Dons has worked within commodities for over 35 years, from his first job working in the port of Rotterdam discharging maize out of small barges, to now working for a global commodity trader as head of Trade Finance.


In between, he has worked for various banks such as ABN AMRO, Morgan Grenfell and Deutsche Bank, working as documentary payments specialist, head of trade finance operations, head of commodity trade finance and senior sales specialist. Fred has been a voting member within the ICC and has worked on several rules related to trade finance such as UCP 600, E-UCP, ISP 98, ISBP and others.


Due to his work, now more than ever, Fred encounter issues with the various restrictions which unfortunately exist when doing business internationally and have been speaking on this topic for some years now.

Charles Edwards joined SRS Distribution and Heritage Family of companies in early 2022. In his current role he oversees the people, systems, and processes that support the field Credit Managers. He and his teams are responsible for the development, implementation, and maintenance of the systems and technology used in AR management and customer financial services.

Charles started his Credit career in 2003 as a project manager with JC Penney Corp, where he designed data bases to support Finance and Accounting teams. He joined Ferguson Enterprises in 2005, where he held many positions over his 16-year stint, including: Credit Trainee, Credit Manager, Director of Credit, and Sr. Regional Credit Operations Manager. Charles has a passion for innovation and helping people use technology to improve their lives.



Chris is a graduate of The University of Utah. He also completed NACM’s Graduate School of Credit & Financial Management.

Tom Fawkes is a partner with the law firm of Tucker Ellis LLP in its Chicago office.  Tom has practiced in the areas of bankruptcy and creditors’ rights for over 20 years, and has represented unsecured creditors’ committees, trade creditors, debtors, asset purchasers, and other parties in chapter 11 and 7 bankruptcy cases and out of court restructurings throughout the United States.  Tom has also established himself as an authority on bankruptcy and creditors’ rights legal matters, having spoken hundreds of times at conferences and before professional associations, and having authored dozens of articles for leading publications.  Tom has been recognized by Chambers & Partners as one of the top restructuring attorneys in the State of Illinois, and by Turnarounds & Workouts as one of the top 12 young restructuring attorneys in the United States, among other honors.

Dr. Jeremy Graves ignites minds and empowers organizations to unlock the hidden potential of their multi-generational teams. As Director of Professional and Continuing Education at Boise State University, he champions innovative programs that equip leaders with the tools to navigate the dynamic landscape of intergenerational collaboration. He’s also a sought-after keynote speaker and author of three acclaimed books, Leading Across Generations (2018), The Leader Paradox (2023), and his forthcoming book Change Leadership, where he dissects the complexities of organizational transformation and provides actionable strategies for success.

Jeremy’s passion lies in bridging generational divides and cultivating vibrant work environments where diverse perspectives collide to spark innovation. He draws upon his extensive experience teaching leadership courses in the LEAD program, leading workshops across the globe, and consulting with organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 500s. His expertise in generational dynamics, team building, and cultural restructuring empowers organizations to achieve breakthrough results and unleash the synergy of intergenerational collaboration.


Beyond his professional pursuits, Jeremy enjoys cheering on the Boise State Broncos, catching a hockey game, Go Steelheads! and spending quality time with his family in scenic Boise, Idaho.

Annette Hagemann is the Director of Global Credit for APL Logistics Americas, Ltd., based in Scottsdale, Arizona with HQ in Singapore. APL Logistics is a $2 billion global revenue company and is a leading provider of global supply chain services for six regions in the world, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Kintetsu World Express, a Japanese airfreight company. Prior to APL, Annette served as the Director of Global Credit for Harsco Metals and Minerals, now Harsco Environmental, a renewable energies solutions company under the Corporate Harsco Inc. umbrella. Annette has over thirty years of experience in Credit, Trade Finance, and Treasury and has been actively engaged in global markets and risk management. She has been active with various trade associations, both international and domestic and has also served on the Board of Directors for an international credit group. Annette has made numerous presentations on international credit and has sat on many panels throughout her career. She has traveled extensively, lived and worked in Global Credit as an ex-pat in four countries world-wide, and has managed teams that support both export trade and international, in-country receivables.

Esther Hale, ICCE is Senior Analyst, Treasury – Global Credit for Phillips 66 Company. She is a seasoned credit professional having over 35 years of experience in commercial credit with Fortune 500 companies. Esther’s primary career focus has been international business transactions.

T.J. Hale is a senior associate with Bell Nunnally in Dallas. He approaches his cases in an organized and pragmatic manner, and he has substantial experience advocating for clients in state and federal courts at all stages, including on appeal. T.J. is experienced in complex cases—he frequently advises clients in matters involving regulatory, construction and real estate issues, including landlord-tenant disputes, lien and bond claims, and contract claims. He also has experience handling cases in both bankruptcy and post-judgment contexts.

For employers, T.J. advises in various aspects of labor and employment law, including discrimination, harassment, arbitration agreements, class-action waivers, employee privacy and biometrics compliance. Prior to private practice, T.J. clerked with the Hon. Christine A. Nowak in the Eastern District of Texas and completed a public interest fellowship at the Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America, where he worked on criminal and civil litigation matters. In addition, during law school, he externed with the Hon. Amos L. Mazzant in the Eastern District of Texas.

T.J. earned his BBA from Baylor University Hankamer School of Business and his Juris Doctorate from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

Brett M Hanft, CBA, Credit Manager at American International Forest Products, LLC, has 35 years of credit experience; the past 25 years in the lumber industry. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business/Economics from Willamette University in 1988. Brett received his Credit Business Associate (CBA) designation in 1991. He has been an active and participative member in NACM and CFDD for more than three decades. In 2021, Brett received the CFDD National Spirit Award and the NACM National Emerging Leader Award. Brett is currently serving on the NACM National Board as a Director and is an active member of the Executive Committee on the CFDD National Board. Brett firmly believes in ‘paying it forward’ by sharing his knowledge and experience with others in the credit profession. He has completed 14 years of service on the CFDD National Board and is a CFDD Past National Chairman.

Nan E. Hannah was born and raised in Greensboro, NC and now lives in Cary, NC. After an eight-year career as a teacher and coach, Nan changed career paths and attended law school. From there, she was privileged to serve as a Research Assistant for Justice John Webb on the North Carolina Supreme Court before entering private practice in 1995. She has developed a solid base of knowledge in the areas of construction law, contracts, and creditor’s rights in bankruptcy. Nan handles appeals in the North Carolina Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. She is also a certified mediator in the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission’s Superior Court mediation program, and a member of the Construction Law Panel for the American Arbitration Association.

After law school Ms. Hannah clerked for Justice John Webb from 1993-1995. In 1995, she joined the firm of Smith & Holmes, P.A. practicing insurance defense law. In 1997, Nan joined the firm of Vann & Sheridan, LLP and became a partner in 2006. In 2013, Nan became a founding partner in the law firm of Hannah Sheridan & Cochran, LLP where she continues to practice today.

Throughout her legal career, Nan has held numerous leadership positions for the North Carolina Bar Association, the North Carolina Bar Foundation, and the Wake County and Tenth Judicial District Bars.

Ms. Hannah received her B.A. from Furman University in 1981. She went on to earn a M.S. in Education from Baylor University in 1982. In 1993 she received her J.D. from Washington & Lee University.

Karen Hart is a business attorney with over 18 years of experience litigating commercial disputes. Karen counsels clients on creditor’s rights issues, real estate and landlord-tenant matters as well as various other contract and business disputes. She is a tireless advocate for her clients, providing guidance on business legal matters, such as lease, purchase and sale, brokerage and property management disputes, specific performance claims, commercial evictions, lis pendens, lien and bond claims, lien priority disputes, promissory note claims, commercial foreclosures, bankruptcy claims, professional ethics and liability matters, bills of review, confidentiality, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements and related disputes and injunctive proceedings, and business tort claims, including tortious interference with contracts and business relationships, civil theft, fraud, and misappropriation of trade secret claims.
Prior to joining Bell Nunnally, Karen served as a law clerk to the Honorable Hayden Head, Jr., United States District Court, Southern District of Texas, Corpus Christi Division. Karen is an honors graduate of the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. Karen’s recent accolades include: Dallas Top 50 Women Lawyers Award, Texas Diversity Council (2017); Best Lawyers in America (2017-2019); Winning Women Award, Texas Lawyer (2014); Women in Business Award, Dallas Business Journal (2012); Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow (2017). Karen also serves as Bell Nunnally’s General Counsel.

Natalie Hawn is with Koch Engineered Solutions as Collections Team Leader. Previously her experience included 8 years at WSM Industries where she was promoted to Credit Manager in 2018. In 2021 she joined Nutrien Ag Solutions as an Area Credit Manager. Natalie became a member of Wichita’s Credit and Financial Development Division (CFDD) chapter in 2014, serving as Wichita’s chapter president 2020-2022 and is currently serving the CFDD National Board as an Area Director for the Wichita Chapter. Natalie received her CBA certification from the National Association of Credit Management in 2021. She believes that NACM & CFDD provides the best education and network of mentors to help credit managers succeed.

Rebecca A. Hicks is Managing Member of Hicks Law Group PLLC, and has been a frequent NACM speaker for over 20 years. She is board certified in Construction Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Rebecca has been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly for 9 consecutive years, and as one of the Best Lawyers in America for 5 years. She is also a Fellow in the Construction lawyers Society of America. HLG represents creditors, and construction suppliers in collection matter throughout the state of Texas, from perfection of lien and bond claims, through litigation, and post-judgment collection.

Jake Hillemeyer began his career in 2008 at the Edmond (Rankin) YMCA in the Sports Department. In 2010 he was promoted to Membership Director and served in that role until 2012, at which time he accepted a job at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) as an Academic Advisor. After serving for a year as an advisor, Jake was promoted to the role of Assistant Registrar for NCAA Academic Eligibility. In this role he worked with 14 sports teams and over 400 student-athletes to ensure academic requirements were being met, student-athletes were proceeding toward graduation, provided guidance & coaching, while also helping to bridge the gap between administration and athletics.

In 2017, Jake left UCO and joined Dolese Bros Co in the Health, Safety, & Environmental (HSE) department. He began his career as a Safety Specialist and was promoted to Field Services Manager in October of 2018. He served in this role until being promoted to Assistant Director of HSE in June of 2020. Jake remained in this position until January of 2022, when he transitioned to the role of Director, Learning & Organizational Development. He works closely with both individuals and teams at Dolese to drive learning and development at a high level, while also fostering a collaborative culture which is continuously improving.

Jake is married to his wonderful wife, Darby, and has a five-year-old daughter and one-year old son. Jake and his family reside in Oklahoma City.

Brian Jackiw is a Partner in the Bankruptcy and Restructuring Practice Group Tucker Ellis LLP.
Brian is experienced in bankruptcy and commercial litigation, having represented plaintiffs and defendants in avoidance actions, complex bankruptcy claim disputes, breach of fiduciary duty actions and bankruptcy fraud litigation.

Brian has prosecuted millions of dollars of preference litigation claims on behalf of liquidating trustees and chapter 7 trustees, and has defended hundreds of preference and fraudulent transfer claims, on behalf of individual defendants, in jurisdictions throughout the United States. Beyond litigation in the Bankruptcy courts, Brian has experience in general collection and commercial law litigation. Brian has also spent significant time advocating on behalf of general unsecured creditors through his representation of official committees of unsecured creditors. This representation has allowed Brian to engage in significant and complex issues such as assets sales, liquidation under chapter 11, disputes regarding a secured creditor’s perfection of a security interest, and other matters.

Brian is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2008) and the United States Military Academy (B.S., 1999). Before becoming an attorney, Brian served as an Officer in the U.S. Army.

Steph is the Operations Manager for NACM Intermountain | Arizona located in Salt Lake City, Utah. She oversees the member success team which works on Industry Credit Groups, Education, Credit Reports, and AR Data. Prior to working for NACM, she was the Director of Accounting and HRM for an HVAC company. Steph has a degree in Business Management with an emphasis on Human Resource Management. Steph is a member of SHRM and sits on the Board of Directors for a community theater nonprofit organization.

With 20 years of Credit experience in the commodity industry, Naeem has covered a multitude of traded products.  He is currently responsible for managing global credit risk across Oil products, as well as North American Gas & Power. This role involves risk management of daily transactional flow, counterparty credit management, credit structuring of origination initiatives, and management of certain trade finance activities.  Prior to joining CCI, Naeem has had experience working in the oil refining, merchant trading, and banking sectors.

Lisa Keller, CCE, CGA is the President NACM Business Credit Services in Salt Lake City, UT. She worked in credit management for over 20 years in th

construction industry prior to joining NACM.
Lisa has earned the CBA, CBF, CGA and CCE designations. While working in credit management she was a member of several Industry Trade Credit Groups and the Intermountain Credit Education League. She was elected to the NACM BCS board of directors several times, most recently serving as Chairman and counselor.

She is a certified CAP Course instructor teaching the Principles of Business Credit course, and has instructed CBA and CBF exam review classes. In addition, she served as a founding member of the Utah Construction Suppliers Association which was formed to ensure that construction suppliers had a voice in state legislation, and on the Planning Commission for West Jordan City.

David Kinzel is a Political Risk and Structured Credit Insurance broker at Marsh & McLennan, based in Denver, CO. He works with both corporate and bank clients to develop and negotiate highly innovative structured payment and performance risk solutions, in addition to insurance programs to protect equity investments in emerging markets. David has over 18 years in the field of risk management, during which he has developed an expertise for helping clients navigate credit and risks in international markets. He has a Master of Business Administration from the University of California – Irvine, CA, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Arizona State University – Tempe, AZ.

Ty Knox, ICCE leads EFCO Corp’s Risk Management team, providing the organization with the identification, assessment, and recommendations for managing the risks that endanger the assets and earning capacity of the business. With over 25 years of experience in Credit and Risk Management and applying a strong expertise in data-driven modeling, Ty leads his team by example and drives results. Under his direction, EFCO has exceeded their annual objective of less than 2% write-offs and has increased the condition of aged receivables from less than 60% current to over 80% current. He has worked to develop risk management processes and procedures and his team is responsible to ensure process discipline is adhered to Worldwide.

Prior to joining EFCO in 2003, Ty was the Director of Credit for Ruan Leasing Co., where he led a team of Credit Analysts and Collectors. In his four-year tenure, Ty automated the credit screening process and developed a workload process to help the collectors manage their workload more efficiently. He managed a $30 Million A/R portfolio, and drove the DSO down 15 days.

Previous to this, Ty held various positions in Credit & Collections for First National Bank, Dun & Bradstreet and Battery Patrol.

NACM has been a constant during Ty’s career. He joined the Heartland Affiliate Board of Directors in 2003 and served as the Chairman from 2009 to 2011. He continues to serve the board in various capacities. Ty was elected to the NACM National Board of Directors in 2016 and served as the Chairman in 2020.

Ty Knox holds a Master of Business Leadership degree, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business (Law).

Heidi Lindgren-Boyce, CCE has been in credit and collections since 1988 and working in the construction industry for over 34 years. In 1999 she was hired as the Senior Credit Manager for Star Rentals Inc in Kent, Washington, which has 18 branches throughout Washington and Oregon. Ms. Lindgren-Boyce, CCE, earned her B.A. Degree in Criminal Justice from Washington State University in 1987, completed the NACM CAP courses in 1994, and earned her CCE by 2000.

She currently is a Director on the NACM National Board, the CFDD National Vice-Chair of Membership & Publicity, and past Chairman of NACM-BCS (WWA-AK-HI). She has been a member of CFDD Seattle since 1993, having served as its President twice, and is currently serving as its Treasurer and Programs Chair.

Ms. Lindgren-Boyce was honored to receive the 2022 Credit Executive of Distinction Honoring O.D. Glaus from NACM National. She was previously honored to receive the CCE Designation of Excellence in 2011 and the CBF Designation of Excellent in 2000.

Outside of NACM & CFDD has been a volunteer President of Rumbolz Sunset Water Association, a non-profit community well water association since 2017, and previously Vice President/Treasurer from 2009-2017.

Sid Malladi is the co-founder and CEO of Nuvo based in San Francisco, California.

Tawnya Marsh, CCE, is the Corporate Credit Manager at Pendleton Woolen Mills in Portland, Oregon. With a wealth of experience in credit and financial management, Tawnya previously served as the Credit & Customer Service Manager at Columbia River Knife & Tool and held several positions at Levi Strauss & Co. Throughout her career, she has been an active member of NACM and CFDD, where she acquired her education in credit management. Tawnya obtained her CBA certification in 1999 and is a proud graduate of NACM’s Graduate School of Credit and Financial Management.



Her dedication and expertise have earned her several accolades, including the CFDD National Distinguished Member Achievement Award in 2012, the CBA Designation of Excellence from NACM Oregon in 2013, and the CCE Designation of Excellence from NACM Commercial Services in 2019. Tawnya has also contributed significantly to the credit community, serving on the NACM Commercial Services Board of Directors for many years and currently sitting on the NACM National board.



Outside of work, Tawnya enjoys a fulfilling family life with her husband of 18 years and their two daughters, aged 17 and 11.

Scott Michelsen is the Corporate Credit Director for Kenworth Sales Company – Salt Lake. Scott Michelsen, CCE, ICCE is a career credit and collections professional with extensive domestic and international leadership experience including General Electric (12 years), Pharmaceuticals (5 years), Agribusiness (6 years), Stanley Black & Decker (4 years), EnergySolutions (6 years) and Kenworth Sales (4 years) where he is the Corporate Credit Director. He is passionate about establishing, building, and nurturing relationships by partnering with internal stakeholders and external business partners to improve processes and procedures; leveraging best practices, metrics, systems, and technology to accomplish world class results. Scott is a CCE, ICCE, Thunderbird MBA and is bi-lingual in English and German.

Yazmin Miller is the new Corporate Credit Manager at Feralloy. She specializes in credit management and collections, particularly in Mexico. She previously worked for Mitsubishi Electric Automation as a Credit Supervisor and Panasonic North America as a Credit Analyst.

Yazmin holds 4 NACM credit certifications (CICP, CBA, CCRA, CBF), and is currently working on her MBA in International Business at DePaul University in Chicago and recently completed a mini-MBA in Leadership and Business at Loyola University.

In addition, Yazmin belongs to the NACM Southeast Metals Group and the Metals Distributors and Processors group in the Midwest.
Yazmin served on NACM Connect’s Credit Reporting Committee as both Vice Chair and Chair, Collections Committee as both Vice Chair and Chair and the Staffing committee, also in both roles. She recently finished her term on the NACM Connect Executivee and Finance Committees.

She conducted a webinar for NACM National entitled How to Turn Month-end Reports into a Story with Graphics and was interviewed for an E-News article, both in 2023. She has also been a presenter at the NACM Congress for 3 consecutive years.

Yazmin served as the president of the Toastmasters group at Mitsubishi Electric Automation and previously led Mitsubishi’s Philanthropy Committee, which catered to the disabled youth.

Yazmin recently implemented a collection software, which improved delinquency 37% vs prior year. She also took part in the implementation of a new ERP – S4 Hana.

Her passion is learning and sharing her knowledge and experience with others. Yazmin was born and raised in Mexico City; she has three kids and recently got re-married. She spends her free time with her family.

Tracy Mitchell is the AR Senior Team Lead for Trinity Logistics.

Wendy Mode is the Division Credit Manager at Delta Steel, a company within the Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. family. Delta Steel celebrated 60 years in business this past year and has four divisions in Texas. She handles the Dallas and Fort Worth Divisions. She has been with Delta Steel for almost a year now and prior to that had many years of experience in the construction industry. She obtained her CBA, CBF and CCE all in a year and half…early on in her career in credit. Wendy was afforded the great opportunity of attending the NACM Graduate School program, where she was awarded with the GSCFM Student Leadership Award in 2018 by her peers. She has also received the CCE Designation of Excellence Award in 2021, CFDD Marilyn Daugherty Spirit Award, CFDD Distinguished Member Award, and CFDD National Mentor Award. Wendy is a Past National Chairman of CFDD National Board and served on the NACM National Board as the Director Elected by CFDD. She is huge supporter of her local affiliate, NACM Southwest. In her off-time, she loves to travel…especially cruise! She also enjoys baking, playing games, and crafts.

Mary Moore, CBA has been in the credit field for 29 years. She is currently the Director of Credit Services with SouthernCarlson, Inc. in Omaha, Nebraska. With 26 years of experience in the construction industry, Mary is a proven leader with excellent results. She was the national chairman of the National Association of Credit Management’s Credit & Financial Development Division (CFDD) from 2008-2009 and is on the CFDD National Board of Directors for 2021-2025. Additionally, Mary was the director elected by NACM/CFDD on the NACM National Board from 2011-2014.

Michael Murray is a Principal attorney with Lanak & Hanna, P.C. licensed in California since 2009 and Arizona since 2011. His practice is primarily in the areas of construction law, commercial law and business litigation with a particular emphasis on mechanics liens, stop payment notices payment bonds and surety subrogation. He represents material suppliers, distributors, equipment rental companies, subcontractors, general contractors and sureties throughout California and Arizona.

Mr. Murray has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and his Juris Doctor from Chapman University.

Mr. Murray is also a frequent speaker before many construction industry organizations throughout California and Arizona on the subjects of Mechanic’s Liens, Public and Private Stop Payment Notice and Public and Private Payment Bond Claims.

Bruce Nathan is a partner in Lowenstein Sandler’s Bankruptcy, Financial Reorganization & Creditors’ Rights Department. He has over more than 35 years’ experience in the bankruptcy and insolvency field, and is a recognized national expert on trade creditor rights and the representation of trade creditors in bankruptcy and other legal matters. Bruce has represented trade and other unsecured creditors, unsecured creditors’ committees, secured creditors, and other interested parties in many of the larger Chapter 11 cases that have been filed. Bruce also handles letters of credit, guarantees, security, consignment, bailment, tolling, and other agreements for the credit departments of institutional clients. Bruce was co-chair of the Avoiding Powers Committee that worked with the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 and also participated in ABI’s Great Debates at their 2010 Annual Spring Meeting, arguing against repeal of the special BAPCPA protections for goods providers and commercial lessors, and was a panelist for a session sponsored by the American Bankruptcy Institute. Bruce is also a co-author of “Trade Creditor Remedies Manual: Trade Creditors’ Rights under the UCC and the U.S Bankruptcy Code” published by the American Bankruptcy Institute (“ABI”) at the end of 2011, has contributed to the ABI Journal, and is a former member of ABI’s Board of Directors, and a former Co-Chair of ABI’s Unsecured Trade Creditors Committee.

Bruce is a frequent presenter at industry conferences throughout the country, as well as a prolific author regarding bankruptcy and creditors’ rights topics in various legal and trade publications, including NACM’s Business Credit. Among his various legal recognitions, Bruce received the Top Hat Award in 2011, a prestigious annual award honoring extraordinary executives and professionals in the credit industry. He is recognized in the Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights section of Super Lawyers (2012 – 2018) and the Super Lawyers Business Edition.

Bruce received a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School; an M.B.A. from Wharton School of Finance and Business; and a B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Rochester.

Christopher Ng is an attorney and managing partner of Gibbs Giden. For almost 25 years, Chris has primarily represented distributors, manufacturers, and construction companies in a wide range of business, commercial and construction transactions and disputes. Chris is a member of the State Bar of California, Texas, and District of Columbia. Chris is also an educator, active speaker, published author and frequent contributor to local, regional and national legal publications.

In addition to his current position as an Adjunct Professor of Business Law at the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics and Graduate Business Program at California State University Northridge, Chris has taught the Legal Environment of Business at Pepperdine University and is a guest lecturer of construction law at Loyola Law School (Los Angeles).

For more than a decade, Chris has been a member of the Division 9 Steering Committee of the American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law which primarily represents the interests of specialty trade contractors and suppliers in the construction industry on a national and global basis.

Bobbi Onwuzuruigbo is an accomplished professional with extensive experience in financial management. She studied at the University of Cincinnati and currently serves as the Manager for Accounts Receivable, Credits, and Collections for the United States at Meridian Bioscience, a position she has held for the past year. In this role, Bobbi oversees critical financial processes, ensuring efficient and effective management of the company’s receivables and credit operations.

Before joining Meridian Bioscience, Bobbi dedicated over 14 years to First Group America, where she held a similar managerial position. Her tenure at First Group America was marked by significant contributions to the company’s financial health and operational efficiency.

In addition to her professional achievements, Bobbi is a devoted wife and mother. Outside of her corporate responsibilities, she nurtures her entrepreneurial spirit through her small business, Choco-vibes, where she explores her passion for chocolate. This venture allows her to combine creativity with business acumen, crafting delightful chocolate experiences for her customers.

Bobbi enjoys a well-rounded personal life, with hobbies that include reading, traveling, watching movies, and listening to various podcasts. Her diverse interests and dedication to both her family and career make her a dynamic and well-rounded individual.

Mike provides counsel to debtors, creditors’ committees, individual creditors, liquidating trustees, and other interested parties with respect to corporate bankruptcy and creditors’ rights matters, including bankruptcy-related litigation.

Reliable and efficient, Mike is appreciated for his innate ability to effectively apply and communicate his understanding of the law and general business principles with respect to complex issues, both while providing advice to clients and while aggressively advocating on their behalf. Mike works tirelessly to understand clients’ needs and provide practical solutions that are reasonable, balanced, and favorable to the clients he serves.

Mike enjoys keeping clients and relevant industry professionals in the loop regarding bankruptcy, insolvency, and creditors’ rights issues, regularly writing articles for and speaking to professionals in the credit and risk management space. Mike also takes pride in his commitment to the community and provides pro bono representation to individuals and nonprofit organizations regarding bankruptcy and foreclosure-related matters.

Prior to joining the firm, Mike held multiple clerkships in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court; he clerked for the Hon. Jerrold N. Poslusny, Jr. (District of New Jersey), the Hon. Ashely M. Chan (Eastern District of Pennsylvania), and the Hon. Gloria M. Burns (Chief Judge, District of New Jersey). Mike applies the valuable insights learned from working closely and directly with these members of the judiciary to his everyday practice. He is a graduate of Rutgers Law School (J.D. 2014) and The College of New Jersey with a B.S. in Criminology.

PK Patel is Director, Product Management managing trade credit solutions and product strategy at Moody’s. PK is seasoned product manager who has extensive experience in successfully building trade credit platform. He began his career at eCredit.com where he was responsible for developing award-winning credit and collection platform. eCredit was the first to introduce Software as Service (SaaS) trade credit solution in 2001. In his current role, PK is leading the charge of building Moody’s next generation trade credit solution.


Tara Pease is the International Credit Manager for DJJ, A NUCOR Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has a B.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from the University of Cincinnati.

Kristen Pope is a business and operations professional with 30 years of experience in manufacturing and oil & gas industries.

Ms. Pope has held positions of increasing responsibility over the course of her career and currently serves as the General Manager for a commercial machine repair and rebuild facility. She is responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations, setting the company’s strategic direction, and implementing innovative changes.

Throughout her career, Ms. Pope has consistently demonstrated exceptional problem-solving skills with a knack for thriving in fast-paced environments. She has extensive experience in Business Continuity Management and was recognized by her organization as an outstanding contributor during Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

The leading project manager for the implementation of an enterprise-wide mass communication system, Ms. Pope has a proven track record in driving technological innovation and leveraging technology to increase operational efficiency and ensure continuity of operations.

Ms. Pope is the South Houston Regional Director for the Texas Chapter of the Women in Manufacturing Association and is an active member of the Association of Continuity Planners and Women in Business Continuity Management (DRI Foundation).

Doug Potvin is the Chief Financial Officer of Trinity Logistics, Inc., (a Burris Logistics company – Trinity acquired by Burris April 2019). In this role, Doug is responsible for all aspects of financial reporting and back-end administrative functions, including credit, collections, receivables and payable management, customer service, claims management, carrier and risk management. Doug was the architect of Trinity Logistics’ wellness and benefits program including health and wellness initiatives, 401K, and other defined benefit programs. In addition, prior to the arrival of the CTO, Doug oversaw the information technology infrastructure for Trinity.

Based on his extensive knowledge of the health care industry, health insurance, and wellness benefits, he was a member of the Nanticoke Health Systems Physician Network Board of Directors and current Board Member of Tidal Health Nanticoke Hospital.

Before joining Trinity Logistics in 2006, Doug worked for 10 years vertically integrated Seafood Company where he was Controller and General Manager handling a wide range of functions and departments.

Doug has spoken at various conferences including Transportation Intermediary Association, Freight Waves, and others. In addition, Doug has honor and privilege to provide testimony to the United States Senate Finance Committee concerning Supply Chain Resiliency.

Doug graduated with a BS Degree in dual majors – Business Administration and Computer Science/Math with a minor in Economics from Bridgewater College located in Bridgewater VA.

Alfredo Puerta is the Credit Director for Latin American at Osterman & Co since 2010, has worked as Credit head for banks such as Citibank and a Financial Consultor for companies such as KPMG and PWC, mainly in Latin America.

He holds a degree in Accounting from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (Ven) and an MBA and a Master’s in Finance from the Institute of Higher Studies in Administration (IESA) in Venezuela. He also holds accreditation as a CICP and Investment Consultant.

He also combines his professional activities with Academia as a professor of graduate degree programs in Finance since 1997 in some of the highly ranked universities such as the University of Costa Rica and The Universidad Central de Venezuela.

Melissa R. Raby is a seasoned Marketing & Strategy professional who has spent nearly two decades in the construction and AEC sectors. An energetic founder with experience in cross-functional collaboration, brand building and operations optimization, her experience is rooted helping businesses identify market opportunities. Whether leading teams and launching brands, she approaches every opportunity with curiosity and optimism. Melissa specializes in innovation – helping create from scratch to scale. When she’s not inventing with organizations, Melissa is traveling the world to find the next best local bite!

Nancy B. Rapoport is a UNLV Distinguished Professor, the Garman Turner Gordon Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and an Affiliate Professor of Business Law and Ethics in the Lee Business School at UNLV. After receiving her B.A., summa cum laude, from Rice University in 1982 and her J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1985, she clerked for the Honorable Joseph T. Sneed III on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and then practiced law (primarily bankruptcy law) with Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco from 1986-1991. She started her academic career at The Ohio State University College of Law in 1991, and she moved from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor with tenure in 1995 to Associate Dean for Student Affairs (1996) and Professor (1998) (just as she left Ohio State to become Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Nebraska College of Law). She served as Dean of the University of Nebraska College of Law from 1998-2000. She then served as Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center from July 2000-May 2006 and as Professor of Law from June 2006-June 2007, when she left to join the faculty at Boyd. She served as Interim Dean of Boyd from 2012-2013, as Senior Advisor to the President of UNLV from 2014-2015, as Acting Executive Vice President & Provost from 2015-2016, as Acting Senior Vice President for Finance and Business (for July and August 2017), and as Special Counsel to the President from May 2016-June 2018. In 2022, UNLV’s Alumni Association named her the Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year.

Her specialties are bankruptcy ethics, ethics in governance, law firm behavior, and the depiction of lawyers in popular culture. Among her published works are Corporate Scandals and Their Implications 3d (Nancy B. Rapoport and Jeffery D. Van Niel, eds. West Academic 2018), which addresses the question of why we never seem to learn from prior corporate scandals, Law School Survival Manual: From LSAT to Bar Exam, co-authored with Jeffrey D. Van Niel (Aspen Publishers 2010), and Law Firm Job Survival Manual: From First Interview to Partnership, also co-authored with Jeffrey D. Van Niel (Wolters Kluwer 2014). She is admitted to the bars of the states of California, Ohio, Nebraska, Texas, and Nevada and of the United States Supreme Court. In 2001, she was elected to membership in the American Law Institute, and in 2002, she received a Distinguished Alumna Award from Rice University. In 2017, she was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi (Chapter 100). She has served as the Secretary of the Board of Directors of the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement (the Mob Museum) and currently serves as a Trustee of Claremont Graduate University and the Chair of its Audit and Risk Management Committee. In 2009, the Association of Media and Entertainment Counsel presented her with the Public Service Counsel Award at the 4th Annual Counsel of the Year Awards. In 2017, she received the Commercial Law League of America’s Lawrence P. King Award for Excellence in Bankruptcy, and in 2018, she was one of the recipients of the NAACP Legacy Builder Awards (Las Vegas Branch #1111). She has served as the fee examiner or as chair of the fee review committee in such large bankruptcy cases as Zetta Jet, Toys R Us, Caesars, Station Casinos, Pilgrim’s Pride, and Mirant.


She has also appeared in the Academy Award®-nominated movie, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (Magnolia Pictures 2005) (as herself). Although the movie garnered her a listing in www.imdb.com, she still hasn’t been able to join the Screen Actors Guild. In her spare time, she competes, pro-am, in American Rhythm and American Smooth ballroom dancing. In 2014, she won the national U.S. Open Pro/Am Rising Star American Smooth Competition B Division, and in 2017, she came in 2nd in the “C” Open to the World Pro/Am American Style 9-Dance Championship. The most interesting thing about her is that she is married to a former Marine Scout-Sniper.

Mark Regenhardt is the Managing Director, Global Clients Group – Americas, Credit Specialties for Marsh. Mark joined Marsh in 2019 when they merged with Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group (JLT), one of the world’s leading providers of insurance and reinsurance. JLT was one of the world’s largest credit and political risk brokerage firms. While at JLT Mark was on the Executive Leadership team responsible for credit, structured credit, and political risk in the United States. Before joining JLT, Mark was a Managing Partner and Board member for 18 years in the firm of International Risk Consultants, Inc. (IRC), a leading global company that specialized in domestic, export credit, and political risk insurance products. JLT purchased IRC in 2018.Prior to joining IRC, Mark worked five years at Motorola Inc., where he held various senior finance and credit positions one of which led to an Ex-patriot assignment in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Mark was responsible for the formation of two international credit departments and for the implementation of several credit-insurance supported trade finance programs in Latin America.

Mark joined Motorola after having worked for the Export-Import Bank of the U.S. This followed an earlier post with the FCIA Management Company, a leading private sector trade credit insurer. Mark lived in Central America for 10 years growing up and speaks Spanish and Portuguese. 


Mark has a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Management from Kansas State University and a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance from the University of Missouri.

Chris Ring, the National Sales Representative for NACM’s Secured Transaction Services, specializes in assisting credit professionals secure their receivables using Mechanic’s Lien Laws and Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. Chris consults with companies on a daily basis, leading them to find the best way to use these credit tools to assure that they are in the best possible position to get paid.

Since 2002, Chris has presented seminars on both Mechanic’s Liens and UCC Filings for companies, NACM Affiliate Credit Conferences, NACM Industry Credit Groups and CFDD Meetings.

Sheila Roames, CCE has worked in Credit & Accounts Receivable for more than 30 years. She has been in commercial credit, dealing with all aspects of credit extension and collection in the construction industry. Sheila has had the privilege of writing credit policy and procedure manuals for her current employer and several of her past employers. 

Sheila has been an active, dedicated member of NACM (National Association of Credit Management) for over 25 years. She is also a very active and dedicated member of CFDD (Credit & Financial Development Division) Phoenix Chapter for over 25 years now and the CFDD National Board for the past twenty years. She has held the following positions: 

• CFDD National Board as a Past National Chairman. 
• CFDD National Chairman 2012-2013
• CFDD National Vice Chairman Education and Programs 2011-2012
• CFDD National Vice Chairman Member Services 2010-2011
• CFDD National Area Director 2005-2010
• CFDD Phoenix Chapter in various offices; currently she is in her fifth term as President
• NACM Intermountain Board of Directors 2019-Present

Sheila has had the incredible opportunity to be a panelist for a NACM Credit Congress 2012 Session in Dallas, Texas. She has also contributed to the National Business Credit Magazine in March 2012 as well as my affiliates newsletter since 2019. Sheila has been invited to be a guest speaker to different Chapters of CFDD. It was her honor to participate in the leadership speed learning at Credit Congress 2022 and 2023.

Sheila has always been very active with her trade group and has served in the capacity as chair of my trade group (2000-2013), she has also served on the NACM AZ Educational Committee from 2000-2016 and their Chair from 2005-2016. 

Sheila is very proud to have completed the CFDD Mentor Workshop and she has mentored several people throughout her career.

Sheila obtained my CBA (Credit Business Associate) in 2003; her CBF (Credit Business Fellow) in 2005 and her CCE (Certified Credit Executive) in 2006. She has been a CFDD Certified Mentor since 2006. In her NACM “career” she was awarded the NACM National Certified Credit Executive of the year 2011, as well as the NACM AZ Credit Executive of the Year award in 2005. Sheila was honored and humbled to be nominated for the NACM National Credit Executive of the Year 2010 and was first runner up. 

Sheila is currently serving in the capacity of Western Regional Credit Manager for Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions for the past 18 years. Her territory covers Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada, Idaho, Washington, Wyoming, and Montana. Sheila and her fiancée Brian currently reside in Arizona and are the proud parents to their very own Scooby-Doo, their fur baby. One of her greatest joys in life is to be the proud mother of Shambree (32), Kaylee (29) and bonus Mom to Jacqui (29). In her spare time, Sheila is also a proud member, for the past twelve years, of Bikers Against Child Abuse an International organization that empowers children to not be afraid of the world in which they live. 

Molly Rush, CGA is currently an NACM Group Services Coordinator for both NACM Tampa and NACM Nashville. She holds bachelor’s degrees in both Psychological Sciences and Law and Society from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. Boiler Up! Molly is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Molly moved to Florida from Indiana after graduating. Prior to NACM Tampa, Molly worked in the Events department at the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota for three years. Meeting the high-expectations and high demands associated with the Ritz-Carlton brand, Molly coordinated logistics of all kinds for events such as professional meetings, social dinners, fundraising galas, and weddings.

She oversees two national, and two local industry credit groups. She best enjoys educating others on all types of NACM reports and services that are available. Outside of conducting group meetings on a regular basis, Molly lends a hand to assist with marketing and expanding her knowledge of the NACM affiliate relationships.

George A. Schnupp, CCE, ALB, ALC retired in December 2023. He was previously the Director, Global AR Operations at WESCO International, Inc., which is a leading global supplier of communications and security products and electrical and electronic wire and cable. WESCO helps customers specify solutions and make informed purchasing decisions around technologies, applications, and relevant standards. On July 29, 2011, Mr. Schnupp was awarded with the most prestigious Anixter recognition, “The 2010 Award of Excellence.” In June of 2011, he also received two professional designations from Toastmasters International where he earned his Advanced Leader Communicator & Advanced Leader Bronze Awards. In May 31, 2019, he earned his third Toastmasters International professional designation Effective Coaching Award. In 2008, Mr. Schnupp was also the recipient of National Association Credit Managements “National Executive of the Year” Award.

With 46 years of Finance and Credit experience, he has implemented various management tools to improve Credit, Risk Assessment, Billing & Dispute Management processes, eliminating numerous routine repetitive tasks performed by credit personnel. Mr. Schnupp is a certified instructor at the National Association of Credit Management. He has taught Principles of Business Credit, Basic Financial Accounting 101, Financial Statement Analysis I, Financial Statements Analysis II (Intermediate): Interpretation and Credit Risk Assessment and Essentials of Finance. He is a graduate of the NACM Graduate School of Credit & Financial Management on the campus of Dartmouth University. He has authored the course material for the CCE Prep Course that is offered at Credit Congress. He is also a core contributor to the “Principles of Business Credit” book used in the Credit Administration Program. Mr. Schnupp has served on five National Committees: Editorial Committee for the Business Credit Magazine, National Accreditation Committee, National Education Committee, National Credit Administration Program Committee, and is the Chairman of the National Advanced Credit Administration Program Instructors Committee. He was also named the NACM and Robert Half/Account-temps Instructor of the Year. George has been the recipient of the NACM/Midwest Credit Executive of the Year award.

Mr. Schnupp is dedicated to community and citizenship through his volunteer work. He continues to annually support Junior Achievement, Red Cross, Feed My Starving Children, and the Habitat for Humanity. He has also with honor mentored many of our certification recipients over the last four decades.

Ron has over thirty-five years in credit management in the clothing, door and window manufacturing, wine, medical device industry and now direct mailing. He holds a BS in Accounting from Fredonia State University and has received his certification in credit and finance from NACM’s GSCFM program held on campus of Dartmouth College. Ron has been in instructor for NACM for 21 years teaching both the CAP and ACAP classes helping over 150 credit people prepare for their credit designations. Ron is currently the Director of Credit and payment solutions at Mspark Inc.

Ron has been honored with the following awards for his efforts in giving back to the credit community; NACM National instructor of the year 2010, Credit Executive of Upstate NY in 2011 and the NACM CCE Designation of Excellence award in 2013.

He has a passion for his profession and is continually looking to share his knowledge so others can grow theirs.

With over 30 years of experience in leadership and team management, Kelly Simon, CCE has consistently delivered dynamic talks that inspire and empower audiences. As a seasoned expert, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the stage, drawing from real-world scenarios and practical insights. Throughout her career, Kelly has led diverse teams across industries, navigating challenges, fostering collaboration, and achieving remarkable results. She excels in developing strategic visions that align with organizational goals. Her ability to see the big picture while focusing on actionable steps sets her apart. Kelly captivates audiences with her engaging storytelling and relatable anecdotes. She believes that effective communication is the cornerstone of successful leadership.

Sam Smith is a distinguished credit professional with an exceptional record of driving organizational success through strategic credit management. With a career spanning over two decades, Sam has become renowned for his expertise in fostering customer satisfaction, optimizing cash collection, and minimizing bad debt. Sam serves as the Senior Corporate Credit & Collections Manager for Crescent Electric Supply Company in East Dubuque, IL. His primary role focuses on receivable management, with additional expertise in contract development and negotiation, terms and conditions, and legal account management.

Sam is a founding member of the NACM Construction Credit Thought Leadership group and actively contributes to industry-related trade magazines and online forums on various construction credit topics. He is a long-time supporter of NACM, regularly speaking at NACM’s Credit Congress, and leading various training seminars both within and outside of Crescent.

Raised on a dairy farm in southwest Wisconsin, Sam remains actively engaged in agriculture. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville with a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics. Sam has been married to his wife, Karen, for 31 years, and they have two daughters and one granddaughter. He has been attending Credit Congress since 2007.

Kevin Stinner has been in the field of credit and collections 2007. He earned his BA in Business Management and leadership in 2001 from Blackburn Collage, and an MBA with emphases in management in 2004 from AIU. He is currently a Credit Manager with J.R Simplot Inc. where he has worked since 2017. He earned his CCRA in August 2013 and CCE in November 2011. He is currently a member of the Chicago Midwest governing board and former Business Credit Magazine editorial board member. Kevin has had multiple articles published by Business Credit magazine, and by the InterConnection. Kevin has been webinar presenter for NACM national, has a session available on the credit learning center called Soft-skills, ways to conduct effective conversations, is a presenter at Credit Congress, and has spoken at several venues accost the country. Kevin was the 2015 NACM Gateway Region Credit Excellence award recipient the National Emerging Leader Award in 2017 and the National CCE designation of Excellence award recipient for 2022.

Kimberly Tatum was formerly the Market Credit Manager for Ferguson Industrial LLC. She began her credit career in 2005 in the oil and gas industry of southeast Texas. She has spent over 18 years working in the oil and gas, architecture and planning, and HVAC industries. She currently serves as a member of Ferguson Industrial’s Women’s EmpowHERment and Inclusion and Diversity Business Resource Groups.

As a neurodiverse child, Kimberly had a curiosity of the why behind the people and processes in her life. That same curiosity has driven her to become an expert in Ariba system integration and invoice management.

When she is not working in credit, she can be found at her small family owned and operated farm with her husband, three children and Labradors.

Rocky Thomas is the Member Relations Director of FCIB. He has over 30 years of experience in the B2B and commercial credit arena. He recently retired as Director of Credit for J J Haines & Company, a position he has held for the last 10 years. He has been actively involved with the commercial credit community for more than 25 years both on a local and a national level. He served as National Chairman of NACM in 2015 and has served on several national committees including the credit awareness committee, construction credit committee and the education committee. He has served as chairman and counselor for the Board of Directors for NACM-SE and has served as chairman of several industry groups for NACM –SE and SACM. He has attended and participated in the Legislative Conference in Washington, DC actively lobbying for NACM and the commercial credit community. He has given several educational presentations for both local and national groups over the last ten years.

Rocky earned his CCE designation in 1997 and in 2001 he was named Credit Executive of the Year by NACM-SE in Atlanta, Ga. He completed the Graduate School of Credit & Financial Management program on the campus of Dartmouth College where earned the Student Leadership award in 2017. He has served on the Board of the CCI Roundtable where he has received the President’s award twice. He earned his BBA in Management from Georgia State University.

Rocky has also served on the Board of Directors for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for the north Atlanta metro area and served as Chairman of the Board for the Lighthouse Family Retreat, an organization that provides vacations for children with cancer and their families. He and his wife, Terry, have three children and six very active grandchildren.

Jason M. Torf is a bankruptcy and creditors’ rights partner in the law firm Tucker Ellis LLP, a 250-attorney, full-service law firm with offices throughout the United States. Jason regularly represents clients in helping them solve their problems with troubled customers, both in bankruptcy proceedings and otherwise. He is a frequent speaker to NACM, CFDD and other credit and finance groups to help them understand practical steps their companies can utilize to minimize risk and maximize their recovery when dealing with a financially troubled customer.

Vinson Valdez is the Emergency Response Manager for Caesars Entertainment, Inc. He has experience working with the Southern Nevada COVID Task Force. Vinson spent seven years with the Nevada National Guard and is an armed security professional and instructor. He has a degree in Psychology from UNLV.

Troy Wangen is a Managing Director in the Unclaimed Property Practice in True Partners Consulting’s Chicago office. He has extensive experience in unclaimed property consulting, specializing in the development of strategic defense for unclaimed property audits and voluntary disclosures, and the analysis, quantification, and mitigation of potential unclaimed property exposure. Before joining True Partners Consulting LLC in January 2011, Troy began his unclaimed property career with the practice at Deloitte & Touche LLP. In Q1 of 2009, Deloitte sold its practice to Thomson Reuters.

Troy has served in numerous positions on the Board of Directors for the Unclaimed Property Professionals Organization (“UPPO”), including as President for the 2019/2020 fiscal year. Troy currently serves as a Non-Credit Board Member for Forius Business Credit Resources, Inc.

Troy has spoken for holder education seminars sponsored by UPPO, Lorman, the National Association of Credit Management, the American Payroll Association, the Chicago Bar Association, and other professional groups, while he also is the co-author of the article “The Massachusetts Abandoned Property Law: What CPAs need to know,” SumNews, Winter 2008. Troy has presented on various topics at multiple UPPO Annual Conferences since 2015 and has also moderated multiple panels of state unclaimed property administrators, as well as facilitating industry breakout sessions. Troy has a Bachelor of Arts, Accounting & Business Administration from the University of Mary.

Jennifer Waryjas is an associate with the law firm of Jones Day. She has extensive experience in the areas of unclaimed property and state and local tax, including multistate tax analysis, audits, and litigation. She provides a multifaceted approach to complex sales and income tax issues. Jennifer has substantial knowledge in all aspects of voluntary disclosures and audit, having been previously employed in tax consulting, where she formulated calculations and oversaw remediations, and understands the numbers behind the legal issues at stake. Having worked extensively with clients involved in audits with contract fee auditors and issue resolution with state administrators, Jennifer has successfully negotiated positive audit outcomes and client-friendly regulations. She has litigated a variety of tax matters with the City of Chicago and State of Illinois that have resulted in reasonable outcomes. She also has represented clients in False Claims Act cases, stemming from both tax and unclaimed property issues. Jennifer’s representations include clients in oil and gas, manufacturing, telecom, card companies, hospitality, hospice care, and securities. Highlights of her experience include negotiating “no-change” unclaimed property audits with the States of Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, and Massachusetts; a zero-assessment audit with the Illinois Department of Revenue; and a dismissal of a multimillion-dollar qui tam litigation. Jennifer is a frequent speaker on unclaimed property with the Unclaimed Property Professionals Organization and is the 2018-2019 UPPO secretary.

Nancy Watson-Pistole, CCE ICCE has maximized her passion for credit management over the last 30+ years, enjoying opportunities for consulting and managing credit, collections and accounts receivable teams in diverse roles and industries.

Nancy graduated Summa Cum Laude from Park College in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. She earned her CCE designation in 1996, the CICP in 2006, the ICCE in 2012 and the CGA in 2018. She has also completed the CFDD Mentor certification.

Nancy is an active member of NACM and CFDD. She was the recipient of CFDD’s National Distinguished Member Award in 2004 and served as the CFDD National Chairman in 2007. She has served on several local and national committees since 1995 and was a contributor to NACM’s Credit Learning Center.

Nancy has a passion for training and education in the field of credit as well as for those in career transition. She has spoken on various topics for a diverse list of local and national professional organizations and career transition groups.

Bill Weiss started his career in the Global Credit & Treasury Services organization at Honeywell International. Subsequently, he co-founded The CreditExchange, one of the first B2B online trade credit bureaus. In 2005 The CreditExchange was acquired by eCredit.com, Inc., a company that provided enterprise software automation in the credit and collections function for Fortune 1000 companies – the company was eventually rebranded Cortera. After leaving Cortera, he started his own consulting company, Intium Group LLC, which provided sales consulting services within the Credit and Collections industry. He then became the Vice President of Sales for Ansonia Credit Data, a startup commercial credit bureau that grew to profitability under his leadership. Weiss then assumed the role of Vice President of Business Development at HighRadius, leading global channel partnerships within the Credit, Collections, and Payments industries.  His current role is Industry Practice Lead – Trade Credit (Americas) at Moody’s Analytics, where he is a subject matter expert, key solution architect, and product advocate.

Kevin Wiley is an attorney with the Hicks Law Group in Dallas, Texas. He focuses his practice in the area of corporate bankruptcy where he consistently obtains favorable results for small to mid-size companies seeking to protect their rights over the course of adversary litigation during bankruptcy proceedings. Additionally, Mr. Wiley’s litigation practice includes representing creditors during post-judgment collection proceedings such as garnishments, turnover actions and post-judgment depositions. Over his seventeen years of practicing bankruptcy law, Mr. Wiley’s clientele has included individuals and organizations involved in construction litigation, the sports and entertainment industry, oil and gas entities, private equity firms, independent insurance agencies, and securities firms. Mr. Wiley’s practice also involves a variety of complex commercial transactions. He assists and advises clients on forming corporate entities such as limited liability companies, corporations under Sub-Chapter (S) and (C), limited partnerships, tax exempt entities pursuant to 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and joint ventures. 


Mr. Wiley is an Adjunct Professor of Bankruptcy Law for El Centro College of Dallas and also serves on the Alumni Board for the Dallas Chapter of St. Mary’s University Law School. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Rhodes College, his Masters from Trinity University and his Juris Doctorate from St. Mary’s University School of Law.

Ellen Wodiuk, CCE, ICCE, National Account Executive at The Law offices of Mark A Kirkorsky affectionately referred to as MAK. With 35 years of credit management experience Ellen joined this fabulous team 8 years ago. Education, networking and supporting the credit profession has been her passion, always promoting her motto ‘ABL = Always Be Learning’. Ellen obtained her CBA, CBF, CCE and ICCE professional designations while employed at Fort McDowell Yavapai Materials, where she earned a much-coveted Indian name, “YoYoKee Mana” meaning Rainmaker. Ellen has served on her local CFDD Phoenix board of directors for many years and supports CFDD Portland, CFDD Oklahoma and CFDD Charlotte as a member. She also served on the CFDD National Board of Directors and is a Past National Chairman. Her dedication to education and continued involvement in NACM/CFDD has resulted in recognition as the CFDD National Distinguished Member Award, CFDD National Mentor Achievement Award, and the CFDD National Spirit of Service Award. Dedicated to “Paying it Forward” Ellen is always sharing her knowledge and experience, proving her continued commitment to the credit profession and supporting its members.

Jeffrey Yu is the First Vice President Trade Finance Relationship Manager with East West Bank. Jeffrey Yu has more than 20 years of banking experiences in trade services and finance. During his banking career, Jeffrey has managed trade services and products including import and export letter of credit, Standby letter of credit, as well documentary collections, and supply chain finance (Open Account solutions).

As a seasoned trade banker, Jeffrey has been dealing with many major US exporters for their international orders under export Letter of credit. Jeffrey can help exporters navigate through these terms and conditions in a letter of credit from exporter’s position by eliminating complicated and tricky mechanism.

Mark Zavras is the Director of Credit for Sub-Zero Group, Inc. Mark started his career in public accounting working at Ernst & Young in Stamford, CT. He relocated to Arizona in 1989 to become VP of Finance and Operations at Interwest Distributing and Westar Kitchen and Bath. Both companies were subsequently sold. Sub-Zero Group, Inc. acquired Interwest Distributing in 2007. In 2011, Mark moved into the Director of Credit position for Sub-Zero Group, Inc. His responsibilities include overseeing the credit, risk management and collection functions for all domestic and international customers.

Mr. Zorn joined Kamakura in January 2011 and was its President and COO and a member of the Board prior to the acquisition by SAS in June 2022. In November 2022, he became responsible for building the Risk Data and Analytics business within SAS as well as completing the integration of Kamakura into SAS.

Mr. Zorn is a twenty-one-year veteran of Wachovia Bank where he was in corporate banking and capital markets. Mr. Zorn has been involved in financial advisory engagements including structuring and arranging growth capital, financing mergers and acquisitions and hedging interest rate risk. He created an emerging growth and technology practice while he was in the Research Triangle and was active with an early-stage life science venture fund. His clients have ranged from global leaders to technology start-ups.

After Wachovia he was with two small cap mid-cap turnarounds where he served as the CRO and CFO and was a member of the adjunct faculty at the University of Southern Indiana where he was an instructor in investments and business finance.

He is active in the community and currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Arcadia Family of Companies, is on the Board and is treasurer of the Hawaii chapter of Financial Executives International and is on the advisory Board of the Food Innovation Center at University of Hawaii-Maui.


Mr. Zorn is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics. He completed the executive management program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.