Great Lakes Credit & Collection Association 2021 Conference

Keith Barthold is the CEO and founder of DKBinnovative, a Dallas-based managed IT and cyberdefense firm that offers secure, reliable solutions to compliance, cyber security, and IT needs for productivity-focused small and medium business globally.

Chaos and hidden risk, particularly today’s cyber security threats, keep many businesses and their leadership on the very edge of failure. DKBinnovative’s world class framework gives business leaders a new level of transparency, guidance, and control over technology that’s radically different and puts them back into command.

While establishing DKB in 2004, Barthold enjoyed a 10+ year career at Perot Systems/Dell Services with notable accomplishments including leading Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) for over 60 hospitals and 150 physician practices with conversion of 700+ providers from paper to EHR.

DKBinnovative has been named in the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies for 5 consecutive years, MSPmentor 501 list of the world’s top managed service providers, MSSP Alert 250 as a leading world-wide security provider, and the CRN MSP Security list of the top 100 managed security firms in North America. Barthold is a frequent cybersecurity expert contributor for NBC, CBS, Fox News, Healthcare Tech, CIO Review, and Forbes.

Dennis J. Barton III 

Dennis J. Barton III is the owner of the Barton Law Group, THE collection firm for Missouri and Illinois. Dennis files collection lawsuits on behalf of agencies and creditors throughout the states of – one more time - Missouri and Illinois.

Dennis is a member of ACA International’s Board of Directors, Past President of the Missouri Unit, Missouri’s State Compliance Chair, a designated Credit and Collection Compliance Attorney, and the 2020 ACA Certified Instructor of Year.

Before earning his law degree from Washington University School of Law, Dennis graduated from the Indiana University School of Business (Go Hoosiers!). As a small business owner himself, Dennis litigates collection cases and advises his clients remembering that everything, including compliance, is a business decision with practical implications that must be considered.

John Bonhage has been a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for over 26 years and has worked on criminal, counterintelligence, counterterrorism, environmental, white collar crime, insider threat and aviation security matters at FBI Minneapolis. He also served on the FBI SWAT team for 20 years and is an FBI certified Firearms Instructor.

SA Bonhage is currently the Private Sector Coordinator for Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota and serves as the conduit for critical infrastructure protection information exchange between the FBI and corporate entities in the Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota area. In addition SA Bonhage is the InfraGard coordinator for the Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota chapters

InfraGard is an alliance for national infrastructure protection that provides a secure environment for information exchange between the government and private and public sectors.

Rick is the President and CEO of PayCourt located in Taylorville Illinois. CCP employs about 30 people and primarily works in the government vertical. Rick has a BS in Business Administration from Columbia College of Missouri and is an avid tech enthusiast. He enjoys coaching youth baseball in his spare time.

Gandhi Eswaramoorthy is the Program Manager for Debt Collections within the Consumer Lending, Reporting and Collections Markets Division of Research, Markets and Regulations for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Prior to joining the CFPB, he was Senior Director of Collections and Recovery Policy and Strategy at Citi Cards. Prior to Citi, he spent several years at Barclays Card (International Markets), Chase Card Services and American Express. Collectively, he has more than 25 years of experience working in all aspects of credit card risk management including risk modeling, account management, collections and recovery policy and strategy. He has PhD in Agricultural Economics from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Tim Haag is President of State Collection Service, Inc. Over the past several years, Haag has played a key role in State Collection Service’s exceptional growth. During his tenure, the company has gained two new locations, grown its staff by over 250%, and continued garnering national attention as the receivables company of choice for major healthcare systems throughout the United States.

David Hanus focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation and class actions, with an emphasis on construction litigation; consumer financial services including TCPA and FDCPA class actions; employment litigation; fidelity and employee theft; ERISA and life, health, and disability; product liability and professional liability. He also regularly serves as a mediator and arbitrator in construction disputes before the Milwaukee Metropolitan Builders Association.

In the area of professional liability, his experience includes architectural and engineering malpractice, legal malpractice and accounting malpractice.

David joined Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP in March 2001. He is a member of the Civil Trial Counsel of Wisconsin, which he has served as amicus counsel before the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Nate joined the Stark Collection Agency in 2010, working part time as a collector while he was a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After graduating with honors in 2012 with majors in marketing and human resources, Nate joined the Stark team full time. He now serves as Stark’s Executive Vice President of Operations and Compliance and oversees all aspects of Stark’s operations, including compliance, strategic analysis, policy/workflow management and training. Nate holds the Credit and Collections Compliance Officer (CCCO) designation through ACA International, the Leadership Development Certificate through the University of Wisconsin Small Business Development Center and serves on the Great Lakes Credit and Collection Association (GLCCA) education committee. In 2019, Nate was nominated for the Madison Magnet Award and the Receivables Advisor Professional of the Year awards He is passionate about improving financial literacy, particularly among youth. He is an active volunteer with Junior Achievement and presents at Madison area high schools.

Jessica Klander is an attorney with the Minneapolis law firm of Bassford Remele, P.A. Jessica focuses her practice on representing businesses and individuals against professional liability and malpractice claims, and advising businesses on compliance with federal credit and collection laws. Jessica regularly defends and advises collection attorneys and collection agencies facing FDCPA, FCRA and TCPA lawsuits. She is licensed in Minnesota, as well as several federal jurisdictions.

Michael Klutho is a shareholder with the Minneapolis law firm of Bassford Remele, P.A. A significant part of Michael’s practice involves the defense of collection attorneys and collection agencies facing FDCPA, FCRA and TCPA lawsuits. Michael has defended thousands of consumer lawsuits brought against collection professionals. His practice in this area also includes the defense of claims brought by governmental regulators overseeing entities involved in the credit and collection industry, and risk management audits and advice.

Michael chairs the firm’s Consumer Law Defense Practice Group and co-chairs the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Consumer Law Section. He frequently presents on the FDCPA, FCRA, TCPA and related issues and is a Certified Instructor through ACA International. Michael is licensed in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri, as well as many federal jurisdictions.

Kelli Krueger has over 24 years collection experience and is currently the Director of Education for ACA International. Prior to that Kelli was will CBE Companies where she was the Vice President of Organizational Development and Training where she was responsible for all matters relating to employee development (at all levels), employee engagement and company culture. Kelli Krueger specializes in sales, persuasion, leadership, and communications training. Her programs are focused on the development of human talent and utilizing the latest innovations in Human Performance Technology.Kelli attended University of Northern Iowa for Sociology/Criminology and in 2001 received her Master Certification in Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

Michelle Kussow and her business partner, Brandon Scholz, founded the Capitol Group, a lobbying and association management consulting firm, in 2002. Michelle has been a registered lobbyist for 25 years and began her career working in the State Capitol and on political campaigns.

In 2015, Kussow formed a coalition of 51 business trade groups to repeal Wisconsin’s Personal Property Tax. In 2017, the coalition successfully advocated for a $75 million exemption for machinery from the personal property tax. In 2021, the coalition was instrumental in efforts to pass legislation fully repealing the personal property tax and included $200 million to reimburse municipalities for lost revenue, however the bill was ultimately vetoed by Governor Tony Evers.

In 2009, Kussow was named as one of InBusiness magazines’ “40 under Forty” honorees. Kussow is a past president and board member of Wisconsin Women in Government and was instrumental in raising more than $200,000 on their behalf.

Andy Madden serves as ACA International’s Vice President of Government and State Affairs. He has worked in government affairs at both the state and federal levels for more than 25 years on issues ranging from financial services, healthcare, telecom to workplace safety. Andy grew up in southern Mississippi and graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans.He and his wife live in Alexandria, Virginia with their two children.

James M. Morphew joined Sorling Northrup as a partner in January of 1993. Mr. Morphew concentrates his practice in the areas of government relations, environmental law, administrative law, and election law.

Mr. Morphew previously served in a variety of staff positions with the Illinois House of Representatives, where he assisted legislative leaders on many major legislative issues. From 1985 through 1992, he served as Chief Legal Counsel to Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan. From 1984 to 1992, he practiced law in Springfield, Illinois as a sole practitioner. Mr. Morphew is a co-author of a chapter in the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education Election Law Handbook entitled, "The Structure, Functions and Legal Status of Political Parties." He has been selected by his peers as a member of the Leading Lawyers Network in the areas of Governmental, Municipal, Lobbying, and Administrative Law. He has also been selected by his peers as an Illinois "Super Lawyer" in the area of government relations, an honor bestowed on only 5% of the attorneys in Illinois.

Mark Neeb is ACA International’s chief executive officer. He has nearly 40 years of corporate strategy experience, including 28 years specifically working in the credit and collection industry.

Previously, Neeb served as the president and CEO of The Affiliated Group (TAG), a receivables management firm he bought, built and sold over a period of 20 years. Under his leadership, The Affiliated Group won the 1999 Small Business Award from the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce.

In previous positions, Neeb served as audit manager for Clifton, Larson, Allen and as the CFO for a large receivables management firm based in Minnesota. Most recently, Neeb served as CEO of neebEDU, which provided subcontract services for the U.S. Department of Education collection contract.

Throughout his career, Neeb has been very active in the collection industry. He chaired several ACA committees, including the ACA Healthcare Debt Sales & Collection Services Task Force, which developed guidelines for collection agencies and healthcare facilities on best practices on the sale and collection of healthcare debt. He served as 2011/12 ACA president, and has held all leadership positions on the Minnesota Collectors Association board.

Neeb has won multiple association awards, including the James K. Erickson Continuous Service Award and Warren Siem Award, and earned three ACA professional development designations: the Fellow and Scholar designations and the International Fellowship of Credit and Collection Executives.

Neeb received his B.A in accounting from St. Cloud State University and his MBA in management from the University of St. Thomas.

John Ryan's litigation practice includes defending his clients against a variety of state and federal statutory claims, especially those that allow for fee shifting. He litigates both individual claims and class actions in state and federal courts. Not only has John successfully argued cases to verdict for his clients—he has also defended cases at various appellate levels, in both state and federal courts.

John employs a cost-effective defense strategy in large exposure class actions, as well as in nominal personal injury claims. His creative legal arguments have allowed his clients to find a positive resolution at a variety of different court levels, including: the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Illinois Supreme Court and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

John has successfully defended companies and attorneys in numerous class actions involving the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act (ICFA), and the Illinois Right of Publicity Act (IRPA), as well as other common law and statutory claims. He has become a leading defense counsel in the collection industry for cases involving licensing issues. John has vigorously defended over 20 consumer class actions which were based upon the defendant allegedly needing, but not having, a license to collect under some state statute. He received several favorable opinions on this issue in both Illinois and Indiana. John convinced the Illinois Supreme Court to issue an opinion in favor of his client wherein the debtor argued that the judgment against him was void because the plaintiff did not have a license.

David Schultz defends Fortune 500 companies, debt buyers, debt collection agencies, lawyers, lending institutions, and others in consumer litigation, and counsels organizations throughout the consumer financial services industry on risk management. He also defends lawyers and law firms in legal malpractice matters. Mr. Schultz is a member of the firm's Management Committee and past chair of the firm's Consumer & Class Action Litigation group.

Mr. Schultz is nationally recognized in the area of consumer litigation defense at both the trial and appellate levels. He has been lead counsel in more than 250 class action lawsuits involving claims brought under various state and federal consumer laws, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and the Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (CRLTO). He has defended a wide array of consumer fraud claims, actions brought under the Illinois Right of Publicity Act (IRPA) and Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), as well as class actions challenging food labels. He has represented individuals and businesses in dozens of regulatory matters, including before the CFPB, FTC, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Illinois Attorney General, as well as other state and city regulators and Attorneys General.

Mr. Schultz is active in several leading consumer financial services industry organizations, such as ACA International, National Creditors Bar Association (NCBA), and the Receivable Management Association International (RMAI). He received the ACA's 2017 Judicial Advocate Award, which recognizes an attorney who in the past year has been an "outstanding advocate on behalf of the credit and collection industry." On behalf of ACA International, he wrote and submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court an amicus curiae brief in Mims v. Arrow Financial Services, LLC, 132 S.Ct. 740 (2012), and for NCBA, he wrote and submitted to the Court an amicus curiae brief in Edwards v. First American Financial Corp. (2011). Mr. Schultz was also selected by ACA International's president to serve on the organization's five-person Members' Attorney Program Committee (2012 – 2015). He is an ACA MAP Attorney for Illinois and has served on the Judicial Committee. He also serves on a NCBA defense panel consisting of firms that provide risk management advice and defend NCBA members, and is on the Membership Committee. Following nomination by his peers, Mr. Schultz was also recognized by Collection Advisor as a Top Attorney in Collections in 2018.

Mr. Schultz has substantial experience representing lawyers in legal malpractice cases. He is a frequent author and lecturer on attorney malpractice, defense, and risk management issues.

Sarah Strong-Belisle joined Cook Girard Associates in 2001, fresh from earning her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Duke University. Strong-Belisle has exhibited a natural talent for effective legislative advocacy and has worked her way up the government affairs ladder to her current position.

Strong-Belisle has significant experience crafting legislative strategies and legislation, especially in the areas of commerce and workforce development. Over the last decade she has gained a working knowledge on a variety of business and governmental issues, frequently leading ad hoc coalitions on complex issues. She is also known for her ability as a tough negotiator on behalf of clients, working tirelessly to achieve consensus among diverse groups on controversial issues. Strong-Belisle is also a gifted writer – her updates combine her wit with a unique political insight and are a favorite among clients.

A proven leader both inside the capitol and out, early in her career Strong-Belisle was named “#1 Rising Lobbyist” in a Politics in Minnesota survey of a bipartisan group of legislators, lobbyists and staff. She completed eight years of service on the Minnesota Government Relations Council Board of Directors, where she was selected by her peers to serve in a variety of leadership roles, including Board President. While in MGRC leadership, Strong-Belisle was the point person for the lobbying community on the significant capitol renovation project and worked to ensure continued public access to the legislative process during construction. She recently served on the Walz-Flanagan Inaugural Committee, where she assisted in planning and executing the new administration’s inauguration day events.