Cruisin' to Collections Student Financial Services Conference 2024

 

Conference Agenda

SUNDAY, Nov 10

6:00-7:30
Welcome Reception
Your conference begins at this fun reception. Unwind, relax and mingle with fellow conference attendees. Join us for drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Your guest is welcome to join us at this event.

MONDAY, Nov 11

7:00-8:00
Breakfast and Registration
Orange, Apple and Cranberry Juices, Sliced Fresh Fruit, Scrambled Eggs, Apple Smoked Bacon, Chicken Apple Sausage, Breakfast Potato of the Day, Assorted Bagels, Morning Breakfast Pastries, Muffins, Freshly Brewed Regular Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee and Selection of Artisanal Teas.

8:00-8:15
Opening General Remarks

8:15-9:00
Networking Session – Getting to Know your Colleagues
This is an intentional session dedicated to meeting and interacting with new colleagues and reuniting with enduring friends. Discover similarities in your institutions and business practices for building and strengthening post-conference relationships.

9:00-10:00
Getting your Financial Literacy Plan Moving
You’ve probably attended programs on Financial Literacy in the past but does your school have a functioning and effective Financial Literacy program that is supported campus-wide? Getting a plan started and obtaining cross-department partnership and upper management buy-in may be the hardest pieces to the puzzle. In this session, ‘Getting Your Plan Moving,’ you’ll leave with a financial literacy toolkit that will provide you with the tools and guidance you’ll need to singlehandedly start or improve your school’s literacy program. During the session we’ll discuss the components of the toolkit and show you how to use them effectively.
Your toolkit will include:

• An overview of effective program traits for discussion
• Financial literacy topics to select from
• Communications templates for:
• Upper management buy-in
• Department outreach
• Responding to the “NO’s”
• Outside vendors who are already providing services to your campus
• A list of effective student outreach techniques
• The Resource Vault: Workshops, Webinars, Games, Videos and Academic Programs

10:00-10:15
Refreshment Break

10:15-11:15
Legislative and Regulatory Updates
June Coleman is a defense litigator and compliance specialist with more than 20 years of experience. Her areas of emphasis include defense of consumer rights actions involving California’s Rosenthal, FDCPA, FDCPA, TCPA, and FCRA. She has a deep understanding of permissible debt collection conduct and how best to defend claims and minimize liability in the collection industry, including creditor, student loan and other college debt collections.

11:15-12:15
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
If you (or your billing servicer) report information about consumers to a Credit Reporting Agency, you are considered a “furnisher” of information under the FCRA. You have an obligation to supply fair and accurate credit reporting and risk liability if you do not. We will discuss:

• Responsible and Accurate Reporting
• Common Mistakes in Reporting Delinquencies
• Verbal and Written Disputes
• Conducting a Reasonable Investigation
• Written Policies and Procedures
• Frivolous or Irrelevant Disputes
• Liabilities

12:15-1:15
Lunch
Starters – Butter Lettuce and Frisee with Mango, Watermelon Radish, Cucumber, Cherry Tomatoes, Creamy Pineapple Dressing and Pickled Ginger Vinaigrette – Rice Noodle Salad with Cabbage, Red Peppers, Edamame, Carrots, Cilantro, Crushed Peanuts and Shoyu Vinaigrette
Entrees – Grilled Huli Huli Chicken Thighs with Sweet Soy Reduction and Grilled Scallions – Firecracker Glazed Salmon with Yuzu, Honey Glaze, XO String Beans and Black Sesame Seed – Char Siu Tofu Lo Mein Noodles with Char Siu Marinade and Stir Fried Vegetables
Sides Steamed Rice & Garlic Spam – Fried Rice, Fried Garlic, Shoyu I Scallions Tapioca Rolls
House Made Desserts Coconut Exotic Cake – Ube Cheesecake – Passion Mango Shot (Vegan)

1:15-2:15
How to Create High Performing Teams
Are you a new or seasoned leader? Are you leading a new team, re-organizing a team, notice pockets of low performance, etc..? We will walk through the processes I have used in creating a higher performing team.

2:15-3:15
Selecting and Working with Vendors
Choosing and Evaluating Collection Agencies in a Higher Education Environment. This is a session that evolved from a series of case studies from the Campus perspective. It will cover:

• When and How to evaluate new and continuing Collection Partners for contracts
• Developing and writing Bids, RFP and RFI
• Evaluating bids and selecting new collection partners
• Methods to fairly evaluate agency results for future placements
• Setting expectations and how to make your school a priority

Managers and Collectors will benefit from the information provided in this session.

3:15-3:30
Refreshment Break

3:30-4:30
Collector’s Content – Compliance and Strategy When Collecting Debts
In this session we will discuss:

• Collections Strategies for Tuition, Medical Debt and Loans
• Call Baiting and Litigious Debtors
• Attorneys and Third Parties
• Statute of limitations – Time barred accounts
• Objections, Disputes and Resolutions

6:00-7:30
Dinner and a Las Vegas Show!
Tournament of Kings Dinner & Show Hotel
Guest tickets are available for purchase

Tournament of Kings is Las Vegas’ ultimate dinner and a show experience. Adapted from the tale of King Arthur, this live-action production takes place in a 900-seat theater-in-the-round arena and immerses the audience in a tale of valor and treachery.

TUESDAY, Nov 12

7:00-8:00
Breakfast
Orange, Apple and Cranberry Juices, Sliced Fresh Fruit, Scrambled Eggs, Apple Smoked Bacon, Chicken Apple Sausage, Breakfast Potato of the Day, Assorted Bagel, Morning Breakfast Pastries, Muffins, Freshly Brewed Regular Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee and Selection of Artisanal Teas.

8:00-815
Opening General Remarks

8:15-9:15
Office Efficiencies – Analyzing Process Improvement in Staffing and Procedures
This session will help a new leader or a seasoned one take a step back and evaluate if the office is running as efficiently as it could. I will share my experience with overseeing a large team and spotting inefficiencies, service issues, gaps, pain points and areas for improvement. 

9:15-10:15
VA and Military Services – Epic Steps to Veteran Victory on your Campus
The purpose of this session will be to discuss the obstacles and solutions in serving our student veterans and the proven steps in becoming the “go-to leader” for building and championing collaborative veteran services and resource partners in your community, influencing your campus, cultivating state government support and establishing win-win relationships to promote needed change.

10:15-10:30
Refreshment Break

10:30-11:30
Communicating with Student-Clients
A clear and informed understanding of our clientele informs our ability to do our jobs well. But what if our understanding is flawed? What if our efforts, while admirable, are catered for a generation that no longer makes up the bulk of our clientele? Who are our clients, and how do we ensure that our efforts are modern, effective, and in their best interest?
With these questions in mind, join me for a discussion covering how younger generations learn, their current communicative and technological expectations, and how we can meet them.

11:30-12:30
Identity Theft – Awareness and Best Practices
Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in America, with as many as 9 million people falling victim each year. While some identity theft victims can resolve their problems quickly, others spend hundreds of dollars and many hours and days repairing the damage to their name and credit record. Some consumers victimized by identity theft may lose out on job opportunities or denied loans for education, housing, or cars because of negative information on their credit reports. Identity thieves may rent an apartment, obtain a credit card, or establish a telephone account in your name. You may not find out about the theft until you review your credit report or a credit card statement and notice charges you didn’t make—or until a debt collector contacts you.

In this session we will discuss:

• How does my identity get stolen
• Signs you may be a victim
• Steps to take if you become a victim
• Your liabilities
• Prevention tips

12:30-1:15
Lunch
Starters – Arugula & Red Oak Salad with Strawberries, Goat Cheese, Sunflower Seeds, White Balsamic Vinaigrette and Pink Peppercorn Ranch – Tangy Black Pepper Coleslaw with Red Cabbage, Shredded Carrots and Cider Dressing
Entrees – House-Smoked Beef Brisket, Kansas City Dry Rub and Chipotle Citrus BBQ Sauce – Tangy Carolina BBQ Grilled Chicken, Chicken Thighs, Dijon and Molasses Rub – BBQ-Spiced Pulled Jackfruit, Mesquite Wood Smoke, Lemon Pepper, Cabbage and Brioche Buns – Sides – Triple Cheese Cavatappi, Creamy Gouda Mornay, Aged Cheddar, Buttery Corn Cobettes, Sweet Corn, Beurre Monte, Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Muffins Desserts – Whiskey Caramel Cake, Beach Streusel Tart, Chocolate – Redeye Shot (Vegan)

1:15-2:15
Developing a University Aging Process
In this session we will highlight and consider the different phases of the aging process. We will discuss initial delinquency, internal collections, payment plans, allowance for bad debt, write off and everything in between. Share examples of your policies and bring your most difficult challenges.

2:15-3:15
Cyber Security – The First Line of Defense in this New Age of Security Risks
You are the first line of defense against a cyber breach. Ransomware or other malicious software usually finds its way into IT systems through phishing emails opened by an employee or by clicking infected links on non-trusted websites. After a piece of malware is installed on a computer, it has the ability to spread across other computers that it is connected to, thus infecting and blocking access to the entire network. Today’s hackers are extremely sophisticated and are using multiple methods to breach your networks.

In this Cyber Awareness session, we will discuss:
Ransomware, Malware, Phishing, Spear Phishing, Whaling, Viruses, Spam, Social Engineering, Hyperlinks, Attachments, Display Names and Malicious Websites

3:15-3:30
Refreshment Break

3:30-4:30
Unfair, Deceptive, Abusive Acts or Practices (UDAAP’s) – Compliance for Creditors
Under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), all covered persons (This means you) are legally required to refrain from committing unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices. UDAAP’s largely mirror the regulatory verbiage found in the FDCPA and in some cases the Bureau has even gone further than FDCPA guidelines. Of the enforcement matters that the CFPB has made public so far, half have alleged violations of the UDAAP provision of the Dodd-Frank Act. These actions resulted in restitution to consumers as well as civil money penalties in the billions of dollars. We will discuss the provisions of the act, a comparison to the FDCPA and common mistakes creditors make so you can understand what is required to be compliant.

WEDNESDAY, Nov 13

7:00-8:00
Breakfast
Orange, Apple and Cranberry Juices, House – Made Breakfast Pastries, Muffins with Butter and Preserves, Seasonal Fruit Salad, Croissant Breakfast Sandwich with Shaved Black Forest Ham, Cage Free Egg and Cheddar Cheese, Breakfast Egg Muffin Sandwich Egg, Broccoli, Gruyere, Caramelized Onions and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

8:00-815
Opening Remarks

8:15-9:15
Financial Responsibility Agreements
A financial responsibility agreement is a contract where one party acknowledges their financial responsibility to another. This type of contract is commonly used when a student enters a new university. When used in this scenario, students sign to acknowledge that they understand that they are solely responsible for paying the university any school-related charges, which can include class fees, tuition, and food.
The purpose of the financial responsibility agreement is to ensure that the signor understands and acknowledges their duty to pay. This ensures that if payments aren’t received as promised, the entity that’s entitled to the money can pursue action to recover it.
We will review Terms and Conditions and explore financial responsibility agreements to support your collections efforts. We will look at the current collection climate regarding agreements and how agreements can give your collectors and agencies better position to show you the money!

9:15-10:15
Leveraging Digital Communication Channels – Nobody Answers Phone Calls Anymore
You hear about it in conversation among parents, you listen to complaints about it on conference calls with departments that interact with consumers, and you probably find yourself doing it too. You’re screening calls from numbers you don’t know and everyone else is too. The younger generations are screening calls from numbers they know and opting for text messages or snaps, or whatever. This is our new normal as a society, but chances are good it hasn’t made its way to your business processes yet.
Attend this presentation for a crash course on the tech available to you that facilitates communication of delinquent accounts in the most effective way possible for today’s society – especially younger generations that are predominantly your market.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the various types of electronic communication channels available to you and when each would best serve an account recovery objective – from early notification to payment reminders.
• Take away strategies for how to prioritize the tech and/or communication methods to be most effective.
• Develop a promotion plan to adopt and integrate these methods into your department’s tools.
• Understand process automation tools that are available to your department that have the potential to revolutionize your outreach and follow up intentions.

10:15-10:30
Refreshment Break

10:30-11:30
Litigation – Pros/Cons and Doing it Yourself
This session will cover the Good, the Bad and the Ugly when it comes to litigation including:

• Litigation as a viable collection measure, when appropriate
• Cost effectiveness
• School image
• What you’ll need to win your case
• Procedures to do it yourself

11:30-12:30
Surviving Episodes of Violence – Riot – Shooter – Terrorist
Covering logistics, administrative responsibilities and core strategies to minimize injury to yourself and others. This course provides guidance to individuals, including managers and employees, so that they can prepare to respond to an active shooter or violent situation. The presentation covers the three steps for increasing your chance of surviving an active shooter: Run, Hide and Fight.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Describe actions to take when confronted with an active shooter and responding law enforcement officials.
• Recognize potential workplace violence indicators.
• Describe actions to take to prevent and prepare for potential active shooter incidents.
• Describe how to manage the consequences of an active shooter incident.

12:30
Conference Concludes

Conference Faculty

Erika Ramirez, MSLM
Director, Bursar of Student Accounts
Western Governors University, Millcreek, UT
Born and raised in California, graduated from Cal Poly, Pomona with a degree in Business Administration, then masters from the University of La Verne with a Masters in Leadership and Management. Started my career owning a funnel cake business for several years, then transitioned to work in luxury car sales, as the Sales Floor Manager at a BMW dealership, then moved into Higher Education in 2008 at Azusa Pacific University as the Assistant Director of Student Accounts, moving ultimately as the Director of Graduate and Professional Student Financial Services. Transitioned to Los Angeles Pacific University in August 2018, as the Director of Support Central and Student Accounts to start a new service department.

Ross Bryant
Director, Military and Veteran Services Center
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Ross Bryant is the Executive Director of University of Nevada–Las Vegas’s Military & Veteran Services Center (MVSC), which assists active duty service members, veterans, National Guard members, reservists and military family members by certifying their GI Bill benefits as well as developing campus or community resources and programs aiding them in their challenging transition to civilian and university life. The MVSC is a 501c3 as part of the UNLV Foundation. His efforts as director of the UNLV MVSC have brought over 9,000 veterans to UNLV with a 71% graduation rate. Since 2012, more than 4,568 veterans have graduated from UNLV.

 June Coleman
Attorney at Law
Messer Strickler, LTD. Sacramento, CA
June Coleman has recently opened the Northern California office of Messer Strickler, a preeminent litigation law firm that represents creditors and collection professionals in consumer actions, as well as schools in employment law issues. Ms. Coleman is a defense litigator with more than 20 years of experience. Her areas of emphasis include consumer rights actions involving statutes such as the FDCPA, TCPA, and FCRA, and their California counterparts. She has a deep understanding of permissible debt collection conduct and how best to defend claims and minimize liability in the collection industry. She also defends collection attorneys before the California State Bar. She is an accomplished author and a well-known presenter who speaks frequently. Since 2008, Ms. Coleman has been voted by her peers as one of the top 5% of lawyers practicing in Northern California, earning her a spot on the Law & Politics’ Northern California Super Lawyers list; as well as the Sacramento Business Journal’s “Best of the Bar” and Sacramento Magazine’s “Top of the Bar” lists. Ms. Coleman is a Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent rated attorney.

Patrick D. Brettschneider
Collections Supervisor
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Patrick Brettschneider is the Collections Supervisor for Student Loan Collections at the University of Michigan, a role he has held for ten + (10) years. Prior to joining the Student Loan Collections Department, Patrick was working with the current students as a supervisor in Student Financial Services. He has been with the University for 24+ years. In addition to his work at the University, Patrick is a member of the Michigan Association of Student Financial Services Association (MASFSA) a regional organization promoting excellence in financial services in higher education. 

Patrick is a 1994 graduate of the University of Michigan – Dearborn and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting.  When Patrick is not assisting Michigan students, you will likely find him peddling on one of his many bicycles around the state easily putting on hundreds of miles in the process. 

Vito S. Rocco, CISSP
Senior Information Security Analyst
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV
Vito Rocco has spent over 20 years working in the field of Cybersecurity. He has held jobs in military, government, financial, corporate, and higher education verticals from analyst to CISO. Vito is passionate about improving security through user awareness education, and has spoken about security at local meetups, national conferences, and university courses.

Vito has a B.S. in Computer Information Systems and a Master of Science degree in Information Technology from Grantham University.

Mark R. Goodman, MS
Associate Bursar, Manager of Credit and Collections, Retired
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
Mark Goodman is currently serving as the Director of Education for Second Alliance Inc. He has been providing Higher Education Consulting services from his base in Las Vegas, NV since 2009 when he retired as the Associate Bursar for Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At Temple (a school of 36,000 students) he managed the Credit and Collections Department responsible for handling Perkins, Health Professions, and Institutional Loans, as well as the collection of tuition and fees. Other duties included the administration of the University’s tuition payment plan, overseeing the administration of the third party scholarship program, and debt management (both the entrance and exit phases).

Prior to working at Temple, Mark had 28 years of collection management experience. He has spoken at conferences across the country on many topics relating to Credit and Collection, Customer Service, and Financial Management on the College Campus. He holds both the ACA Professional Collection Specialist and Certified Higher Education Collection Certifications.

Mark earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing at the College of New Jersey and his Master’s Degree in Human Resources Administration from Temple University.

He has been a member of various Higher Education Associations, including EARMA, COHEAO, and NACUBO. In addition, he has authored articles published in business magazines, as well as training and seminar texts.

Patrick (Pat) Beirne
Senior Director; Bursar and Student Financial Services
Wayne State University
Patrick Beirne has worked in Student Accounts for 15 years across three university campuses, the last five as the Senior Director; Bursar & Student Financial Services at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Patrick is a student centric, retention focused leader, and is most proud of the collaborative partnerships made across campus that have paved the way to creatively recruit, retain, and graduate university students. Patrick is very driven by recovery metrics and fosters an organizational culture that strives to “retain every student” and “collect every dollar”. In addition to this retention and recovery focus, Patrick focuses on the consistent development of functional and technical expertise and strives to continuously improve in operationalizing and streamlining business processes.  

Mary Anne Lower
Associate Director Student Business Services, Retired
University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA
Mary Anne has spent a lifetime working in numerous facets of the credit and collections industry. She recently retired as the Associate Director of Student Business Services at the University of the Pacific and still serves as a consultant for them. Since she joined the University in 2002, she was the Student Loans Collection Manager, and specialized in compliance, bankruptcies, legal issues, lawsuits, credit bureau reporting, contract agreements, and student tuition collections.

Prior to joining the University, she has worked for a governmental unit as the delinquent tax collector, was a senior legal collector for a Federal Credit Union performing international collections, managed an investigative agency and has even done repossessions and field investigations. 

Lily Ball, M.Ed.
Debt Management Counselor
UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
After earning her Master’s in Teaching from USC, Ms. Ball taught English as a second language for several years in Los Angeles and abroad before moving to the administration side of UCLA. Currently, she counsels students on their outstanding debts and loans in the Debt Management Services office. In her spare time, she writes fiction, and does power lifting.

Jo-Anne Clancy
Associate Director for Educational Loans, Student Financial Services, Retired
The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Jo-Anne oversees all aspects of the Federal Direct loan programs, Perkins Loan program and reconciliation of Federal Pell Grant. She maintains the University’s Private Educational loan list, relationships with banks, servicers, collection agencies and guarantors. She keeps all staff apprised of regulatory changes as they relate to student loans and helps to educate students about the importance of financial literacy.

Jo-Anne graduated from Girard Academic Music Program. She was with the University of the Arts since 1987. Her hobbies include the saxophone and her three children

Aaron Reiter
Managing Partner, InterProse, Vancouver, WA
While pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and a minor in Social Psychology, Aaron didn’t realize he was preparing himself for a life in sales. Alas, this is what paid the bills, first in wireless communications, then in surgical devices, and finally in debt recovery software where he now co-owns a debt recovery software company based in Vancouver, WA, managing the organization’s external communications, marketing and sales strategies.
A frequent contributor to ACA International’s content, speaking frequently on topics ranging from technology to sales strategy, Aaron has developed a reputation for his multi-media presentations and engaging style.
When not at work, you can find Aaron hiking and camping with his family in the Pacific Northwest, running or cycling in a race or fundraiser, or covered in sawdust working on his latest woodworking project.

Scott H. Holmquist
President
Second Alliance, Inc. Canoga Park, CA
Scott Holmquist is the President and founder of Second Alliance and has worked in the campus based collection industry for over thirty years. He has dedicated his career to building a company dedicated to the service of campus based clients working exclusively on Title IV loan programs, institutional and HPSL loan programs and tuition and fee recovery. Mr. Holmquist has worked in various phases of the campus based third party collection industry and has assembled a team that reflects his dedication to this industry.

Scott’s passion is teaching and training in areas of collections such as effective communication, customer service, financial literacy, policy and compliance and fatigue syndromes. He believes deeply that those involved in the collections industry need the highest level of training and understanding to best deal with, educate and lead students that rely on our assistance and expertise.