CONSOLIDATED - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Palm Beach County Library System Director of System Services
Job Titles:
- Director of Financial Education
- Financial Education Director
April Lewis-Parks has more than 20 years of experience in the financial sector and she is dedicated to creating educational programs and promoting financial literacy by acting as a consumer affairs advocate. She is a PFE Certified Debt Management Professional through the Financial Counseling Association of America and has been involved in the creation and implementation of personal finance web-based interactive modules, video and audio education, as well as seminar and multi-level curriculum development.
Implementing educational tools and courses for Consolidated Credit's clients as well as the general public is an integral part of her role. She develops surveys and polls to collect data concerning consumers' financial needs and subsequent to her findings, she develops educational material and community outreach programs. Her promotional efforts have be seen in the New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes, Newsday, Consumer Reports, the Business Journals, and Money Magazine among others.
Prior to joining Consolidated Credit Ms. Lewis-Parks was the public relations manager for a Boston based event firm and before that, she was employed by John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. where she counseled employees on 401K and IRA accounts. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communication from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.
April is Consolidated Credit Month in the City of Plantation!
Consolidated Credit is proud to be recognized for our work in expanding local financial literacy. On April 1st, Plantation's City…
Job Titles:
- Community and Business Engagement Manager
Beatriz Hartman brings financial education to businesses and nonprofit organizations all over the country. She is a PFE Certified Debt Management Professional through the Financial Counseling Association of America and has been serving the community by promoting and coordinating educational and financial wellness programs for over 10 years. She also serves as the Spanish voice of Consolidated Credit, addressing the financial concerns of the Hispanic community in the media as well as in person at Hispanic focused events and group meetings.
Ms. Hartman assists in developing promotional material and community outreach programs, while also presenting seminars and attending business and charity events in South Florida to reach underserved communities and organizations. She received her Marketing Management, Masters of Business Administration from the University of Tampa in Tampa, FL.
Beatriz Hartman was selected as a multicultural business leader for her work in Business Development and Community Engagement for Consolidated Credit. Read Hartman's full interview to learn more about her and how she views the important work she does through this organization.
Finally, Hartman has been a regular guest on new and community affairs programs on both Telemundo and Univision. These appearances on the top two channels on Spanish television allow Hartman to spread essential messages about finance and good money management to the Latin American community throughout the United States.
Job Titles:
- Director of Customer Services
Brenda Horner has been the Director of Customer Services at Consolidated Credit for over 18 years and her experience in customer service and project management has been vital to the continuation of Consolidated Credit's excellent customer satisfaction ranking. Her day-to-day operations include: supervising all Client Services Representatives, ensuring client support and satisfaction, maintaining creditor relations and compliance and examining financial, credit and debt news and trends.
Prior to joining Consolidated Credit, Ms. Horner was the Customer Service Supervisor for Union Planters Bank and was a Project Manager at NationsBank, now Bank of America. At Union Planters Bank, Ms. Horner brought the Customer Service Center from Corporate into the Florida market to address the specific needs of the region's consumer.
At Nation's Bank, Ms. Horner provided strategic planning and development for the Risk Division, including bankruptcy, collections and fraud. She developed collection strategies for credit counseling and financial literacy programs and was the Technical Project Manager responsible for program development, system enhancements and implementation for a $7.5 billion dollar credit card portfolio.
Ms. Horner is a PFE Certified Debt Management Professional through the Financial Counseling Association of America and holds a Bachelors of Arts degree from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.
Claudia Steele has a note in her desk from a fortune cookie that reads, "Doing what you like is freedom, liking what you do is happiness." She says this adage defines her. But even before Claudia became a certified credit counselor, she was a financial adviser to her friends and family. She helped her ex-husband get out of $15,000 in credit card debt and helped a good friend realize that she was drowning in credit card debt. As a seven year certified credit counselor with Consolidated Credit, Claudia is now doing what she was born to do.
Gary Herman's expertise in establishing operations and marketing policies, hiring and training financial counselors has been a crucial advantage to the growth and success of the organization. Mr. Herman has over 20 years of experience at Consolidated Credit and was the former Vice President of Marketing before taking the helm as President of the nonprofit agency. As an expert who examines consumer credit trends, causes and effects of financial over-extension, Mr. Herman expertly predicts the needs of financially burdened consumers. Mr. Herman has also provided Consolidated Credit's certified counselors with the tools and educational materials required to keep ahead of the public's needs.
Mr. Herman was the past Vice President of the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies (AICCCA) and has served on the United Way South Broward Regional Advisory Committee as well as on the Board of Directors for 2-1-1 First Call for Help, Inc. Under Mr. Herman's leadership, Consolidated Credit won the Best Places to Work Award in South Florida and Consolidated Credit had the privilege to win the Union Planters Bank/South Florida Business Journal Business of the Year Award in the Nonprofit Category.
Mr. Herman's experience includes many years as a financial analyst for Capital Analysts of Washington, Inc. He performed tax, business, and financial planning for the owners of large private corporations. Immediately prior to joining Consolidated Credit, he was a territory manager for G.D. Searle. He is a PFE Certified Debt Management Professional through the Financial Counseling Association of America and received a dual degree Finance and Marketing from The American University in Washington D.C.
Job Titles:
- Certified Public Accountant
- Chief Financial Officer
- Director of Finance
Hilton Sher is the Chief Financial Officer of Consolidated Credit and is responsible for the financial and administrative functions of the company. He has over 30 years of financial, accounting and business management experience in the U.S. and internationally.
Mr. Sher's extensive knowledge in financial reporting, design and implementation of systems, budgeting, and the setup of a company's infrastructure to handle high rates of growth has made a positive impact on Consolidated Credit's success. Mr. Sher also has a background that includes multi-million-dollar fiscal planning and administration as well as comprehensive audit, tax and accounting services.
Prior to joining Consolidated Credit he was the CFO for WISP Wireless Communications, LTD, where he was responsible for the financial and administrative operations of the company, as well as the preparation of the business plan and financial projections.
Mr. Sher is a Certified Public Accountant, a Chartered Accountant and a PFE Certified Debt Management Professional through the Financial Counseling Association of America. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree and a postgraduate accounting degree from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Job Titles:
- United Way of Broward County CEO
Kathleen Cannon, United Way of Broward County CEO: I would definitely recommend somebody to Consolidated Credit. Folks get into a great deal of difficulty with debt. So, they start charging on their credit cards, they're overextended and that they don't realize how long it really takes to get out of that predicament.
Job Titles:
- Director of Housing Counseling and Community Development
Maria Gaitan has 11 years of direct nonprofit management and program development experience in the credit and housing counseling industry. Prior to Consolidated Credit, Maria worked 20 years with Wells Fargo (f.k.a. Wachovia Bank) and has over 20 years of management, lending and business development experience.
Ms. Gaitan has been a featured presenter delivering financial educational seminars and workshops to corporations, nonprofits and government entities throughout the country. She has forged relationships with Southern Command, Army OneSource, Florida CFO's office and HopeNow Coalition among other influential private and governmental agencies.
She has served in over 20 national and local Board of Directors and Advisory Boards of organizations focusing in community development, education and the fine arts. She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a B.A. degree in Marketing. She also received a Certificate of Nonprofit Management from the Center for Nonprofit Excellence of Palm Beach County.
Job Titles:
- City of Plantation Council Member