At last week’s convention, ACA recognized 18 members who have devoted their time and talent to advancing the accounts receivable management industry.
8/1/2021 11:00
ACA International recognized members who have made significant contributions to the association and the accounts receivable management (ARM) industry at last week’s Convention & Expo in Las Vegas.
This year’s Member of the Year Award was given to industry leader Tim Haag, president of State Collection Service Inc. in Madison, Wisconsin, in recognition of his dedication, commitment and tireless work related to the association’s success. He currently serves as chair the ACPAC Committee.
“Tim handled his responsibilities as ACPAC chair with vigor and with great strategic insights,” said ACA CEO Mark Neeb. “He has the communication skills and heart to get people to work together well, to see what is possible, and in that created great results for ACA members.”
ACPAC is the voluntary, bipartisan political action committee for ACA. Under Haag’s leadership, the ACPAC Committee has helped raised more in the first half of 2021 than it had since 2014, with a goal of continuing to raise much more.
Haag has also helped shine a light on the money-saving work of ACA affiliate member DCap Claims, which processes claims involving antitrust and class-action settlements.
Haag is a longtime member of ACA and has participated in several association committees over the years. He is a member of Group50 and has been a part of ACA’s Council of Delegates for several years. He is active in the Great Lakes Unit, including serving a term as president.
Haag has earned ACA’s Fellow and Scholar designations as well as the Credit and Collection Compliance Officer designation. He was awarded the Kurt Swersky Award in 2013 and the Warren Siem Award in 2015.
New this year, the Linda Russell Leadership Achievement Award honors a member who has contributed to ACA and the industry in a significant way by profoundly advancing the role of women in the industry, both through their actions as well as their involvement in a leadership role.
This year’s inaugural winner is its namesake, Linda Russell from Rawlins, Wyoming. In 1991, Russell became the first women to be elected ACA president.
By the time she became ACA’s 52nd president, Russell had been serving the association for almost 30 years, most notably by testifying before Congress and appearing on multiple TV interview shows on behalf of ACA and the ARM industry. In 1976 and 1977, Russell helped represent ACA by testifying at House subcommittee hearings on the proposed federal law that would become the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Over the years, Russell was interviewed by reporters from many prominent news outlets, including The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Phil Donohue Show.
The debt collection agency she ran for 45 years—CollectionCenter Inc., based in Rawlins, Wyoming—was started by her father, Clyde Cox, in 1919. Today, the company also has offices in Loveland, Colorado, and Casper, Wyoming, and is run by Russell’s son, Dan Russell.
Russell has earned ACA’s Fellow, Scholar, International Fellowship of Certified Collection Executives, Member of the Year Award, James K. Erickson Continuous Service and Unit Leader of the Year awards.
She served as a dedicated ACA instructor for many years and won the Fred Kirschner Instructor Achievement Award several times.
Other valued ACA award winners include:
ACA International All In® Awards: Tim Myers, business development manager of Clark County Collection Service LLC, in Las Vegas (individual winner), American Profit Recovery based in Farmington, Michigan (company winner) and the Ohio Collectors Association (unit winner).
ACA International Education Foundation Fellow Award: Melissa Nash, president of CheckMark Collections in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Charles F. Lindemann Certified Instructor of the Year Award: John Bedard, owner of Bedard Law Group P.C. in Duluth, Georgia.
Fred Kirschner Instructor Achievement Award: LaDonna Bohling (50 seminars), Irene Hoheusle (75 seminars), Pamela Murphy (75 seminars), Leslie Bender (150 seminars), Elizabeth Conklin (150 seminars) and Debra Ciskey (225 seminars).
Harry Strausser Jr. ACPAC Ambassador Award: Pauline Kussart, president and owner of The Stark Collection Agency in Madison, Wisconsin.
James K. Erickson Continuous Service Award: Debra Ciskey, IFCCE, executive vice president of CACi in St. Louis.
Jonathan Elliot Judicial Advocacy Award: Michael Klutho, shareholder with Bassford Remele, P.A. in Minneapolis.
Unit Leader of the Year Award: Justin Watkins, Oregon Collectors Association (1-35 members category).
Janis St. Martin Industry Champion Award: Robbie Malone, member/attorney at law, Malone Frost Martin PLLC. Malone's husband, Stuart Self, accepted the award in her honor. Robbie Malone passed away in June.