Chairman of the Board – J. David (Dave) Siembieda

Dave Siembieda has been the president and CEO of a large financial services firm for over 18 years, and has amassed over 26 years of experience in the financial services industry. He was promoted to his current role in 2000 after holding the position of executive vice president of Sales and Marketing where he led his team to an annual growth rate of over 40% and record-breaking sales totals. Previously, he was the vice president of Consumer Relations and was instrumental in forming the Legal Affairs department.

Siembieda serves on the advisory board of The Green Sheet, a financial services publication for ISOs. He is also a member of NACHA’s Electronic Check Council. He graduated from Sonoma State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management.

President & CEO – Chris Schumacher

Chris Schumacher has extensive experience in operational management, strategic planning and systems automation. He also has 29 years of leadership experience in the accounts receivable management industry. Utilizing technology and analytics, his development and implementation of collection strategies has created customized solutions that increase collection results for Optio clients.

Schumacher also currently serves as executive vice president and chief operating officer of a large financial services firm. He has been an integral part of the executive management team since 2002 and plays a key role in strategic planning for the company. Previously, he held a variety of management positions at Transworld Systems, Inc., a subsidiary of industry giant NCO Group, Inc., including director of operations for the corporate office which consisted of 140 sales offices and 20 call centers across the country. He was also the collection manager of Credit Management Services in the Los Angeles and Honolulu offices.

He graduated from Sonoma State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration.

Executive Vice President of Sales – Todd Volkers

As the executive vice president of Sales for Optio Solutions, Todd Volkers brings 32 years of experience in the collection industry. Based in the upper Midwest, Volkers leads a team of national sales managers and is responsible for developing market-specific business plans and sales strategies for Optio’s national client collection services division. Previously, he was the vice president of both operations and sales at a large receivables management company for 21 years.

Corporate Counsel and Manager of Legal Affairs –
D. Lilah McLean

Lilah McLean Optio Solutions

Lilah McLean is the in-house counsel and manager of Legal Affairs where she oversees all functions of the Legal department. She has broad experience representing financial services clients in many aspects of law relevant to the industry, including credit and collections, FDCPA defense, consumer protection and data privacy. Her background includes a number of years as an associate at an international law firm with a focus on commercial litigation and working in-house for a large financial services firm.

Licensed to practice law in the State of California, she earned a Bachelor of Arts from Pitzer, a Claremont College, and a Juris Doctor from the University of San Francisco School of Law.

Senior Vice President – Tim Whalen

Tim Whalen directs the collection, compliance and customer service operations at Optio Solutions. His responsibilities include leading Optio’s strategic planning and efforts to optimize collection results for clients; compliance with laws, regulations and company policies; and the delivery of responsive, accurate and professional client support.

Whalen has over 30 years of leadership experience in the semiconductor, financial services and healthcare industries. This tenure includes working in privately held start-ups and publically held multi-national organizations. Past roles include president of Transworld Systems, Inc., COO of The Outsource Group and regional vice-president for Parallon.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Master of Business Administration in Finance at Western Michigan University, and a Master of Science in Management Information Systems from the University of Dallas.

Vice President of Collections Operations – Brad Lantz

Vice President of Collections Operations Brad Lantz brings 30-plus years of industry experience to Optio’s contingency-based and first-party collection services divisions. Based in Fargo, N.D., he is responsible for the strategic planning and daily collection operations in the Fargo and Petaluma call centers where he leads managers, supervisors and consumer relations representatives.

Lantz has considerable experience transforming the financial and operational performance of both privately and publicly held companies. His accomplishments include being responsible for strategic direction and setting operational directives for an organization with over 400 employees.

Previously, he has held titles of senior vice president and chief operating officer for receivables management companies where he managed multiple vice presidents and directors and as many as 2,500 collectors.

Vice President of Information Services – Steve Florczak

Vice President of Information Services Stephen Florczak has worked in information technology for over 23 years, including 19 years of combined accounts receivable experience. A veteran of the financial services industry, his previous employers include The Hamister Group, The Northstar Companies, Capital Management Services, and Great Lakes Collection Bureau.

Furthermore, his expertise in automation, data security and compliance provides additional value to Optio Solutions and its clients.

Florczak has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He also attended the Wehle School of Business at Canisius College where he earned a Master of Science Administration in Finance and Management Information Systems as well as a Master of Science in Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications.

Consumer Relations Manager – Katherine Tindall

katherine-tindall

Katherine Tindall has been an Optio Solutions collections manager since June 2015 and has a total of 18 years experience in the industry. Her responsibilities include tracking call reports for specific segments, calling strategies, collector development and training, and data analysis. Tindall believes in leading by example, and although she expects a lot out of those who work for her and with her, she expects even more out of herself.

Previously, she spent 13 years working in the industry as a collector, lead, trainer and supervisor-manager. Her experience in collections spans many industries and levels of delinquency where she has made a career of taking over struggling portfolios and turning them around, gaining market share and starting up collection projects from scratch.

Management Team