Collections Conference

Justin Bates

Attorney at Law | Bates Legal Group, LLC

Has represented and advised creditors and financial institutions on issues involving collection, repossession, foreclosure, creditors' rights in bankruptcy and related compliance issues. Justin has been a featured speaker at The League’s Collections Roundtables for years and his legal updates and candid conversations are a valuable resource.

Luke Pelger

Strategic Partnership Manager | GreenPath Financial Wellness

Luke collaborates with credit unions to equip their teams with financial wellness resources. Luke has a passion to see members improve their financial literacy, capability, and resiliency. His work with partners over the past 19 years has led to tens of thousands of individuals receiving financial counseling and education. Luke also enjoys educating groups of people about personal finances – he has conducted hundreds of educational workshops and webinars.   

Luke holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Allegheny College. In addition to his professional work, he is energized by the challenge of providing financial education to the next generation, including his three young children.   

Amber Miller

Partner Experience Manager | GreenPath Financial Wellness

Amber is an experienced professional in financial wellness and banking, currently serving as the Partner Experience Manager at GreenPath Financial Wellness since August 2019. In this role, Amber integrates Human-Centered Design into partner communications and applies knowledge of behavioral science to enhance partner engagement. Previous experience includes positions as a Partner Experience Specialist, Financial Wellness Expert, Administrative Assistant at The University of Kansas, and various roles at First National Bank of Hutchinson, where responsibilities ranged from managing branch operations to providing exceptional customer service. Amber holds certifications as an NFCC certified Credit Counselor and HUD certified Housing Counselor, emphasizing a commitment to empowering clients toward financial health.

Paul Guttormsson

Senior Vice President & General Counsel | The League

Paul drafts regulatory comment letters on behalf of credit unions, helping to shape regulations that affect credit union operations, income, and member service. He also supports The Legal Affairs team with telephone and email assistance to credit unions as well as research and analysis to develop The League’s ii releases, and he is a frequent presenter for League compliance roundtables and webinars. In addition, he oversees The League’s forms program.

Paul graduated with honors from UW-Eau Claire in 1985 and worked as a newspaper editor for several years before attending the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he graduated with honors in 1994. He joined The League in 2001.

Becky Baumgartner

Director of Collections & Mortgage Operations | Prime Financial CU

Becky has over 15 years of collections and lending experience. She joined the Prime Financial team in early 2012 and has led the Collections department since 2014, currently serving as the Director of Collections and Mortgage Operations. Her passion for working with members to obtain a secure and prosperous financial future has been a driving force behind the success of Prime Financial’s Collections department. Becky joined us on the panel at last year’s conference and we are grateful to have her back with us again – great to see you, Becky! 

Bob Hein

Member Solutions Manager | Fox Communities Credit Union

Bob has been a credit union collections professional for more than 25 years. He has experience in every aspect of the profession and is a strong advocate of the importance of the collections department in the day-to-day operation of credit unions. He also believes events like this conference are must-attends for credit union collection professionals because of the valuable networking time with colleagues.

Nate Kalnins

Chief Operating Officer, Director of Compliance | The Stark Agency

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 Chief Operating Officer and Director of Compliance, where he oversees all aspects of Stark’s operations, including compliance, strategic analysis, policy/workflow management and training. 

Tom Theune

Director | Office of Credit Unions | DFI

Tom currently serves as the Director for the Wisconsin Office of Credit Unions. He has spent over 30 years in the credit union industry in various executive positions in operations, lending, information technology and as CEO of a mid-size credit union.  

Tom has also earned the designation of Certified Credit Union Executive and served on multiple credit union Boards of Directors. In his current role, Tom oversees the training of State Examiners in the IT field and developing the cybersecurity exam process for the state exam teams.