Meet the Board
Alex Rosen, President
CEO, American Financial Management
Alex Rosen serves as the CEO of AFM, an established commercial collection agency based in Chicago. Today he is focused on building AFM into an evolved commercial debt collection agency that blue chip companies in transformation deserve.
His leadership approach is based on a deep belief in the power of relationships and a strong desire to make a positive, meaningful impact. At the helm of AFM, his goal is to transform the 60+ year old company into the easiest, most frictionless commercial collections agency in the industry.
Following his acquisition of AFM in 2021, the company has experienced significant growth, embracing transparency through the Entrepreneurial Operating System and transforming into a remote-friendly organization with employee empowerment initiatives like unlimited PTO.
Prior to joining AFM in 2012, Alex served as an Associate Attorney at a Chicago Law Firm, where he specialized in Commercial Collection Litigation. He obtained his Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and his undergraduate degree from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
Actively involved in industry organizations, Alex is a founding member and sits on the board of the Commercial Collection Agencies of America, and is a member of the International Association of Commercial Collectors, Vistage International and the Executives Club of Chicago.
Beyond his professional endeavors, Alex prioritizes family time with his wife Lauren and their three children. An avid Chicago sports fan, he enjoys golf, and has a passion for constant self-improvement, demonstrated by completing the Chicago Marathon and graduating from a two-year improv training program at the renowned iO Theater.
Julie Haysley, Vice President
Altus Commercial Receivables
Julie is a seasoned veteran of the collection industry; with over 30 years’ experience in Commercial Debt Collections.
Steve Rauch, Secretary
President, Rauch-Milliken International, Inc.
Steve Rauch is a founding partner and President of Rauch-Milliken International, Inc. established in 1989. RMI has been serving the credit community throughout the US and internationally with commercial collections and receivable management services.
The importance of collections became evident at the age of 13 while delivering newspapers to apartment rentals. Throwing papers in the rain to three story buildings was the easy part, but collecting money at the end of the month after services were rendered proved much more challenging. Fast forward 15 years and he realized all commercial businesses that extend credit had the same challenges - the need for effective collections.
Steve is an active alumnus of Brother Martin High School in New Orleans. He attended LSU and received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of New Orleans. For the past 30+ years he has been a member of Commercial Law League, International Association of Commercial Collectors, and the Louisiana Collectors Association where he served as past president, treasurer, and as a board member for 25 years. He has been a panelist speaker at NARCA and NACM. He is also a founding member of CCAofA.
Through the years he has been an active supporter of St. Jude Children's Hospital, Covenant House, and Special Olympics. He is married to his bride of 28 years, and they are most proud of their three beautiful, successful children. In his spare time, he is a avid tennis player and enjoys travel, boating, and motorcycling.
Paula Catalano, Treasurer
Chief Financial Officer, Brennan & Clark, Ltd.
Paula Catalano currently serves as the CFO of Brennan & Clark Ltd, LLC, a commercial collection agency based in the Chicagoland area, where she oversees the financial operations of the company and uses her forward-thinking skills to help guide the organization in operational efficiency, strategic planning, and technological innovation.
Prior to joining this industry, Paula came from the heat treating business, helping to build a strong foundation in operational finance and leadership before transitioning to the receivables management sector in 2019. She holds a degree in Business Management and Accounting and maintains both the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified in Strategy and Competitive Analysis (CSCA) designations.
She is a proud wife and mother to her son and is an avid hockey fan. In her spare time outside of her professional life, she enjoys attending live concerts and going to Chicago Blackhawks games with her family.
Stafford Thomas, Assistant Secretary
Vice President, Lyon Collection Services
With over 35 years of experience in the collections industry, Mr. Stafford Thomas began his career as a collector and progressed into legal collections before advancing into senior leadership. Ha has served as General Manager and currently holds the position of Vice President at Lyon Collection Services, where he brings decades of operational expertise and industry insight. He currently resides with his family in New jersey, where he enjoys playing tennis, traveling and spending time with his grandkids including teaching them how to play tennis.
Humberto E. Matz, Past President
General Manager, Creditors Adjustment Bureau
Humberto earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Northridge, in 1986. In 1986, as a “summer job”, he took a collector position at LC Financial in order to learn the art of negotiation. Promoted to the role of Account Manager in 1988, he directed the handling of debtor accounts along the east coast region, which involved communicating with clients and forwarding attorneys, as well as taking over the training of the collector staff. In 1996, he assumed the role of General Manager, overseeing the daily operations of LC Financial.
In 2004, LC Financial was purchased by Creditors Adjustment Bureau. Humberto oversaw the integration of LC Financial operations with those of Creditors Adjustment Bureau. Today, Humberto continues in his “summer job” as the General Manager of Creditors Adjustment Bureau, overseeing the operations of the collection, sales, administrative, and legal departments.
Creditors Adjustment Bureau is a premier commercial collection agency with an in-house law firm of 5 collection attorneys and a full staff of paralegals and legal secretaries.
Mariana Palladino, Board Member at Large
Chief Compliance Officer, Altus Commercial Receivables
Mariana Palladino is a corporate law, compliance, and regulatory professional. She currently serves as the Chief Compliance Officer at Altus Commercial Receivables, where she leads the Compliance Department and oversees enterprise wide legal and regulatory compliance for the organization.
Mariana joined Altus in 2019 as Outside Counsel / Escalation Attorney and transitioned into her executive role in 2020. In her capacity as CCO, she works closely with Altus’ executive leadership team on corporate governance, regulatory compliance, licensing strategy, risk management, and policy development. Her role integrates corporate legal advisory functions with operational compliance, supporting executive decision making and long term strategic planning across the enterprise.
Mariana earned her Juris Doctor from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of New Orleans. She is admitted to practice law in Louisiana.