CFPB: Executive Team Addition Announcement

Industry Update
January 30, 2020

Source: CFPB

Washington, D.C. — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) today announced additions to its executive team. The leadership positions are:

Susan M. Bernard will serve as Assistant Director for Regulations in the Research, Markets and Regulation Division. Before joining the Bureau, she served as the Director of the Office of Regulations and Policy in the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Bernard earned her doctorate and master’s degrees in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts.

Donna Roy will serve as Chief Information Officer in the Bureau’s Operations Division. Ms. Roy has more than 18 years of Federal service. Before joining the Bureau, she served as Executive Director, Information Sharing and Services Office at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security where she was focused on innovative solutions for identity management, national scale collaboration and trust platforms, and scalable data infrastructure solutions to customers within a dynamic environment. Ms. Roy is a United States Marine Corps veteran. She is a graduate of Wades College in Dallas, Texas.

Rachelle Vaughan will serve as Chief Procurement Officer in the Bureau’s Operations Division. Ms. Vaughan has more than 11 years of Federal service. Before joining the Bureau, she served as Director of Procurement Services for the Corporation for National and Community Service where she was the executive procurement officer and oversaw the agency’s entire acquisition portfolio. Ms. Vaughan earned her bachelor’s degree from Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia, her master’s degree from Argosy University in Arlington, Virginia, and her doctor of education from Argosy University in Phoenix, Arizona. She has also earned an associate’s certificate in contract management and a master’s certificate in government contracting both from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Thomas G. Ward will serve as Assistant Director of Enforcement in the Supervision, Enforcement & Fair Lending Division. Before joining the Bureau, he served as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Ward was a litigation partner at Williams & Connolly LLP in Washington, DC, where his practice focused on financial and securities litigation and investigations, and a corporate associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York City. Mr. Ward clerked for the Honorable Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and earned his law degree from Columbia Law School in New York City.

David Wernecke will serve as Chief Experience Officer. Mr. Wernecke has served at the Bureau since 2013, most recently as the Section Chief in the Consumer Response Product Office. He has more than 20 years of executive experience in the financial services industry and five years in management consulting supporting Federal agencies. Mr. Wernecke earned his B.A. in political science and history from Towson University in Towson, Maryland.

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CEO

Alan Jaffa

Alan Jaffa is the Chief Executive Officer for Safeguard Properties, steering the company as the mortgage field services industry leader. He also serves on the board of advisors for SCG Partners, a middle-market private equity fund focused on diversifying and expanding Safeguard Properties’ business model into complimentary markets.

Alan joined Safeguard in 1995, learning the business from the ground up. He was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2002, and was named CEO in May 2010. His hands-on experience has given him unique insights as a leader to innovate, improve and strengthen Safeguard’s processes to assure that the company adheres to the highest standards of quality and customer service.

Under Alan’s leadership, Safeguard has grown significantly with strategies that have included new and expanded services, technology investments that deliver higher quality and greater efficiency to clients, and strategic acquisitions. He takes a team approach to process improvement, involving staff at all levels of the organization to address issues, brainstorm solutions, and identify new and better ways to serve clients.

In 2008, Alan was recognized by Crain’s Cleveland Business in its annual “40-Under-40” profile of young leaders. He also was named a NEO Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award finalist in 2013.

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Esq., General Counsel and EVP

Linda Erkkila

Linda Erkkila is the General Counsel and Executive Vice President for Safeguard Properties, with oversight of legal, human resources, training, and compliance. Linda’s broad scope of oversight covers regulatory issues that impact Safeguard’s operations, risk mitigation, strategic planning, human resources and training initiatives, compliance, insurance, litigation and claims management, and counsel related to mergers, acquisition and joint ventures.

Linda assures that Safeguard’s strategic initiatives align with its resources, leverage opportunities across the company, and contemplate compliance mandates. She has practiced law for 25 years and her experience, both as outside and in-house counsel, covers a wide range of corporate matters, including regulatory disclosure, corporate governance compliance, risk assessment, compensation and benefits, litigation management, and mergers and acquisitions.

Linda earned her JD at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. She holds a degree in economics from Miami University and an MBA. Linda was previously named as both a “Woman of Influence” by HousingWire and as a “Leading Lady” by MReport.

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COO

Michael Greenbaum

Michael Greenbaum is the Chief Operating Officer of Safeguard Properties, where he has played a pivotal role since joining the company in July 2010. Initially brought on as Vice President of REO, Mike’s exceptional leadership and strategic vision quickly propelled him to Vice President of Operations in 2013, and ultimately to COO in 2015. Over his 14-year tenure at Safeguard, Mike has been instrumental in driving change and fostering innovation within the Property Preservation sector, consistently delivering excellence and becoming a trusted partner to clients and investors.

A distinguished graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Mike earned a degree in Quantitative Economics. Following his graduation, he served in the U.S. Army’s Ordnance Branch, where he specialized in supply chain management. Before his tenure at Safeguard, Mike honed his expertise by managing global supply chains for 13 years, leveraging his military and civilian experience to lead with precision and efficacy.

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CFO

Joe Iafigliola

Joe Iafigliola is the Chief Financial Officer for Safeguard Properties. Joe is responsible for the Control, Quality Assurance, Business Development, Marketing, Accounting, and Information Security departments. At the core of his responsibilities is the drive to ensure that Safeguard’s focus remains rooted in Customer Service = Resolution. Through his executive leadership role, he actively supports SGPNOW.com, an on-demand service geared towards real estate and property management professionals as well as individual home owners in need of inspection and property preservation services. Joe is also an integral force behind Compliance Connections, a branch of Safeguard Properties that allows code enforcement professionals to report violations at properties that can then be addressed by the Safeguard vendor network. Compliance Connections also researches and shares vacant property ordinance information with Safeguard clients.

Joe has an MBA from The Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA), and holds a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University’s Honors Accounting program.

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Business Development

Carrie Tackett

Business Development Safeguard Properties