John McNamara Officially Joins CFPB Leadership Team

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced Friday that John McNamara will serve as the CFPB’s Assistant Director of Consumer Lending, Reporting, and Collections Markets.  McNamara previously served in the same capacity in an acting role, and before that was the debt collection program manager at the Bureau. Prior to joining the Bureau, he was the chief marketing officer for LiveVox, a provider of cloud contact center solutions, and was the president, chief executive officer, and co-founder of Fidelis Recovery Solutions, Inc. Mr. McNamara has over 30 years of experience working in the debt collection market. Mr. McNamara received his B.A. and M.B.A. from Kennesaw State University.   

Other senior leadership positions announced by the Bureau on Friday include:

Leandra English is returning to the CFPB to serve as the Chief of Staff.  Ms. English has previously served in a number of senior leadership roles at the Bureau, including deputy chief operating officer, acting chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, and deputy associate director of external affairs. Most recently, Ms. English served as the principal deputy chief of staff at the Office of Personnel Management.  Ms. English also served as chief of staff and senior advisor to the deputy director of management at the Office of Management and Budget. Ms. English received her B.A. from New York University and her M.S. from the London School of Economics. 

Jerry Horton will serve as the CFPB’s Chief Information Officer. Before joining the Bureau, Mr. Horton worked at the Department of State where he started and led the Office of the Chief Architect for State’s global information presence. Prior to that, Mr. Horton was the chief information officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development and before that held the same role at the U.S. Mint in the Department of the Treasury. Before working in the government, Mr. Horton spent over 20 years in the private sector leading both business and technical functions for a wide variety of startups, two supercomputer manufacturers, and several large corporations. Mr. Horton received his B.S. from the University of Colorado.  

Paul Kantwill will serve as the CFPB’s Assistant Director for Servicemember Affairs. Prior to joining the Bureau, Mr. Kantwill served as the director in the Office of Legal Policy, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Personnel & Readiness at the Pentagon. In this capacity, Mr. Kantwill was the Department of Defense’s legal policy expert on the financial industry and the effects financial products and services had on military members and their families. Mr. Kantwill had a 25 year military career as an active duty officer in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, and has served in Afghanistan, and the Persian Gulf. Mr. Kantwill received his B.A. from Loyola University, Chicago and his J.D. from Loyola University, Chicago School of Law. 

Elizabeth (Eli) Reilly will serve as the CFPB’s Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Reilly previously served as the deputy chief financial officer at the Bureau, joining as one of the agency’s first employees in 2010. Prior to joining the CFPB, Ms. Reilly was a program examiner and acting branch chief at the Office of Management and Budget. Ms. Reilly was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea, West Africa. Ms. Reilly received her B.A. from Wesleyan University and her M.A.L.D. from Tufts University.

insideARM Perspective

Because of his 30 years in the business, many in the ARM community know John well. He has been accessible to the industry since joining the Bureau, and has been helpful in facilitating the education of CFPB employees about the nuances of the debt collection business. 

insideARM congratulates John on this well-earned promotion.