Our leadership team remains focused to ensure accountability, efficiency and performance. Responsible for developing the strategy and tactics to achieve the company's short and long term financial objectives by staffing the right people, doing the right things, at the right time, in the right way.
Pamela D. Baird
Chief Executive Officer
Responsibilities
Top Legal Officer and responsible for Managing the General Counsel Department, contracts, corporate filings, Enterprise Risk Management Compliance, and complaint and litigation management.
Experience
Pamela joined ConServe in April 2007, formerly representing creditors and debt collectors nationwide for collections litigation and FDCPA and FCRA Defense.
Achievements
Memberships include the Association of Corporate Counsel, New York State Bar Association), ACA International, Inc., and the Monroe County Bar Association. She is also the 2018 recipient of the Corporate Counsel Award, presented by The Daily Record, in partnership with the Rochester Business Journal.
Education
Pamela received her law degree from Syracuse University College of Law and her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University. Attorney, Bar Admission, New York.
Mark E. Davitt
Founder and Former Chief Executive Officer
Responsibilities
Responsible for company growth and performance through identifying and meeting stakeholder needs and expectations.
Experience
Mark has been involved in the collection industry since 1979, working on both the creditor side in higher education and the servicer side for defaulted loan and accounts receivable. Before founding ConServe, his work experience included assignments in North Carolina, Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, Philadelphia, New York and South Carolina. He also served as Associate Bursar at RIT and was the Assistant Coach for the RIT Men’s Ice Hockey team’s first national championship.
Mark served as President of ACA International, an association of more than 5,000 corporate members worldwide. ACA represents third-party collection agencies, law firms, asset purchasing companies, creditors and affiliates, representing more than 230,000 industry employees. Additionally, he has served the association on the national level as Chairman of the National Legislative Council, as a member and Chairman of the ACPAC Steering Committee, a member on ACA's Agency Certification Committee, and as a member of ACA's Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee.
Mark has presented to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the New York State Assembly, the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, the Taiwan Credit and Collection Association, and has appeared on CNBC on various aspects of the Debt Collection industry.
Mark is a member of the International Fellowship of Certified Collectors and was an ACA International (American Collector’s Association) Certified Instructor. Mark has been active in other important industry organizations, including the New York State Collectors Association, where he served two terms as President and is now a Member of the Board of Directors Emeritus.
Achievements and Philanthropy
Mark is a recipient of both the Scholar and Fellow degrees in Collection Business Management, and has been conferred the Master Credit Executive credential by the Society of Certified Credit Executives. In 2013 Mark was the recipient of the Small Business Council of Rochester's Business Person of the Year Award in the large business category. He received the RBJ ICON Award in 2018, the Saunders College of RIT's Herbert W. Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award in 2021, and the Wilder Award from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.
His past and current philanthropy initiatives include financial literacy training, the ACA Education Foundation, the American Diabetes Association, the Irish Children’s Program of Rochester, Golisano Children’s Hospital, the Seneca Park Zoo, Hope Hall School, Nativity Preparatory School, Genesee Country Village & Museum, ABVI/Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, Ibero-American Action League, Lollypop Farm, palliative and hospice care entities, and many other small local and regional organizations with an emphasis on serving some of the most vulnerable members of our society.
Education
A graduate of Hamilton College, Mark holds an Artium Baccalaureum degree.
Richard N. Klein, CPA
President
Responsibilities
Richard joined ConServe in March 2003. His responsibilities include company growth and performance through identifying and meeting stakeholder needs and expectations. He brings deep industry knowledge as an accomplished senior financial executive and well-rounded experience in all aspects of accounting and financial management.
Experience
Prior to joining ConServe, Rich held CFO and Controller positions with high-tech software companies in the Rochester area. He also worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers for 7 years as an Audit Manager.
Achievements
Richard has earned his CPA, and is a member of the New York State Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs. Richard is also the 2013 recipient of the Rochester Business Journal's Financial Executive of the Year Award.
Education
Richard received his undergraduate degree from St. John Fisher College, with a major in accounting. He earned his MBA from the University of Rochester's Simon School of Business, with concentrations in finance, entrepreneurship, and marketing.
Brandon J. Booker
Vice President
Responsibilities
As the Vice President of Operations, Brandon oversees the day-to-day operations for ConServe's contracts with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Treasury, Guaranty Agencies, Private Loan lenders and Colleges and Universities. Brandon is the Project Sponsor for the upgrade of the ConServe Collection Management System to DM9.
Experience
Brandon Joined Conserve in 2007. He had previously held management positions on the ED contract for NCO and IQor and has been working in the student loan collection industry since 2005.
Achievements
Brandon is an ACA certified collection specialist. Brandon and his team have earned Top Performer Recognitions across all major contracts and all lines of business.
Education
Brandon attended the State University of New York at Buffalo and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance/Marketing.
Kevin J. Gelabert
Chief Marketing Officer
Responsibilities
Kevin has been with ConServe since 2007 and has direct P&L responsibility for the Sales, Marketing and Client Service organizations within ConServe. Kevin is part of a Senior Executive team that is responsible for long-term strategic planning as well as the short-term performance management of the enterprise. Kevin oversees the total Client experience and is responsible for identifying key markets in which ConServe can generate significant ROI value for Clients.
Experience
Prior to joining ConServe, Kevin spent 15 years in the communications industry holding various sales and sales management positions with leading companies including AT&T, Global Crossing Ltd., and Frontier Communications International.
Achievements
Kevin was named a member of the top 40 executives under 40 by the Rochester Business Journal. He was a founding member of a key executive group for Vistage International and has served as a member of the Rochester Rotary. He is a Dale Carnegie graduate; and has held numerous board seats in local organizations, and is a certified youth coach.
Education
Kevin earned an MBA from Syracuse University – Martin J. Whitman School of Management, with concentrations in Organizational & Marketing management. He was a member of the Mau Kappa Tau National Honor Society and the National Dean's List. He earned an BA from the University of Rochester with concentrations in Economics & Political Science also earning a Certificate of Financial Management from the Simon School of Business. Kevin also earned 1st team honors for excellence in NCAA Athletics.
George M. Huyler, PHR
Vice President, Human Resources
Responsibilities
Managing and implementing all of the Human Resources programs and systems required to support ConServe's continuous growth; employment, legislative and regulatory compliance; payroll; executive staff acquisition and development; compensation systems, benefits analysis, and Human Resources Information Systems.
Experience
George has spent the majority of his career in human resources management in the banking and accounts receivable management industries, most recently serving as Vice President of Human Resources for Firstsource. Prior to joining Firstsource, Mr. Huyler held senior executive positions with IRMC and NCO Financial Systems.
Achievements
George is a member of the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics, the Association for Talent Development, the Society for Human Resource Management and is a board member of the National Human Resource Association (Rochester Affiliate). He serves as President of the Genesee Area HR Professional Association, and was recognized in 2015 as the NHRA HR Executive of the Year for Rochester, NY. He has been an industry speaker at a number of relevant conferences on human resource trends and issues. ConServe has been repeatedly recognized as a "Best Place to Work" in our industry, as well as a Global Top 125 Training Organization for the past three years by Training Magazine.
Education
George attended LeMoyne College and Syracuse University and holds the professional designation of Professional in Human Resources from the Human Resource Certification Institute, and is a Certified Professional of the Society for Human Resource Management. He has taught HR professionals for the Cornell School of Labor Relations.
Pamela A. Murphy
Vice President, Compliance & Privacy Officer
Responsibilities
Responsible for ensuring all facets of ConServe's operations comply with regulatory requirements, Client requirements and ConServe's own Internal Policies and Procedures.
Experience
Pamela joined ConServe in 1993 as our legal manager and was promoted to vice president of compliance in 2004. In this role, Pamela has been instrumental in developing and implementing ConServe's PPMS. Her leadership was instrumental in earning ConServe the ACA Certification designation in August 2001. She has also served two terms on ACA International's PPMS™ Committee. Pamela conducts ConServe University®® workshops for colleges and universities on Collection Tips and Techniques as well as ACA International seminars.
Achievements
Pamela was awarded both the Scholar & Fellow degrees in Collection Business Management from ACA International. Additionally, Pamela is an ACA Professional Collection Specialist, ACA Certified Instructor, ACA Credit & Collection Compliance Officer (CCCO), a Fred Kirschner Instructor Achievement Award Winner and an approved ACA PPMS™ Instructor. Pamela also is a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP) through Compliance Certification Board (CCB). Pamela was also recognized in Collection Advisor Magazine as one of the Top Compliance Gurus of 2015.
Education
Pamela received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Alfred University.
Robert Leni
General Counsel
Responsibilities
Top Legal Officer responsible for Managing the General Counsel Department and providing overall guidance for legal, regulatory, and compliance oversight regarding debt collection and consumer financial protection laws and regulations, contract performance and task order requirements, and litigation management.
Experience
Rob joined ConServe in April 2013, and formerly in private practice for over 15 years representing several major banks, lenders, and financial institutions in creditor’s rights and consumer banking litigation.
Achievements
Memberships include the Association of Corporate Counsel, New York State Bar Association, ACA International, Inc., and the Monroe County Bar Association.
Education
Rob received his law degree from American University, Washington College of Law and his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and Bar Admission: New York.
Justin Spooner
Chief Information Officer
Responsibilities
Responsible for delivering an IT environment and organization that positions ConServe to meet its strategic goals for future growth and success by leveraging technology and delivering superior IT service.
Experience
Justin has over 15 years of IT experience and has been with ConServe since 2008. As Network Operations Manager, he led ConServe through a transformation from an aging physical server environment to a state-of-the-art virtualized data center. His accomplishments and contributions to ConServe’s growth and success led to his promotion to Chief Information Officer in 2018.
Achievements
Justin was integral in the development, design, and management of ConServe’s Information Security Program, ensuring its alignment with FISMA, PCI, SSAE 18, and other regulatory requirements. The Program has led to multiple ATO’s and system approvals for ConServe’s Collection Management System granted by multiple federal agencies and other private and public Clients.
Education
Justin earned an A.A.S. degree in Computer Information Systems and a B.T. degree in Information Technology – Application Software Development from Morrisville State College.
