Board of Directors

Teresa Dodson

Founder

I have been in the financial services/debt relief industry for over 18 years and one of the first things I noticed about my industry was there were so few women in executive leadership. Over the years this dynamic has been evolving, but still not equal. With that we as women face different challenges in the workplace. Learning how to navigate through this and win at the end the day is tough. One of the many things I’ve learned is that the support and guidance from your peers makes the difference. I created Women of Debt Relief to be an exceptional group of women that come from the financial services industry that can share insights, guidance, and support for one another and to create opportunities through this network.

Yolanda Schufford

Yolanda Schufford is a top executive in communications with previous ties to broadcast news. Yolanda is the Chief of Communications and Public Affairs Officer for Beyond Finance, LLC. She leads a team of professionals that focuses on government relations and external/internal communications. She has held positions with similar responsibilities at GM Financial, Comerica Bank and Cash America. Prior to corporate America, Yolanda spent 12 years as a television news reporter. She has worked for WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas and WTHR-TV in her hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. Throughout her career, Yolanda’s work has been recognized locally and nationally through multiple awards from organizations, such as the Public Relations Society of America. A graduate of Ball State University, Yolanda received her Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Telecommunications and a minor in Speech Communication. She currently resides in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas with her husband, Ray, and two daughters in college.

Stephannie Miranda

Stephannie graduated from Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center in 2013 and is admitted to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Florida. After graduating from law school, Stephannie worked for several debt resolution law firms in New York and has litigated and negotiated thousands of consumer debt matters. After moving to California in 2018, she took the opportunity to bring her unique perspective to the broader world of debt resolution at Americor–a debt settlement company. As AVP, Corporate Counsel at Americor, Stephannie focuses on regulatory and licensing compliance work applicable to the debt settlement/financial services industry. This includes monitoring new regulatory and legal compliance requirements, maintaining and obtaining relevant licenses, responding to examinations, audits and investigations, and reviewing marketing materials. She also developed and manages Americor’s UDAAP program, while partnering with business leads to facilitate feedback and remediation of violations.

Outside of work, Stephannie enjoys taking road trips with her husband and frenchie Mango, playing tennis, and learning Portuguese–the nationality of her parents.

Jill Newman

Jill Newman comes to Women of Debt Relief with knowledge and experience in the debt settlement industry. Jill handles licensing for debt settlement companies in this highly regulated industry. She was with Sky Bridge Financial and DebtBlue for the past three years. She recently joined the Law Firm of Higbee & Associates in the consumer advocacy division.

Jill has a BS from Tulane University in New Orleans and a JD from FSU College of Law in Tallahassee, Florida.

If not at her desk, you can find her at Hotworx where she does isometrics, yoga and pilates in 125 degrees.

Yanelle Prieto

Yanelle Prieto is the Chief Operations Officer for Consumer Capital Advocates and has been working in the debt settlement industry since 2013. From an early age she began taking on multiple roles of increasing responsibility within the organization, using her creative vision and insight to streamline and improve the company’s operations.

Born and raised in South Florida by immigrant parents, Yanelle worked hard to thrive and has continued following her dreams to help those around her and having a positive impact on the people she meets.

In her spare time, she volunteers with several non-profit organizations including The Fearless Phoenix Foundation. She started this organization in 2021 to provide aid to burn survivors, spread awareness to the burn community, and mentoring young children going through the mental and physical struggles of burn injuries.

Yanelle is also on the Board of Directors for The Debt Relief Institute which is an organization dedicated to helping Americans educate themselves with resources to help them find long-lasting financial security.

Mary Lynn Clark

Mary Lynn Clark is a global C-Suite Executive, driving transformation and growth through
strategic, financial and operational leadership with a focus on accountability, stakeholder
integration and purpose.With over thirty years of cross-industry and multi-disciplinary experience, Mary Lynn is able to connect the dots quickly, develop innovative solutions, bring together diverse groups to transform businesses and drive growth for leading brands such as Marriott International, Marriott Vacation Worldwide, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Company, Wyndham Vacation Rentals and Strategic Financial Solutions.

Prior to joining Wyndham, Mary Lynn held a 26-year tenure in hospitality with The Ritz Carlton Destination Club, Marriott Vacations Worldwide and Marriott International. She began her career in finance and has held various business executive roles in the areas of strategic planning, business and product development, brand and change management, e-Commerce, sales, marketing, and hospitality operations. She has had global responsibility in the U.S., Europe, Middle East, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean for multiple brands; Marriott Vacation Club International and The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club.

Mary Lynn holds her bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing from Duquesne University.

Allison Filenko

Allison Filenko is the Executive Vice President of Client Development for Global Holdings, the leader in payment processing and account management services for the debt settlement industry. She oversees the growth and management of Global’s corporate client relationships and other key strategic partnerships and has a passion for leveraging technology to deliver meaningful and efficient solutions for Global’s partners. Since joining Global in 2009 she has enjoyed being a part of the industry’s growth and evolution and is even more excited about the opportunities ahead.

Prior to her time at Global Allison worked for Dell Technologies running a high-performing sales team focused on the mid-market where she had the opportunity to drive many key initiatives and projects. One of her favorite initiatives she led during her time at Dell was the ground-up launch of a highly successful sales team in Panama City, Panama. Allison earned her bachelor’s degree from The University of Oklahoma where she pursued a double major in Business Administration and Spanish. She currently resides in Tulsa, OK with her husband and two daughters. When not working Allison loves to travel!

Carrie Brown

Carrie Brown is the VP of Operations for Debt Pay Inc. and a dedicated compliance board member for Debt Pay Gateway. She has worked with both companies for 6 years. Additionally, she has a vast array of knowledge and understanding of technology and sales in financial services as well as real estate due to her extensive 20-year experience in these sectors. Carrie is a staunch advocate for client growth and is regarded as a valued & respected resource for corporate leaders. Carrie’s leadership is recognized across the industry as represented by her contribution to many industry organizations, committees, and events. Carrie is driven by continuous growth & improvement with an innate ability to motivate everyone around her.

Kelly Decker

With 17 years experience in the third party debt collections industry and the last 6 years devoted to managing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of distressed receivables enrolled in debt relief programs across hundreds of debt relief companies in the country, it’s no wonder Kelly saw an opportunity to bring her expertise to the debt relief industry and to truly help people get out of all of their debt. In 2020, she joined Beyond Finance to build and strengthen relationships with banks, lenders, creditors and any company within the spectrum of accounts receivable management to ensure the best outcomes for the clients enrolled in their programs. Kelly is also an advocate for mental health and well-being. Having a strong and personal understanding of the stress finances can bring into the home, she is a champion for mental health initiatives and removing the stigma behind caring for our mental health. She is also a volunteer member of the Community Connections Committee for the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.