ACA International has announced the hiring of Kari Barber to be the association’s new corporate counsel.
Barber will work out of ACA’s corporate headquarters in Minneapolis and work with Issa More, ACA’s general counsel and vice president of legal.
Prior to joining ACA, Barber was corporate counsel at ECMC Corp., a nonprofit corporation that works in the student loan business.
Barber’s hiring comes shortly after Karen Scheibe Eliason left ACA to become the chief compliance officer and legal counsel at Wakefield & Associates. Scheibe Eliason was a vice president and senior counsel at ACA who left the association earlier this month.
In her new role at ACA, Barber said she will focus on growing ACA’s Industry Advancement Program, which helps members fund the defense of lawsuits, and developing and enhancing the association’s library of compliance education materials.
“I’ve talked with many consumers over the course of my career and overall my goal is also for industry professionals to be there to help explain a consumer’s debt, make it easier to understand, and more importantly help them move forward. We are trying to help consumers, it’s more than just about collecting debt,” Barber said in a published report. “In my role working with members, I will also provide support to the Member Attorney Program and Judicial committees. Down the road, as part of my mission to help members succeed, I hope we can build on and expand our excellent compliance and education resources for members.”
