Ren Magat is the Vice President of BALANCE and the Vice President/COO of Consumer Credit Counseling Service of San Francisco. He has worked for the organization since 1991.

Ren is recognized as a leader in the credit counseling industry for his abilities to develop and implement technology. He regularly serves on committees and task forces to assist other agencies in streamlining processes and workflows. Ren is directly responsible for enabling the dynamic growth of the San Francisco CCCS agency from the 30th largest agency in 1991 to the 3rd largest agency in 2001.

Prior to joining CCCS and BALANCE, Ren worked for Trans Union in Sales Support/Technical Support; and worked for Experian (then TRW) as Consumer Relations Supervisor for two years. He also has over eight years’ experience in retail management.

Before being promoted to Vice President of Program Services in 2002, Rick Harper began his career in 1994 as Director of our Housing Education Program. He was formerly associated with Pacific Coast Savings of San Francisco as Executive Vice President, Chief Lending Officer, and with Gateway Bank where he served as President.

Rick received his BA and JD degrees from Wake Forest University. He is a member of the North Carolina and Florida Bar Associations and is a real estate broker licensed by the California Department of Real Estate.

Jeannine Moore has nine years experience with Consumer Credit Counseling Service and BALANCE. She worked at CCCS in Philadelphia as a counselor, then at CCCS of San Francisco as a counselor, Counselor Trainer, and as BALANCE supervisor. She has been the Director of Marketing and Communications for BALANCE since 1999, and is the company's key spokesperson and media representative.

Jeannine holds Bachelor's Degree in English and Psychology from Temple University.

For many years Jack has been providing financial and consumer product companies with innovative solutions to achieving their revenue and profit goals. He has held managment and consulting positions with Wells Fargo, Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns, Lockheed, Xerox and CBS. Jack is especially adept at helping credit unions improve their bottom line as well as the bottom line of their members. Jack holds an Engineering degree and an MBA from Columbia University. Jack is also a certified credit counselor.

Karen Schwall has over 16 years of experience working with financial institutions. Prior to joining BALANCE, Karen was Senior Vice President of Sales and Service for Profitstar, Inc. in Omaha, NE. A recognized leader in Asset/Liability (ALM) and Profitability Management, Karen leveraged her financial institution and consulting experience with financial managers to help Profitstar grow to serve over 1700 banks and credit unions. Karen has been featured at many industry seminars, speaking on the topics of Risk Management, ALM and Profitability Accounting. She has taught thousands of financial managers the key principles of growing their financial institution in a way that balances risk vs. reward - ensuring the ongoing financial strength of their organization.

Karen previously held several positions in financial institutions in Atlanta, Georgia, including First National Bank of Atlanta and Home Federal Savings Bank where she focused on branch management and consumer lending; she also served on a new product development committee at Home Federal. For Bank South, NA, she worked in one of two pilot offices in the area of Private Banking, catering to the needs of professionals and their commercial/ personal lending and depository needs.

Karen holds a MBA in Finance from Georgia State University and is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Shorter College with a BSBA degree.

RICO C. DELGADILLO
Director of Program Services

Rico C. Delgadillo is a certified Credit and Housing Counselor by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC). Rico has over 16 years of credit and housing counseling experience, serving both English and Spanish speaking communities. Rico joined our team as the Counseling Manager and then was promoted to the position of Director of Counseling. He was recently promoted to the position of Director of Program Services to include overseeing the housing counseling and housing partnerships.

Before joining Consumer Credit Counseling Service of San Francisco, Rico held the position of Vice President an Chief Operating Officer for Consumer Credit Counseling Service of San Antonio. His vast knowledge comes from time spent in creditor relations, credit and housing counselor, and running a wide range of community service programs. He also served on several NFCC task force committees. Rico's management roles include being the Manager of Employee Development and Training, Director of Customer Service, Vice President of Customer Service and Operations, and Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Rico's true passion is directing high-quality, effective counseling programs and he brings his considerable energy and vision to our company.

Ed has over 28 years experience in the consumer credit industry. He was acting President of the North Carolina Association of Credit Counseling Agencies and served two terms as board member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. Ed is an experienced educator, having been a guest lecturer in personal finance at Guilford College, and believes that “consumers need to receive education to make knowledgeable choices in the marketplace, and establish financial strategies that promote self-sufficiency and economic well-being.” Ed holds degrees in Economics from University of North Carolina at Greensboro and University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Jose Rivas has worked in financial education since 1999. Prior to his current managerial position, Jose was a bilingual financial counselor, and he holds a special credential in credit report review through the Consumer Data Industry Association. Before joining the BALANCE team, Jose taught computer skills to children. He believes that “too often we spend our money instead of our time – when we might be better served by the opposite.” Jose is a knowledgeable and energetic presenter who truly enjoys helping people better manage their money.

“Being truly excited about, committed to and invested in the success of our partners and their members . . . these are the essential qualities of a BALANCE Partner Relations Manager,” Jay believes.

Jay Jentoft has been dedicated to helping companies be more successful for more than 30 years. From small start-ups to multi-national corporations; from companies struggling to stay afloat to hugely profitable businesses strategizing to maintain their competitive edge; from small business owners to boards of directors, Jay has worked in partnership with professionals at all levels and companies of all sizes and phases of development.

Jay has owned his own successful businesses in areas as diverse as aerial photography and sales and management training.

A native of Seattle, Jay is happy to be settled back in the Puget Sound area after having lived in Alaska, San Francisco and New York City. Jay was graduated from the University of Washington with degrees in both Speech Communication and English.

"Financial literacy across a lifespan is a critical issue.  The majority of Americans have inadequate knowledge about concepts related to personal finance.  The problem becomes a more serious issue among lower income consumers.”

With a background in Financial Services, most recently within a commercial bank, and a passion for personal finance, I saw an amazing opportunity to make a difference in the financial lives of members and communities BALANCE serves throughout the country.
 
At Merrill Lynch working with High Net Worth Individuals, it was apparent that clients had acquired such wealth through sound financial decisioning.  I feel that access to sound financial decisions should be made available to people of all income levels.  Many times it’s the people who need the education most have access to it least.

Graduated from DePaul University with a degree in Finance.

Stephanie has over 9 years of experience with financial counseling and education. Prior to her current l position as Partner Relations Manager, Stephanie spent nine years working as a financial counselor and managed counseling programs in an agency in Jacksonville, Florida, where she currently resides. Additionally, she worked in an Area Agency on Aging for two years and was shocked at the number of elderly in financial distress that she encountered. Stephanie firmly believes that in order to meet goals a plan must be created and followed. She encourages people to save whenever she can.

Ingrid Robertson has over a decade’s worth of experience in helping consumers achieve their financial goals. Prior to her current position she worked in creditor relations and client services for CCCS of San Francisco, where she assisted both English and Spanish Speaking clients. Ingrid believes that financial education and counseling truly makes a difference in a person’s life. “ Counseling helps to fulfill dreams and meet goals for consumers since they receive the information they need to take control of their financial lives.” Ingrid greatly enjoys helping people become financially independent.

Bridget Arroyo has 18 years experience in the retail credit business. For Sears, Roebuck, & Co she worked as Collections Supervisor, then Promotions Manager, Store Credit Liaison, and Credit Collection Manager. She later joined Macy's California as the Assistant Collection supervisor in 1987.

Bridget served on the Board of Credit Granters of San Francisco for 2 years, as well as the Board of CCCS of San Francisco for 2 years. She began working at CCCS of San Francisco in 1997 and has supervised BALANCE staff since 2000. Bridget graduated from U.C., Berkeley with a B.A. in Sociology.

Ray Easter came to BALANCE in 1999 as a counselor and became a supervisor in 2005. Prior to joining BALANCE he was the Purchasing Manager for a chain of Bay Area video stores. He has worked as a manager trainer for Starbucks Coffee Company and has more than 13 years of management experience. Ray is a main presenter for many of the BALANCE workshops. His enjoyable and effective presentation style has helped thousands of families achieve financial success. Ray has a B.A. in Political Science from UC Berkeley.