Katalina (00:01.211)
Hello and welcome back to another episode of Career Path. I am your host Catalina. Today we will be discussing getting involved in your industry. And to discuss this topic with me, I have Amber Russo. Amber is the president and principal of Keno Financial Corporation, LLC, an RMAI certified debt buyer. And Amber also serves as a secretary for the RMAI board of director. Amber, I am so excited to have you on. Thank you so much for being here with me today.

Amber Russo (00:29.454)
Yeah, thank you for having me. This is exciting.

Katalina (00:32.571)
My pleasure. Well, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got to where you are today?

Amber Russo (00:38.83)
I mean, you know, I don't think my story is that much different than a lot of folks in the industry. You don't plan on getting into debt buying. So I started working for a collection law firm 18 years ago as like an entry level employee, quickly decided it was something that I liked. I...

Katalina (00:39.803)
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Katalina (00:48.333)
No.

Amber Russo (01:06.543)
became their director of operations, stayed there for several years, and then made a transition to another collection law firm. When I sort of got into that space, I said, you know, your clients aren't original creditors like my previous law firm. Like, who are these companies? And when I found out that they were debt buyers, I sort of was exposed to that world. And...

Fast forward seven years ago, I was given the opportunity to create Keno Financial with my business partner. And we have grown to eight states. We actively purchase in eight states. I have a network of 14 servicers. And I'm just happy to have my spot in the industry.

Katalina (02:02.683)
That's fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing that. I love hearing about your background. And I chose you specifically for this topic because I know about how involved you are in this industry and just getting involved in general. So to kick this off, I would love to ask you, what does getting involved mean to you?

Amber Russo (02:21.744)
Well, I think, you know, look, we're going to talk a little bit about what I do in my personal life, as well as, you know, what getting what I'm involved in the industry. And I will say, look, if you know me, you know that I'm not a wallflower. I'm not somebody that, you know, sort of quietly follows along. So for me, getting involved was a way to, you know, have my voice be heard, whether you're talking about, you know, community.

events that are important to me or within our industry. So yeah, it was, and quite frankly, I was approached by a lot of my mentors and the folks that have come before me and they said, look, like you'd be good to get involved and you'd be somebody that's right for that opportunity. So I'm grateful for that.

Katalina (03:19.067)
Yeah. And you touched on several different ways about getting involved. So in your community itself, whether that's through charity work or other items or other activities, I mean, then there's, of course, industry events and then there's associations. And I know you are very involved in one particular association, the one we mentioned earlier, where you are a secretary for the RMAI Board of Directors.

On top of that, I know you are on committees, because I actually met you in a committee. We were on the membership committee together last year, which was fantastic. Can you talk a little bit about being on a committee and what that's like?

Amber Russo (03:57.361)
Yep. I think that if you're looking to sort of put your foot in the water of like getting involved with an association, I'll speak specifically to RMAI, you know, getting on a committee is sort of the first step. You know, find the one that speaks to you and to like your, you know, abilities in terms of, well, do I want to be on membership and do some outreach to fellow members, new members?

potential members, am I interested in fundraising and making calls to folks and helping them understand RMAI's advocacy efforts and why we could use their contributions. If you get on a committee that sort of speaks to what you want to do, you're gonna enjoy it and you're gonna serve the organization that you're a part of. I think the other benefit to that is that you get to know what we're up to.

Amber Russo (04:57.041)
serving on a committee, you know, you're like, I didn't know that that was an initiative of RMAIs. Right? But if you're participating, you certainly do. So the committee sort of is that first step. And then from there, you know, as you continue to sort of decide, well, I want to put more of my time and effort into the organization that I'm a part of and that serves our industry. That's really where

Katalina (05:02.531)
Yeah.

Katalina (05:12.795)
Thank you.

Amber Russo (05:26.897)
running for the board comes in, deciding that you wanna make that extra commitment and be involved in your organization, that's really the next step.

Katalina (05:39.483)
That's awesome. And for somebody who has never been on a committee before, last year was my first time on a committee. So it was very different for me. Can you describe what it's like, what being on a committee is like for somebody who's never been on one before?

Amber Russo (05:54.066)
Sure, so your committee chairs who are board members usually, or they are people that have been involved in the industry a long time and have been selected by a board member to sort of chair that committee or co -chair that committee, they will set sort of a cadence for your meetings. Typically they're monthly. You'll get an agenda. You'll know kind of what we're up to, what your committee has been tasked with.

and sort of how we'll divvy up those assignments. And, you know, for example, if you're on editorial, you know, you're working with those chairs to put out the digital dispatch and the magazine and social media posts. So again, it really, if it speaks to your talent, it's where you can kind of put your efforts and RMAI appreciates, you know, the resources that we have.

within our membership, right? So we look for people that want to get involved, you know, where it's appropriate, where it makes sense.

Katalina (06:58.971)
Absolutely. So what committees do you lead and why?

Amber Russo (07:04.531)
So right now I co -chair membership and you know, the goal for membership committee is to check in regularly with all of RMAI's membership and to also be recruiting new members of the organization. So I love co -chairing membership committee. We have a good time and we get to meet a lot of new folks in all different categories of membership.

I also chair the affiliate advisory council, which, you know, the goal of that council is to advise the board from the perspective of all of our affiliate members. And that, right, and so, you know, the affiliates, they do a great job of supporting the organization with a lot of their sponsorships and a lot of their, you know, they,

Katalina (07:51.105)
okay.

Amber Russo (08:03.54)
our exhibitors at our conferences. But oftentimes they're not consulted about education opportunities or do other affiliates understand the value that comes from being members of the RMAI organization. So we're working on that initiative now to make sure that other affiliates understand like, look, there's an opportunity here.

Katalina (08:26.779)
Yeah.

Amber Russo (08:31.7)
to participate in, the RMAI organization. And yeah. And then I'm also very involved with the, the state legislative, committee. And I have, I've served as a, an Arizona chair of that committee for years. but now I also, co -chair that as a member of the board.

Katalina (08:36.795)
Yeah, it's a way of giving them a voice.

Katalina (08:57.211)
See, this is why I chose you for this. You get involved everywhere. It's fantastic. And, go ahead.

Amber Russo (09:01.236)
Yeah, no, I was just gonna say, I certainly have my hands in a few things. And I've been lucky to have experienced other committees as well in my time involved in the organization. I was on the legislative fundraising committee prior to ever being a member of the board. I was sort of recruited there for my, yeah, it really was. It was my entry into the organization.

Katalina (09:25.147)
That was your first step in.

Amber Russo (09:31.155)
And...

Amber Russo (09:33.941)
I handed off the silent auction and it was something that again, I was just lucky from my mentors to be able to say like, look, take this and run with it. I mean, we had some of our best years of the silent auction and it was really a way that I could see how we could get money from our membership and then put it to use on the other side. You know, where our MAI advocacy efforts are focused.

Katalina (10:01.019)
Yeah.

Amber Russo (10:02.453)
And I also spent some time on editorial, which, you know, was, was a great experience. But again, I will, I will recommend to anybody watching this, you know, go where your talents are. You know, I'm not, it was not necessarily mine. I also co -chaired education last year and, and, you know, it's great to sort of see the workings of how all of these committees, you know, intertwined to make us a successful organization.

Katalina (10:16.155)
Yeah.

Katalina (10:32.923)
Absolutely, and to speak to what you just said, when I first started, I did the membership committee with you, because I wanted to meet people. I wanted to get more involved in the community by making relationships. And after I did that, I really enjoyed it. And you guys sent out that survey saying, hey, do you want to be on a committee again? And I was like, absolutely. I definitely want to be on a committee again. And I put down that either I wanted to do membership again or...

editorial and I chose editorial because I have a background in copywriting and I love writing. It is a huge passion of mine. So I did exactly what you said. You picked something that you have a passion for and I have been really enjoying it so far. It's been a great time on this committee. So.

Amber Russo (11:16.566)
No, that's great. And I, but that's of course where you're going to get the most value to, right? I mean, if you, if you feel like, like I don't want to make these fundraising calls. I've got enough calls that I have to make in my own business. it's sort of, you know, a lose -lose for everybody. the best outcome is that you select something or, or volunteer for something that, that you're going to enjoy and that we're going to get the value out of your participation.

Katalina (11:45.915)
Yeah, what are you passionate about?

Amber Russo (11:46.07)
So, you know, yeah, so I will tell you, I mean, all of the leadership, you know, we value having the volunteers that want to participate on different committees, so.

Katalina (12:00.667)
Absolutely. And speaking about being passionate and wanting to participate in something, I know you are very passionate about getting involved in your community as well. And in particular, you had mentioned before, Make -A -Wish. Can you tell us a little bit about that, getting involved in your community, the importance of that, and your background with Make -A -Wish?

Amber Russo (12:19.734)
Yeah, you know, and it's unfortunate, you know, I no longer serve on the Wishmakers Council. I did do it for two years. It is a significant time commitment, but I will of course chat about it because I want anybody that is interested in participating with Make -A -Wish or donating to Make -A -Wish, please do. You probably know that they serve children typically with like terminal diseases or terminal illnesses.

in, you know, granting a wish. So a lot of times, you know, we are, we're fundraising, right? Which speaks to my ability of collecting money. And, you know, I enjoyed spending time on that council. and so I did that for a couple of years. And, and ironically, I will just share that I also have a passion for children in the community. I have another.

organization that I would recommend to anybody is the Boys and Girls Club of America. My girlfriend served as president of their Southern Arizona chapter for a few years. So I volunteered with her. And lastly, I do have my kids do a service project each month for Primavera Works, which is a men's homeless shelter in Tucson.

Katalina (13:24.507)
Yeah.

Amber Russo (13:49.047)
and they put homeless men back to work sort of out in the community. And so my son and stepdaughter, we all make sack lunches for them each month for them to take out on their job assignments. So, you know, look, I think that a lot of your audience members are probably doing philanthropy in their communities, right? Like we all, it's a goal I think of everyone to give back. What I will say is that it's,

Katalina (14:01.595)
That's crazy.

Amber Russo (14:18.52)
It's my passion because I wanna teach my son that it's important to give back to the community that supports us, right? I'm in Tucson, it's a college town. It's just an important part of... Well, and they have no choice, but thank you, yes.

Katalina (14:27.163)
Absolutely.

Katalina (14:32.667)
And I love that you're putting your family into it.

Katalina (14:40.027)
You're teaching, you're instilling those values because there are different ways to get involved in the community. You can on the corporate level. And I've seen many different companies within the industry supporting fantastic charities or going out and doing community service. And it is incredible. But then there is doing it yourself. And there's also doing it with your family or doing it with your family and friends within your community. So it's so beautiful that you pull in your family with that. That's great.

Amber Russo (15:06.391)
Thanks, yeah, look, I mean, my message would just be that I know that we can all write checks, but, you know, serving food at the community food bank or, you know, helping out this way, I mean, I think that it's just something that I would recommend because I think it brings you closer to what you're doing.

Katalina (15:28.375)
absolutely, yes. And jumping back a little bit to the industry, I have some more questions about getting involved at events. Because I feel like going to an event, yeah, that's kind of one way of getting involved, but just attending isn't the limit. I feel like there's other ways to get involved. And I know you have a couple of things you can probably say about that.

Amber Russo (15:50.104)
Yeah, I'm sorry, you kind of cut out for a second so I didn't hear. Yeah, sorry.

Katalina (15:52.315)
no worries. We will cut that bit out. Let me go back. So to bring the topic back a little bit to the industry, let's talk about getting involved at events because of course you can just attend an event, which is a great way of getting involved, but there is more to that. And I know you can speak to a couple of different ways about getting involved at events.

Amber Russo (15:57.048)
Yeah.

Amber Russo (16:14.329)
Well, I think that if you are a subject matter expert in a current event or a current topic of the industry, or you have a specific outlook on a topic, I think submitting yourself to present on a panel.

with maybe, you know, some of your colleagues, like that is always a great opportunity to increase your participation at an industry event because you know, look, you're on the agenda and people are coming to see you and hear what you have to say. So I think that that's a great, opportunity that we offer. I, there's certainly an opportunity to sponsor different things at our, our conference events.

and that sort of will get you more involved in whatever that is. For example, if it were the silent auction and it was, you're helping out with that and you're sponsoring it or you're helping gather the items for that. So that's, there is, you're right. There's more than you can do than just attend an RMAI event.

Katalina (17:32.187)
And so of course we have like RMAI annual, but coming up we have RMAI executive summit. So what is the importance of getting involved in an executive summit?

Amber Russo (17:43.322)
Well, Executive Summit is a smaller group of folks, but I think that the benefit of attending that conference is that you're really able to build relationships with those folks. We are in a location that is not as busy as Las Vegas. It does change every year. This year it's in New Mexico. But you have an opportunity to really build some strong friendships with your industry colleagues.

So I always recommend that you attend the executive summit. In terms of what special events we have laid out, of course I'm going to plug the affiliate advisory council's networking breakfast. That breakfast is going to be an interactive discussion on some current technology topics. So I'm excited for that. The table hosts are all.

affiliate members who are excited to sort of lead those conversations over breakfast. So I hope everybody is planning on attending the executive summit in New Mexico.

Katalina (18:51.291)
Fantastic, yeah, I know a couple people from my organization are going and we're really excited. It should be fantastic. Unfortunately though, Amber, we are just running out of time now. So I wanna thank you so much for joining me today and sharing your experience and all about getting involved. It was really incredible to talk to you. Thank you.

Amber Russo (19:10.01)
Thank you, I appreciate it.

Katalina (19:11.931)
My pleasure. And to our listeners, if you have any questions, comments, or if you have a topic that you would like to see us discuss, please leave it in the comments below and we will try our best to get to all of them. Thank you everybody for joining us today and I look forward to seeing you again in our next episode. Thank you.