The Certified Lease & Finance Professional Foundation added 22 individuals as CLFPs after they recently sat through and passed the 8-hour online CLFP exam. The new CLFPs are:

• Vanessa Andel, CLFP – vice president of operations for Commercial Fleet Financing
• Matt Barrett, CLFP Associate – assistant vice president and program manager for First American Equipment Finance
• Lauren Blowers, CLFP – assistant vice president of marketing for First American Equipment Finance
• Jennifer Dirkes, CLFP – channel development director for Oakmont Capital Services
• Adam Domke, CLFP – business development officer for Oakmont Capital Services
• Christine Durfee, CLFP – AVP and credit officer for First American Equipment Finance
• Betsy Egeberg, CLFP Associate – portfolio administration support at AP Equipment Financing
• Jayme Gerads, CLFP – business development officer at Oakmont Capital Services
• Joseph Guage, CLFP – CFO at First American Equipment Finance
• Christopher (Ryan) Hinton – vice president at Regions Equipment Finance
• Chris Johnson, CLFP
• Timothy Kinney, CLFP – credit analyst and team lead at AP Equipment Financing
• Connor McKeeve, CLFP – credit analyst at Wintrust Specialty Finance
• Cori Miller, CLFP Associate – industry marketing specialist at AP Equipment Financing
• David Mullin, CLFP – assistant vice president of data strategy at First American Equipment Finance
• Shelley Peterson, CLFP Associate – credit analyst at AP Equipment Financing
• Chad Primus, CLFP – business development officer at Oakmont Capital Services
• Adam Sobke, CLFP Associate – staff accountant at AP Equipment Financing
• Julie Stephens, CLFP – senior funding specialist at Commercial Fleet Financing
• Kelly Taran, CLFP – chief information officer at First American Equipment Finance
• Sarah Uballez, CLFP – VP of treasury and accounting at AP Equipment Financing
• Morka Wolde, CLFP – technical implementation consultant at IDS

“I have been in this industry for a long time and being a CLFP was always something I had in the back of my mind but continued to tell myself it wasn’t for me,” Dirkes, who attended the online ALFP hosted by Tamarack Consulting in October, said. “I always knew being a CLFP was being amongst the best of the best in this industry. To be honest, truth be told, I was always scared to take the leap and fail. With COVID-19 hitting, it’s been a long year for so many including myself. I needed to say I accomplished something, and I needed it to be big and to prove to myself I belong in this industry. So I did just that. I went big and decided to take my CLFP exam. I am truly honored to have learned from the best of the best and to be in a group of amazing people that truly love and cherish the leasing and finance profession as much as I do.”

The CLFP designation identifies an individual as a knowledgeable professional to employers, clients, customers and peers in the equipment finance industry. There are currently 955 active CLFPs and associates in the United States, Canada, India and Australia.