Our Authors

Century's content is written by debt relief professionals with backgrounds in law, financial services, operations, and consumer advocacy with direct experience in the debt relief industry.

All authors featured on this page are employees of Century Support Services and write from professional experience in debt relief.

Daniel Wingard J.D.

Financial Services Operations & Consumer Advocacy Specialist · Century Support Services

J.D.- Rutgers School of Law B.A. Anthropology- CSU Northridge 15+ years in legal and financial sectors

Daniel Wingard, J.D., is a specialist in financial services operations and consumer advocacy at Century Support Services. With more than 15 years of experience across the legal and financial sectors, Daniel focuses on the intersection of regulatory compliance and the customer experience, ensuring that complex financial processes are both safe and easy to navigate for everyday people.

His unique background in both law and anthropology allows him to approach the financial industry with a focus on human behavior and transparency. He is a leading proponent of "Safe-by-Design" systems: an approach that builds federal regulatory protections and consumer safeguards directly into the tools and services clients use every day.

Throughout his career, including key leadership roles in the debt resolution space, Daniel has dedicated himself to improving clarity and maintaining the highest standards of integrity. At Century, he works to ensure that the client journey is defined by trust, empowerment, and measurable success

Last Updated: July 20, 2026

Areas Of Expertise

Debt settlement mechanics and federal regulatory compliance (TSR/TCPA)

Daniel has spent more than 15 years working at the intersection of financial services law and consumer protection. This gave him a ground-level understanding of how debt settlement programs operate within strict federal boundaries. His legal training and operational experience allow him to break down the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in terms that matter to real people navigating debt relief options. He applies this expertise to ensure that content accurately reflects what consumers can legally expect from debt settlement providers

Debt relief option comparison and consumer advocacy

Not every debt relief solution fits every financial situation, and Daniel's background in both law and consumer advocacy gives him a unique ability to objectively evaluate the full landscape of options, from debt settlement and credit counseling to bankruptcy and DIY payoff strategies. He approaches comparison content from the consumer's perspective, prioritizing transparency over salesmanship. His goal is to equip readers with the information they need to make confident, well-informed decisions for their specific circumstances.

Safe-by-Design consumer financial systems

"Safe-by-Design" systems is an approach that builds federal regulatory protections and consumer safeguards directly into the tools and services clients use every day. This philosophy reflects his belief that transparency and client empowerment should be core to how financial programs are built, not added as an afterthought. At Century Support Services, he works to ensure that the client journey is defined by trust, empowerment, and measurable success.

Consumer Protection Law (FDCPA, TSR, TCPA)

Daniel's legal training at Rutgers School of Law and his 15+ years across the legal and financial sectors give him a strong foundation in the consumer protection laws that govern the debt relief industry. He focuses on ensuring that complex regulatory frameworks, including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), are applied in ways that protect and empower everyday people. His work is grounded in a commitment to integrity and consumer safeguards.

Hardship Program Limitations and Creditor Behavior

Daniel's experience across key leadership roles in the debt resolution space has given him a practical understanding of how hardship programs operate and where their limitations lie. He focuses on ensuring that consumers have a realistic picture of what to expect throughout the debt relief process, including how creditors respond and what protections are in place. His approach prioritizes process transparency so that clients are never caught off guard.

Process Transparency and Client Journey Mapping

Daniel works to ensure that the client journey at Century Support Services is defined by trust, empowerment, and measurable success. Throughout his career, he has dedicated himself to improving clarity across complex financial processes, making them easier to navigate for everyday people. His background in both law and anthropology informs his focus on human behavior and transparency at every stage of the client experience.

Danielle Palmiero

Senior Customer Success Leader · Century Support Services

BA, 17+ years consumer finance operations 25+ years (17+ consumer finance, 10+ healthcare)

Danielle Palmiero is an accomplished customer success and organizational growth leader with over 25 years of experience across consumer finance and healthcare. At Century Support Services, she brings a data-driven, client-centered perspective to debt relief content, helping readers understand the full picture of what the debt settlement process involves.

With more than 17 years in consumer finance and over a decade in the high-pressure medical field, optimizing skilled nursing placements, Danielle has built her career at the intersection of customer outcomes, operational performance, and data-driven decision-making.

Her expertise spans customer loyalty and advocacy programs, retention strategy, lifecycle marketing, and using data analytics to track key performance indicators and optimize processes. She has led both frontline and management teams, reporting directly to C-level executives, with a sustained focus on seamless sales-to-service transitions and long-term client outcomes.

Last Updated: July 15, 2026

Areas Of Expertise

Tax implications of debt settlement (IRS Form 1099-C)

Danielle Palmiero brings more than 17 years of consumer finance experience and a data-driven, client-centered perspective to debt relief content, helping readers understand the full picture of what the debt settlement process involves. Her expertise includes the tax implications of debt settlement, including IRS Form 1099-C, which she addresses to help consumers make fully informed decisions. She focuses on ensuring that clients understand every stage of the process, including what happens after a debt is settled.

In-program client experience and lifecycle journey

With over 25 years of experience across consumer finance and healthcare, Danielle has built her career at the intersection of customer outcomes, operational performance, and data-driven decision-making. Her expertise in lifecycle marketing and seamless sales-to-service transitions informs her deep understanding of the in-program client experience. She brings a sustained focus on long-term client outcomes and what it takes to support clients throughout their journey.

Medical debt relief

Danielle's background includes over a decade in the high-pressure medical field, optimizing skilled nursing placements, which gives her firsthand insight into how medical debt accumulates and affects consumers. Combined with her 17+ years in consumer finance, this experience positions her to address medical debt relief with both operational knowledge and genuine empathy for the people navigating it. Her writing on medical debt reflects the client-centered perspective she brings to all of her work at Century Support Services.

Data analytics and KPI-driven decision-making

Danielle has built her career at the intersection of customer outcomes, operational performance, and data-driven decision-making. Her expertise includes using data analytics to track key performance indicators and optimize processes, skills she has applied across both consumer finance and healthcare. She has led both frontline and management teams, reporting directly to C-level executives, with a consistent focus on using data to drive better client outcomes.

Customer success strategy and retention

Danielle is an accomplished customer success and organizational growth leader whose expertise spans customer loyalty and advocacy programs, retention strategy, and lifecycle marketing. She has led both frontline and management teams with a sustained focus on seamless sales-to-service transitions and long-term client outcomes. Her client-centered perspective shapes how she approaches content, helping readers understand not just the debt settlement process, but what ongoing support looks like throughout a program.

Consumer finance operations (17+ years)

With more than 17 years in consumer finance, Danielle brings deep operational knowledge to her work at Century Support Services. She has led both frontline and management teams, reporting directly to C-level executives, and has spent her career at the intersection of customer outcomes and operational performance. Her experience across consumer finance and healthcare gives her a comprehensive understanding of the systems and processes that shape the client experience in debt relief.

Jen Roberts, CFC, CDS

Manager of Training & Development · Century Support Services

Certified Financial Coach (CFC) Certified Debt Specialist (CDS) 10+ years in financial services

Jen Roberts is the Manager of Training & Development at Century Support Services, where she leads training programs and internal communications that support employee performance and client outcomes.

As a Certified Financial Coach (CFC) and Certified Debt Specialist (CDS), Jen specializes in consumer debt, financial behavior, and practical financial education. With over a decade of experience in financial services, she translates complex financial concepts into clear, actionable guidance that drives real behavior change.

Jen works cross-functionally with operations, IT, and leadership to ensure training, communications, and systems are aligned. She is also a subject matter expert in documentation control, data integrity, and privacy standards, helping ensure consistency and compliance across a highly regulated environment.

Last Updated: July 20, 2026

Areas Of Expertise

Consumer credit card debt

Jen Roberts is a Certified Financial Coach (CFC) and Certified Debt Specialist (CDS) with over a decade of experience in financial services, specializing in consumer debt and practical financial education. As Manager of Training & Development at Century Support Services, she leads training programs and internal communications that support employee performance and client outcomes. Her expertise in consumer credit card debt reflects her focus on translating complex financial concepts into clear, actionable guidance.

Financial behavior change

As a Certified Financial Coach, Jen specializes in financial behavior and the practical education that drives real behavior change. She works cross-functionally with operations, IT, and leadership to ensure that training, communications, and systems are aligned to support clients in making lasting financial progress. With over 10 years in financial services, she brings a deep understanding of the behavioral dimension of debt repayment to her content.

Debt payoff strategies and mechanics

Jen's credentials as a Certified Debt Specialist (CDS) and her 10+ years in financial services give her a thorough, practical understanding of how debt payoff strategies work. She focuses on translating complex financial mechanics into clear, actionable guidance that consumers can apply to their own situations. Her work at Century Support Services, training employees and developing internal communications, keeps her closely connected to the realities clients face throughout the debt repayment process.

Practical financial education and coaching

As Manager of Training & Development at Century Support Services, Jen leads training programs and internal communications designed to support both employee performance and client outcomes. She is a Certified Financial Coach (CFC) whose expertise centers on making complex financial concepts accessible and actionable for everyday people. With over a decade in financial services, she brings a consistent focus on education that drives real behavior change.

Documentation control and compliance

Jen is a subject matter expert in documentation control, data integrity, and privacy standards, helping ensure consistency and compliance across a highly regulated environment. She works cross-functionally with operations, IT, and leadership to ensure that training, communications, and systems are aligned. Her expertise in this area reflects her broader commitment to maintaining the highest standards of accuracy and integrity in the content and communications she oversees.

Mike Leuthold

Chief Operating Officer · ACDR Reviewer · Century Support Services

ACDR Reviewer 18+ years in client financial distress industry

In addition to his operational leadership at Century, Mike previously co-owned a client advocacy company focused on protecting consumer rights in accordance with the FDCPA and other consumer protection laws. His work centered on defending individuals from aggressive and unlawful collection practices while promoting transparency, ethical treatment, and regulatory compliance across the industry.

Known for building high-performing teams and scalable operational frameworks, Mike is passionate about aligning business growth with consumer-first values. His experience and perspective help ensure organizations operate responsibly while maintaining a strong focus on client trust, education, and long-term success.

Last Updated: July 15, 2026

Areas Of Expertise

Bankruptcy alternatives and debt settlement vs. bankruptcy comparison

Mike Leuthold is a seasoned executive with over 18 years of experience in the client financial distress industry, bringing a strong balance of operational leadership and consumer advocacy to his work. As Chief Operating Officer at Century Support Services, he has led and managed nearly every core department throughout his career, including customer service, negotiations, and enterprise operations. His deep, practical understanding of debt settlement operations gives him a grounded perspective on how debt settlement compares to bankruptcy as an alternative for consumers in financial distress.

Consumer legal rights (FDCPA, wage garnishment, statute of limitations)

Before joining Century Support Services, Mike co-owned a client advocacy company focused on protecting consumer rights in accordance with the FDCPA and other consumer protection laws. His work centered on defending individuals from aggressive and unlawful collection practices while promoting transparency, ethical treatment, and regulatory compliance across the industry. This background gives him a practitioner-level understanding of consumer legal rights, including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), wage garnishment, and the statute of limitations on debt.

ACDR compliance standards and regulatory oversight

In addition to his role as Chief Operating Officer, Mike serves as an ACDR Reviewer, a compliance designation that reflects his expertise in the standards governing the debt settlement industry. His work ensures that Century Support Services operates responsibly and maintains a strong focus on client trust, education, and long-term success. He is passionate about aligning business operations with consumer-first values and regulatory compliance.

Debt settlement operations and enterprise leadership

Mike has led and managed nearly every core department at Century Support Services throughout his career, including customer service, negotiations, and enterprise operations. He is known for building high-performing teams and scalable operational frameworks, and for aligning business growth with consumer-first values. His 18+ years in the client financial distress industry give him a deep, practical understanding of how to deliver consistent, compliant, and client-centered outcomes at scale.

Consumer protection law (FDCPA, TSR, TCPA)

Mike's experience co-owning a client advocacy company focused on the FDCPA, and his broader 18+ years in the client financial distress industry, give him extensive hands-on knowledge of the consumer protection laws that govern debt collection and debt relief. His work has centered on defending individuals from aggressive and unlawful collection practices while promoting transparency, ethical treatment, and regulatory compliance. He brings this consumer advocacy perspective directly to his work at Century Support Services.

High-balance complex case management

With nearly two decades in the client financial distress industry and experience leading departments including customer service, negotiations, and enterprise operations, Mike has extensive experience managing complex cases across the full spectrum of consumer debt situations. His background in both operational leadership and consumer advocacy means he approaches high-balance cases with both strategic expertise and a client-centered perspective. He is focused on delivering consistent, compliant, and client-centered outcomes regardless of the complexity of a client's situation.