Members of Consumer Credit Counseling Services and Lifelines Counseling Services staff are attending this year's NFCC Connect in Arlington, VA starting today through Wednesday. Our staff understands the importance of staying up to date on financial obligations and issues facing our community. The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) is hosting its 51st annual conference in Arlington, VA, September 26 - 28. Now known as NFCC Connect, this year's event will feature several leaders from the public and private sector addressing the most critical issues impacting consumers on matters important to the sector including fundraising, retirement at risk, student loan counseling, connecting with small business owners, housing counseling, and much more. This year's conference will bring together more than 200 agency executives, credit counselors and educators, creditor partners, and government representatives and stakeholders from around the world. Featured speakers in Arlington include the following experts: Susan C. Keating, NFCC President and CEO, delivering the 2016 'State of the Sector'; Margaret Keane, President and CEO of Synchrony Financial, welcoming all attendees, and will set the tone of innovation and new ideas during Monday's Opening Plenary; Richard Cordray, Director of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as a keynote speaker; Ted Mitchell, Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education, addressing student borrower education, loan servicing reform, and support for counseling; Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Managing Director at Rock Creek Group, and Founder at the Center for Retirement Initiatives at Georgetown University leading a plenary session; Jena Palisoul, Financial Sector Lead for IDEO.org leading an interactive session discussing using human-centered design to solve problems and innovate, and; Hugh Norton, Head of U.S. Financial Education at Visa Inc. leading a plenary session covering what's new in online tools and mobile apps for financial education. In addition to the plenary sessions, there will be many workshops and panel discussions including: Fundraising in Your Local Communities, featuring Kathy Banks, Director of Financial Pathways of the Piedmont, Todd Mark, Director of Fundraising at Navicore Solutions, and Yolanda Perez, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer from Transformance; Helping Student Borrowers Find Trusted Advice for Navigating Repayment Challenges, with panelists Aryn Bussey, Policy Analyst and Office for Students and Young Americans from the CFPB, JB Simpson, Senior Advisor for the Borrower Experience from the U.S. Department of Education, and Adam Wesolowski, Attorney from the Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission, and Counseling for Small Business Owners, with speakers Patrick Davis, Vice President of Program Strategy and Development of the Community Reinvestment Fund, and Miti Sathe, Senior Vice President of the Small Business Initiatives of the Opportunity Finance Network. The NFCC is thankful to the many sponsors who have generously supported NFCC Connect 2016: Platinum level sponsors Bank of America, and Chase; gold level sponsors Capital One, Citi, Sam's Club, and Wells Fargo; silver level sponsors Synchrony, and Visa; bronze level sponsors Discover, Mastercard, Navient, and TD Bank; and our partnership plus sponsors COA, Cooperative Processing Resources, Mutual of America, and Speridian. Members of the media interested in attending the conference should contact Bruce McClary at 202.677.4301 (direct), or 804.319.7146 (cell), or via email at [email protected] to obtain credentials and a conference program. Note: Some sessions are for NFCC Members only. About the NFCC Founded in 1951, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) is the nation's first and largest nonprofit dedicated to improving people's financial well-being. With 600 member offices serving 50 states and Puerto Rico, our NFCC Certified Credit Counselors are financial advocates, empowering millions of consumers to take charge of their finances through one-on-one financial reviews that address credit card debt, student loans, housing decisions and overall money management. Make one of the best financial decisions of your life. For expert guidance and advice, call (800) 388-2227 or visit nfcc.org today.