ACA International Announces New CEO

ACA International announced late Thursday that it has appointed Patrick J. Morris as new chief executive officer. He will join ACA on June 1, 2011 and brings a wealth of association, financial services, regulatory and lobbying experience.

An association executive for the past 16 years with a wealth of experience in financial services, regulatory and legislative issues, international affairs and insurance, Morris is currently the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the National Association of Federal Credit Unions in Arlington, Va. He joined the association, which represents the interests of the nation’s federally chartered credit unions, in February 2007.

“We are thrilled to have found an individual with Pat’s talent, experience and enthusiasm as our next CEO. He has been involved close-up in Washington with the individuals and issues that directly affect our members—including the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau—and his record of innovation, advocacy, international achievement and coalition-building will be a great match for ACA,” said ACA President Martin Sher.  “We look forward to Pat having an immediate impact on behalf of our members and building on our strategic initiatives to increase our visibility, enhance communications, and deliver exceptional member service.”

Patrick Morris

Morris was previously the executive director of the Washington-based International Committee for Information Technology Standards, an accredited standards development organization and the leading developer of global information technology standards, and the secretary-general of the International Federation for Produce Coding. He began his association career in the financial services arena as the executive vice president of the Kansas Association of Insurance Agents, where he was the chief executive officer and directed the association’s operations and lobbied on behalf of the association’s members before the Kansas Legislature and state and federal agencies.

He began his professional career as an officer in U.S. Marine Corps, came to Washington, D.C., in 1986 with the prestigious Presidential Management Internship Program, and subsequently worked in legislative affairs for both the Secretary of Defense and U.S. Senator John Warner of Virginia. He also held management positions as a federal regulator with the Inspector General, Department of Defense, directed regional operations for the Department of Agriculture in the Minneapolis area, and was a manager with Norwest Corporation in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Morris holds an undergraduate degree from Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Va., and an M.P.A. degree from the University of Kentucky.

ACA International, the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals, which is the comprehensive, knowledge–based resource for success in the credit and collection industry. Founded in 1939, ACA brings together more than 5,000 members in the United States and abroad, establishing ethical standards, produces a wide variety of products, services and publications, and articulates the value of the credit and collection industry to businesses, policymakers and consumers.