SoloSuit Sweet Sixteen: Honoring 16 Champions of Consumer Empowerment

SoloSuit | September 17, 2024

At SoloSuit, our mission is to empower consumers by offering them access to justice and helping them resolve their debts. This year, we’re recognizing 16 individuals who exemplify this mission in their own fields. Whether through innovative legal work, consumer rights advocacy, or financial education, these leaders are transforming the lives of countless consumers across the US.

In choosing these champions, we drew inspiration from SoloSuit’s guiding principles:

• Kaizen: Continuously Improve – Each of these individuals embodies a commitment to growth and innovation, striving to create better systems for consumers to address their debts and improve their financial futures.
• Excellence is the Only Authority – They are experts in their fields, demonstrating that the best ideas and practices, grounded in reality, can have profound impacts.
• Discover Reality: – Through research, advocacy, and direct support, these champions have committed to understanding the real struggles consumers face, and they’ve worked tirelessly to implement solutions grounded in the real world.

These 16 champions are leading the way in consumer empowerment and advocacy, helping consumers navigate the often-overwhelming world of debt. Below, we honor their efforts and the work they’ve done over the past year to help consumers stand up for their rights, access justice, and improve their financial futures.

SoloSuit Sweet Sixteen

Honoring 16 Champions of Consumer Empowerment

Tiffany Aliche – Credit Repair and Budgeting Expert

Tiffany Aliche, known as “The Budgetnista,” is a celebrated personal finance educator and the founder of the global financial movement, the Live Richer Challenge, which has helped consumers collectively save over $250 million and pay off $200 million in debt. As a New York Times bestselling author of Get Good with Money, she teaches practical steps toward financial freedom. Aliche has also played a key role in financial education reform by advocating for legislation that mandates financial literacy courses in New Jersey middle schools.

Andrea Bopp Stark – Senior Attorney, National Consumer Law

Andrea Bopp Stark, co-author of the 2024 edition of Surviving Debt, is a senior attorney at the NCLC where she focuses on fair debt collection and mortgage servicing issues. Stark’s work extends beyond legal writing—she actively advocates for consumer protection laws and foreclosure prevention policies on both state and federal levels. A seasoned educator, she serves as Curriculum Coordinator for NCLC’s national conferences and training. In addition to Surviving Debt, Stark has contributed to NCLC’s legal manuals and reports, tackling issues like property tax foreclosures and racial justice in consumer law.

Jake Cahan – Founder & CEO, January

Jake Cahan, founder and CEO of January, is revolutionizing the debt collection industry with a data-driven, compassionate approach. January, a fintech company, helps financially struggling borrowers resolve debt while offering creditors superior performance, compliance, and efficiency. Since launching in 2016, January has secured partnerships with leading credit unions and financial institutions. In December 2023, January raised $12 million in Series B funding, positioning the company for rapid growth. Cahan’s innovative leadership has enabled January to handle 150 times more debt per collector than traditional agencies, making it an industry leader in humane and scalable debt resolution.

Seth Frotman – General Counsel & Senior Advisor, CFPB

Seth Frotman’s leadership at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has driven impactful reforms, particularly in removing medical debt from credit reports and addressing unfair tenant screening practices. In his 2024 remarks at the Poverty Law Conference, Frotman emphasized the CFPB’s fight against junk fees that disproportionately harm low-income Americans. He highlighted how consumer financial protection law serves as poverty law, ensuring that financial markets work fairly, especially for the most vulnerable. Frotman’s advocacy is helping to combat predatory practices that perpetuate poverty cycles.

Janneen Jackson – Debt Relief and Settlement Consultant

April Kuehnhoff is a senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), where she focuses on fair debt collection advocacy. She co-authored Fair Debt Collection, a leading legal treatise on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), which has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court. The treatise, updated to include the 2021 CFPB Regulation F, is a comprehensive tool for practitioners handling individual and class action cases. More recently, Kuehnhoff contributed to NCLC's Surviving Debt, a practical guide offering advice on managing medical bills, credit card debt, student loans, evictions, and more. Her work helps ensure that consumers have access to legal protections and remedies against unfair debt collection practices.

Paul Kiel – Journalist, ProPublica

Paul Kiel, a seasoned investigative journalist at ProPublica, focuses on the fairness of the American tax system and consumer finance abuses. His recent investigations have led to significant changes, such as a nonprofit hospital renouncing its aggressive debt collection practices and forgiving millions in medical debt. His reporting has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, and This American Life. Kiel’s commitment to uncovering financial injustice continues to empower consumers and shape policy changes.

April Kuehnhoff – Senior Attorney, National Consumer Law Center

April Kuehnhoff is a senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), where she focuses on fair debt collection advocacy. She co-authored Fair Debt Collection, a leading legal treatise on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), which has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court. The treatise, updated to include the 2021 CFPB Regulation F, is a comprehensive tool for practitioners handling individual and class action cases. More recently, Kuehnhoff contributed to NCLC's Surviving Debt, a practical guide offering advice on managing medical bills, credit card debt, student loans, evictions, and more. Her work helps ensure that consumers have access to legal protections and remedies against unfair debt collection practices.

Ruth Landé – VP Provider Relations, Undue Medical Debt

Ruth Landé has played a crucial role in medical debt relief initiatives as Vice President of Provider Relations at Undue Medical Debt, a non-profit that uses donor money to purchase medical debt portfolios from hospitals at a fraction of their original cost, relieving consumers of the financial burdens caused by medical debt. She has been instrumental in projects like Cincinnati’s $1.45 million medical debt relief program, which is expected to erase $130 million in debt for 34,000 residents. Landé has also helped secure partnerships with providers like UC Health and expanded efforts nationwide, including New Orleans' $59 million medical debt relief initiative.

Yale R. Levy – Former Attorney turned Head of Business Development, SoloSuit

Yale R. Levy, a seasoned attorney with nearly three decades of experience specializing in collections, creditor/debtor rights, and civil litigation, has joined SoloSuit as the head of business development to enhance and improve our debt settlement tool, SoloSettle. A graduate of The Ohio State College of Law, Yale has served as special counsel to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office since 2006, assisting in collecting past due obligations. He is also the former President of the National Creditors Bar Association and founder of Levy & Associates. He brings his extensive knowledge in retail, commercial, and medical collections and debt settlement to SoloSuit. With his deep expertise, Yale will play a key role in making debt resolution more effective for consumers and creditors alike.

Tobin Van Ostern – Co-founder, Savi

Tobin Van Ostern, co-founder of Savi, is focused on solving the student loan crisis with the help of innovative technology at Savi, a social impact technology startup that helps borrowers navigate complex loan repayment options and access forgiveness programs. Since its founding, Savi has identified over $2 billion in potential loan forgiveness for borrowers across the U.S. and partnered with employers and institutions to provide personalized guidance, helping consuers reduce their debt and improve financial stability. Tobin's recent work involves connecting Savi with government officials in Oakland County, Michigan to provide over 1 million residents with tools to manage student debt. Van Ostern has also worked with employers like Hart House to offer student loan repayment assistance, helping workers save thousands on their loans.

Jonathan Petts – Co-founder & CEO, Upsolve

Jonathan Petts is helping millions of Americans access free tools to help them file bankruptcy and address their debt challenges as the co-founder and CEO of Upsolve, a tech-powered nonprofit focused on helping low-income Americans tackle debt and rebuild credit. Founded in 2016 at Harvard Law School’s Access to Justice Lab, Upsolve has grown into the nation's most visited nonprofit financial education platform, guiding millions of people yearly with over thousands of articles on debt and credit. Through its free bankruptcy filing tool, Upsolve has helped 14,000 families discharge $600 million in debt. Now, Petts is expanding the organization's impact with Upsolve Assist, an AI-driven financial assistant aimed at preventing bankruptcy and improving credit for low-income users, many of whom are from Black and Brown communities.

Erika Rickard – Director of Courts and Communities, The Pew Charitable Trusts

Ericka Rickard’s research on debt and consumer justice has brought nationall attention to the systemic barriers consumers face in court, especially for debtor dealing with debt collectors in the justice system. Her recent research has highlighted key issues in debt collection and court processes, like her 2023 study on California’s debt collection lawsuits which shows how reforms have improved outcomes for consumers. Her analysis of Minnesota and Tennessee’s wage garnishment policies exposed how these systems harm both consumers and small businesses. Rickard has also examined the disproportionate impact of medical debt and how state courts can address these challenges. Her work continues to bring attention to the need for equitable reforms in civil court procedures.

Ohad Samet – Founder & CEO, TrueAccord

Ohad Samet is transforming the debt collection industry as the CEO of TrueAccord, a company that uses machine learning and multi-channel communications to create a more empathetic and consumer-friendly approach. TrueAccord's technology adapts to individual consumer behavior, offering personalized, timely payment options via digital channels. Since its founding, TrueAccord has worked with over 20 million consumers and helped resolve billions in debt, focusing on recovery and reconciliation rather than aggressive collection tactics. Recently, TrueAccord helped an online lender improve late-stage debt recovery by 30% through its omnichannel approach, compared to a competitor. By delivering tailored, empathetic messaging, TrueAccord aligns with the lender’s mission to support underserved consumers, reinforcing their values while improving liquidation rates. TrueAccord partners with top financial institutions and enterprises, making debt resolution less stressful and more accessible for consumers.

Benjamin Schieken – Founder & CEO, Fincast

Benjamin Schieken is the founder of Fincast, a free, innovative tool that revolutionizes mortgage shopping by helping borrowers get the best possible deal. Fincast compares Loan Estimates against industry benchmarks to find savings for users, helping them save nearly $30,000 per mortgage. By anonymizing borrower data, Fincast protects privacy while ensuring equitable access to better mortgage rates. With a mission to save American borrowers $30 billion by 2030, Fincast empowers consumers to make informed decisions without sharing sensitive data, democratizing access to financial tools that were traditionally available only to high-net-worth individuals.

Susan Shin – Legal Director, New Economy Project

As the Legal Director at the New Economy Project, Susan Shin leads the organization's legal strategies, including direct services for low-income New Yorkers and impact litigation targeting predatory financial practices. A 2024 Trailblazer in Law, Susan has spearheaded lawsuits against major debt buyers and organizations, securing victories that have protected thousands of New Yorkers from abusive debt collection practices. Notably, she secured a class action settlement in Evans v. New York City Transit Authority in November 2023, protecting low-income New Yorkers from unfair and aggressive debt collection practices, and her work in Sykes v. Mel S. Harris and Associates resulted in a $59 million settlement, benefiting over 350,000 New Yorkers dealing with debt collection. Susan is a tireless advocate for economic justice, particularly in New York's communities of color.

John Skiba – Bankruptcy & Consumer Rights Attorney

John Skiba, an experienced bankruptcy and consumer protection attorney, is the owner of Arizona Consumer Law Group, PLC. With over a decade of experience, Skiba has helped more than ten thousand families tackle overwhelming debt issues. His work includes successfully defending clients in lawsuits from creditors like National Collegiate Student Loan Trust and Midland Funding, saving clients significant amounts in settlements and dismissals. Skiba is also a certified Ramsey Solutions Master Financial Coach, and his popular YouTube channel, Consumer Warrior, educates 63,000+ subscribers on debt defense, bankruptcy, and consumer rights.