The Board Advisory Group provides a formal avenue for these stakeholders to communicate with NACHA and our Board of Directors to shape the future of ACH payments in meaningful and actionable ways.
HERNDON, Va. (PRWEB) March 29, 2016
NACHA—The Electronic Payments Association® today announced the appointment of two additional representatives to its Board Advisory Group, underscoring the industry rulemaker and association’s commitment to the direct and inclusive engagement of the payments end-user and solution provider communities.
The group held its most recent face-to-face meeting with the NACHA Board of Directors in March to provide direct input on ACH payment priorities, needs and capabilities from the perspective of end-user clients and technology firms that enable them. The meeting had a particular focus on exploring potential steps to remove friction points that inhibit greater use and benefit from electronic business-to-business and consumer bill payment by business and government end users, and on shaping continued measures to help end-user organizations prepare for Same Day ACH. Outcomes of the dialogue will inform strategies and tactical activities pursued by NACHA through its committees, bodies and membership.
Account validation, which was raised up by the Board Advisory Group as a much-needed capability to support ACH payment origination, was the focus of intensive discussions between the group and the NACHA Board in 2015. Members of the Board Advisory Group and their organizations are participating in the development of an upcoming NACHA white paper on account validation for ACH. Board Advisory Group members Mary Ann Francis, of Wipro Ltd., and Joe Proto, of Transactis Inc., are featured speakers on the findings of the white paper at the PAYMENTS 2016 conference taking place April 17-20 in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Board Advisory Group was formed in 2014 as a formal venue for direct engagement between representatives of a variety of non-financial institution providers and users of ACH payments and the NACHA Board of Directors. It is yet another way in which NACHA reaches out and listens to various stakeholders across the payments industry.
“As a leader in the payments ecosystem, NACHA has continually engaged business end users, processors, solution providers and others through various channels,” said Janet O. Estep, NACHA president and CEO. “The Board Advisory Group provides a formal avenue for these stakeholders to communicate with NACHA and our Board of Directors to shape the future of ACH payments in meaningful and actionable ways.”
The two new representatives to the Board Advisory Group are:
- Colleen P. Lindow, CCM, vice president, Payments, Risk and Compliance, Bill.com
- Kim Sipes, CTP, director, Treasury, Duke Energy
These individuals join the existing representatives:
- Robert L. Fӧehl, Esq., vice president and general counsel, ACA International, the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals
- Mary Ann Francis, executive business advisor, Global Treasury and Payments Solutions, Wipro Ltd.
- Bill Phillips, group president, Enterprise Payment Solutions, ProfitStars – A Jack Henry Company
- Joseph (Joe) Proto, CEO and chairman, Transactis Inc.
- Wanda J. Rogers, deputy commissioner for Financial Services and Operations, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service
- Thomas (Tom) Spataro, CTP, FLMI, U.S. Treasurer, Computershare
- Julie A. Walker, senior treasury analyst and Card & Payments specialist, Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI)
“As a representative of the largest end user of ACH payments, I value the opportunity to engage the NACHA Board directly with peers from the private sector,” said Wanda J. Rogers, of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service. “While there are nuances to the needs and experiences of individual end-user organizations and industry verticals, the common ground we share as enterprises that originate and receive ACH payments provides a great opportunity to impact the future to benefit us all.”
“These are exciting times as companies across sectors continue to find new, secure and innovative ways to benefit from ACH payments,” said Julie A. Walker, of Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI). “I’m honored to work with a group where our voices and critical input are heard and acted upon to help make ACH payments work for enterprises of all sizes and types.”
More information on the Board Advisory Group is available via a video entitled, “NACHA Board Advisory Group’s Critical Input Influences the ACH Network” on the NACHA YouTube channel that can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/c/nacha.
To learn more about PAYMENTS 2016, visit payments.nacha.org.
About NACHA — The Electronic Payments Association
Since 1974, NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association has served as trustee of the ACH Network, managing the development, administration and rules for the payment network that universally connects all 12,000 financial institutions in the U.S. The Network, which moves money and information directly from one bank account to another, supports more than 90 percent of the total value of all retail electronic payments in the U.S. Through its collaborative, self-governing model, education, and inclusive engagement of ACH Network participants, NACHA facilitates the expansion and diversification of electronic payments, supporting Direct Deposit and Direct Payment via ACH transactions, including ACH credit and debit payments, recurring and one-time payments; government, consumer and business transactions; international payments, and payments plus payment-related information. Through NACHA’s expertise and leadership, the ACH Network is now one of the largest, safest, and most reliable systems in the world, creating value and enabling innovation for all participants. Visit nacha.org for more information.