CredAbility President Suzanne Boas, National Leader in Nonprofit Credit Counseling, Announces Retirement

Boas Turned Small, Local Agency Into National Counseling Leader That Helps Hundreds of Thousands of Individuals, Families Each Year

ATLANTA, Jan. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Suzanne Boas has announced that she will retire as President of CredAbility, effective June 30, 2011.

When Boas joined as the agency's President in 1991, it was a local credit counseling agency known as Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) of Greater Atlanta, serving the metro area with just 35 employees.  During her tenure, the agency has grown into one of the nation's largest and strongest organizations of its kind, with more than 500 employees serving people in financial distress across the US and its territories.  Today, CredAbility is one of the few nonprofit credit counseling agencies available 24 hours, 365 days a year, providing all services in English and Spanish.

Under Boas' leadership, the agency pioneered counseling by telephone, and later via the Internet, dramatically expanding access to the agency's resources for people everywhere.  The agency invested in research on the effectiveness of counseling across channels, and on broad issues of national impact, such as the CredAbility Consumer Distress Index.  Boas also responded to the growing need for Spanish language counseling and education services, transforming CredAbility into a fully bilingual service provider.

"Suzanne has provided extraordinary leadership to the organization and has personally helped to advance the state of the credit counseling service sector," said Belinda Stubblefield, chairperson of the CredAbility board of directors.  "Thanks to her leadership and vision, the agency has been a model community service agency, innovating through partnerships and technology, anticipating and responding to the changing needs of the American consumer."  Stubblefield added, "Her most enduring legacy, however, will be her unwavering commitment to compassionate service for every client, which distinguishes CredAbility."

In her personal statement to employees, Boas commented, "Throughout my nearly 20 years at CredAbility and CCCS, I have been blessed to work with talented, creative and dedicated people who share my passion for helping financially distressed families." Boas said, "I am extremely proud that the organization has been able to help so many people during the past two decades.  The value of nonprofit credit counseling has never been greater, and I know that long after my retirement, CredAbility will continue to be a source of help and hope to individuals and families in financial distress."

A selection committee of the CredAbility board of directors will conduct a national search for a new president. Boas will remain with CredAbility until the end of June to help her successor make the transition into the presidency.

Boas' accomplishments have earned her numerous awards and honors, including the Georgia Center for Nonprofits' Revolutions Award in 2010 for Outstanding Nonprofit Leader.  She currently serves on the board of directors of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. She is a founding member of the Georgia Consortium for Personal Financial Literacy, which sponsors the Georgia Saves program. She has served on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the board of trustees of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), and the Fannie Mae National Advisory Council.  A graduate of Leadership Atlanta, she is a member of the Atlanta Rotary Club and serves on the advisory board of the Midtown Assistance Center.

About CredAbility

CredAbility is one of the leading nonprofit credit counseling and education agencies in the United States, serving clients in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, in both English and Spanish. In addition, we provide in-person counseling through our branch network of 28 offices located across the southeast.

Founded in 1964, CredAbility is a family of Consumer Credit Counseling Service agencies that includes CCCS of Greater Atlanta, CCCS of Central Florida and the Florida Gulf Coast, CCCS of Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast, CCCS of East Tennessee, CCCS of Jackson (Mississippi) and CCCS of Upstate South Carolina.

The nonprofit agency is accredited by the Council on Accreditation and is a member of the Better Business Bureau and the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC). Governed by a community-based board of directors, CredAbility is funded by creditors, clients, individual donors and grants from foundations, businesses and government agencies. Service is provided 24/7 by phone at 800.251.2227 and online at www.CredAbility.org.

SOURCE CredAbility