Speakers

Chad Echols

THe Echols Firm, LLC

A Rock Hill native, Chad graduated in 1998 from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science in Forest Resource Management. He received his law degree in 2002 from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he was a member of the South Carolina Environmental Law Journal. Following law school, Chad was a law clerk for the Honorable John C. Hayes III in the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit of South Carolina.

Before forming The Echols Firm, LLC, Chad served as Vice President and General Counsel for Williams & Fudge, Inc., a national student loan collection agency located in Rock Hill, and was an attorney with the law firm Hamilton, Martens & Ballou, LLC. He continues to serve as outside general counsel to Williams & Fudge, Inc.
The firm’s practice focuses on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, compliance for collection agencies and debt purchasers, business law, litigation, and commercial collections. He is a member of the South Carolina Bar Association.

Chad serves on the Board of Directors for the Good Folks of York County, Upper Palmetto YMCA Camp Cherokee, York County Clemson Club, and is the Festival Chair for Rock Hill’s 2019 Come-See-Me Festival.

Chad has considerable experience in all areas associated with defense and compliance regarding pre-default and post-default debt collection and practices primarily in the area of business law and litigation. Chad is an active member of ACA International, the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals.

Dr. Laura Dawson Ullrich

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

Dr. Laura Dawson Ullrich is a regional economist at the Charlotte branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Previously, Ullrich was associate dean for undergraduate programs and a professor of economics at Winthrop University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Georgia and a master’s and doctorate in economics from the University of Tennessee. Prior to graduate school, she worked as a business consultant for Ernst & Young, specializing in executive compensation determination. She also has a keen interest in international field experience work and served as a Fulbright Scholar in Kosovo in 2014.

Harrison Wadsworth

Bose Washington Partners

Harrison M. Wadsworth III serves as Executive Director of the Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations, a position he has held for 15 years, and works with other clients as a principal of the government and public relations firm Bose Washington Partners.Mr. Wadsworth has over 25 years of experience in public policy and communications, including many years working on higher education, student financial assistance and financial services.

Previously he served as vice president of the Education Finance Council, a trade association of non-profits involved in student loan finance. Mr. Wadsworth served for eight years as legislative director and press secretary for former U.S. Representative Bart Gordon, chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee, and for seven years as a daily newspaper reporter and editor.

He is a frequent speaker at higher education conferences on federal student aid and consumer finance issues. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications from the University of California, Davis, and a Master of Arts degree in International Economics and American Foreign Policy/Security Studies from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Guest Speaker

U.S. Department of Education Representative

Contact Us

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Email: slrcc@wfcorp.com
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