Firm Management

WWR is a nationally recognized debt collection and real estate default law firm structured to offer many different types of creditor representation. We take an active role working with you to implement strategies and programs to help you manage your business.  Our firm management team below is ready to help – please contact us at your convenience.

Key Management Team

Managing Partner
Alan Weinberg - aweinberg@weltman.com

Alan Weinberg is the Managing Partner of WWR and part of WWR’s Executive Administration team. As the Chairperson of the Management Committee and a member of the Finance Committee, he is charged with overseeing the direction and performance of the Firm as well as providing guidance to the Partners, Attorneys and staff. Alan takes a deep interest in attorney ethics, work quality, client responsiveness and compliance-related matters, identifying legal issues affecting the firm and assisting with the development of training programs and testing for WWR’s staff. Alan is appointed Special Counsel to the Ohio Attorney General, and is active on industry related matters.

Chief Operations Officer
Mark Slavik - mslavik@weltman.com

Mark Slavik is WWR’s Chief Operating Officer (COO). As COO, Mark directs, administers and coordinates the activities of the firm in support of policies, goals and objectives established by senior management. More specifically, he oversees and directs the development and implementation of strategic, financial, technological and human resource processes to foster continued growth of the Firm and its employees. Tim has responsibility for directing the core business management of all revenue units as well as primary oversight of the Firm’s shared services/corporate functions. Mark comes to WWR with an impressive 25-year background of success in strategic planning, technology and process improvements across IT-, Construction- and Service-oriented industries. During his career, he has served in several capacities including Chief Administrative Officer and Practice Leader as well as Co-founder of his own web-based software firm. Mark has also recently completed an assignment with the Ohio National Guard to build, test and launch the first Homeland Response Force (HRF) in the nation.

Chief Financial Officer
Tim Corman - tcorman@weltman.com

Tim Corman is WWR’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). As CFO, Tim plans, directs and evaluates firm financial activities including accounting, financial reporting, budgeting, auditing, tax, governmental reporting, credit establishment & utilization and relationships with the financial community. Lloyd is charged with the management of the financial and compliance aspects of the firm’s 401K Profit Sharing Plan and Trust. Additionally, he serves as financial leader of the Firm’s Finance Committee, the executive body which oversees the monetary activities of the Firm. Tim is an ex-officio member of the Firm’s Management Committee and a voting member of the Firm’s Finance Committee. A Certified Public Accountant, also certified in Productions and Operations Management, Tim has over 20 years of experience in the professional services industry, having devoted much of his time as a Vice President of Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and as a partner with Ernst & Young Consulting.

Executive Director
Gary Silvey - gsilvey@weltman.com

Gary Silvey is WWR’s Executive Director. As Executive Director, Gary is responsible for the shared support services groups in the firm and chairs the firm’s Strategic Planning Committee. The Support Services group includes Information Technology, Human Resources, Debtor & Client Payment Activities, Security, Legal Support and Operations. Prior to joining WWR, Gary spent over 25 years at Associates Financial Services, where he served as Executive VP of International Operations, responsible for consumer lending operations around the world.

Partner, Client Relationship Management
Theresa Weinberg - tweinberg@weltman.com

Theresa Weinberg is a Partner in the Cleveland office of WWR where she is responsible for Client Relationship Management. Theresa is part of WWR’s Executive Administration team and is also involved in the Consumer Collections Group. Her practice focuses on consumer collection litigation and creditors’ rights. A member of the Ohio State, Cleveland Metropolitan and Ohio Women’s Bar Associations, Theresa is licensed in Ohio and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court (Northern District of Ohio). Theresa is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys and the Northern Ohio Credit Association. She is also a member of the Debt Buyers Association and the Ohio Creditor’s Attorney Association.

Vertical Business Group Leaders

Managing Partner, Consumer Collections
Charles Pona - cpona@weltman.com

Charles "Chuck" Pona is the Managing Shareholder of the Consumer Collections business vertical, located in the Brooklyn Heights office of WWR.  His responsibilities include all consumer recovery activities for the Firm, including but not limited to consumer credits cards, debt buyer accounts, insurance subrogation, utility recovery, healthcare, collateral recovery/replevins, municipal collections and retail accounts.  Chuck received a B.S. magna cum laude in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University in 1982 and a J.D. from Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1986. A member of the Ohio State and Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Associations, Chuck is licensed in Ohio and Pennsylvania and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court (Northern District of Ohio) and the U.S. Supreme Court. Chuck is a member of the Commercial Law League of America, the National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys, the National Association of Subrogation Professionals and the Northern Ohio Credit Association. His community involvement includes the Fraternal Order of Police #27, Gilmour Inc.-Knights of Columbus and Schnurmann House. 

Managing Partner, Commercial Collections
Allen Reis - areis@weltman.com

Allen J. Reis is the Managing Partner of the Columbus offices of WWR and is responsible for WWR’s Columbus/Grove City Commercial Collections business vertical. He is involved in the Commercial Banking, Commercial Business, Special Collections and Commercial/Agency Services Groups. Allen received a B.A. in History from The Ohio State University in 1973 and a J.D. from The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law in 1976.  A member of the American, Ohio State and Columbus Bar Associations, Allen is licensed in Ohio and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court (Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio).  Allen is a member of Phi Alpha Theta and the Financial Institutions and Municipal Court committees of the Columbus Bar Association.  His community involvement includes serving on the Building Committee and as a Youth Leader for the YMCA and volunteering at the YWCA Family Shelter and Mid-Ohio Food Bank.  In 2007, 2008 and 2010, he was recognized as an Ohio Super Lawyer by Cincinnati Magazine.  Allen serves as the lead business sponsor for information technology initiatives within the Firm, providing both strategic guidance as well as operational expertise.

Managing Partner, Real Estate Default Group
Frank Veneziano -  fveneziano@weltman.com

Frank Veneziano is the Managing Partner of the Real Estate Default business vertical and the Cincinnati office of WWR. With over 20 years of experience, Frank concentrates on real estate default services including loss mitigation, litigation & defense, bankruptcy and foreclosure. His innovative approach focuses on customer service and performance excellence. Frank received a B.A. with departmental honors from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1982 and a J.D. from the University of Cincinnati Law School in 1985. A member of the Ohio State and Cincinnati Bar Associations, Frank is licensed in Ohio and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court (Southern District of Ohio).  He is a proud member of the American Legal & Financial Network, California Mortgage Bankers Association, Default Attorney Group, DS News Legal League 100, Fannie Mae Retained Attorney Network, Mortgage Bankers Association and Texas Mortgage Bankers Association. 

Managing Partner, Bankruptcy
Al Hochheiser - ahochheiser@weltman.com

Alan Hochheiser is the Managing Partner of the Bankruptcy business vertical of WWR and practices in both the Consumer and Commercial Bankruptcy Groups. He is also involved in the firm's Real Estate Default Group. Based in the Brooklyn Heights office, Alan's responsibilities include managing the attorneys and employees in his unit, creating new bankruptcy programs for clients and marketing.  Alan received a B.A. cum laude from the State University of New York at Albany in 1985 and a J.D. from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1988.  A member of the Ohio State and Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Associations, Alan is licensed in Ohio and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court (Northern District of Ohio, Western District of Pennsylvania) and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Alan is currently a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute (Consumer Committee member), Commercial Law League of America, National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (Creditors Auxiliary member),  National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees (Associate Member), Fannie Mae Retained Attorney Network, Northern Ohio Credit Association, Default Attorney Group and Phi Delta Phi. 

Managing Partner, Litigation & Defense
Rosemary Taft-Milby - rtaftmilby@weltman.com

Rosemary Taft-Milby is Managing Partner of WWR’s Litigation & Defense business vertical and is based in the Cleveland office. Her practice involves consumer finance litigation, commercial banking, business-to-business litigation, commercial real estate litigation and federal court litigation. Rosemary started her legal career at the University of Louisville, Brandeis School of Law where she served as the Recent Developments Editor for the school’s law journal. While there, she worked as a research assistant on the treatise entitled “The Uniform Commercial Code of Kentucky.” In the course of her career, Rosemary has represented many large and small banks, worked as a solo practitioner and has had substantial trial and appellate experience in both Ohio and Kentucky on the state and federal levels. Although primarily representing creditors and businesses in commercial and banking disputes, Rosemary has experience in personal injury, social security, workers’ compensation and domestic relations matters. Rosemary has been certified as a Creditors’ Rights Specialist since 1997 and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Certification and the Board of Directors of the ICTF. Rosemary is a multi-year Ohio Super Lawyer designated by Cincinnati Magazine and was named a YWCA Woman of Professional Excellence in 2004.

Supporting Directors

Business Development & Client Relations (REDG)
Please contact Mr. Frank Veneziano - Managing Partner, Real Estate Default Group - fveneziano@weltman.com

Director of Business Development (Firmwide)
Bob Hanna - rhanna@weltman.com

Bob Hanna is WWR’s Director of Business Development. In this position, Bob’s responsibilities include pursuing new business opportunities, expanding current client relationships, developing innovative services and promoting WWR as a recognized brand nationwide in the consumer and commercial markets. Bob has over 25 years of experience in debt recovery services to the financial services industry. Prior to joining WWR, he served as Vice President for Outsourcing Solutions, Inc., Senior Vice President of Providian Financial’s First Select and Senior Vice President of First Data Corp.

Director of Client Accounting
Chris Bouhall - cbouhall@weltman.com

Chris Bouhall is WWR's Director of Client Accounting.  In this position, Chris's responsibilities include managing the needs of the Firm's diverse client base, overseeing the billing and cash posting functions, for both debtors and clients, and managing the Firm’s receivables. Chris has over 15 years of experience in financial management and accounting. Prior to joining WWR, Chris worked as an analyst for Arter & Hadden, as client accounting manager for Squire Sanders & Dempsey LPA and as an accounting manager for European operations at Howrey.

Director of Collections
Dave Tommer - dtommer@weltman.com

Dave Tommer is WWR’s Director of Collections. Dave oversees WWR’s collections functions nationwide, including all strategic and tactical initiatives. His responsibilities include the development of collection procedures and training programs, optimization of work flows, collection efficiency improvements and the establishment and evaluation of quotas, goals and compensation for collection personnel. Dave has over 25 years of loan servicing experience and has worked for several Fortune 100 financial organizations including JP Morgan Chase, Bank One, KeyCorp and Household International. Dave is a member of the Strategic Planning Committee of the Firm.

Director of Human Resources
Vivian Kist - vkist@weltman.com

Vivian Kist is WWR’s Director of Human Resources. As Director, Vivian counsels her HR team on issues such as recruitment, compensation, payroll, benefits and employee training. Vivian works with WWR’s management teams to anticipate and plan for future employment needs at the firm. Vivian comes to WWR with a wealth of experience working with both legal firms and call center environments.  She has directly worked in human resources, technology, procurement, strategic business planning, and customer service.  Prior to becoming a partner at Baker & Daboll, she spent many years in NE Ohio as the National Director of Human Resources at Thompson Hine, LLP, and held the same role at Arter & Hadden. Vivian holds a Master's of Organizational Development and Analysis degree from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, a Master's of Business Administration degree from Xavier University, and the Xavier University Executive Coaching Certification.

Director of Information Systems
Bob Baird - rbaird@weltman.com

Bob Baird is WWR’s Director of Information Systems (IS). As Director, Bob manages the Information Technology (IT) team, develops and administers the annual department budget and participates in short-term and long-term planning for the IT department and the IS needs of the firm. He has overall responsibility for delivering desktop automation, computer applications and technology innovation and software applications. Bob also oversees the management of all electronic interfaces with WWR’s clients and third party providers. Prior to joining WWR, Bob spent 16 years working in IS at KeyBank and JPMorgan Chase.

Director of Marketing & Corporate Development
Peter Winzig - pwinzig@weltman.com

Peter Winzig is WWR’s Director of Marketing & Corporate Development. In this position, Peter has direct responsibility for WWR’s brand image, prospect/lead coordination and proposal development as well as public relations, advertising and related communications, including print, broadcast, video and web-based initiatives. He is a member of the firm’s Strategic Planning Committee, critically involved in strategic planning for internal projects and initiatives in support of the Firm’s business verticals and external market/client development. In addition, Peter oversees internal communications efforts, trade show planning, Firm speaking engagements, seminars and special event management. Peter has over 30 years of experience in the professional communications and advertising business, having spent time as Senior Vice President of Account Services at Wyse Advertising and National Director of Marketing at Arhaus Furniture.

Director of Operations
Karen Witmer - kwitmer@weltman.com

Karen Witmer is WWR’s Director of Operations. As Director of Operations, Karen directs and manages the Operational Support functions of the Brooklyn Heights, Cleveland, Columbus, Grove City and Cincinnati offices with administrative responsibility for the remaining four offices of the Firm. Karen oversees mail services, office management, new accounts, file services, docket services, clerical support, reception, switchboard and messenger services. She also serves as liaison for numerous firmwide vendor relations such as office equipment, offsite storage, shredding, office supplies, overnight mail services, etc. Karen has over 35 years of experience in the banking and credit industry in the collections and operations arenas and spent much of career at KeyBank, where she was the Assistant Vice President of Client Services. She has also served as the Vice President and Manager of Loan Servicing’s Finance and Accounting Group for Charter One Bank.

Director of Quality & Client Services
Cindy Darwal - cdarwal@weltman.com

Cindy Darwal is WWR’s Director of Quality & Client Services. In this position, Cindy is responsible for overseeing the Auditing and Client Support Services departments of WWR. She supervises the planning, directing and coordinating of the auditing and client communications activities in WWR’s many offices and ensures that best practices are followed firmwide. Cindy also works the firm’s less-paper document imaging program, oversees eClientNet and guides fraud prevention initiatives. With many years of experience in the credit and collections industry, Cindy has held various positions within Nestle Corporation, Dominion Resources, Consolidated Natural Gas, East Ohio Gas Company and the City of Cleveland.

Director of Real Estate Operations
Tom Cooperstein - tcooperstein@weltman.com

Tom Cooperstein is the Operations Director of WWR’s Real Estate Default Group, where he manages operations for the group. Tom has over 29 years of experience in the consumer finance industry, the last 15 of which he specialized in real estate lending and servicing. Having worked both the originating and servicing sides of the industry, Tom managed multi-billion dollar portfolios with hundreds of employees in various locations, producing excellent results, exceeding expectations and improving liquidation timelines. Throughout his career, Tom has held senior positions for corporations such as Accredited Home Lenders and Associated Home Equity, formerly known as Ford Consumer Finance. With expertise in operations, staff and workflow productivity, Tom offers the firm a unique blend of proven performance and understanding of our client’s needs.

Director of Special Projects
Juanita Stevens - jstevens@weltman.com

Juanita Stevens is WWR’s Director of Special Projects. Her responsibilities include overseeing legal processes firmwide in order to ensure that all legal actions and executions are in compliance with the laws of the various states in which the Firm practices. Her responsibilities involve supervising the implementation of the Artiva Legal system, where she has served as a liaison between the business users, vendors and the IS systems department. As an employee of WWR for more than 25 years, Juanita has worked in every department of the Firm with the exception of Accounting and Foreclosure.