Announcement to ARA Membership: Strengthening Leadership for the Future

As the American Recovery Association (ARA) continues its rapid growth and expanding influence across the industry, the Board of Directors has taken an important step to position ARA for its next phase of success. To support this momentum, we are proud to announce the creation of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) role.

Wayne Ray will step into this position, leading ARA’s overall strategic direction, strengthening industry engagement, and driving the continued advancement of our national initiatives and services in alignment with the Board’s vision and our members’ needs.

Wayne originally joined ARA in 2024 as its first Director of Commercial Operations, where he was responsible for managing and optimizing ARA’s key commercial activities, expanding revenue streams through innovative products and services, and ensuring alignment with ARA’s mission to enhance member value while driving financial growth and sustainability. He also served as a member of ARA’s Technology Committee, helping to advance innovation across the association.

At the same time, Executive Director Todd Squires will continue to play a critical leadership role, with an increased focus on executing and advancing key organizational priorities, including:

Development of long-term initiatives such as the PEP retirement program
Strengthening committee infrastructure and enhancing coordination across state and national associations
Expanding member value while building scalable systems to support sustained growth

In addition, to further strengthen execution and operational consistency, ARA has created an Operations Manager role.

We are pleased to announce that Joanna Deever, who joined ARA in 2025, will serve as Operations Manager, reporting directly to the CEO. In this role, Joanna will oversee day-to-day operations, ensure consistent execution of workflows and processes, support staff accountability and productivity, and help implement the strategic priorities set by the Board and CEO. She will also play a key role in improving operational efficiency and ensuring alignment across teams, partners, and initiatives.

This enhanced leadership structure positions ARA to operate at a higher level—accelerating the initiatives that shape our future while strengthening our impact across the industry.

The Board remains fully engaged and confident in this direction, and we are energized about what lies ahead.

Thank you for your continued support. The future of ARA has never been brighter.

Todd Case | President
American Recovery Association

About the American Recovery Association (ARA)
The American Recovery Association is the world’s largest association dedicated to the advancement and professional development of the recovery and remarketing industry. ARA provides compliance support, education, and advocacy for hundreds of recovery professionals nationwide. ARA is the founder and host of the annual three-day North American Repossessors Summit (NARS) — the largest repossession conference in the industry. For more information, go to repo.org or call (972) 755-4755.