SHONDA JAMES
Mableton
Summary
Strategic and results-driven recovery and bankruptcy leader with 15+ years of experience managing bankruptcy, legal, and recovery operations in federal, financial, and legal environments. Skilled in supervising staff and vendors, structuring high-performing departments, and aligning operations with corporate policy and federal/state regulations. Proven expertise in court proceedings, vendor oversight, reporting, and performance management. Adept at implementing performance metrics, leading cross-functional teams, and creating data-driven strategies to achieve departmental goals.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
Work History
Bankruptcy Analyst
Internal Revenue Service - Treasury Department
08.2024 - Current
- Review and analyze legal documents, liaise with taxpayers, their representatives, fiduciaries, judges, and government attorneys to resolve both routine and moderately difficult issues
- Formulate strategic actions to protect the government’s interests during insolvency proceedings.
- Evaluate business structures to assess the feasibility of debtor operations and proposed bankruptcy plans
- Engage with taxpayers, legal representatives, fiduciaries, and government attorneys to negotiate resolutions for insolvency-related matters.
- nvestigate case issues of varying complexity to resolve unpaid liabilities.
- Determine the need for investigations, such as trust fund recovery penalties, and take appropriate action.
- Monitor compliance with court-approved plans and orders, proactively identifying defaults and initiating corrective measure.
- Represent the government in court proceedings, presenting critical facts and findings
- Proficiency in investigative and analytical methods, with the ability to apply these techniques to evaluate bankruptcy cases effectively
- Strong understanding of the Bankruptcy Code, Internal Revenue Code, state and local laws, court decisions, and the Internal Revenue Manual related to federal tax collections in bankruptcy
Deputy Director
Fulton County Superior and Magistrate Court
07.2021 - 08.2024
- Led and managed strategic operations for property tax appeals, ensuring compliance with Official code of Georgia Annotated 48-5-311
- Manage cross functional collaboration between the District Attorney’s office, Board of Tax Assessors and Georgia Department of Revenue
- Provided technical oversight and administrative guidance to a team of 20 staff members and 4 frontline supervisors
- Execute financial oversight by authorizing board member compensation and reconciling budget
- Trained staff, structured department workflows, and developed strategic goals to improve performance metrics.
- Implemented updated technologies including Cisco Webex, iCloud phone systems, and quality assurance tools
- Reduced average call wait times by 76%, from 1 hour to 14 minutes average
- Increased operational efficiency by 20% through performance tracking systems and workflow enhancements
- Introduced call recording functionality to facilitate quality assurance and team coaching
- Implemented streamlined internal request system, reducing turnaround times for service queries
Bankruptcy Supervisor
Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners PLL
05.2020 - 07.2021
- Managed a team of 20-30 staff members, overseeing bankruptcy processes to ensure compliance with bankruptcy laws.
- Conducted staff training on regulatory standards, processes, and team objectives
- Monitored account payments and conducted audits to ensure adherence to bankruptcy plans
- Collaborated with stakeholders across Bankruptcy Litigation, Foreclosure, and Loss mitigation teams
- Led compliance audits, successfully maintaining zero findings for regulatory adherence
- Identified and addressed issues necessitating legal action, such as plan objections, claim objections, motions for relief, and adversary’s complaints
- Engaged with senior leadership to streamline processes, pinpoint areas for enhancement, and furnish risk analysis reports
- Developed and circulated daily management reports to illustrate performance trends
- Enhanced team performance by implementing structured training sessions and clear compliance benchmarks
MERCHANT DISPUTE ANALYST
Fiserv
12.2019 - 05.2020
- Conduct in-depth risk assessments of merchant accounts, evaluating complaints, credit quality, and reputational risks to mitigate potential financial exposure.
- Analyze and verify merchant processing statements, contracts, and internal accounting records to ensure accuracy, compliance, and correct billing practices.
- Investigate and resolve customer disputes related to sales, chargebacks, fee refunds, fraud, and bankruptcy, ensuring compliance with Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
- Collaborate with legal counsel, risk teams, and client analysts to address high-priority disputes, including fraud, identity theft, and financial discrepancies.
- Conducted detailed invoice reviews and transaction audits, investigating discrepancies that exceeded predefined thresholds.
- Drafted and issued formal correspondence to merchants, summarizing investigation outcomes and ensuring legal compliance.
- Proactively assess and implement risk mitigation strategies to enhance operational oversight and reduce financial exposure
Interim Supervisor Recovery Collections
Synchrony Financial
04.2018 - 06.2019
- ·Reviewed and finalized decisions on debt repurchase requests in alignment with contractual and procedural protocol
- ·Conducted a detailed analysis of repurchase requests, undertaking root cause investigations to pinpoint potential process discrepancies
- Reconciled weekly financial transactions associated with sold accounts, managed invoice processing for debt buyers and addressed any identified discrepancies
- Oversaw the maintenance of department databases and the mandatory reporting of pre- and post- sale activities, emphasizing both quality and timeliness
- Provided support to stakeholders in resolving issues linked to Asset Sales by facilitating SharePoint workflow completion and conducting workout sessions
- Ensured account information is updated and compliant with internal and external stakeholder's requirements
- Complete documentation updates to the Asset Sales procedures as required.
- Assist with the preparation of monthly dashboards by retrieving various sales data elements.
- Share feedback participate in team meetings and identify opportunities for process simplification.
BANKRUPTCY SUPERVISOR
Synchrony Financial
10.2015 - 04.2018
- Led a team of 10+ bankruptcy specialists, ensuring alignment with performance standards and regulatory benchmarks.
- Collaborated with senior management to align team efforts with organizational objectives.
- Developed and circulated daily management reports to illustrate performance trends
- Review and process Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, complaints and provide timely written response to internal departments.
- Collaborated with credit reporting team for E-Oscar updates
- Conduct root cause analysis investigation on operational risk, defects and recommend process improvement opportunities to senior leaders.
- Develop reports for identifying defects, providing feedback, coaching and documentation of closed loop.
- Work with senior leadership to assist with business goals by reviewing teams daily queue inventory, productivity, call monitoring and provide feedback.
Case Administrator
United States Bankruptcy Court
12.1998 - 08.2014
- Managed the full lifecycle of Chapter 7, 11, and 13 bankruptcy cases, ensuring timely and compliant processing.
- Reviewed petitions, amendments, appeals, and court filings for legal accuracy and adherence to federal bankruptcy procedures.
- Liaised with attorneys, trustees, and court officials to facilitate case flow and resolve procedural discrepancies.
Education
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Henry Ford High School
Detroit, Michigan1988
Skills
- Credit management
- Regulatory assurance
- Bankruptcy law
- Insolvency procedures
- Legal Compliance
- Cash flow management
- Claims review
- Risk Management
- Vendor Oversight
- Debt recovery strategies
Timeline
Bankruptcy Analyst
Internal Revenue Service - Treasury Department
08.2024 - Current
Deputy Director
Fulton County Superior and Magistrate Court
07.2021 - 08.2024
Bankruptcy Supervisor
Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners PLL
05.2020 - 07.2021
MERCHANT DISPUTE ANALYST
Fiserv
12.2019 - 05.2020
Interim Supervisor Recovery Collections
Synchrony Financial
04.2018 - 06.2019
BANKRUPTCY SUPERVISOR
Synchrony Financial
10.2015 - 04.2018
Case Administrator
United States Bankruptcy Court
12.1998 - 08.2014
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Henry Ford High School
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