EDUCATIONSPOTLIGHT Meet Your Certified Instructor Why did you decide to become a Certified Instructor? Back in 2005, when I started serving on ACA's Executive Committee, it was suggested that it would be helpful for committee members to become Certified Instructors. So in 2007 that's exactly what I did, and I almost immediately started teaching half-day seminars when I was invited to install officers at unit meetings. It was a pretty smooth transition. I'm not saying I wasn't intimidated by public speaking-I was-but it was something I quickly became used to and it helped build my confidence. really resonates with people. I also draw on my experiences as an ACA leader and share the history of how things came to be, like the roots of certain policies and programs and what was going on in the industry at the time something was created. A couple of examples would be the Code of Ethics and The Collector's Pledge. I'd say ACA's Ethical and Professional Collections class is the one I enjoy teaching the most. I like to talk the principles of business ethics and why we all need to follow ACA's Code of Conduct. As I mentioned, I bring a lot of history to that and talk about where we've come from as an industry and association. Have you learned any lessons about teaching along the way? How do your CI skills translate to your job? I try to talk about my own personal agency experiences when I teach a class. I discuss the things we do in my office-what we've gotten right or wrong-because I think that I'm always weaving things I've learned from my classes into my company's operations, especially when we do training. I like to connect people to the big picture and what's going on out there beyond our four walls. Have ACA's education opportunities expanded your peer network? Yes, absolutely! I've met many people I may not otherwise have been connected to. That includes people taking the classes as well as the other Certified Instructors. I do have Company: Action Collection Agencies Inc. Name: Jay Gonsalves 34 Title: President a benchmark group who I can talk to and bounce ideas off of, but sometimes I'll also reach out to my fellow instructors to get their take on something. Being a Certified Instructor plugs you into a whole network of really smart people. What's the best piece of advice you've received? I've gotten a lot of good advice from many different sources over the years. Something that really sticks out came from my father, who talked a lot about personal responsibility and initiative. You have to get out there and make things happen. No one is going to do it for you. Take responsibility for your own success and don't give up. Number of Seminars Taught: 25+ Years as a Certified Instructor: 12 ACAINTERNATIONAL.ORGhttp://www.ACAINTERNATIONAL.ORG