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Meet the team

The F&I Sentinel leadership team’s innovative thinking, rigor, and unwavering drive for operational excellence and regulatory expertise are hallmarks that permeate how we interact internally and externally as a company.

Stephen McDaniel

Chief Executive Officer

Matthew Nowels

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF RISK MANAGEMENT

Tim Barchie

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Stuart Granger

Chief product & technology officer

Nicole Aiello

VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS

Tara Longest

Vice President OF HR & Talent Acquisition

Scott Zucco

VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES

Keishawn Batts

Vice president of account management

Saundra Burrell

VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE

Recognition

F&I Sentinel received accolades and industry recognitions for its exemplary commitment to financial stability, innovative risk management strategies, and exceptional customer service, solidifying its position as a leader in the financial services sector.

Inc. 5000 America's Fastest Growing Private Companies
Inc. 5000 America's Faster Growing Private Companies Financial Services
Inc. 5000 America's Fastest Growing Private Companies
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Stephen McDaniel

Stephen McDaniel

Chief Executive Officer

Prior to co-founding F&I Sentinel, Stephen spent 13 years as insurance regulatory counsel focusing his career on compliance issues relating to F&I products. During his time practicing law, Stephen was responsible for overseeing the passage and implementation of state laws throughout the country governing the offering of F&I products. 

Throughout his career, Stephen has worked with many of the largest vehicle finance companies in the United States to implement a compliance management system with respect to the financing of F&I products. Stephen’s experience with the regulations governing the offering and financing of F&I Products has been instrumental to F&I Sentinel’s customers navigating the complex regulatory environment applicable to these products.

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Matt Nowels

Matthew Nowels

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF RISK MANAGEMENT

Prior to co-founding F&I Sentinel, Matthew spent 13 years as insurance regulatory counsel focused on the areas of guaranteed asset protection (GAP waiver), vehicle service contract, and motor vehicle ancillary products.

During this time, Matthew developed a unique expertise specific to these products. Instrumental in the shaping or passage of legislation across the country governing the offering and financing of GAP waiver, Matthew is the nation’s leading expert on the product. Since the inception of F&I Sentinel, Matthew’s expertise has been invaluable in helping vehicle finance companies address a constantly evolving regulatory and litigation landscape.

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Tim Barchie

Tim Barchie

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Tim Barchie serves as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of F&I Sentinel. Working with F&I Sentinel, Tim develops annual operating budgets, presents company financial results, and uses this information to drive strategy and make key business decisions. From market forecasting to investment analysis, he plays a key role in achieving the company’s anticipated financial results and developing financial performance plans that assign accountability throughout the organization.

Before joining the team at F&I Sentinel, Tim served as CFO for GoFan (acquired by KKR), an events management platform, and CFO with Colibrium (acquired by HGS), a tech-enabled services and SaaS platform for the healthcare insurance industry. He was responsible for overseeing all financial functions, performing duties similar to his role at F&I Sentinel.

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Stuart Granger CPTO

Stuart Granger

Chief Product AND technology Officer

As Chief Product and Technology Officer, Stuart Granger leads both functional teams with the singular goal of delivering solutions that create value for lenders, dealers and product companies. 

A proven leader and entrepreneur, Stuart has led and advised multiple technology teams, scaling businesses globally. His collaborative approach, combined with a focus on team building and a deep belief that strong teams create exceptional products, aligns with F&I Sentinel’s commitment to innovation.

Stuart’s distinguished career in product and technology leadership is grounded in developing customer-centric teams and solutions that scale. Before joining F&I Sentinel, he served as Chief Product Officer at PlayOn! Sports and Chief Product and Technology Officer at GoFan, where he played a pivotal role in developing a digital ticketing platform now used by over 10,000 schools and millions of fans.

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Nicole Aiello

Nicole Aiello

VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS

Nicole Aiello serves as Vice President of Operations for F&I Sentinel, where she is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations, implementing strategies and plans that align with F&I Sentinel’s short and long-term goals, and realizing efficiencies and process improvements. With over 22 years of experience, Nicole is a results-driven leader who excels in developing teams, optimizing processes, and enhancing business plans.

Prior to joining F&I Sentinel, Nicole held several senior leadership positions, including Senior Director of CX Operations at Protective Asset Protection, and Chief Operations Officer at Revolos. In these roles, she drove operational direction, cost efficiency initiatives, and improved customer experience (CX) and self-service options. Nicole’s experience and expertise will help fuel F&I Sentinel‘s continued growth and contribute to shaping the company’s organizational culture as it scales.

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Tara Longest

Tara Longest

Vice President of HR & Talent Acquisition

As the Vice President of HR & Talent Acquisition, Tara Longest plays a key role in shaping employee relations and talent strategies at F&I Sentinel. She leads initiatives that encourage ongoing employee development and growth to ensure the company’s mission shines through each employee. Tara is also at the helm of F&I Sentinel’s recruiting process, guiding the roadmap to attract, nurture, and keep top-notch talent in line with the company’s growth goals as it strives toward fulfilling its vision.

Prior to joining F&I Sentinel, Tara served as Talent Acquisition Director for US Operations at Tradebe Environmental Services, a globally recognized leader in the environmental services space. With a wealth of experience in HR, she is the driving force behind F&I Sentinel’s recruitment and retention strategies, fostering a positive and enduring workplace culture.

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Scott Zucco

Scott Zucco

VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES

As Vice President of Sales, Scott leads the F&I Sentinel sales team in defining and executing key strategies to drive growth and expansion. He is an accomplished sales professional with 30-plus years of experience in business development, relationship management, and sales acumen in the area of SaaS-based Enterprise software sales, focusing on financial services companies, financial institutions, auto lenders, and large national organizations.

Most recently, Zucco served as Senior Account Executive with Upstart, a leading artificial intelligence lending platform designed to improve access to affordable credit, where he was instrumental in the development and sales of auto products and responsible for driving key relationships and complex enterprise solutions. Zucco also served as Senior Technology Sales Executive with Defi Solutions (formerly Fiserv), a financial services company that offers loan originations and servicing platforms to large automotive lenders.

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Keishawn Batts

Vice President of Account Management

As Vice President of Account Management, Keishawn leads with a focus on building long-term, trust-based relationships that unlock growth and reduce compliance risk for lenders and F&I product administrators. Whether guiding clients through regulatory changes or scaling strategic partnerships, he brings clarity, empathy, and executional rigor to every engagement, ensuring F&I Sentinel’s partners are set up to succeed in a fast-evolving automotive finance landscape.
 
With almost two decades of leadership experience across fintech, auto lending, and consumer finance, Keishawn is known for his ability to scale high-performing teams and deliver strategic growth. Previously, he led the customer success function at Upstart and served in strategic leadership roles in the auto finance arms of Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Capital One. 
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Saundra Burrell

Saundra Burrell

vice president of finance

Saundra Burrell serves as F&I Sentinel’s Vice President of Finance. In this role, she is responsible for the strategic oversight of F&I Sentinel’s financial health by managing the company’s daily accounting operations. With over 20 years of experience, Saundra is a dedicated leader who excels in creating and maintaining sustainable accounting processes and driving proactive financial outlook practices.

Prior to joining F&I Sentinel, Saundra served as the Vice President of Finance/Controller at Waste Eliminator, a recognized leader in sustainable waste collection and diversion, where she oversaw the company’s $45 million fleet of assets deployed across north and central Georgia. Saundra’s years of experience as a senior leader in finance and accounting are instrumental in driving F&I Sentinel’s strategic decision making as it pertains to the company’s present financial operations and ensuring its fiscal security for the future.

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