Tallahassee, Florida — F&I Sentinel, a leading risk-management solutions provider for finance and insurance products (F&I) in the automotive finance industry, today announced four new appointments to its team, including: Saundra Burrell, Vice President of Finance and Controller; Del Braaten, Credentialing Attorney; Barbara Strong, Human Resources Manager; and Amanda Budd, Marketing and Events Manager.
The announcement comes on the heels of F&I Sentinel’s recent successful completion of its acquisition of Express Recoveries from Cox Automotive Inc. The acquisition, along with these key new hires, more than doubles the number of F&I Sentinel employees.
“In an era where the regulatory and compliance landscape remains complex, F&I Sentinel is laser-focused on helping auto-finance companies mitigate risk and achieve compliance throughout the full F&I product lifecycle,” said F&I Sentinel CEO Stephen McDaniel. “The strategic growth in our team, including through our recent acquisition, underscores our commitment to creating the most comprehensive F&I product compliance platform and managed compliance solutions in the market. We’re well positioned to continue expanding this year and to reach our strategic growth objectives.”
Additions to the F&I Sentinel team:
Saundra Burrell, Vice President of Finance and Controller
Burrell offers over 20 years of experience as a hands-on operational finance leader with diverse industry experience and a track record for building successful finance and controllership teams. She has demonstrated success in professionalizing organizations under founder, private equity, or corporate control across multiple industries including Fintech, Financial Services, Healthcare, B2B, Transportation, and Waste Management. Burrell will drive the financial and compliance strategy for the company. Prior to joining F&I Sentinel, she was Vice President of Finance, at Waste Eliminator.
Del Braaten, Credentialing Attorney
Braaten is a seasoned attorney with a passion for legal research and negotiation. He has demonstrated success in providing positive organizational outcomes through strategy development, peer training, and organizational efficiency. Prior to joining F&I Sentinel, he served as Assistant General Counsel at the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
Barbara Strong, Human Resources Manager
With a passion for people, Strong brings years of human resources experience to her new role, where she will lead the day-to-day HR activities at F&I Sentinel including employee onboarding and exiting, benefit management, and employee communication. Her strong communication skills, paired with intuition and sensitivity, support her goal of achieving efficient operations and boosting employee morale. Previously, Strong served as HR Generalist at PlayOn! Sports.
Amanda Budd, Marketing and Events Manager
Budd is a seasoned communications and marketing professional who brings strong communication and events experience to F&I Sentinel. She has demonstrated success in managing events, marketing campaigns, client communications, and community engagement. Prior to joining F&I Sentinel, Budd served as a Communications and Events Specialist at OTR Solutions.
Three of the four new hires are based in Atlanta, demonstrating the company’s continued geographic expansion outside of Tallahassee. Founded in 2018, F&I Sentinel’s goal is to create the most comprehensive F&I product compliance platform and managed compliance solutions for the full F&I product lifecycle.
