David Burton founded Jefferson Capital in 2002 and has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer and on our board of directors since our inception. Prior to founding Jefferson Capital, Mr. Burton served as Group President of OSI Education Services, a subsidiary of leading accounts receivable management service provider Outsourcing Solutions, from 1996 to 2002. Mr. Burton entered the accounts receivable industry in 1992 when he joined A.M. Miller & Associates, eventually becoming its President and Chief Operating Officer and serving in such capacity from 1992 to 1996. Mr. Burton holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and Law from the University of Michigan School of Business Administration. We believe Mr. Burton’s extensive experience in executive leadership positions and knowledge and experience in the accounts receivable industry make him well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Christo Realov has served as our Chief Financial Officer since December 2024. Mr. Realov joined Jefferson Capital in 2021 as our Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Treasurer. Prior to joining Jefferson Capital, Mr. Realov worked in a variety of positions in Citigroup’s Global Financial Institutions group from 2004 to 2021, most recently as Director. Mr. Realov holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Franklin & Marshall College.
Matthew Pfohl has served as our Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel and Secretary since 2015. Prior to joining Jefferson Capital, Mr. Pfohl served as Vice President, Compliance and General Counsel at Interstate Auto Group Inc., a national auto sales and finance organization with significant consumer finance operations, from 2012 to 2015. From 2005 to 2012, Mr. Pfohl worked as a civil litigator at the Minnesota law firm Olson, Redford & Wahlberg, P.A. and from 2000 to 2005 as General Counsel and Director of Legal Services at AmericInn International, a national hotel chain. Mr. Pfohl holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Notre Dame and a Juris Doctor from Loyola University of Chicago.
Mark Zellmann has served as our President of U.S. Business Lines since 2022. Mr. Zellmann joined Jefferson Capital in 2004 as a Financial Analyst and has been leading the U.S. Distressed Underwriting team since 2012 until his promotion to President of U.S. Business Lines in 2022. Mr. Zellmann holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Business Administration from St. Cloud State University. He holds a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation from the Institute of Management Accountants.
Penelope Person has served as our Chief Commercial Officer since July 2017. Ms. Person joined Jefferson Capital in 2002 and has since held various roles in our company, including as manager of our external recovery operations and in roles overseeing our internal call center operations and leading our client services and marketing teams. Prior to joining Jefferson Capital, Ms. Person served in a variety of leadership roles at Fingerhut Companies, Inc, a catalog and online retailer allowing for payments with credit, from 1987 to 2001. Ms. Person holds a Travel & Tourism degree and a Court Reporting degree from St. Cloud Business College.