Need advice on getting out of debt or managing credit? We spoke with three experts to get actionable tips to do so:
Natalia Brown, Chief Compliance and Consumer Affairs Officer for National Debt Relief
Youseff Tannous, Market President and Retail Leader for KeyBank’s Eastern PA market
Ayo Idowu, Financial Advisor in Minneapolis
Watch the full discussion in the YouTube video below and scroll down for speaker bios!
Natalia Brown joined National Debt Relief (NDR) in 2010 and has served as Chief Client Operations Officer since 2019 and in 2023 she accepted a position as Chief Compliance and Consumer Affairs Officer. Natalia played a vital role in NDR’s client journey, overseeing all client-facing operations of the business. She managed a team of more than 400 representatives servicing 200,000+ clients with an unmatched level of support and guidance to clients on their path to financial stability. In her compliance and public relations role, she often makes public appearances to represent brand values, and NDR’s philosophy of whole human finance. She has appeared in news outlets nationwide, publications and podcasts. Natalia also runs internal compliance to support National Debt Reliefs goals and internal processes.
At NDR, she is inspired by the opportunity to help all team members thrive, and clients succeed at their goal of becoming debt-free. During her tenure, Natalia has held various positions, including Vice President, Client Success; Director, Training and Development; and Manager, Negotiations Department. Natalia’s areas of expertise include negotiation, operations, customer relationship management, project management, workforce optimization and learning and development.
Natalia volunteers at New Women New Yorkers, a nonprofit that focuses on supporting immigrant women in New York, she sits on the advisory board of Four Steps Forward, a program that aims to financially educate one million black women over the next five years founded by The American College of Financial Services, she is the Co-founder and President of Inspiring youth for success an organization that focuses on Stem and financial literacy in public schools, she is an executive board member for the American Association for Debt Resolution, an organization that seeks to regulate and promote the debt settlement industry and now a board member of CommonBondz. Natalia is a firm believer that the best work is the kind that lifts others up. Her personal mission is to help people navigate, understand, and thrive in the financial world.
Youseff Tannous is the Market President and Retail Leader for KeyBank’s Eastern PA market. He directly leads the retail team while overseeing all aspects of KeyBank’s business in Greater Philadelphia; from internal revenue growth to external economic and community development initiatives.
In 2013, Youseff joined KeyBank as a Personal Banker and has since had the opportunity to lead teams across various parts of the Northeast; including the Capital NY region, Western PA and most recently Eastern PA. Youseff relocated to the area in 2020 and currently resides in King of Prussia with his partner and two dogs. He will soon be setting roots and closing on a new home in Pennsburg, PA.
Youseff graduated from the State University of Albany in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Economics. He is also a graduate of Capital NY’s Leadership Tech Valley Program and is currently enrolled in Executive Banking School at Furman University. Spending much of his childhood in his parent’s native country of Lebanon, Youseff speaks three languages: English, Arabic and French.
Youseff’s hobbies include working out, hiking, traveling and multi-family real estate investing. He has traveled to 16 countries, 28 states and enjoys learning about the many unique cultures around the world. Youseff is excited to call Eastern Pennsylvania home and has a passion for the growth and development of the region.
Ayo Idowu believes in the power of financial literacy and the infinite doors that it can open. A financial advisor with the largest wealth manager in Minnesota, he centers his services around inclusively growing the wealth of hundreds of families, businesses, and athletes and brings 11 years of experience to the table. A vibrant and engaged speaker, Ayo is passionate about sharing what he knows with groups that go beyond his clientele, including companies, high school students, churches, and community groups.
Raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ayo pursued his education at the University of St. Thomas as a finance major, where he had a thriving career as an involved honors student and college football player. When he was just beginning his college experience, Ayo learned about the art of investing from a fellow classmate and became fascinated by the prospect of understanding money and its inner workings ever since. After college, Ayo embarked on a three-year career in professional football until he decided to pursue his other passion in financial services.
Having been both raised in and developed a successful career in the Twin Cities has fostered within Ayo a deep love and commitment to the Twin Cities community. He is an active board member on the Black Chamber of Commerce as well as the Sanneh Foundation. Ayo is also a frequent contributor on ESPN/WCCO radio.