Our Authors

Dave Bafumo is the national sales director for Warranty Alternatives. He manages agent distribution and national accounts for their universal repair coverage program.  In 2010, Bafumo's commitment to the automotive industry was recognized by his induction into the Carolinas' Independent Dealer Association's Hall of Fame. Dave is a noted speaker, writer and consultant on F&I product compliance issues for financial institutions. He is a graduate of Washington & Lee University Law School and a member of the Virginia Bar.

David Engelman is the CEO of Smart Payment Plan.

David Gesualdo is the publisher of F&I Magazine and show chair for the Industry Summit and Agent Summit. He oversees operations for both AE magazine and P&A magazine. He has 20+ years of experience in the automotive industry.

David R. Ibarra is chief visionary officer at eLeaderTech and a nationally recognized leadership coach, entrepreneur, speaker and author.

David N. Robertson is the executive director of the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals, an organization created to support the in-dealership F&I process. AFIP’s primary member benefit is the AFIP Certification Program which educates it's members about federal regulations and ethical practices.

David Trinder is the owner and CEO of F&I Administration Solutions LLC, delivering SCS Auto, a leading solution for the administration of vehicle service contracts, GAP, prepaid maintenance, appearance protection and more. Delivered as a fully web-based, hosted solution, SCS Auto is a complete administration solution. In addition, SCS Auto provides a dealer site for quick quotes, eContracting, contract lookup, remittance and more, mobile solutions for agents and customers and electronic connections to more than 30 menu systems for both eRating and eContracting. No system connects providers to the industry more than F&I Admin’s SCS Auto. Before acquiring F&I Admin, David was Senior Vice President, Network Solutions, at DealerTrack, Inc. where he oversaw the development of the new web-based SCS Auto platform and prior to that he was Chief Executive Officer of DealerAccess Canada Inc.

Ms. Burgi is the principal legal advisor to National Auto Care Corporation regarding legal and compliance matters for the company.  She joined National Auto Care in June 2014. In addition to serving on the senior leadership team, she manages litigation, oversees the compliance department, and provides counsel to the company for legal and regulatory matters. Prior to joining National Auto Care, Ms. Burgi worked in the insurance industry as an assistance vice president in the legal department for a life & health insurer for 16 years, working on matters related to compliance, as well as regulatory, privacy, and fraud matters.  Last year, she participated as a speaker in  training seminars conducted by the California Department of Insurance Fraud Unit regarding her and the insurer’s role in discovering an insurance fraud ring, which subsequently lead to a full investigation by the Fraud Unit with arrests and convictions for insurance fraud for several members of the ring.

Diana Jacobi is Managing Editor of VMS Publishing, Inc.  She is responsible for editorial content for P&A eMagazine and Agent Entrepreneur eMagazine.  Diana brings over 12 years of experience combined in the Automotive F&I Administration and Editing/Publishing industry.

Don Larsen brings over 30 years of combined experience from the service side of the franchised new car dealerships and the VSC industry.  He works for American Guardian Warranty Services, Inc. in the capacity of Loss Control Coordinator analyzing dealer /client loss experience in order to create rehabilitation plans to make an account profitable.  He also works with internal administrative departments to develop and implement quality assurance processes and measures where needed. He can be contacted at dlarsen@agwarranty.com or 800-579-2233 ext. 4144

Eddie Brooks has over 25 years of automotive industry experience in management, software, telematics, consulting and dealer/agent development.  He is a frequent speaker/panelist at industry events and contributes to various trade publications.