Meet Our Staff

Denise Dunckel is CEO of the American Fair Credit Council (AFCC), the leading national association of debt settlement companies. Since 2011, the AFCC and its member companies have worked on behalf of consumers struggling with the overwhelming burden of unsecured debt. The AFCC defines, promotes, and enforces industry “best practices” for debt relief providers and advocates for strong consumer-centric legislation at the state and federal level, ensuring access for consumers to reduce their overwhelming debt in a way that’s right for them.

A veteran of the financial services industry, Ms. Dunckel has led public affairs and communications in the private sector at Visa and Invitation Homes and trade associations such as the Beer Institute.  Her work has covered technology-based data security, interchange, taxes, mortgage finance, and single-family rentals in federal and state legislatures.   Her career spans government appointments, public affairs, corporate advocacy, issues management, and corporate communications.

Before her time in the private sector, Ms. Dunckel held senior positions in the administration of President George W. Bush, including serving in the Office of Presidential Advance at The White House and as a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  She also served as the head of communications and congressional affairs at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the regulatory Agency for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

While at FHFA, Ms. Dunckel created one of the Agency’s signature consumer education programs to help educate homeowners who were underwater on their mortgages due to the 2008 housing crash on how they could refinance their mortgages.

Ms. Dunckel is originally from Dallas, Texas, attended Baylor University, and holds a B.S. from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.  She currently resides in New Orleans with her husband, Paul Morse, and their golden retriever Millie.