Eight Payments Pioneers Honored at ETA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

October 3, 2018 – Dana Point, California – The Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) inducted its inaugural class of the ETA Hall of Fame this morning in a ceremony at the Strategic Leadership Forum. During the ceremony, recipients gathered with friends, family, and industry colleagues to be lauded for their formative impact on the modern payments industry.

“Visa is honored to recognize the ETA Hall of Fame inductees who established the vibrant payments industry,” said Robin Leidenthal, Vice President of Merchant Sales and Solutions, Visa. “As a member of the nominating committee, it was a pleasure to work with my fellow committee members to acknowledge the advocates and innovators who have done so much to help power the economy, including our founder Dee Hock.”

The inaugural class of the ETA Hall of Fame included:

  • Chuck Burtzloff, founder of CardServices International
  • Diane Faro, CEO of JetPay
  • Paul Garcia, former CEO of Global Payments Inc.
  • Dee Hock, Visa founder and first company CEO
  • Joe Kaplan, former CEO of Paya
  • Ed Labry, a long-time executive and leader at the First Data Corporation, as well as founder of Concord EFS Inc.
  • Frank McNamara, founder of Diners Club International
  • Debra Rossi, executive at First Data

“As the association of the payments industry, ETA has been the steward of our history for 30 years,” said Jason Oxman, CEO of ETA. “The ETA Hall of Fame is the place to honor the legacy and contributions of our industry’s leaders and we are proud to be the home of both the past and the future of payments.”

During the ceremony, Greg Cohen, president of Paya, announced the establishment of a new scholarship created to honor the legacy of the late ETA Hall of Fame member Joe Kaplan. The scholarship will provide one exemplary leader from ETA’s membership with registration to all ETA events, along with a comprehensive suite of education and mentorship opportunities in the payments industry. The scholarship was generously underwritten by Paya, Global Payments Inc. and North American Bancard.

“Joe built four amazingly successful businesses in the payments industry and was a true trailblazer,” said Greg Cohen. “He was not only a business leader, but a true industry leader who loved to give back to the payments community through his board work and volunteer leadership.”

Complete inductee biographies and coverage from the ETA Hall of Fame ceremony will appear in the December/January issue of Transaction Trends, the official publication of the Electronic Transactions Association.