Company Officers

Cheryl Burns

President & Chief Executive Officer

Appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer in 1999, Cheryl actively pursues advancement of the surety bail industry while promoting strategic corporate growth. Seventeen years earlier, she and our founder, Harvey Childs, formed Bail USA, Inc. where she managed the daily operations of our headquarters while functioning as Corporate Secretary and Treasurer.

Cheryl has maintained positions on the Boards of Directors of Thiel College, First National Bank of Pennsylvania, and our local newspaper, The Record Argus. She is credited with forming the newly recognized Association Surety Bail Agents (ASBA), a network of bail agents dedicated to preserving the future of the surety bail industry. She is a member of the Professional Bail Agents of the United States (PBUS), and has been a licensed bail agent since 1980.

Cheryl is a not only a pioneer in the industry but a true success story for her accomplishments in a previously male-dominated profession. She is nationally recognized for continually setting standards of excellence for the surety bail industry.

[ Read "A Message From the President" ]

 

Harvey Childs

Chairman of the Board

Harvey, Chairman of the Board of Bail USA, Inc. and our founder, has been a licensed bail agent for 45 years. Occasionally, he is still seen posting bonds at local magistrates’ offices and the county courthouse.

Harvey obtained a B.A. degree in Hispanic studies from the University of Seville in Spain and an M.A. degree from the Cultural Institute of San Lorenzo. He is fluent in five languages and enjoys Spanish and American history.

Harvey entered the surety bail profession in 1956, making him the third generation in his family to follow this occupation. Although Harvey grew up in Pittsburgh, he would make his home in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, 65 miles north. For nine years, he posted bail bonds for clients throughout the tri-county area. In 1969, Harvey expanded his operation to include 16 additional western Pennsylvania counties, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Ohio. In 1970, he founded the Pennsylvania Association of Bail Bond Underwriters and successfully challenged the Keystone State to recognize bail agents as “Officers of the Court”. During the next 10 years, Harvey expanded his growing network of professional bail agents into 25 additional states, is recognized as one of the founders of the Professional Bail Agents of the United States (PBUS), and hired Cheryl Burns as his assistant. By 1982, Harvey and Cheryl partnered to form what is known today as Bail USA, Inc. Two years later, the company became the Managing General Agent for a billion-dollar, blue-chip insurance company. This led to Bail USA, Inc. becoming the largest underwriter of surety bail in the country.

In 1999, Harvey turned the presidency of Bail USA, Inc. over to Cheryl so he could spend more of his time traveling around the country visiting our bail agents. Harvey’s vision for the future of the bail industry is evidenced by his lifelong pursuit of the professional standards and integrity that remain a constant presence in every part of the surety bail profession in the United States.

 

Kermit Tobias

Senior Vice President

Toby serves as Senior Vice President of Bail USA, Inc. and serves as an advisor to the President and Chairman of the Board. In 1995, after 31 years of service with the Pennsylvania State Police, he retired as Sergeant of the Criminal Investigation Unit. Previous to this, Toby was honorably discharged after four years of service with the U.S. Navy.

Immediately upon joining us 10 years ago, Toby became a licensed bail agent. He posts a majority of our Mercer County bail bonds and can be seen at the magistrates’ offices and the courthouse.

 

John O’Bryon

Vice President

John was recently promoted to Vice President of Bail USA, Inc. following 11 years of service where his primary focus is strategic company growth.

John served four years in the United States Marine Corp and is a decorated Vietnam Veteran. Following his discharge, he became a Florida police officer and in 1994, joined our organization as a licensed bail agent. Within two years he was promoted to Fugitive Recovery Specialist. During his time with Bail USA, Inc. John has become an expert at fugitive regulation and recovery and has established a solid alliance with law enforcement agencies across the country. He also serves as a chief field auditor traveling to our bail agent offices around the country to perform agent reviews.

 

Donna Young

Treasurer & Accountant,
Licensed Bail Agent

Donna is Treasurer of Bail USA, Inc., responsible for preparation of financial statements, corporate tax information and account analyses for annual review.

With 10 years of bail experience, she recently became a field auditor and travels to our bail agent offices around the country to conduct agent reviews.

Donna is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. Degree in Business Administration. Following graduation, she worked at a local certified public accounting firm and was an internal auditor at the Mercer County Courthouse.

Company Personnel

The personnel at Bail USA, Inc. are bail bond specialists and collectively have more than 300 years of bail bonding knowledge, experience, and expertise.

What does this mean to you? A team of highly qualified representatives always available to respond to your questions and concerns.