Association of Progressive Rental Organizations

APRO Welcomes New CEO Charles Smitherman

Before the end of this week – June 1st, actually – APRO will welcome a new CEO: Charles Smitherman, JD, PhD.

Smitherman comes from APRO member PTS Financial Services, where he has served as General Counsel – in addition to Chief Operating Officer, then Vice President – for the past 8.5 years. He will be the association’s sixth leader in its 43-year history.

“I’m truly honored to be selected to help lead this industry as the new CEO for APRO,” Smitherman said. “I understand the essential role APRO plays in protecting and promoting the rent-to-own industry. I believe my background and experience will bring the association valuable insight and skills to support and advance not only its position as the voice of RTO, but also its duty to provide unique value to our membership.”

Previous APRO CEO Jill McClure resigned at the beginning of this year following 5.5 years of successful leadership with APRO. A nationwide search – facilitated by an executive search firm – eventually led a special committee to identify Smitherman as the right person for this critical position.

“Charged by the APRO Board of Directors, I formed an Executive Search Committee with four other rent-to-own leaders to join me in recruiting and hiring APRO’s next staff leader,” said APRO President Michael Bennett, CEO of Buddy’s Newco LLC, dba Buddy’s Home Furnishings. “I want to extend my greatest thanks to Larry Carrico, CEO of SKC Enterprises Inc. dba Rent One; Mark Connelly, Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions for Arona Corporation dba Arona Home Essentials; Christine Hesse, head of Government Relations for Progressive Holdings Inc.; and Shirin Kanji, President of Impact RTO Holdings dba Rent-A-Center – the time, energy, and thoughtfulness they spent during this process was absolutely invaluable.

“Charles’ experience as an attorney and at the RTO executive level – along with his collaborative and modest approach as a servant leader – impressed us, and are a perfect fit for this vital appointment,” Bennett continued. “I’m sure APRO members will agree once they get to know Charles better and watch him in action.”

Smitherman’s background includes work in the financial services, rent-to-own, and franchise industries. He has expertise in executive leadership, legal compliance, litigation, public speaking, contract, franchise, and privacy law, antitrust, mergers and acquisitions, and legal research and writing.

Prior to his work at PTS, Smitherman served as General Counsel and Executive Vice President for Opportunity Tax Service, a startup franchise company. Previously, he spent almost a decade as a practicing attorney with the Georgia-based McCurry Law Firm, specializing in corporate and business litigation, legal strategy and business planning, mergers and acquisitions, contract drafting, and regulatory compliance.

Smitherman earned his Doctor of Philosophy in International Law and Legal Studies and his Master of Legal Studies degrees at the University of Oxford in England. He earned his law degree at the University of Georgia, graduating cum laude, and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Theology from Mercer University, graduating summa cum laude.

Additionally, Smitherman has earned the titles of Certified Information Privacy Professional and Certified Information Privacy Manager with the International Association of Privacy Professionals. He is also a Certified Franchise Executive with the International Franchise Association.

With so much education and training behind him, Smitherman is ready to expand his rent-to-own knowledge through work with the APRO staff and especially its membership.

“I’m looking forward to connecting with our member dealers and vendors over the coming weeks and months,” said Smitherman. “I’ll be listening closely to our members about how APRO can continue to help meet your business needs. I want to explore new ways to collaborate with our members, who have such extensive industry experience, expertise, and wisdom to offer.

“And of course, I’m thrilled to be joining and working with the team at APRO,” he concluded. “These exceptional professionals and I will continue the work to safeguard this industry and sustain this association as the voice, champion, and headquarters for all things RTO.”

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Mike Lewis

Mike Lewis is a Premier Rental Purchase franchisee with multiple stores and currently serves as Vice President of Operations. With 33 years of experience in the rent-to-own industry, he has spent the past 20 years working closely with franchisee owners and previously spent 12 years in Corporate RTO, gaining a strong foundation in the business.

For the past five years, Mike has been sharing his knowledge by teaching managers and franchisees at the company’s Training Center.

Outside of work, he enjoys time with his family, kids, and grandkids, and appreciates the simple things in life – especially riding his Harley Davidson with the sun on his face. If you know, you know!

Lauren Talicska

Arona Corporation dba Arona Home Essentials

Lauren Talicska is an experienced multi-channel marketing specialist and the Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Arona Home Essentials. She has found her home in the RTO community, supporting stores in branding, growth, and increasing traffic.

You may recognize Lauren as a former RTO vendor, including her time as a partner for Nationwide RentDirect, or her previous participation in the APRO Vendor Advisory Committee. Lauren calls Columbus, Ohio, home and spends her workday crafting and executing marketing promotions from inception to realization, all while supporting the branding and social media needs of all the Arona stores in 12 states (plus Puerto Rico!).

Charles Smitherman

APRO

Charles Smitherman, JD, PhD, CAE, became CEO of APRO in 2023, bringing years of legal and executive experience in the rent-to-own industry. 

Prior to joining the association, Charles served as COO, General Counsel, and Vice President of PTS Financial Services, where he played an active role in the rent-to-own industry by representing his company through PTS’s club program offering with APRO member dealers. Charles is an attorney with two decades of experience across a wide variety of areas, including RTO, consumer financial services, antitrust, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, franchise law, and privacy law. Following law school at the University of Georgia, Charles earned a Master of Legal Studies and PhD in Law from the University of Oxford in England.

Charles is credentialed as a Certified Association Executive (CAE) with the American Society of Association Executives, a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) with the International Franchise Association, and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals. As APRO’s sixth CEO in its 45-year history, he brings a collaborative, member-focused approach to association leadership, emphasizing transparency, advocacy, and value creation. Outside of work, Charles is an active ultra runner and open water swimmer.

Mike Kays

Ashley Furniture Industries

As VP of Rental Sales for Ashley Furniture Industries, Mike thrives on building relationships with our RTO industry veterans, and helping businesses grow through new product, new marketing, and new supply chain options.

Mike works to leverage a wide breadth of relationships and influence, intimate knowledge of market trends, and unique knowledge of what RTO dealers need from a supplier to be successful.

The saying goes that a high tide raises all boats, and our goal is to leverage the world’s largest furniture manufacturer to drive the continued growth of the RTO industry and all the suppliers.

Mike Tissot

Countryside Rentals Inc., dba Rent-2-Own

Mike grew up in the rent-to-own industry under the guidance of his father, former APRO President and RTO legend Darrell Tissot. For nearly 25 years, Mike’s innovative leadership has helped expand the family business to more than 40 stores across Ohio and Kentucky while also shaping the industry as a whole.

He has served as President of the Ohio Rental Dealers Association, an APRO board member and Treasurer, and President and Treasurer of the TRIB Group. His contributions have earned him the APRO President’s Award of Excellence and the title of APRO Rental Dealer of the Year.

Outside of RTO, Mike enjoys time at the lake house or in Orange Beach, Alabama, with his girlfriend, Angela Strong McCool. A passionate Cincinnati Reds fan, he rarely misses a game, whether watching or listening alongside his parents. He also takes every opportunity to visit Arizona, where his daughter is currently attending Arizona State University.