Sallie Mae Announces Officer Promotions

RESTON, Va., March 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SLM Corporation , commonly known as Sallie Mae and the nation's leading saving- and paying-for-college company, today announced the following promotions:

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Tom Anderson is being promoted to senior vice president, direct to consumer channel. He joined Sallie Mae in 2006 as part of the Upromise acquisition, where he served as president and CEO since 2005. Anderson holds a Master of Science degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from Dartmouth College.

Barry Feierstein is being promoted to senior vice president, private credit loans. Feierstein joined Sallie Mae as vice president, marketing and business development as part of the Arrow Financial Services acquisition in 2004. Prior to that, he was president of a company that purchased distressed commercial and consumer receivables and also was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company. Feierstein holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University.

Jack Lavin is being promoted to senior vice president, debt management operations. Lavin joined Sallie Mae in 2004 as part of the Arrow Financial Services acquisition, where he served as president and chief executive officer since 1995. Prior to that, he led the derivative, capital markets and corporate finance business units at Bankers Trust, served as head of Citibank's European treasury consulting group and established the international capital markets group at Drexel Burnham Lambert. Lavin holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Thunderbird School of International Management and a Bachelor of Business Administration from University of Wisconsin.

Denise Chaisson is being promoted to vice president, higher education sales. Chaisson leads Sallie Mae's sales and service efforts to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. She joined Sallie Mae in 1998 as a higher education account executive. Chaisson holds a degree in business management from the Delta School of Business and attended the University of Louisiana.

Brian Cutler is being promoted to vice president, DMO information technology. Cutler's responsibility includes developing and maintaining the information technology infrastructure and collection software for the DMO division. He joined Sallie Mae in 2004 as part of the Arrow Financial Services acquisition. Cutler attended the University of Illinois.

Peter Greco is being promoted to vice president and associate general counsel. Greco manages the bankruptcy litigation unit and serves as the lead lawyer for Sallie Mae's guarantor servicing division. He joined Sallie Mae as part of the USA Group acquisition in 2000. Greco holds a J.D., a Master of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and international studies, all from the University of Notre Dame.

Steve Heyman is being promoted to vice president, state affairs. Heyman is responsible for the company's state and local government business initiatives. He joined Sallie Mae in 2001 after serving in the Clinton administration. Heyman holds a J.D. from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Michigan.

Terry Holloway is being promoted to vice president, human resources operations. Holloway oversees field human resources operations for servicing, originations and other subsidiaries. He joined Sallie Mae as part of the USA Group acquisition in 2000. Holloway holds a Master of Science degree in human resource management from Purdue University and a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Evangel College.

Kris Lyon is being promoted to vice president, DMO portfolio management. Lyon is responsible for the portfolio management unit, which sets collection strategy, manages internal and external collection agencies, and provides processing services for defaulted federal and private loans. Lyon, who joined Sallie Mae in 2003, is a certified public accountant and holds both a Master of Business Administration degree in corporate finance from the Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from Frostburg State University.

Steve McGarry is being promoted to vice president, investor relations. McGarry serves as the company's primary contact with the company's external shareholders and analysts and coordinates the quarterly earnings call. He joined Sallie Mae in 1997. McGarry holds a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the State University of New York.

Carol Rakatansky is being promoted to vice president and associate general counsel. Rakatansky manages legal issues for government relations and real estate and serves as the lead lawyer on all topics relating to FFELP consolidation loans. She also oversees the corporate-wide document retention program. She joined Sallie Mae in 1998. Rakatansky holds a J.D. from Georgetown University, a Master of Education degree from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Brown University.

Keith Riccitelli is being promoted to vice president and chief procurement officer. Riccitelli leads the corporate procurement group. He joined Sallie Mae as part of the USA Group acquisition in 2000. Riccitelli holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Indianapolis and a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Taylor University.

Rick Shuford is being promoted to vice president of loan originations. Shuford oversees disbursements, financial reconciliation, imaging operations and facilities in Gainesville and Panama City, Fla. He joined Sallie Mae in 1989. Shuford attended Tallahassee Community College and Florida State University.

Jon Silverman is being promoted to vice president, corporate development. Silverman is responsible for corporate acquisitions and other strategic initiatives related to new business growth, as well as oversight of Sallie Mae's partnership marketing team. He joined Sallie Mae in 2002. Silverman holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Chris Tuten is being promoted to vice president, systems development. Tuten is responsible for private credit loan origination systems supporting direct-to-consumer and school-based initiatives. He joined Sallie Mae as part of the USA Group acquisition in 2000. Tuten holds a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from the University of Texas.

Steve Wilansky is being promoted to vice president and associate general counsel. Wilansky oversees all legal matters related to Arrow Financial and Arrow Global and supports DMO and other corporate legal initiatives. He joined Sallie Mae in 2004 as part of the Arrow Financial Services acquisition. Wilansky holds a J.D. from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University.

SLM Corporation , commonly known as Sallie Mae, is the nation's leading provider of saving- and paying-for-college programs. The company manages $142 billion in education loans and serves nearly 10 million student and parent customers. Through its Upromise affiliates, the company also manages $15 billion in 529 college-savings plans, and assists more than 7.5 million members with automatic savings through rebates on everyday purchases. Sallie Mae and its subsidiaries offer debt management services as well as business and technical products to a range of business clients, including higher education institutions, student loan guarantors, and state and federal agencies. More information is available at http://www.salliemae.com/. SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.