BOARD | STAFF
2021-2022 Board Of Directors
Executive Committee
Eugene “Gene” Hutchins
Chair
Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority
Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corporation
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Directors At-Large (Term expires June 30, 2022)
Directors At-Large (Term expires June 30, 2023)
Liaison Members
Staff
James P. Bergeron
President
James P. Bergeron currently serves as President of the National Council of Higher Education Resources (NCHER), which represents a nationwide network of lenders, secondary markets, guaranty agencies, loan servicers, private collection agencies, schools, and others that assist students, borrowers, parents, and families access, manage, and pay for the costs of postsecondary education. The membership includes education finance organizations that administer and service federal education loans and entities that underwrite, administer, and service private education loans.
Prior to joining NCHER, James worked as the Director of Education and Human Services Policy for the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. In this capacity, he advised Chairman John Kline, members, and staff, and oversaw policy development on all areas of education and human services programs, including the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left Behind, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Workforce Investment Act, the Head Start Act, and other federal laws governing elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education.
Before joining the Committee in 2006, James served as Legislative Director in California Rep. Buck McKeon’s personal office where he was responsible for developing and implementing the legislative agenda within the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness. He authored important legislative initiatives on college affordability and financial aid simplification. James began his Capitol Hill service almost 20 years ago as a Legislative Assistant to former Louisiana Rep. Bob Livingston, who chaired the House Appropriations Committee.
James also served as Vice President of MARC Associates (now part of Holland & Knight), a government relations firm where he consulted for a number of elementary and secondary education and higher education organizations.
He holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Stefanie Gramm, CMP
Director, Operations & Meetings
Stefanie Gramm is NCHER’s Director of Operations and Meetings, a position she has held since 2003, and is responsible for all logistical aspects for more than 10 meetings and an exhibition each year. She serves as liaison to the Board of Directors, coordinates meeting site research and selection, manages vendor contracts, performs in-house accounting, manages member dues, assists the CFO with budget preparation and auditing, and is the office manager.
Stefanie, who is a certified meeting professional and holds a legal assistant certification from Washington Business School, has more than 20 years of experience and expertise in the meetings and event management arena. Prior to joining NCHER, she was Director of Member Services at IMN Solutions for six years. Stefanie has also worked at GMG Solutions and Pfizer.
Shelly Repp
Senior Advisor & Council
Shelly Repp is a Senior Advisor and Counsel to the National Council of Higher Education Resources where he served as President from July 2011 until May 2014. NCHER represents a nationwide network of lenders, secondary markets, guaranty agencies, loan servicers, collectors, schools and other organizations involved in the administration of education loan programs. He joined the organization in 1999 as its General Counsel.
Shelly has an extensive background in education matters and student aid, having previously been employed in the Office of the General Counsel at the former U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Shelly served for two years as the senior assistant to the Inspector General at the Department of Labor. He joined the legal staff of Sallie Mae in 1981, with the concluding position as Vice President and Senior Deputy General Counsel. He was responsible for supervising all legal work relating to Sallie Mae’s asset and securities transactions and providing legal advice on new product development and legislative analysis.
Shelly received his A.B. in 1969 from Brown University and his J.D. degree in 1974 from the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he was Managing Editor of the Buffalo Law Review. He is a member of the New York and District of Columbia Bars. Shelly is active in community and educational affairs and in the arts. He served for over 15 years as a director of the DC Chamber of Commerce, where for five years he was Chairman of the Government Affairs Committee. He is a past President of the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.
Vicki Shipley
Senior Advisor
Vicki Shipley is Senior Advisor to the National Council of Higher Education Resources (NCHER). A 42-year veteran of higher education finance experience, Vicki is staff liaison to many of the NCHER committees and caucuses with a focus on policy development and implementation, compliance as well as regulatory and legislative activities. She held similar positions at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission and Southwest Student Services.
Vicki has a graduate degree in Business Administration from the University of Illinois in Springfield and an undergraduate degree in Accounting from Illinois State University.
Melissa Neal is the Executive Director of the Oklahoma College Assistance Program, an operational division of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the state’s designated guarantor for the Federal Family Education Loan Program. Before serving as Director, she led the development and delivery of the organization’s financial aid, financial literacy, and student loan management educational products and services.
As Immediate Credit Recovery’s Senior Vice President of Business Development and Operations, Phillip oversees the development and administration of ICR’s business outsourcing programs, taking client objectives and goals and successfully executing them with a high degree of efficiency to exceed expectations. Phillip possesses a unique blend and depth of higher education expertise that spans 30+ years of work with high-volume, high balance student loan portfolios and includes the entire student loan life cycle: financial aid office, student loan servicing, guarantor, and account receivables services.
Randy Heesacker is President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Student Loan Program. He was one of the first employees of the company when it began in 1986 and previously served as Executive Vice President. In that capacity, he supervised many aspects of the agency’s business operations and provided strategic direction for the company. He has 30 years of experience leading and directing guaranty agency and business process outsourcing operations. In 2011, he led the launch of Inceptia, providing student counseling and financial aid processing services directly to institution of higher education. Mr. Heesacker graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a B.A. with dual majors in business administration and accounting. He is a member of the Nebraska Society of Certified Public Accountants
Terry L. Muilenburg is responsible for representing Strada Education Network’s interests to the federal government, including the legislative and executive branches. She also works with other higher education access groups and studentloan administrators in advancing policies that promote the college preparedness, access, and success of students and families. Prior to becoming Senior Advisor to the President and Chief Executive Officer of Strada Education Network in 2014, she served as Senior Vice President, Government and Industry Relations for its parent company, USA Group, for over 20 years. Before joining USA Group in 1994, Ms. Muilenburg directed the Washington, DC, office of the State of Connecticut for then-Gov. Lowell Weicker. She also served as a key staff member on two U.S. Senate committees that have jurisdiction over higher education: the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies of the Appropriations Committee, as well as the panel now known as the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Additionally, Ms. Muilenburg has represented Strada Education Network on the Board of Directors of the National Council of Higher Education Resources since 2003, and has served on the Board of Directors of the National College Access Network since 2006. She is a graduate, with distinction, of the University of Virginia.
Bill Norbert is the Governmental Affairs and Communications Manager at the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME), where he acts as liaison between the administration, legislature, and other state agencies. He also manages agency media communication initiatives and coordinate responses to inquiries from the press and others. He also is responsible for monitoring and responding to state and federal legislation that may affect the agency. Mr. Norbert develops support for FAME initiatives with various legislators, agencies, stakeholders, and public, as well as conducts legal research and review of legislation and commercial financing projects. Prior to joining FAME, Mr. Norbert was an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Maine, where he worked in child support enforcement. He also served as a staff attorney at the Disability Rights Center of Maine, was a State Representative in the Maine Legislature for three terms, and a Law Clerk for both the U.S. District Court of Maine and the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Mr. Norbert holds a B.A. in political science from Brown University and a J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law.