About Us
Who we are
We believe socio-economic mobility should be borderless.
Higher education is key to this mobility but, unfortunately, millions of students struggle to get into or through school due to financial constraints. We’re tackling this pervasive issue by working with investors and universities to provide an innovative and forward-looking education financing product for students from around the world. We’re not just a just a student lender – our goal is to set students up for academic, professional, and financial successes.
In short, we’re global nerds who care.
OUR VALUES
Bold with unwavering Integrity
Committed to Excellence and Inclusion
Compassionate and Data-Driven
The Team
Manu Smadja
CEO & Co-founder
Emmanuel Smadja
CEO and Co-founder
Manu is a former Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company, where he focused on Global Financial Inclusion and U.S. mass-market banking. He has worked with top financial institutions in the U.S., Europe, and Africa. Prior to McKinsey he worked in marketing strategy and operations at CapitalOne and Vistaprint. Manu holds an M.B.A. from INSEAD, as well as an M.S. in Systems & Information Engineering and a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Virginia.
Fun fact: When he’s not working, Manu can be found on the soccer field, kayaking down a river, or on the dance floor.
Mike Davis
Chief Investment Officer & Co-founder
Michael Davis
Chief Investment Officer & co-founder
Mike is a seasoned technologist adept at solving big data problems using technology. He is a serial entrepreneur with 13 startups under his belt, most of which were in the financial services or e-commerce space. One of his prior ventures, Zuga, is one of the top e-retailers for baby products in Chile. In the past, Mike has been Director of Web Innovation and Strategy for Avon and has worked for Sapient, a leading software company. Mike holds an M.B.A. from INSEAD and a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Purdue University.
Fun fact: Mike is addicted to grid-lined notebooks, Evernote, and his Lamy 3+1 pen.
Bob Armour
VP of Operations
Bob Armour
VP of Operations
Bob started his career in consulting with McKinsey & Co. and Cambridge Technology Partners before moving into operations and IT leadership roles at Cognizant, PTC, and Capital One. While serving as COO/CIO of Capital One’s Healthcare Finance business the team doubled loan volume to $1 billion in 2 years. Bob earned an M.B.A. and a B.S. in Systems Engineering both from the University of Virginia. Always passionate about education, Bob recently served on his local school committee and as STEM Outreach Co-chair for Boston SIM.
Fun fact: Bob has moved 17 times within the United States and Europe, and loves to travel the world. His favorite place is the Amalfi Coast in Italy where he embraces driving like a local.
Lana Bronipolsky
VP of Business Operations
Lana Bronipolsky
VP of Business Operations
Lana has more than eight years of experience in financial services as well as two in nonprofit management, and combines her expertise in both fields in her work at MPOWER. Prior to joining MPOWER, she developed new trading models and control processes, managed $6.4 billion in ETF assets, and supervised numerous teams in compliance and support at ProShares Group in Bethesda, Maryland, and PIMCO in Newport Beach, California. Lana is fluent in Russian and holds a B.S. in Economics and B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University and an M.B.A from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.
Fun fact: Lana can’t live without coffee. No, really.
Lutz Braum
VP of Marketing and Business Development
Lutz Braum
VP of Marketing and Business Development
Lutz has more than 25 years of experience in marketing financial services, with deep expertise in digital marketing, consumer engagement, and product development. Before joining MPOWER, he was the CMO of Higher One, a FinTech company that was the country’s largest digital-only banking provider, with more than two million accounts. His previous roles include CMO at an e-retailer, Head of Consumer Marketing at PayPal, and various senior marketing roles at Wells Fargo Bank, Washington Mutual, and both domestically and internationally at Citibank. Lutz is fluent in German and French and holds a B.S. in Finance from Arizona State University and an M.B.A from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Fun fact: Lutz is an avid amateur photographer whose works have graced album covers, billboards, office buildings, and magazines. He loves tennis, photography, and his family (not necessarily in that order).
Terence Chu
General Counsel
Terence Chu
General Counsel
Terence has represented financial institutions for over 25 years, both in private practice and in-house. Terence has extensive experience in banking regulatory, real estate, commercial and consumer law, whose clients have included HSBC (formerly Marine Midland Bank), JPMorganChase, Bank of America, and Capital One. Terence received his J.D. from the Temple University School of Law and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania. As a former entrepreneur himself, Terence relishes the unique business and legal challenges associated with representing startup companies.
Fun fact: When he’s not working as a lawyer, Terence enjoys working with his hands, either in the garage or the dojo.
Carmen Kienow
Director of University Relations
Carmen Kienow
Director of University Relations
Carmen has more than 30 years of experience in the higher education space. She started her career in the financial aid office of United States International University (now Alliant International University), where she helped students from Micronesia obtain Pell Grants so they could complete their degrees. She then worked at other colleges on the student lending side and later sold student loan guarantees, financial literacy programs, and net price calculators. You could say she’s seen many sides of the student-serving higher education industry! Carmen holds a M.S.L. in Leadership from Grand Canyon University.
Fun fact: In her spare time, Carmen is always thinking about where her next international trip is going to take her. Her favorite place so far is Spain (especially Madrid and Barcelona).
Rohan Tibrawalla
Country Director - India
Rohan Tibrawalla
Country Director – India
Rohan joins MPOWER as our new Country Director of India. Prior to joining MPOWER, Rohan was CFO at bhane., a fashion apparel brand, as well as a former Analyst at JPMorgan in New York. Rohan graduated with a BSc. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. He is passionate about both education and finance and is excited about cultivating new marketing partnerships and student relationships throughout India for MPOWER.
Fun fact: Rohan enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, traveling to tiger reserves, and reading Calvin and Hobbes and The New York Times.
Ashish Agarwal
Manager - Analytics
Ashish Agarwal
Manager – Analytics
Ashish has 7 years experience working in analytics and strategy for startups in India. He specializes in business analytics with experience in data driven business strategy formulation. Ashish has earned the Project Management Professional (PMP) and Six Sigma Green Belt credentials as well as both an M.B.A. and M.S. in Information Systems (dual degree) at the University of Maryland – College Park.
Fun fact: Ashish is an active practitioner of Vedic mathematics, an ancient Indian way of solving math problems.
Claire Almand
Associate Manager - Marketing
Claire Almand
Associate Manager – Marketing
Claire joins MPOWER with six years of experience developing digital marketing content and strategies for small businesses, nonprofits, and start-ups. Her focuses include digital marketing, design thinking, business communications, and entrepreneurship. Claire holds a B.A. in Psychology from Swarthmore College and an M.B.A. from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.
Fun fact: When not working, Claire enjoys diving into psychology studies and fantasy novels in equal measure. She is also an avid trail runner and landscape photographer.
Felicia Budiman
Associate Manager - Customer Success
Felicia Budiman
Associate Manager – Customer Success
Felicia has over 8 years of experience in case management for international clients. She has a Bachelors of Commerce in Actuarial Studies and a Masters of Applied Commerce in Accounting from the University of Melbourne in Australia. She has previously worked at AXA Australia, Fragomen Worldwide (Singapore), and most recently at Google Asia Pacific. Being a former international student, refugee, and an immigrant herself, she is excited about Mpower’ing students to achieve their life goals through a borderless education.
Fun fact: Feli used to compete in Ballroom dancing and is an old soul that loves Jazz, fine wine, and is a slight coffee snob.
Brittany Coppola
Customer Success Analyst
Brittany Coppola
Customer Success Analyst
Brittany comes to MPOWER with experience in the education and international development sectors. Prior to joining MPOWER, she worked in both research and product support at the Education Advisory Board (EAB), a higher education consulting firm. Before coming to DC, Brittany worked at a low-cost private school in India developing extra-curricular projects and curriculum, and conducted research for the Indian School Finance Company (ISFC). She also spent time in Buenos Aires, Argentina as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, where she studied non-profit management and worked for the social enterprise incubator, NESsT. Brittany holds a B.A. in International Studies and Spanish from Centre College.
Fun fact: Brittany knows how to dance tango.
Ian Davis
Credit Risk Analyst
Ian Davis
Credit Risk Analyst
Ian has more than three years of combined experience in financial services and consulting. Prior to joining MPOWER, he worked at Northwestern Mutual, the World Bank Group, and, most recently, Fisher Investments. Ian graduated from American University with a B.S. in Business Administration specializing in Data Analysis and IT.
Fun fact: Ian has over a decade of guitar-playing experience and spent his high school years in a heavy metal band.
Ifeanyi Omijeh
HR Generalist
Ifeanyi Omijeh
HR Generalist
Prior to MPOWER, Ifeanyi worked for a variety of domestic and international organizations revamping and tramping up Human Resources Departments. Ifeanyi holds a M.S. in Human Resources Management from the Keller Graduate School of Management, Long Beach, California, and has 10 years of experience in Human Resources.
Fun fact: Ifeanyi loves to visit new cities and countries, but unfortunately despises air travel.
Keegan Kelley
Operations Analyst
Keegan Kelley
Operations Analyst
Keegan has a background in both financial services and international higher education. Prior to joining MPOWER, Keegan worked in the portfolio administration department at ProShares, located in Bethesda, MD. She graduated from the University of Missouri (Mizzou) with a B.A. in International Studies, with minors in History and Anthropology. Throughout the entirety of her undergraduate career, she worked part time at the University of Missouri International Center assisting J-1, J-2, and H-1B students.
Fun fact: She has graced the cover of an album, “Guard Your Heart” by Mama’s Pride, a moderately-known southern rock band. In the photo, she is the one with hair; the bald one is her sister.
Mahendra Vitrianto
Associate Software Engineer
Mahendra Vitrianto
Associate Software Engineer
Mahendra has three years of combined experience working in financial services and consulting. He has previously worked at Citi, Accenture, and most recently at R/GA New York as a part-time consultant. He recently graduated with an M.S. in Management Science from Columbia University.
Fun fact: MMahendra has a deep passion for music arrangement and orchestration.
Nicole Hall
Senior Customer Success Analyst
Nicole Hall
Senior Customer Success Analyst
Nicole has more than a decade of loan servicing and customer service experience. Prior to joining MPOWER, she worked in the Wealth Management division of SunTrust Bank. There she partnered with credit analysts and coordinated the loan closing and documentation process for wealth, legal and medical clients. Nicole graduated from Florida State University with a B.S. in Economics.
Fun fact: Nicole is a skee-ball champion. In 2011, she won the grand prize in a 64 person charity skee-ball tournament.
Olivia Thomas
Customer Success Analyst
Olivia Thomas
Customer Success Analyst
Prior to joining MPOWER, Olivia worked in various customer service and administrative roles. Olivia graduated from Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, TX with a B.A. in English and a minor in Sociology. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Relations and Corporate Communications at Georgetown University.
Fun fact: Olivia has lived in three countries and seven states.
Ronald Rego
Associate Credit Risk Analyst
Ronald Rego
Associate Credit Risk Analyst
Ron comes to MPOWER with experience in education, workflow management, and finance. Prior to joining MPOWER he worked at a low-cost private school in India as a consultant and at Amazon as a workflow analyst. He received his B.A. in Technology in Electrical Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad and received his M.S. in Finance from Rochester Institute of Technology.
Fun fact: Ron is currently learning how to pilot a plane.
Scott Metcalfe
Senior Credit Risk Analyst
Scott Metcalfe
Senior Credit Risk Analyst
Prior to joining MPOWER, Scott worked in the credit risk department at BNY Mellon covering foreign financial institutions. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.S. in Finance and Accounting. Scott has spent a total of two years working and traveling across 30 countries.
Fun fact: When not in the office, Scott is probably exploring markets or trying to learn a new cooking skill.
Yasmin Lalani
Senior Marketing Analyst
Yasmin Lalani
Senior Marketing Analyst
Yasmin joins MPOWER with a passion for increasing access to high-quality education. She comes from working on the education portfolio of the Results for Development Institute (R4D), an international development non-profit, where she researched the efficacy of education financing and technology initiatives within various low- and middle-income countries. Prior to R4D, she worked at a low-cost private school in India on financial sustainability and quality improvement projects as part of a social entrepreneurship fellowship. Yasmin holds a B.A. in Economics and Geography from the George Washington University.
Fun fact: Like much of the MPOWER team, Yasmin loves to travel. She is also a cheesy joke connoisseur.
Board of Directors
Erika Norwood
Executive Director at Gray Matters Capital
Ken Ruggiero
Chairman and CEO of Goal Structured Solutions
Mukul Gulati
Managing Partner of Zephyr Peacock
Thomas C. Barry
CEO & Founder of Zephyr Management
Board of Advisors
Alexandre Lazarow
Alonso Garza
Andrew Wert
Ivaylo Guenov
Jim Turner
Joe Haberman
Kelly Hernandez
Ruben Hillar
Sanjib Kalita
Tahira Dosani
Todd Ruppert
Expert Network
Paul Breloff
Chris Cronk
Zakir Gaibi
Burak Gunes
Rick Patro
Jonas K. Samsioe
Andrew Stephen
Patrick Tuttle
Our Investors
