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 student lender – our goal is to set students up for academic, professional, and financial successes.
OUR VALUES
Bold with unwavering Integrity
Committed to Excellence and Inclusion
Compassionate and Data-Driven
Board of Directors
Erika Norwood
Executive Director at Gray Matters Capital
Erika Norwood
Executive Director at Gray Matters Capital
As the Executive Director of Gray Matters Capital, Erika has a personal vested interest in increasing diversity within the social sector and strengthening the presence of women’s leadership in the social enterprise space. She began her impact career at Gray Matters Capital in 2006. During her eight-year tenure, she managed the foundation’s programmatic and grant-making efforts, oversaw the development of pilot programs across India and focused on cultivating global partnerships and ecosystem outreach for GMC’s affordable private school initiative. Before re-joining the foundation, from 2014-2016, Erika served as Executive Director for IDEX Accelerator & Global Fellows Program. While at IDEX, she founded the InvestWISE Scholarship Fund which focuses on promoting balanced leadership and diversity within the social sector. Erika also serves on the Board of Directors for VOICE for Girls and Caleb Christopher Foundation and on the advisory committee for Georgia Tech University’s Women’s Entrepreneurship Institute.
Fun fact: Erika resides in Atlanta, GA with her tween-age son Caleb and our adorable puppy Thursday.
Ken Ruggiero
Chairman and CEO of Goal Structured Solutions
Ken Ruggiero
Chairman and CEO of Goal Structured Solutions
Ken is an experienced innovator in consumer finance with more than 25 years spent managing start-up through Fortune 1000 companies, helping them create meaningful change and improvement in their delivery of financial services. Throughout his career Ken has worked tirelessly to improve access to higher education and he continues to be a passionate advocate for expanded financial literacy and transparency in the space. Ken spearheaded the reinvention of Goal Structured Solutions, a leading provider of asset management in the education finance industry. Under his leadership, Goal Structured Solutions has significantly grown their service and product offerings, eventually re-entering the origination space in 2017 with the creation of Ascent Student Loans and more recently enter the primary servicing arena through the creation of Launch Servicing. Under Ken’s leadership Goal Structure Solutions has grown into a well-respected thought leader and service provider to over 100 clients managing over $27B in student loan assets.
Fun fact: When I have free time and when I don’t, I surf on my stand up paddle board and ski/snowboard in Park City.
Mukul Gulati
Managing Partner of Zephyr Peacock
Mukul Gulati
Managing Partner of Zephyr Peacock
Mukul is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Zephyr Peacock Indiaand is responsible for the overall leadership of the Zephyr Peacock Funds. Mukul has over 20 years of experience in the investment business including private equity, investment research and general management. Previously, Mukul worked at Multex where he was involved in setting up and managing the firm’s quantitative equity research business. Mukul is a member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and serves on the Asia Council of Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (EMPEA). Mukul has an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business and is a cum laude graduate from University of Maryland with a degree in economics.
Nicole West
Co-founder and COO at Luminous Group, LLC
Nicole West
President, West Advisory and Co-founder/COO, Luminous Group, LLC
Nicole is a growth-oriented board member and executive who has brought strategic leadership for over 25 years to both publicly traded and emerging global companies. She has a proven track record of enhancing shareholder value through growth initiatives, driving EBITDA margins through scalable operations, conducting pivot and turnaround strategies, and developing talent and great places to work. Her broad industry experience includes financial services (asset management, consumer and small business lending, global payments, credit cards, mortgage, capital markets, student lending), technology (digital/mobile products and experiences, big data analytics, blockchain, FinTech), and higher education/ed tech.
Fun fact: Nicole loves to travel the world eating great food, meeting people, and learning new cultures. She enjoys hiking and has hiked the continental divide at 12000 feet and believe it or not enjoys gardening.LinkedIn – link stays the same.
The Team
EMMANUEL (MANU) SMADJA
CEO and Co-founder
Emmanuel (Manu) 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 Capital One 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 serial entrepreneur with 13 startups under his belt, most of which were in the financial services or e-commerce space. As MPOWER’s Chief Investment Officer and Co-founder, Mike uses his superpowers to architect the company’s equity and debt financing rounds. In the past, Mike has been Director of Web Innovation and Strategy for Avon and has worked for Sapient, a leading consulting firm. Mike holds an M.B.A. from INSEAD and a B.S. in Computer and Electrical Engineering from Purdue University.
Fun fact: Mike is addicted to grid-lined notebooks, Evernote, and productivity technology.
Lana Lodge (Bronipolsky)
SVP of Business Operations
Lana Lodge (Bronipolsky)
SVP of Business Operations
Lana has more than 12 years of experience in financial services as well as 2 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 operations 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 a 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 2 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).
Kin Chung
VP of Credit Innovation
Kin Chung
VP of Credit Innovation
Kin has over 20 years experience in Financial Services. Prior to joining MPOWER, he was Chief Risk Officer at FS Card. Former roles include Chief Credit Officer at Ethos Lending (a start-up mortgage lender), as well as various senior positions at Fannie Mae, Capital One, and AIG. He has expertise in consumer credit, advanced analytics, and structured finance. Kin holds a PhD in Mathematics from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Western Australia.
Fun fact: Kin has a second degree black belt in Taekwondo and is an accomplished pianist. He lives in Northern Virginia with his family and four children.
Bob Alexander
Senior Director of Finance
Bob Alexander
Senior Director of Finance
Bob Alexander joins us as our Director of Finance, with extensive experience in student lending during his tenure at College Ave Student Loans as well as in consumer credit from his time working for Chase and Barclaycard. He has already added tremendous value to MPOWER, from supporting the initial transactions to our new $100M loan facility to guiding our annual audit by Deloitte.
Fun fact: Bob is the proud parent of four children (and a Shih Poo).
Parimala Pakalapati
Senior Director of Engineering
Parimala Pakalapati
Senior Director of Engineering
Prior to joining MPOWER Financing, Parimala served as a consultant for various early stage FinTech startups in New York, where she helped determine technology stacks and built and managed technology teams and operations. Earlier in her career, Parimala was a Systems Architect and Manager at Intercontinental Exchange Inc. and Creditex, where she worked on trading and clearing platforms. She holds an M.S. in Computer Science from Utah State University, and a B.S. in Computer Science & Engineering from JNTU Hyderabad.
Fun fact: Pari spends her free time hiking, scuba diving, and practicing or volunteering teaching yoga. She once went on a trip to 17 countries and did those activities in random order.
Carmen Kienow
Director of University Relations
Carmen Kienow
Director of University Relations
Carmen brings to MPOWER more than 30 years of experience in the higher education space. She started her career in San Diego 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 next worked at other colleges, then 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 an M.S. 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).
Maureen Klovers
Director of Social Impact
Maureen Klovers
Director of Social Impact
Maureen has 12 years of experience in financial inclusion, higher education, and consulting. Prior to joining MPOWER, she designed or launched several large government grant and lending programs, including the U.S. Department of Treasury’s $1.5 billion State Small Business Credit Initiative. She subsequently founded a boutique consulting company focused on helping government agencies and universities become more efficient, effective, and outcomes-oriented. She holds an M.B.A. and Master’s of Public Policy from Georgetown University.
Fun fact: Maureen grew up in Milwaukee, WI, but experienced life as an international student in Spain. She also taught at a school for children from shantytowns in Quito, Ecuador.
Terence Chu
General Counsel
Terence Chu
General Counsel
Terence has represented financial institutions for 30 years, both in private practice and in house. Terence has extensive legal and compliance experience in banking, regulatory, real estate, commercial, and consumer law. Past clients include 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 his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania. As a former entrepreneur himself, Terence relishes the unique legal and business 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 at the dojo.
Ashish Agarwal
Manager - Analytics
Ashish Agarwal
Manager – Analytics
Ashish has 7 years of 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 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
Manager – Marketing
Claire Almand
Manager – Marketing
Claire joins MPOWER with 6 years of experience developing digital marketing content and strategies for small businesses, nonprofits, and startups. Her focuses include digital marketing, marketing technologies, design thinking, and business communications. 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.
Kortney Avadikian
Manager - Loan Servicing
Kortney Avadikian
Loan Servicing Manager
Kortney brings extensive experience in customer service, collections, and management to the MPOWER Customer Success Team. Prior to joining MPOWER, she spent more than 13 years developing her skill set for minimizing risks for a large indirect auto financing company. Kortney’s passion to help people in need find financial relief has driven her efforts to develop a solid Servicing foundation at MPOWER.
Fun fact: the first time Kortney was ever on a plane, she jumped off of it!
Kristin Pugliese
Manager - Customer Success
Kristin Pugliese
Manager – Customer Success
Kristin has more than 10 years of experience in customer support organizations. She began her career in frontline support at Bank of America. Her passion for improving customer experience met her interest in innovation as she led the company’s first Video Teller teams. Kristin’s appetite for new technologies grew as she went on to help build support operations at Uber. She earned her B.A. in Psychology at Penn State University.
Fun fact: Kristin loves to draw and paint. Her favorite medium is acrylic paint.
Sasha Ramani
Manager – Corporate Strategy
Sasha Ramani
Manager – Corporate Strategy
Sasha is a CFA Charterholder and seasoned management consultant who recently completed his Masters degree in Public Policy (MPP) at the Harvard Kennedy School. Originally from Canada, Sasha honed his strategy and investment management skills in New York City with Deloitte Consulting and Mars and Co, where he advised investment firms on innovation, business growth strategy, and organizational design. At Harvard, Sasha’s interests included financial technology (FinTech) and the mobilization of financial capital for social impact. He also published a paper with Dr. Christopher Smart, a former Obama Administration senior policy maker, on how technology can help to mobilize capital in emerging markets. Sasha holds a BMath from the University of Waterloo and a BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Fun fact: Outside of work and school, Sasha enjoys traveling, exploring, real estate investing, recreational computer programming, and listening to the Hamilton soundtrack.
Felicia Budiman
Associate Manager - Office Operation and Compliance
Felicia Budiman
Associate Manager – Office Operation and Compliance
Felicia has more than 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. Felicia 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 competes in ballroom dancing and is an old soul who loves jazz and fine wine, and is a slight coffee snob.
Ifeanyi Omijeh
Associate Manager - Talent and Culture
Ifeanyi Omijeh
Associate Manager – Talent and Culture
Prior to MPOWER, Ifeanyi worked for a variety of domestic and international organizations analyzing and improving Human Resources departments. Ifeanyi holds a B.A in foreign languages and a Masters degree in Human Resources Management from the Keller Graduate School of Management in Long Beach, California.
Fun fact: Ifeanyi loves to visit new cities and countries, but unfortunately despises air travel.
Aditya Suresh
Team Lead - Customer Success
Aditya Suresh
Team Lead – Customer Success
Aditya has more than 11 years of experience in Support & Operations Management for international organizations such as IBM, Dell, and Plivo. In previous positions, he was actively involved in the pilot and set up of the off-shore Product Support & Partner Operations teams and was also awarded for his leadership skills. He holds a B.E. in Computer Science and Engineering from Siddaganga Institute of Technology in Tumkur, India, and is also a Certified Scrum Master, PRINCE2 Practitioner, and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. Aditya is fluent in four Indian languages.
Fun fact: Aditya loves his coffee, food, automobiles, and no-holds-barred laughter!
Gizem Girgin
Senior Customer Success Analyst
Gizem Girgin
Senior Customer Success Analyst
Gizem has an M.S. in Finance from Florida International University and worked for the university as a teaching assistant and focused on financial analysis. Gizem has more than 7 years of experience in customer service and management, including leading regional training as a retail manager for 5 years. She has also worked as a relationship banker at M&T Bank, assisting clients with loans and life insurance, and as a financial adviser at Edward Jones, helping clients achieve their long-term financial goals. As a former international student, Gizem is passionate about helping global students achieve their goals and receive great support while away from home.
Fun fact: Gizem loves cooking from scratch (especially Turkish food), playing computer games, and sipping different types of wine.
Ian Davis
Senior Credit Risk Analyst
Ian Davis
Senior Credit Risk Analyst
Ian has more than 4 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 more than a decade of guitar-playing experience and spent his high school years in a heavy metal band.
Keegan Kelley
Senior Loan Operations Analyst
Keegan Kelley
Senior Loan 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, Maryland. She graduated from the University of Missouri 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: Keegan has graced the cover of a music album, “Guard Your Heart” by Mama’s Pride, a moderately-known southern rock band. In the photo, she is the person with hair; the bald one is her sister.
Kyean Clore-Byrd
Customer Success Analyst
Kyean Clore-Byrd
Customer Success Analyst
Kyean is the newest Analyst on the D.C.-based Customer Success team. He has worked in several agencies under the U.S. Department of State, including Consular Affairs and Passport Services. Kyean also served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member, where he worked on a community development project that connected urban store owners with local farmers and fresh food vendors to introduce healthy food inventory in corner stores in low-income areas. He credits his work ethic and appreciation for MPOWER to his community service background and study abroad experience. Kyean received his B.A. in History from Temple University.
Fun fact: Kyean was a member of his high school’s quiz bowl team and enjoys going to trivia and game nights.
Mahendra Rianto
Software Engineer
Mahendra Rianto
Software Engineer
Mahendra has 3 years of combined experience working in financial services and consulting. He has previously worked at Citibank, Accenture, and most recently at R/GA New York as a consultant. Mahendra holds an M.S. in Management Science from Columbia University and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Bandung Institute of Technology.
Fun fact: Mahendra has a deep passion for music arrangement and orchestration. Check out his work on https://soundcloud.com/iantoo
Meet Semlani
Customer Success Analyst
Meet Semlani
Customer Success Analyst
Prior to Meet’s position at MPOWER, he was an analyst at JPMorgan in both New York and Mumbai. Meet graduated with an Bachelor’s in Commerce from University of Mumbai and Masters of Arts in Entrepreneurial Leadership from the University of Chester, England. He is passionate about both education and financial inclusion and is excited about helping students realize their dream of studying further without worrying about finances.
Fun fact: Meet enjoys watching Casey Neitstat vlogs and is always planning his next destination to travel.
Mohammad M. Nazar
Customer Success Analyst
Mohammad M. Nazar
Customer Success Analyst
Nazar has more than 9 years of customer service and banking experience. Prior to joining MPOWER, he worked at Urban Ladder Home Decor Solutions in processing consumer loans. He also worked with companies like Accenture, Firstsource, and Ocwen Financials. Nazar graduated from Dr.C.V.Raman University with a Bachelor’s in Commerce.
Fun fact: Nazar is an insane movie buff, primarily of animated & Fantasy movies.
Moiz Zhara
Customer Success Analyst – Underwriting
Moiz Zhara
Customer Success Analyst – Underwriting
Moiz has more than 5 years of experience in financial services and is currently studying Information Systems at the City University of New York School of Professional Studies. He has personally experienced the stress of education financing and seeks to work towards simplifying the process by removing financial barriers to higher education. Moiz began his career in retail and community banking and has held roles in personal and business banking. Before joining MPOWER, Moiz worked as an underwriter for Wells Fargo Dealer Services and Atlantic Federal Credit Union.
Fun fact: Moiz enjoys riding motorcycles and hiking on trails in his free time.
Nicole Hall
Senior Customer Success Analyst – Underwriting
Nicole Hall
Senior Customer Success Analyst – Underwriting
Nicole has more than a decade of loan operations 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.
Ronald Rego
Credit Risk Analyst
Ronald Rego
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.S. 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 financial institutions across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.S. in Finance and Accounting. In his free time between work and school, Scott has spent two years collectively traveling across 30 countries.
Fun fact: Scott spends much of his free time cycling, practicing yoga, or working on DIY projects.
Silver Yang
Customer Engagement Analyst
Silver Yang
Customer Engagement Analyst
Before joining MPOWER, Silver has worked as a journalist, international education consultant, chief editor, and public relations associate for top transnational enterprises and newsrooms in China and the United States. During her time in these positions, she has focused on developing innovative ideas and strategies in the context of digital media and journalism for various clients and newsrooms. Silver obtained her M. A. in Strategic Communication from American University.
Fun fact: Silver loves almost all kinds of outdoor activities. (rock climbing, hiking, or simply hanging out on the beach) Staying at home all day will drive her crazy.
Smithy Pazhaya Purayil
Global Talent Associate
Smithy Pazhaya Purayil
Global Talent Associate
Smithy holds a Masters in Human resources and is a Certified Learning & Development Manager from Carlton Advanced Management Institute. Her career spans over 6 years in Corporate HR with industries ranging from Telecom, Fintech to E-commerce and retail and has also been an Organizational Development and Strategic People and Process consultant to a few companies in Bangalore, India. She has an affinity towards startups as she believes they are an amazing platform for continuous learning and work as a catalyst to break job monotony given every single day is a challenge to look forward to. The fear of numbers only led her to explore financial industries more.
Fun fact: An extrovert with all the traits of a true Taurian, she mostly uses the creative side of the brain. She is miles & miles away from the word “Exercise.” When not around her dogs, Smithy loves traveling.
Tania Salazar
Customer Success Analyst
Tania Salazar
Customer Success Analyst
Tania comes to MPOWER with more than 4 years of financial services experience, which includes time working as a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch. She received a B.A. in Political Science with minors in French and Economics from Temple University in Philadelphia. She also holds an M.B.A. in Insurance and Reinsurance from Escola Nacional de Seguros and has completed post-graduate coursework in Strategic Management at Mackenzie University, both in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Tania is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute D.C. alumni chapter, a nonpartisan organization focused on providing leadership development programs and educational services to young Latino leaders.
Fun fact: Tania enjoys hikes and baking. Also, she’s named after a song by Colombian salsa singer Joe Arroyo.
Treesa Jose
Customer Success Analyst
Treesa Jose
Customer Success Analyst
Treesa graduated in Physical Therapy from Gujarat University. She has over 5 yrs of work experience in financial services chiefly in life insurance underwriting working with Genpact India and Swiss reinsurance company before joining MPOWER. She was drawn to MPOWER’s mission of financial inclusion and Borderless Access to quality education for everyone. Outside of work she enjoys movies, web series and an occasional game of badminton, likes to explore new cuisines and taste new dishes.
Fun fact: knows 6 Indian languages.
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
Andrew Stephen
Bob Armour
Burak Gunes
Chris Cronk
Jonas K. Samsioe
Patrick Tuttle
Paul Breloff
Rick Patro
Zakir Gaibi
Our Investors
