1. PATRICIA M. SCHERSCHEL
5414 Washington Boulevard ▪ Indianapolis, Indiana 46220
patricia.scherschel@gmail.com ▪ (317) 370-7233
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & CORPORATE
COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE - FORTUNE 500
VP STUDENT LOAN MARKET ▪ DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC
COMMUNICATIONS & CONSUMER ISSUES ▪ VP
CORPORATE AFFAIRS

2. Executive Bio & Areas of Expertise
Patricia Scherschel is a results-focused, culture-savvy Product Development and
Corporate Communications Executive with exceptional strategic planning capabilities.
She is a driven, intuitive product development leader with more than 10 years’
experience in leading conception and delivery of innovative, multi-billion dollar student
loan programs. Patricia is a respected, high-stakes decision maker and manager of
complex projects that lead to profitable wins. She is a highly sought national student
debt management expert featured through major media outlets including USA Today
and National Public Radio (NPR). Patricia has prior experience as an executive
business news editor with international credentials. She is a polished, executive-level
presenter possessing advanced verbal communication and interpersonal engagement
skills. Patricia is known by people at all levels of organization as a dynamic, financially
astute operations and team leader.
 Student Loan Products  Competitive Intelligence  Corporate Affairs
 Financial Literacy  Executive Editor  Policy Research
 Student Debt Counseling  Public Relations  Call Center Leadership
 Product Development  New Program Launch  Marketing Strategy

3. SALLIE MAE (NYSE: SLM)- Reston, Virginia
The nation’s leading saving, planning and paying for education company.
Vice-President, Student Loan Market
Responsible for product
development, including  Created and maintained competitive intelligence service, providing timely updates on
new loan products and competitors’ loan products to Sales, Marketing, and other key constituencies throughout
enhancements to corporation. Supplied competitor data for Sales database, delivered standardized monthly
existing, multi-billion- reports to management, prepared ad hoc analyses in anticipation of or response to market
dollar loan programs. developments.
Accountable for
maintaining competitive  Defined features of new private consolidation product. Also developed call center decision tool
intelligence database. to determine product offering, calculate payment schedules and APRs, and track control group.
Developed borrower-
counseling resources,  Managed launch and ongoing enhancements for private loan repayment calculator offered at
with emphasis on www.salliemae.com.
managing repayment
of both federal and  Delivered robust array of customer and marketing resources to support introduction of Income-
private student loans, Based Repayment plan for Federal loans, including online calculator, Web content, and training
including repayment guides for sales team and schools.
calculators and
presentations on  Developed and implemented customer retention strategy to prevent erosion of student loan
payment options and portfolio.
debt management tips  Drove mission-critical, direct mail campaign to encourage customers to accelerate disbursement of
for students. Frequently Federal Consolidation loans ahead of a change in federal subsidy levels. This initiative achieved
served as company
spokesperson/expert response rate exceeding 67% over six-week period, preserving valuable benefits for tens of
on repayment thousands of customers and several million dollars in annual interest income.
strategies and sound  Guided consolidation product delivery, organizing company-wide task force to respond to
credit practices at changes in interest rates and federal rules, ensuring platform’s ability to absorb a year's worth of
industry forums and in
interviews with national, volume in a single month, effectively doubling annual origination volume to $20 billion.
regional, and local
news media.

4. USA GROUP, INC. – Indianapolis, Indiana
Nation’s largest provider of Federal education loan guarantee services, acquired
by Sallie Mae in August 2000.
Director – Consumer Product Development
Managed product
design and marketing  Managed development of two private loan products for USA Group.
strategy for student
 Conceptualized and wrote Excel-based loan counseling resource for medical students.
loan products, including
private loans and  Produced industry white paper on Congressional proposal to price student loans via an auction
product enhancements process.
for Federal
Consolidation loans,  Wrote research study: Reality Bites: How Much do Students Owe? (1997). Designed to measure
1999-2000. average indebtedness of students upon leaving school, this study was first to provide "real time"
Developed private estimates of indebtedness.
loan programs for
students attending  Established role as USA Group's expert on borrower counseling. Produced In Your Interest—A
post-secondary Common-Sense Guide to Repayment Strategies for Federal Education Loans. Booklets (100K plus)
institutions and were distributed to schools and students.
supervised dedicated
 Contributed to USA Group’s launch of Student Loan Counseling Software, which automated “exit"
consolidation call
counseling schools must provide to graduating students. Software was well received and widely
center. Served as
resident expert on used by USA Group’s client schools. Devised the repayment schedule calculations and budget
interactive information calculator that were incorporated into the software.
resources such as loan  Spearheaded initiative to build loan repayment calculators at www.usagroup.com, at time when
repayment calculators interactive Web content was in short supply. Calculators ranked among most frequently visited
and student loan
pages on USA Group Web site.
counseling software.

5. HUDSON INSTITUTE – Indianapolis, Indiana
Non-partisan policy research organization dedicated to innovative research and
analysis that promotes global security, prosperity, and freedom.
Director of Communications and Vice President for Corporate Affairs
Charted marketing and
public affairs strategy,  Oversaw complete overhaul of Hudson's computer network.
preparing media releases
and editing articles  Managed numerous fund-raising events, including annual Doolittle Award program.
written by Hudson
researchers, for
placement in newspapers
and magazines.
Supervised all phases of
production of Hudson's
monthly briefing papers,
quarterly newsletter,
annual report, and other
publications. Coordinated
seminars, briefings, and
conferences for
policymakers, Hudson
contributors, and the news
media. Served as chief
administrative office of
internationally known
think tank. Managed
fundraising,
communications, and
publishing activities as
well as day-to-day
administrative functions.

6. An International Executive Editor
Patricia Scherschel
Singapore: Served as Executive Editor of Singapore Business and Features/Financial Editor of The
Business Times; duties included selecting and editing articles and managing all phases of production for
monthly and daily business publications.
Washington, D.C.: Served as Associate Editor and Economist at U.S. News & World Report; identified,
reported, and wrote business articles for weekly news magazine.
Patricia attended Indiana University for both her BA in Journalism and her MBA. She is a passionate
financial literacy advocate who is open to relocation as she pursues the next phase of her career. Patricia
resides in Indianapolis, IN.