Member Spotlight: Iowa Student Loan

We would like to recognize the Iowa Student Loan as our current Member Spotlight.  Iowa Student Loan was established in 1979 as a private, nonprofit corporation, to help Iowa students and families obtain the resources necessary to succeed in post-secondary education. To date, Iowa Student Loan has helped nearly 400,000 students pay for college.

Iowa Student Loan’s nonprofit community reinvestment efforts provide more than $100,000 in scholarships and 529 savings plan deposits annually.  Iowa Student Loan also offers private student loans for students who have exhausted other sources of aid, and reinvests funds in programs to benefit students and borrowers.

Based in West Des Moines, Iowa Student Loan and its subsidiary employ more than 200 people and manages $2.6 billion in student loans. The organization is self-funded and self-capitalized. It is governed by a board of directors, appointed by the governor of Iowa.

This member of the Iowa Jump$tart coalition is represented by Megan Garrett.  Megan has been with Iowa Student Loan as a Corporate Communications and Media Relations Administrator for almost two years.  Part of her efforts have resulted in a much greater social media presence for Iowa Student Loan including launching their first blog that now includes submissions from other Iowa nonprofits, some of which are fellow Jump$tart members.  Iowa Student Loan also now utilizes video and recently finished production of a second set of Student Loan Pro Tip videos promoting responsible student borrowing and financial literacy.  Previously, Megan was a PR Specialist for Lake Regional Health System at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri.  In addition to Jump$tart, Megan helps represent Iowa Student Loan through its partnership with the I Have a Dream Foundation

Megan, who is a native Iowan, from Stuart, found happiness, a degree, and a husband at Northwest Missouri State University.  Her husband Derek played on the Bearcat football team that started the incredible run of championship appearances NWMSU has enjoyed.   They have a very cute darling 8 month old daughter named Emmie.

In her (seriously?!?) spare time, she teaches preschool- 2^nd grade dance classes, works on restoring their 1890 home in Adel, and attends Bearcat and Chiefs football;  and Royals baseball games.  She’s big fan of music and attending concerts like Garth Brooks and Dave Matthews and you can follow her on Pinterest!

You may find more about this member at:  www.iowastudentloan.org/