Brook Pallanez Email & Phone Number

Rio Grande Valley

Rio Grande Valley - Texas

Texas

Legislative changes eliminated the private sector from the federal student loan program which resulted in corporate restructuring. This was an individual contributor role with the primary goal of increasing Sallie Mae private loan originations in Texas. Accomplished history of exceeding annual sales goals; increasing applications and disbursements by 10-15% year-over-year. Proven ability to work successfully across a wide range of loan product offerings to drive sales and results; growing the portfolio I managed by nearly 150% during my tenure in this position. Working collaboratively with other Sallie Mae businesses lines, I quarterbacked lucrative B2B cross-selling efforts at key targets. In addition to working with post-secondary institutions, I was also responsible for building Sallie Mae brand awareness in Texas through increased high school engagement and facilitating opportunities to reach parents and students directly. I effectively developed strategic partnerships and alliances throughout my career with Sallie Mae.

Sallie Mae abandoned its state strategy approach in 2008 due to economic and political conditions impacting the student loan industry. The overarching responsibility of the West Region management team was to maintain and grow Sallie Mae’s $5 billion private and federal loan portfolio and leverage key relationships on campus to grow additional business lines. I was individually responsible for business development in 5 western states - TX, NM, AZ, NV, and UT. Responsible for developing and leading a team of Account Executives working remotely while simultaneously managing an individual group of assignments. This was a challenging time for the Education Finance industry, which required keen awareness and in-depth knowledge of the political and economic climate impacting our business model. This was extremely important to developing strategy and to building customer awareness of the issues. Despite obstacles, the team I led consistently achieved or exceeded sales goals using a relationship-driven approach.

Executive level responsibility for all aspects of business development for Sallie Mae in the state of Texas. Developed and deployed a state specific strategy while providing strategic oversight over multiple Sallie Mae owned lender brands. I transformed the definition of customer service by staffing a unit comprised of skilled Technical Consultants and Client Service Representatives - dedicated exclusively to improving the customer experience for Texas schools. This enabled my Account Managers to overcome service-related objections and grow Sallie Mae’s federal and private loan originations by more than 35% our first year of operation. It also helped me change internal attitudes regarding the importance of providing world-class customer service. I also improved efficiency and reduced costs by collapsing brand silos and eliminating redundancy in territorial assignments. Proved that a single Account Manager had the ability to represent all Sallie Mae brands on campus. This model was so successful it was eventually adopted nationally. This organizational structure employed 24 individuals with varied roles for whom I provided coaching, mentorship and professional development training. This was the most challenging and rewarding work I did while with Sallie Mae and I am honored to know some of my "experiments" led to improvements corporate-wide.

Helped develop and launch Sallie Mae Education Trust. This was a ground floor opportunity to build a signature brand for Sallie Mae to market federal and private student loans nationally. As part of the leadership team responsible for brand and business development, I helped create our national sales deployment strategy and customer support infrastructure. Managed and mentored up to 5 remote employees and was responsible for overseeing an estimated $1.5 MM budget. In our first year, we outperformed every other Sallie Mae owned brand with $3.7 billion in federal and private loan originations. Provided groundwork for $5 billion in federal and private loan originations year two.

Led regional sales team for Education Finance, one of the nation’s largest federal and private education loan providers – and a JP Morgan Chase/Sallie Mae joint venture. This position was responsible for the maintenance and growth of a federal and private loan portfolio estimated at $850 MM. Responsibilities also included: strategic plan development, collaborative B2B sales with both Sallie Mae and Chase, and the promotion and delivery of value-added services offered by the company. Attended industry conferences and related events across the Southwest and built long-lasting, loyal client relationships. This was a team of highly skilled over-achievers that consistently exceeded expectations.

Represented one of the nation's largest federal and private education loan providers, a joint venture of JP Morgan Chase and Sallie Mae. Responsible for the development and growth of the Texas market. Managed an estimated $250 MM loan portfolio which required extensive travel to college and university campuses throughout Texas. Achieved or exceeded all annual growth targets.

Provided field-based training and support to assigned colleges and universities located across the state of Texas. Responsible for all aspects of client retention and growth as it pertains to TG's guarantor services and the use of their proprietary loan origination platform. This role included software installations, upgrades and training. Regularly represented TG at industry conferences - both as an exhibitor and as a presenter. Also responsible for securing TG vendor donations to support TG's own annual conference for financial aid professionals and many other duties as assigned.

Responsible for the review, calculation, and timely processing of claims submitted by lenders, servicers, and secondary markets to safeguard TG's reinsurance agreement with the U.S. Department of Education. Monitored lenders and servicers for compliance with federal regulations and TG policies and procedures. Company formerly know as TGSLC (TG).

Entry level position that provided administrative support to the Collections staff. General clerical duties performed. Company formerly know as TGSLC (TG).