Board of Directors
The EFC Board of Directors is the governing body for EFC and is elected by the EFC Voting Members. The Board is comprised of the following dedicated individuals.
Trey Simon
Chair
Trey Simon serves as President and CEO of South Carolina Student Loan Corporation. His work is focused on providing programs of financial assistance to students to pursue their educational goals and become workforce ready. Before his current role, he served as the Chief Information Officer of the South Carolina Student Loan Corporation. Simon has been with the South Carolina Student Loan Corporation for over 29 Years, working in both Administration and Information Technology. He received his B.S. in Management Science from the University of South Carolina, Darla Moore School of Business. Simon is Chair of the Education Finance Council Board of Directors, is on the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees, and the University of South Carolina Business Partnership Foundation Board of Advisors. In addition, he serves as a member of the SC Chamber of Commerce Education Workforce Development Foundation Board of Directors, is the Chair of the SC Chamber of Commerce Education Workforce Development Committee and is a member of the SC Chamber of Commerce Information Technology Innovation Committee.
Lynne Riley
Vice Chair
Lynne Riley was appointed President of the Georgia Student Finance Commission in July 2020 to lead the agency in the administration of state and lottery funded scholarship, grant, and loan programs, ensuring access to higher education for Georgians. The nationally recognized HOPE scholarship program has provided over two million students with over $14.5 billion in awards since its inception in 1993.
Riley previously served as Georgia’s first woman State Treasurer and State Revenue Commissioner. Elected in 2010 to serve in the Georgia General Assembly representing House District 50 (Johns Creek), Riley began her career in public service as Fulton County Commissioner for District 3 (North Fulton) in 2004. Riley is the Vice Chair of Education Finance Council and a member of the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs. She serves as CEO of the REACH Georgia Foundation. Riley is an alumnus of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Leadership Institute and the Coverdell Leadership Institute. Riley was appointed to the Internal Revenue Service Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee in 2018 for a three-year term. She is the Chairman of the Emory Johns Creek Hospital Board of Trustees.
David S. Schwanke
Treasurer
David S. Schwanke is the Chief Financial Officer for Trellis. He oversees Trellis’ finance and accounting operations. Prior to joining Trellis, Schwanke served as the Executive Director of the Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority (UHEAA) where he directed all organizational functions at UHEAA. Prior to becoming Executive Director, Schwanke served as the Deputy Executive Director and the Associate Executive Director of Accounting and Finance at UHEAA. Previously, Schwanke worked as an auditor for Deloitte. He is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Utah Association of CPAs. He has worked in higher education, financial aid, and education finance for 28 years. Schwanke received his Bachelor’s and Master’s (MAcc) degrees in Accounting from Utah State University.
Jeanette W. Weldon
Secretary
Jeanette W. Weldon was appointed Executive Director of the Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority (CHESLA), the state’s alternative student loan entity, in July 2012. In 2014, Weldon was also appointed Executive Director of the Connecticut Student Loan Foundation (CSLF) as it entered a run-off period. Both CHESLA and CSLF are subsidiaries of the Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority (CHEFA), for which Weldon has served as Executive Director since July 1, 2015. CHEFA is a quasi-public entity that provides capital financing for colleges and universities, hospitals, and other eligible nonprofits throughout the state. By serving as Executive Director of CHEFA and its subsidiaries, Weldon is able to position all of the organizations to help address the state’s economic and workforce development needs. Weldon has previous experience as a credit analyst with Moody’s Investors Service, an investment banker with Bank of Boston, a financial advisor with P.G. Corbin & Company, and as Chief Financial Officer and Interim Chief Executive Officer of Windham Hospital in Windham CT. She received a B.A. from Harvard University and an M.B.A. and M.P.H. from Columbia University.
Sana Efird
Sana Efird is the Executive Director of Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education and the Executive Officer of Alaska Student Loan Corporation. She joined the Commission on November 16, 2020. Prior to her appointment she served as Assistant Commissioner for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) during three different administrations, where she oversaw a $3.3 billion budget and administrative and operational functions of DHSS including Budget, Fiscal/Revenue, Audit, Human Resources, Facilities/Leasing, Grants and Contracts, and Information Technology. Efird has also served as Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Education and Early Development focusing on Alaska’s Education Challenge to ensure every student across the state has equitable opportunity to learn and succeed. Her credentials include a Master of Arts from Saint Mary’s University and a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of South Carolina. Additionally, Efird has been a classroom teacher, teacher trainer, reading specialist, and executive director of a college foundation supporting financial scholarships and loans to help students achieve their educational goals.
Scott A. Giles
Scott A. Giles has served Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) since 2003. Giles was appointed President & CEO in July 2013. Giles is an expert on federal student financial aid policy and has devoted his career to expanding access to education and training after high school for students of all ages. From 2008-2009 he served as chair of the Federal Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance. He currently serves on the boards of the National Council of Community and Education Partnerships, the National Council of Higher Education Resources, the Vermont Higher Education Council (Treasurer), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont (Vice Chair) and the Vermont Workforce Development Board. He serves as chair of the Vermont Higher Education Trust Fund Council and was appointed by the legislature to serve on the Select Committee on the Future of Public Higher Education in Vermont. Giles has a B.A. from St. Lawrence University and a M.A. and PhD from the University of Virginia, with concentrations in bioethics, as well as certificates in finance and management from the Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government.
Steven W. McCullough
Steven W. McCullough is the President and Chief Executive Officer of ISL Education Lending (ISL), a private, not-for-profit student loan company located in West Des Moines. McCullough joined Iowa Student Loan in 1989 as the Chief Financial Officer and became CEO in 1993. He graduated from the University of Iowa with an MBA and degree in accounting and passed the CPA exam. He has helped create several tools to help students and families borrow less and create good outcomes from college.
William "Will" Shaffner
William “Will” Shaffner has been the Director of Business Development and Government Relations with the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA) since 2004. He has over 42 years of experience in the student loan and higher education finance arena. Shaffner participates as a member of the Executive Management Team at MOHELA and is responsible for all sales, school, government and external relations activity within the Authority. Shaffner has represented the student loan and higher education finance industry, participating on the 2014 and 2021 Negotiated Rulemaking panels representing the FFEL and loan servicing communities, on national news and media outlets as a subject matter expert, and has presented multiple times on a variety of higher education finance topics across the country for years. Prior to MOHELA, he worked with American Student Assistance as Director of Lender and Strategic Partnerships. He also held various sales and training positions at USA Funds/USA Group/SLMA from 1990 – 2001. Prior to working within the higher education finance industry, Shaffner was the Associate Director of Student Financial Aid at the University of Central Florida, where he worked for over eight years. He currently serves on the Missouri Scholarship and Loan Foundation board as Vice-Chair, Infinite Scholars board Co-Chair, EFC Board of Directors and Chair of its Government Affairs Committee, and the NCHER Government Relations Committee. Shaffner holds a B.A. in business administration from the University of Central Florida.
James H. Steeley
James H. Steeley is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA). Steeley joined PHEAA in November 2015 as the Chief Financial Officer. He was named Interim President and CEO in July 2018 and took on the official role of President and CEO in January 2019. Prior to joining the PHEAA, Steeley was Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller and Chief Accounting Officer at Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc., the Assistant Vice President of Finance at PSECU and a Senior Manager PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.