TG Speakers Bureau
Speaker Bios
Programs for the TG Speakers Bureau are lead by an assortment of highly-qualified team members in the policy, regulatory, and professional development fields. All of these speakers have developed their considerable expertise after working years in the student aid industry. Here's a short bio of each that provides a snapshot of their qualifications and background.
Michelle Anderson
Senior Policy Advisor in Policy and Regulatory Affairs
Anderson has many years of experience in federal student financial aid programs, including work in the TRIO Programs and the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). She is active in the national policymaking arena, serving on the Common Manual Policy Committee. She is also active in various capacities with the National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs (NCHELP), including serving as co-chair of the Forms Subcommittee, leading the Teacher Loan Forgiveness workgroup, and serving on the Deferment Forms workgroup. At TG, Anderson responds to external and internal policy inquiries and provides industry training to help TG team members understand regulations and policies.
Joe Braxton
Senior Default Aversion Consultant
Joe joined TG in June 1999 with seven years of student loan experience. He began his career as a student worker at the University of North Texas, and then joined the financial aid staff at the University of Texas at Brownsville and then at Texas State Technical College in Harlingen. Drawing on his own experience, Joe plays a leading role in the development of TG's default aversion program and helps schools develop campus-wide default management plans.
Sharon Cabeen
Director of Financial Literacy Operations
Sharon has worked in nonprofit credit counseling since 1981 as a counselor, program manager, and financial education specialist. Over the past decade, Sharon has served in the student loan industry in the area of default prevention, with a focus on financial literacy program development. Sharon came to TG in February 2010. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and is an Accredited Financial Counselor (a designation awarded by the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education, or AFCPE). Sharon currently serves on the AFCPE Board of Directors.
Sarah Faszholz
Financial Literacy Coordinator
Sarah Faszholz has been with TG since 1998, working in the Communications and Policy and Regulatory Affairs departments before moving to Student and Institutional Success in July 2010. In her current position as Financial Literacy Coordinator, Sarah manages the development and delivery of financial literacy content; facilitates the discovery and assessment of potential educational partners; and assists in the gathering, compiling, and assessing of the TG Financial Literacy Program data.
David Garza
Senior Policy Advisor in Policy and Regulatory Affairs
Garza has worked in the financial aid industry for over 15 years. His experience includes Title IV administration for the University of Texas at Austin, policy and regulatory affairs for TG, and account management for a national private loan lender. In his current role, Garza supports schools and lenders by providing policy guidance and industry training on federal student aid issues.
Darron Grussendorf
Senior Trainer in Human Resources and Organizational Development
Grussendorf has more than 16 years experience in the student financial aid industry, having worked as both a school financial aid director and in TG’s policy and regulatory affairs. Grussendorf joined TG’s training team in 2001 and is a graduate of TG’s Leadership Development Program, a program he now facilitates at TG.
Kelly Kaelin
Managing Editor
Kelly has 16 years of experience in the financial aid industry. Kelly began her career in 1995, where she served as a financial aid officer at the University of Texas at Austin. She joined TG in 2000 as a member of the policy and regulatory affairs team, performing policy analysis, conducting internal and external training, and serving as the Editing Chair of the Common Manual. Kelly moved to the TG communications department in 2010 in the role of Managing Editor. Her duties include leading the editorial team and helping to shape TG's written and electronic communications.
Laura Kowalski
Assistant Manager of Policy and Regulatory Affairs
Kowalski has more than 15 years of FFELP experience. She primarily focuses on policy analysis and development, both for TG and for the national community of guarantors and lenders via the National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs (NCHELP). Kowalski also provides industry training on policy and regulatory issues.
Cindy Marrs
Default Aversion Consultant
Cindy joined TG in November 2005 with nine years of experience as a financial aid counselor at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). While at UT Austin, she managed the Community Service Work-Study program, and led the development of the AmericaReads/AmericaCounts tutoring initiative. At TG, Cindy assists schools in developing and implementing effective default prevention strategies, and provides borrowers with entrance and exit counseling and training on managing student loan repayment. She has also represented TG on Mapping Your Future®, providing expertise in developing loan counseling and financial aid resources.
Lisa Pierce-Jones
Senior Corporate Trainer in Human Resources and Organizational Development
Lisa Pierce-Jones has worked in the personal and professional development arena for the past 17 years with executive leaders, senior managers, management teams, work groups, and individual team members in the public and private sector. She has designed and taught training programs that focus on organizational and leadership development, communications, customer service, diversity, management development, and team skills. Before joining TG, Pierce-Jones worked with the Professional Development Section at the Office of the Texas Attorney General and she has worked with the Conference for Women and Executive Women in Texas Government.
Tom Rebstock
Assistant Team Manager for Corporate Learning and Development
Tom Rebstock is the TG Assistant Manager for Corporate Learning and Development. He taught English at Texas Tech University and has over twenty-five years of professional training and organizational development experience in corporate, government, and academic environments. Tom has a bachelor's degree from Texas Tech and a master's degree in Human Resource Development Leadership from the University of Texas. Tom specializes in working with institutions of higher education on the subjects of Customer Service, Communication, Leadership, Motivation, Change Management, and Teamwork.
Wendy Rivera
Senior Trainer in Human Resources and Organizational Development
Rivera has more than seven years experience as a trainer on a variety of subjects, including many areas of the student financial aid industry. She started with TG in 2005 and has led internal trainings for team members as well as Speakers Bureau sessions for financial aid offices around the country.
Thresa Tyus
Default Aversion Consultant
Thresa joined TG's default aversion team in spring 2011. She first came to TG in October 2004 as a lender consultant with 12 years of experience in the student loan industry. Before that, she worked with the North Texas Higher Education Servicing Corporation in Arlington, Texas, where she began as a senior loan originations representative then moved on to a position as marketing liaison. At TG, Thresa assists schools in developing and implementing effective default prevention strategies, and provides borrowers with entrance and exit counseling and training on managing student loan repayment. She has also represented TG as an Account Executive providing exceptional customer service to TG school clients.
Nancy VanBoskirk
Financial Literacy Consultant
Nancy joined TG in August 2010 after five years in the financial aid industry. She began her career in financial aid at Oklahoma Panhandle State University, then spent time as a financial aid counselor at the University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton, and served as a counselor and loan coordinator for the UNT Health Science Center. In addition, Nancy worked as a TRIO Student Support Services advisor and counselor at Temple College and Texas Christian University, and served a number of years as a chaplain for Vitas Innovative Hospice Care of Texas. Nancy has a bachelor's degree in sociology from Phillips University, and a master's degree in divinity from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University. She is a TG Financial Literacy Consultant, is an Accredited Financial Counselor, and has determined that a "spending plan" takes on a whole new meaning when you become the grandmother of twins!
Brenda Vaughn
Financial Literacy Consultant
Brenda has been a financial literacy instructor since 2006. She has also worked as a loan counselor at the University of Georgia (UGA) and, for two years, advised two student organizations: Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) and Peer Financial Counseling (PFC). Brenda joined TG as a Financial Literacy Consultant in July 2010. She is an Accredited Financial Counselor and a Certified Credit Report Reviewer, and holds a bachelor's degree in secondary education and a master's degree in adult education with a certificate in nonprofit organizations, from UGA.
