About Student Aid Services
We believe in the power of education to transform an individual, and a nation. Our
mission is to provide individuals accurate insight about their student aid eligibility
to encourage more students to go to college.
Student Aid Services is the market leader in providing net price calculators customized
for post-secondary institutions’ financial aid and enrollment strategies under the
brand name ThinkAhead™ Net Price Calculator. In 2010, Student Aid Services
merged with Think Ahead, LLC, the most experienced provider of net price calculators.
We also offer the only consumer service that accurately calculates and compares
a prospective student’s aid eligibility and out-of-pocket costs—up to ten institutions—under the brand name of
College Cost & Planning Report™.
Student Aid Services is a subsidiary of the Rezolve Group, Inc., which has offices
in Sacramento, California, and Indianapolis, Indiana. Contact us at (877) 987-5079
or email us at npcdemo@studentaid.com.
Our Team
We come from inside and outside the college industry. Most of us have pursued our
own college dreams, and some of us still harbor unfulfilled college dreams. Many
of us are products of student aid. Some of us have been financial aid administrators or worked for student loan companies,
and most of us understand personally what it means to be in debt with student loans.
Some of us have put children through college, and others worry about how we are
going to support our children’s dreams.
We have assembled a large, very talented product development team that is dedicated
to building and maintaining our clients’ net price calculator technology. Some of
us are experts in database design and development, while others are industry leaders
in harnessing technology to create customized solutions for highly personalized
needs. Some of us are experts in engaging customers in a dialogue, while others
know customer service and what it takes to exceed clients’ expectations. Many of
us have worked with colleges and the students they serve. All of us are committed
to making a difference.
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Craig V. Carroll, founder and chief executive officer
Craig founded Rezolve Group, Inc. in March 2007 to create a better way for students
and their families to understand how to afford a post-secondary education and access
student aid. Previously, he was the co-founder and president of Y2M: Youth Media
& Marketing Networks, which helped Fortune 500 companies connect with college
students. Viacom now owns the business. Y2M’s publishing division, College Publisher,
Inc., provided software and services to more than 600 universities, enabling them
to publish campus newspapers online. Craig also was a co-founder and president of
EGRAD, which partnered with more than 100 leading university alumni associations
to provide recent college graduates with services, benefits, and information as
they transitioned beyond college. JP Morgan Chase now owns EGRAD. Craig began his
career as a management consultant with Bain & Company in Australia, the United
States, and Southeast Asia. He earned a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University
of Sydney, Australia, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard
University.
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John F. “Jeff” Whorley, Jr., president
Jeff’s many years of higher education market experience led to his belief that providing
factual, timely, and personally relevant information to all college-bound students
and their families is the single most important improvement needed in post-secondary
education. He joined Rezolve as an investor, managing director, and president in
2009. Previously, he was executive vice president of SLM Corporation (Sallie Mae),
leading its debt management operations division for seven years, during which employees
increased from 550 to more than 4,000. He joined Sallie Mae in 2000 when it acquired
USA Group, the nation’s largest student loan guarantor, where he had served as a
senior vice president and oversaw a similar operation. He left Sallie Mae in early
2007 and later began co-authoring Getting College Right with former Washington Post
reporter Claudia Deane. Their book will be published in 2010. Jeff also serves on
three university-related boards. A native of Tennessee, he was the Democratic nominee
for the Fourth Congressional District of his home state in 1994, and served as chief
of staff for U.S. Representative Bart Gordon (D-TN) from 1987 to 1993. Jeff earned
a bachelor’s degree from the University of the South (Sewanee) and a Master of Business
Administration degree from the University of Indianapolis.
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David Childress, general manager
Prior to joining Student Aid Services David was a cavalry officer in the U.S. Army from
May 2000 to January 2006, deploying multiple times in support of the global war
on terror. While pursuing a master’s degree, David conducted a national study in
conjunction with 610 college-advising professionals. He authored Solutions to Expand
College Access, which focuses on identifying the most problematic barriers to higher
education and practical ways to expand college access for all. David earned a Bachelor
of Science degree in engineering management from the United States Military Academy
at West Point and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University
of Texas at Austin.
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Bill Smith, director of business and product development
Bill joined Student Aid Services in 2010 after serving for two years as president
of Think Ahead, LLC, which has been developing net price calculators for post-secondary
institutions since 2000. For seven years prior to joining Think Ahead, he served
as general manager of Coastal Metal, a manufacturer of commercial trailers and equipment
to treat road surfaces in winter, where he increased sales five-fold. Earlier, he
spent 13 years as business manager for Chapman Corporation, a Portland, Maine-based
manufacturer of static-control equipment, with responsibility for tax and financial
planning, as well as international distribution. Bill earned a bachelor’s degree
in economics from Williams College and a Master of Business Administration degree
from Northwestern University.
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Eric McCormack, senior director of application development
Eric has been designing and developing commercial software applications in the finance,
security, healthcare, and technology sectors for companies such as GTE, MediQual,
EMC, Braintree Security Software, and Thompson Corporation. He has a passion for
technology, especially data-driven systems. Eric earned a Bachelor of Science in
computer science from Bridgewater State College and has completed advanced courses
at Northeastern University.
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Mary A. C. Fallon, senior director of communications
Mary brings more than three decades of experience as a journalist, communications
strategist, videographer, and website producer. She has reported for IDG’s DEMO.com,
WGBH-TV, Florida Today, the San Jose Mercury-News, the Worcester Telegram, and other
newspapers. Mary earned a Master of Communications degree in documentary filmmaking
from the University of Florida. Her first documentary, 24/7 – The Battle for At-Home
Care, won the top international medical video award in 2006, The Freddie, and several
film festival honors. Mary has directed worldwide public relations for Hewlett-Packard
and Apple, and education marketing for Palm, Inc. and GoCampus.