EDPlus Holdings Adds SVP Of Institutional Sales To Advance Growth Of Its Higher Education School Partnership Network

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- EDPlus Holdings, LLC the most personalized and accurate platform for matching students with schools, financing, rewards and jobs, announces the creation of a new position of Senior Vice President of Institutional Sales, appointing Melissa Bassett to lead the company's sales effort in the higher education market. Bassett will report to Glenn Goad, CEO of EDPlus Holdings. 

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"Today, with the cost of a college education at record levels, EDPlus Holdings is committed to redefining the college planning and financing industry - from searching for schools and programs through funding and payback - in order to deliver students the best Return on Education™," said Goad. "With our 'Every Student Matters' business strategy, which includes strategic partnerships with schools and loan servicers, our suite of products helps schools find and fund better fit prospects who will enroll, persist, and repay their loans once they graduate. Melissa will play an integral role in further building the EDPlus Holdings network of higher education partnerships."

Bassett will be responsible for directing and managing all EDPlus Holdings sales programs and activity, pricing, and channel strategy. She will also develop strategies and plans for cultivating school partners, as well as working closely with the Portfolio Management and the Servicing organizations to establish competitive and successful programs.

Bassett brings to EDPlus Holdings over 20 years of senior management experience at top-tier companies in the financial services and student loan industry. She joins from First Marblehead Corporation, a provider of private student loan solutions, where she was managing director of national sales and marketing since 2007. Leading their national sales team, Bassett was responsible for growing the company's facilitated private student loan volume.

Prior to First Marblehead, Bassett served as executive vice president of school solutions at College Loan Corporation where she led its national sales force as well as developed and brought to market a new education finance product set for the parent company. Formerly, she was at Citibank's Student Loan Corporation and Sallie Mae.

Bassett holds a bachelor's degree from Skidmore College and a master's in business administration from Bentley University.

Adds Goad, "Melissa comes to EDPlus Holdings with proven sales success and an impressive track record for building student loan programs for some of the most respected schools across the country. Her strong work ethic, solid relationship skills and desire to make a difference will make her a great fit with our culture."

"I'm extremely excited to join a team that has grown their business by focusing on positioning students for financial success so that both they and the school win," said Bassett. "EDPlus Holdings is poised to provide higher education institutions with greater transparency, more personalized, accurate information, insight, and interaction to drive greater value for the consumer and more growth for their businesses."

Earlier this month, EDPlus Holdings announced its latest product offering, +U, a College Information Marketplace that matches students to their best-fit college. Launching later in Fall 2013, +U is the first individualized ranking platform that provides students with the personal insight and precision they need to make the most informed college and program choice to optimize their Return on Education™. +U is a proprietary online system that combines students' personalized information with unique insights derived from patent-pending technology to accurately match them with a tailored list of higher education institutions based on their personalized FIT score, financial return and future goals. This innovative matching capability will improve students' likelihood of program completion, satisfaction rates, school loan payback, and job matching/compensation after graduation.

ABOUT EDPlus Holdings, LLC
EDPlus Holdings provides the most personalized and accurate platform for matching students with schools, financing, rewards and jobs. Our network of targeted web properties delivers 4 million unique consumer interactions each year, while our related private student loan business includes over 100,000 loans originated and serviced, reflecting $275 million in our current portfolio. EDPlus Holdings uses its unique insights and proprietary technologies to provide complete and transparent information that helps students choose the right school for their needs and future goals. From picking a school, to funding your education, to maintaining financial discipline while you build your career, EDPlus Holdings is a trusted and reliable partner. EDPlus Holdings is a subsidiary of Aequitas Holdings, LLC ("Aequitas"). With over $500 million in assets under management, Aequitas is a credit-focused investment management firm that builds and distributes income-producing alternative investment solutions to institutional and high net worth clients. With a lending and fund management platform, Aequitas focuses on high yielding strategies within education, healthcare and private credit. Aequitas is headquartered in Portland, OR with over 100 employees and offices in San Diego, Jacksonville, FL, and New York.

SOURCE EDPlus Holdings, LLC