NEA Member Benefits and Sallie Mae Announce First $2,000 Scholarship Recipients

GAITHERSBURG, Md., June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Brenda Jones, an elementary school kindergarten teacher from South Pittsburg, Tennessee, Tara Florentin, an education support professional from Ottawa, Kansas, and Meredith Lewis, a high school English teacher from Carrboro, North Carolina, are the first three winners of a special $2,000 scholarship offered by Sallie Mae through The National Education Association's Member Benefits (NEA MB) Corporation.

Through August 2011, NEA members may enter once a month on the NEA Member Benefits Web Site (www.neamb.com) for the $2,000 scholarship drawing. Each month, a winner is chosen through a random selection process. A total of $12,000 will be awarded to members during the six-month promotional period. Winners may use the money to fund professional development courses, apply the money towards fees for National Board Certification, or assist a family member with their school tuition.

"Educators typically pursue continuing and advanced education, and many of our members have children and spouses in undergraduate and graduate programs or technical schools. In such difficult financial times, we are pleased to offer another way to encourage members' educational pursuits," said Marie Mancuso, manager of NEA MB's Financial Services Program.

NEA MB and Sallie Mae also partner to offer NEA members the NEA Smart Option Student Loan. This loan is designed for individuals and families who need supplemental education funding after maximizing grants, scholarships and federal loans.  The NEA Smart Option Student Loan features rates that are among the lowest available plus a special borrower benefit for NEA members and their families that reduces the rate even further after 12 on-time payments. It also offers students in-school payment choices that help lower the amount of interest paid over the life of the loan, as well as a new tuition insurance benefit at no extra cost to students.

"We give NEA members an A+ for their commitment to educate our nation's public school students," said Jerry Maher, senior vice president, Sallie Mae. "In addition to offering the most economical and student-friendly private education loan program, we are pleased to partner with NEA MB to award these scholarships to deserving NEA members and their families."

For more details about the NEA Smart Option Student Loan or the $2,000 scholarships, please visit www.neamb.com/studentloans.

About NEA Member Benefits

The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers. NEA MB is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the NEA charged with bringing additional value to Association membership by providing financial products and solutions tailored for NEA members and their families.

About Sallie Mae

Sallie Mae (NYSE: SLM) is the nation's No. 1 financial services company specializing in education. Serving 23 million customers, Sallie Mae offers innovative savings tools, tuition payment plans and education loans that promote responsible financial habits and reward success. The company manages or services $238 billion in education loans and administers $37 billion in 529 college savings plans. Members of its Upromise college savings rewards program have earned $600 million to help pay for college. Sallie Mae is also one of the leading financial service providers for universities and governments at all levels, including supporting $8 billion in ecommerce transactions annually at nearly 1,000 campuses. More information is available at www.SallieMae.com. Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.

SOURCE NEA Member Benefits Corporation