|
HELP MANAGING YOUR STUDENT LOANS |
|
 |
||
|
||
| “Paul Garrard's call for “shared responsibility” is the perfect concept to help today's students borrow responsibly and successfully manage their debt. Every stakeholder in higher education has a role to play—but it is the student that ultimately must decide the right balance between debt and future earning potential.” Timothy Fitzgibbon Vice President Debt Management Services National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs |
||
With over 27 years experience in higher education and student financial aid, Paul Garrard is one of the best known and in-demand student loan debt management experts in the country, especially in the health professions communities. His particular expertise is helping health profession graduates manage their increasingly complex student loan portfolios as they transition from school into residency and advanced training, and subsequently into practice.
Mr. Garrard worked in a campus environment for 14 years, serving at both Emory University in Atlanta and the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. He spent 7 years at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), where he established the first debt management program for medical residents in the country and managed the largest student loan program in the country for medical students. The basis of the presentations and programs he crafted while at the AAMC are still in use today. He spent three years working in Washington for the National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs (NCHELP), a higher education trade association with members comprised of participants in the student loan industry. He also worked at Sallie Mae, where he both developed and managed their private consolidation loan program and provided financial literacy and debt management programs for the graduate and professional school community.
In 2008, he successfully launched his own company—PGPresents, LLC. Based on the premise of “Shared Responsibility”, he provides personal consulting services for recent graduates who need help managing their student loan portfolios, and also assists schools with their financial literacy and debt management efforts. His client base includes over 30 recent graduates, numerous schools around the country, guaranty agencies, and other higher education organizations.
He is a former adjunct instructor of business administration at DeKalb Community College in Atlanta and also served as an adjunct instructor for Mercer University’s Prison Programs, having taught at the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta.
Mr. Garrard holds a Bachelor of Arts from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.
Mr. Garrard is originally from Atlanta, and currently resides in Arlington, Virginia.