Innovation and strategy in the Office of Federal Student Aid: A conversation with Stacie Whisonant

Business of Government Hour

The Business of Government Hour

Innovation and strategy in the Office of Federal Student Aid: A conversation with Stacie Whisonant

What is the mission of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid? How is FSA using innovation to change the way it meets its mission? Join...

May 3, 2021 11:43 am

2 min read

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The Business of Government Hour, hosted by Michael J. Keegan, features a conversation with government executives and thought leaders who are changing the way government does business. The show explores topics such as leadership, management, technology, innovation, public service, as well as the mission of government in the 21st century.

ON THIS WEEK’S SHOW:

What is the mission of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid? How is FSA using innovation to change the way it meets its mission? Join host Michael Keegan as he explores these questions and more with Stacie Whisonant, Innovation & Strategy Team Leader at FSA.

LISTEN TO THE FULL SHOW:

GUEST BIOGRAPHY:

Stacie Whisonant has made it her life’s work to disrupt the finance industry and create solutions to the country’s student loan crisis. Stacie created the Loanership™, a credit building scholarship financial product, and it functioned as her gateway into creating products that would further disrupt the finance industry and address the student loan crisis. It is her goal to create equality in higher education by bridging the financial gap.

In preparation for battle with the $1.6 trillion national student debt crisis, Stacie spent 17 years in the financial services industry utilizing her SEC license to manage mortgages, structured settlements, and annuities for both specialty finance companies and the world’s largest international banking and financial services organization—HSBC. Stacie is also a military veteran, having served eight years as a United States Army Reservist. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Management from Longwood University.

Stacie joined the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) in 2018 as the NextGen Innovation Team Leader, and she immediately set to work creating a hub for federal employees to incubate solutions that address the nation’s growing student loan figure. The FSA IDEA Lab is positioned to Innovate, Design, Execute, and Award from within the agency with lasting impact on higher education funding.