March 10, 2010

Julie Ryder, Former Kennedy Aide, Joins American Student Assistance

BOSTON, MA March 10, 2010 – American Student Assistance®, the leading nonprofit delivering higher education debt management services to students, has hired Julie Ryder as the organization’s Director of Government Relations.

In her new role, Ryder will oversee ASA’s government relations efforts on both the federal and state level. Ryder comes to ASA® after spending more than 9 years as Congressional Aide to Senator Edward Kennedy and his successor, Senator Paul Kirk, Jr. In addition to advising Senator Kennedy on local and national policy matters, she also acted as his liaison with state and local elected officials, and federal and state agencies, as well as members of the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation. Given Senator Kennedy’s strong support for education, Ryder managed public outreach to constituency groups on national policy related to education, including the No Child Left Behind Act, the College Cost Reduction Act, the Higher Education Act Reauthorization,and The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.

Ryder is a graduate of Northeastern University and Suffolk University Law School and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association. She can be reached at jryder@asa.org and 617.535.2053.

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About American Student Assistance

American Student Assistance® (ASA) is a private, federally funded, nonprofit organization that helps students and parents manage higher education debt. Its unique WellnessSM programs give student loan borrowers the support they need to avoid repayment problems. Incorporated in 1956, ASA® was the nation’s first private student loan guarantee agency and a model for the federal student loan program. As a premier student loan service provider, ASA delivers quality delinquency prevention services to the U.S. Department of Education, students, parents, schools, and lenders. ASA provides service to 1.8 million student loan borrowers nationwide and currently manages a student loan portfolio worth $45 billion. Based in Boston, ASA employs more than 500 associates nationwide and has been recognized by the Boston Business Journal and The Boston Globe as one of the region’s best places to work. Visit www.asa.org or call 617.728.4631 for more information.