Inside Campus Partners

Donna Powell
November 2005

Donna Powell

Contract Administrator

Donna Powell, Contract Administrator for Campus Partners, is one of our newest and busiest employees. As Contract Administrator, Donna works in the Marketing area, where she is responsible for developing and submitting Requests for Proposals, providing leadership in the collection, organization, analysis and interpretation of information about our market and competitors, verifying special billing requests, building a repository of market intelligence, and is also charged with writing assignments for various Campus Partners’ publications.

Donna previously worked as a customer service manager, a programmer for an insurance company, and as a project manager for a benefits consulting firm. She has a BA in English from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and successfully completed a curriculum in programming at a local community college. This combination of employment and education makes her a perfect choice for a job that requires attention to detail, creativity, commitment to customer service excellence, and the ability to complete writing assignments quickly.

She also likes to write, which is essential to her position. “I really enjoy the creativity afforded me in this job,” Donna stated with enthusiasm. “It’s great having a job where you’re able to do something you love,” she added.
Working with contracts and proposals requires considerable knowledge of our business, and Donna has immersed herself in learning about student loan processing. She has participated in Student Loans 101 and 202, where she received classroom training and had the opportunity to meet customers such as LaTanya Edington from California Maritime Academy, Minnie Woolridge from Texas Southern University, and Willie Gordon from South Carolina State University. “It was great to meet our customers and get a better understanding of what they need and how we are able to meet those needs.” Donna explained.

Donna cites Sharon Cameron, our veteran Audit and Compliance Specialist, as being most helpful in answering her questions about student loans. “Sharon Cameron is so knowledgeable. No matter what questions I have about schools, systems, or services, she knows the answer. She is also so inviting and welcoming of questions that I don’t hesitate to call on her,” Donna said. She also relies on Lisa Koniuto, Director of Customer Relationship Management, for her expertise about specific customers and their contracts.

Over the next few months, Donna eagerly anticipates learning more about her role as Contract Administrator, as well as learning new software applications, so she can help with additional marketing activities. “With her innate creativity, Donna is an asset to our company and learning more about desktop publishing will help her convey the Campus Partners story to our customers,” stated Carolyn Williams, Marketing Manager for our company.

Donna felt an immediate connection with our company from the moment she was contacted for an interview in July. “I felt welcomed from the start. After I accepted the job offer, but before my official start date, I was invited to an outing with the Marketing and Sales department. When I walked in, everyone seemed very excited to meet me. I was amazed at the sincerity of their warm welcome,” Donna concluded.

Donna was born in Mt. Olive, NC, but moved to Winston-Salem as a child. After graduating from high school, she moved to Charlotte, where she lived for several years. Away from work, she is very close to her brother and sister and is a doting aunt to her niece and two nephews. She enjoys reading fiction and especially likes movies that make her cry. Some of her favorite movies are The Color Purple, Forrest Gump, and Man on Fire.

She also enjoys attending football games from the high school to professional level. A woman of many talents, Donna can play the French horn, all brass instruments, and the flute. She is thinking of trying to organize some of our other musically inclined staff to play holiday music in our break room over the next few weeks. So whether playing the French horn or tooting Campus Partners’ horn, Donna is the right choice for the job.