Inside Campus Partners

Mark Olson
November 2004

Mark Olson
Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing

Mark Olson, our new Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, hit the ground running when he began working for Campus Partners on November 1, 2004. Although he had left his home in Rockville, MD at 4:00 AM to arrive in Winston-Salem for a 9:00 AM meeting, everyone at the meeting was impressed by his charisma, high energy, and intellectual curiosity.

In his role as Executive Vice President for Sales and Marketing, Mark has three primary objectives. “ We must analyze the market to understand what our customers need to do their jobs effectively and translate these needs into products and services. Then, we must market these solutions so our customers realize their full potential,” Mark articulated. This will not be a finite process because the marketplace and customer needs constantly evolve. In the short term, he plans to communicate with all our customers through letters or personal visits, meet everyone here, and build enthusiasm within the marketing department. He looks forward to working with Lisa Koniuto, our Director of Sales and Marketing.

Mark is very excited about the opportunity to join Campus Partners. He is struck by the history of the company, the tenure of the staff, and our managing partners. “We are in a unique position because we are a new company with dynamic new leadership, but have a 40-year history of commitment to campus based loan programs. I believe we are poised to re-invent ourselves and make a significant impact in the industry,” Mark related. “I am impressed with the commitment of our staff to schools and their borrowers.”

Many of our customers already know Mark from his most recent employment as Executive Vice President and COO of the National Association of University and College Business Officers (NACUBO). While at NACUBO, he met many of the chief financial and administrative officers who were members of the organization. One of his most important accomplishments was helping to develop the organization’s first Student Financial Services Conference, held in February 2003. The popular conference was completely sold out in 2003 and 2004 and brought bursars and the financial aid community together to discuss common issues. Mark has written dozens of articles, is often a speaker at key industry events, and co-authored two important books on e-commerce and outsourcing in higher education.

Mark is in the process of talking to our staff to get a clear understanding of our operations and to learn as much as he can about customer services and solutions. He already has a head start understanding the business because he worked as a student loan executive for over half of his 27-year career. He began his career at the University of Southern California (USC) in the Computer Center, and later transitioned to the Admissions and Financial Aid Office, where he helped automate services involved with enrollment and student services.

In 1990, he was hired as Deputy Vice President of Student Administrative Services for Columbia University, where he conceptualized and implemented a “one-stop shop” for all student services. By consolidating several administrative and business offices, he created an efficient system for student financial and administrative services. He also introduced many other technical and outsourcing solutions to his department. From 1995-2001, Mark worked for Sallie Mae using his higher education experience to help the company develop outsourcing for colleges and universities.

Mark believes that all of his experience has prepared him for the challenges of increasing the breadth of servicing solutions that we offer and building an integrated suite of products. He is confident that our company’s legacy of customer service, our staff’s longevity and professionalism, and our managing partners will continue to inspire trust in our company’s ability to respond to our customers’ needs.

Mark is originally from Chicago and received his undergraduate degree from Arizona State University. He also has a master’s degree from the University of Southern California. Mark has been married for 28 years to his wife, Kathy. The couple enjoys golf, tennis, gourmet cooking, and taking driving vacations to explore the back roads of our country. Mark will continue to live in Rockville, MD, but will spend significant time in Winston-Salem when he is not visiting our customers.