Inside Campus Partners

Paul Carey
August 2004

Paul Carey
Chairman, Campus Partners

Paul Carey, Chairman and owner of Campus Partners, is passionate about higher education and how it is financed. Ever since he began working in the student loan industry more than 20 years ago, he has found the process personally intriguing. His excitement over student loans extends beyond the dollars and cents it takes to finance higher education and is ultimately centered on the end result— education. Throughout his career, Paul has helped schools either make or manage their loans.

Moreover, Paul is willing to take personal responsibility for financing education. Paul works to raise funds for two Washington, DC schools, raises funds for the University of Maryland-College Park, where he received his MBA, and has even endowed a scholarship at Catholic University, his undergraduate alma mater. The scholarship is unique in that it is only offered to students who are the first in their families to attend college. Paul also serves on the Board of Trustees for Trinity College in Washington, DC.

Our employees were excited when Paul and the other owners purchased the company because of their accomplishments in the student loan industry. Paul began working at Sallie Mae in 1982 and quickly rose to the senior management level. He worked in all areas of the company including finance, marketing, and product development. He left Sallie Mae briefly in the 1990s, but returned in 1997. Finding the company struggling to define itself and its mission, he helped Sallie Mae adopt a customer service centered focus and led them to define colleges and universities as their customers.The company exploded after this change in focus.

Later he served as CEO of eNumerate Solutions and led the company to new growth. As CEO, he oversaw the creation and marketing of a software product for businesses and financial institutions that enhanced the presentation of financial data and reports online.

Just as our staff members are excited about our owners, Paul is excited about Campus Partners. With our company’s commitment to customer service, he knew we were already on the right track when he purchased the company. Although Paul does not plan to oversee the daily operations of the company, he has spent a great deal of time learning about our business. He wants to apply his considerable talents to help our company develop better products that will meet our customers’ needs. “I want to find out what our customers need to do their jobs more efficiently and determine how to fulfill these needs as quickly as possible,” Paul stated.

He continues to be impressed with our company’s potential. “All the pieces are here. We just have to execute our plans. With a great group of people in place and great customers, we now must commit to growth,” Paul commented. With our company’s renewed commitment to product development, Paul expects great things from Campus Partners. “By the first quarter of next year, we will be the industry leader with the best service and the best products,” he predicted.

Paul sees technology and service as going hand-in-hand. “We need high quality technology so we can provide the information our schools and their borrowers need through the Web. Our staff also needs that same access to information to better serve our customers,” Paul related.

Paul predicts our company and customers will benefit from our new stand-alone status. “We are not owned by another company with different—or even—competing priorities. We are now what we do,” Paul said. “And, as a partner to the campus business office, we are free to develop additional products to meet their other needs. Our customers are already benefiting because more resources are going into product development.”

A resident of Sandy Springs, MD, Paul is married and has two teenage daughters, ages 17 and 19. With one daughter in college and the other a senior in high school, Paul says that he is going through withdrawal after years of being involved in their activities. He also likes to play golf and recently returned from a golfing trip to Scotland. He enjoys listening to Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, George Jones, and Merle Haggard because they are all “American originals.” Like Paul, they are successful because they are true to themselves and passionate about their work.