Temeka Easter, director of social media at Sallie Mae – the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company – has been selected by the Delaware Business Times (DBT) for its DBT 40 Class of 2015, an annual honor that recognizes 40 individuals under the age of 40 as influential young achievers and innovators. The 2015 class will be honored at a reception on Sept. 30 at the Delaware Art Museum.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150924006044/en/

Sallie Mae's Temeka Easter (Photo by Luigi Ciuffetelli)

Sallie Mae's Temeka Easter (Photo by Luigi Ciuffetelli)

Easter has devoted her career to helping individuals and families plan for and manage their financial futures. She has initiated saving-for-college initiatives, devised plans that encourage employers to promote college savings, and transformed Sallie Mae’s social media presence into a forum for conversations about financial literacy, responsible borrowing, and the importance of higher education. Easter is a sought-after authority on planning for college and social media, speaking at regional and national industry events, most recently at the national conference of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

“Temeka lives the mission of Sallie Mae every day, promoting the value of education and helping families who aspire to a better future save, plan, and responsibly pay for college,” said Martha Holler, senior vice president, Sallie Mae, who nominated Easter. “She brings passion and enthusiasm to her job that are infectious and inspiring.”

Easter’s desire to help families achieve the dream of college extends to her community service projects. She has organized Sallie Mae’s involvement in Delaware Goes to College, part of a national initiative that helps high school seniors complete college applications; taught workshops at Junior Achievement that help students research and apply to college; and led a social media campaign to raise funds for the Folds of Honor Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to the families of military servicemembers disabled or killed in the line of duty.

“There is no greater joy than helping children and young adults realize their full potential, and I enjoy mentoring, teaching, coaching, and interacting with young people,” said Easter. “I’ve been given the opportunity to work on amazing projects, meet wonderful folks, and become a part of a community that feels like home.”

Temeka holds dual bachelor of science degrees in accounting and business administration from the University of Missouri, and a master’s degree in human resources management from the Keller Graduate School of Management. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., she and her two children live in Hockessin, Del.

For more information about saving, planning, and paying for college, visit SallieMae.com, or visit Sallie Mae on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, or Google+.

Sallie Mae (NASDAQ: SLM) is the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company. Whether college is a long way off or just around the corner, Sallie Mae offers products that promote responsible personal finance, including private education loans, Upromise rewards, scholarship search, college financial planning tools, and online retail banking. Learn more at SallieMae.com. Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.