Sallie Mae, the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company, today announced that Charles P. Rocha has been named executive vice president. Mr. Rocha continues as the company’s chief marketing officer, a position he has held since 2013, overseeing product development, sales, marketing, and communications for Sallie Mae’s consumer businesses, including private education loans, retail banking, and the Upromise by Sallie Mae college savings and rewards program.

“As a parent of four daughters, Charlie understands what families go through to save, plan and pay for college,” said Raymond J. Quinlan, chairman and chief executive officer. “Charlie’s marketing philosophy begins and ends with a focus on the consumer; what they need, prefer and want as they make this investment in college and their future.”

Mr. Rocha joined Sallie Mae in 2009 as senior vice president, student lending and sales. He helped introduce the company’s Smart Option Student Loan, which changed the student loan standard by encouraging monthly payments in school as a means of reducing total finance charges and helping students graduate with less debt. Mr. Rocha also led efforts to develop Sallie Mae’s suite of free online college planning tools at SallieMae.com/planforcollege and enhance Upromise by Sallie Mae’s save-for-college offerings.

Mr. Rocha has more than 20 years of commercial and consumer lending experience. Prior to Sallie Mae, he was the strategic integration executive responsible for strategic planning and profitability optimization for U.S. credit card, consumer finance, and small business lending at Bank of America. He also held various business development, credit, and collections management roles in consumer lending at MBNA America, and he spent 10 years at NationsBank in leadership positions in retail finance and leasing.

Mr. Rocha holds a bachelor’s degree in international economics and finance from Georgetown University.

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.