In recognition of his more than 40 years of pioneering leadership in the cybersecurity industry, Jerry Archer, senior vice president and chief security officer, Sallie Mae, was recently honored with the inaugural SINET Impact Award. The annual award recognizes individuals who have made a significant impact on the cybersecurity community on a global scale.

As Sallie Mae's chief security officer, Archer is responsible for business continuity, crisis management, and security risk management, including cyber and information security. He joined Sallie Mae in 2009 and has decades of experience at leading companies and government agencies, including Intuit, Visa, and Fidelity.

“Jerry truly exemplifies SINET’s core values and commitment to the advancement of cybersecurity innovation,” said Robert Rodriguez, chairman and founder of SINET. “He is a respected and trusted voice in our industry, and we are proud to recognize him as the first recipient of the SINET Impact Award.”

As part of the recognition, members of the SINET Community contributed $10,000 to the Elizabeth J. Somers Women’s Leadership Program at The George Washington University, Archer’s alma mater and a program he and his wife have supported for more than 30 years. The program promotes excellence in academic achievement, fosters strong community building, and provides freshmen women at the university with a framework to develop and build their own leadership identity.

“Jerry’s solid background, thought leadership, and insights are an asset to our company and the systems we put in place to protect our customers,” said Raymond Quinlan, Chairman and CEO, Sallie Mae. “We congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition.”

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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.