We’re thrilled to share some exciting news: Rich Williams, former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, is joining Summer as our new Chief Customer Officer! Rich most recently served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Policy, Planning, and Innovation, leading high-impact college affordability and student loan repayment initiatives affecting students at over 6,000 colleges and more than 40 million student loan borrowers. He previously held senior roles at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and in the U.S. Congress. Rich brings a wealth of experience in higher education policy and student loan operations, and we are ecstatic to have him on board.
Rich has twenty years of experience working on policies that have directly impacted millions of student loan borrowers, and was deeply involved in borrower protection, loan repayment options, and education reform at the Department of Education. Rich was the lead Department official for resuming student loan payments for more than 30 million borrowers owing $1.25 trillion after a four-year payment pause, and executed a multi-channel communications strategy that enabled 12 million borrowers to access more affordable payments; he also devised a temporary program shielding more than 9 million borrowers from negative credit reporting. These initiatives collectively restored payment levels to pre-pandemic norms.
Rich also coordinated policy and operational development with the U.S. Digital Service to launch an intuitive online application for student debt relief, handling 26 million applications and 16 million approvals in just one month, with a less than 5-minute application time and 97% user satisfaction score.
His passion for helping people navigate the challenges of student debt aligns perfectly with our mission at Summer—making student loan assistance simple, accessible, and effective for everyone. Rich’s extensive knowledge and hands-on experience will be invaluable as we continue to expand our platform and support even more employers and employees in tackling student debt.
As Chief Customer Officer, Rich will oversee our customer strategy and engagement. He’ll ensure that our services are always addressing the changing needs of our clients and end-users we serve. Whether it’s expanding our product offerings, improving our platform, or collaborating with employers and policymakers, Rich’s leadership will help us bring even more value to the people who rely on us.
“For two decades, I’ve improved outcomes for students and borrowers through customer-focused product development and data-driven strategy, and I’m excited to join a company that shares that commitment,” says Rich. “I am eager to bring my expertise to Summer's clients and employees to help them navigate student loan options and increase financial well-being, especially as federal resources are eliminated."
“Rich’s extensive experience in student loan and college affordability policy aligns perfectly with Summer’s vision,” said Will Sealy, CEO of Summer. “His leadership will be instrumental in helping us scale our efforts and continue delivering best-in-class workplace student loan and college cost solutions, and supporting borrowers nationwide.”
Rich’s appointment comes at an exciting time for Summer. Over the last year, we announced our first acquisition, and the addition of Don Weinstein, ADP’s former Chief Product & Technology Officer, as Summer's first Chief Innovation Officer. Summer also announced our Advisory Board of distinguished HR & People leaders who lead or formerly led Human Resources for industry-leading companies including Microsoft, Unilever, and Albertsons. But that’s not all! We also pioneered an industry-leading partnership with ADP, enhancing their capabilities for 401(k) student loan matching for retirement plan participants.
With Rich joining our leadership team, we’re even more ready to make waves in the student loan assistance space and continue building solutions that truly help people. As we welcome Rich, we also say a bittersweet goodbye to Bridget Haile, our departing Chief Customer Officer, who was with Summer for six years and contributed immensely to the company and team; we wish her well with what’s next!
Summer’s mission is to simplify student loans from start to finish. With Rich’s expertise, we’re set to provide even more personalized support to employers and employees alike, saving them money and reducing turnover in the process. To date, we’ve already saved employees an average of $40k and helped employers reduce turnover by 20%.
Stay tuned—there’s a lot more exciting news to come. We’re so happy to have Rich on board and look forward to all the great work we’ll do together!
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