Dedicated to helping students and their families manage their education loan debt, American Student Assistance® (ASA)—the nation's first higher education loan guarantor—strives to uphold a culture of excellence and caring in order to make a difference in borrowers’ lives every day. Our mission is to assist these borrowers in successfully completing a program of higher education financing and repayment. We are a Boston-based, nonprofit, public purpose organization with more than 50 years in the field of higher education loan management, and, in that time, we have grown from a regional loan guarantor to a major player with a national market presence. In the last 7 years alone, our staff has nearly doubled—from 379 employees to over 670. During that same time period, the value of the student loan portfolio that we manage increased from $8.7 billion to $45 billion. We believe we do well by doing good.

ASA offers a yearlong leadership development program called “The Arnie Sammis Leadership Development Academy,” which is open to all associates. Approximately 30 associates apply every year, and 12-16 candidates are accepted, based on their performance and interest in developing their personal leadership. Past and present academy cadets are a diverse group, with some members originally from Lebanon, Vietnam, Italy, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. In addition to their own development, the cadets give back to ASA through special projects. ASA’s annual Volunteer Day was developed by Leadership Academy cadets. Thanks to a culture that supports individual creativity, celebration, and charitable giving, Halloween has become ASA’s most celebrated event. Each year, associates turn Halloween into a major company fundraising occasion to benefit UNICEF. In 2008, a record-shattering $8,300 was raised for the charity by our generous and caring employees.