Executive Bio: Gary L. Hopkins

Gary Hopkins is currently the Director of the Collections Group in the Borrower Services Area of the Office of Federal Student Aid. His office is responsible for the management and oversight of the Federal Government’s defaulted federal loan and grant portfolio of over $30 Billion.

Mr. Hopkins joined the Department in May of 1998 after having worked in the student loan industry (both public and private) for almost seven (7) years. He began his career in student loan default management in 1991 when he joined Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation (TGSLC) and built their first Default Prevention Department and managed the department for two years. In 1993, he became Manager of TGSLC’s Collections Department and became responsible for overseeing collections on their $1 Billion portfolio of defaulted loans. During his tenure as Collections Manager for TGLSC, Mr. Hopkins also served as Chairman of the National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs (NCHELP) Debt Management Committee.

In 1996, Mr. Hopkins joined Management Adjustment Bureau, Inc. (MAB) and served as it’s Director of Student Loan Marketing and Operations, focusing primarily on supporting the Federal Government’s GSL collections programs. After the acquisition of MAB by NCO Group, Mr. Hopkins continued his role as Director of Student Loan Operations and added the responsibility of Contract Administrator for the Department of Education’s Collections Services contract. It was in May 1998 that Gary joined the Department as Director of the Washington Service Center in the Debt Collection Service.

In October of 2001 Gary was named Director of Collections for the Department of Education and appointed as a member of the federal Governments Senior Executive Service and currently serves in both capacities.

Gary Hopkins is a 1981 graduate of Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas (alma mater of the author of Conan the Barbarian), where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and received numerous awards in the field of both academics and athletics.

About Federal Student Aid
The Collections Group is a division with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid. The U.S. Department of Education operates over 175 programs that touch every area and level of education. One of the key program areas is Title IV Aid for postsecondary education. Federal Student Aid (FSA) is the office within the Department of Education responsible for managing the federal student aid programs and processes. FSA makes available over $50 billion in postsecondary student financial aid every year, including more than $30 billion in new student loans and more than $7 billion in Pell Grants. FSA is the equivalent to the 9th largest bank in the U.S. with a loan portfolio in excess of $100 billion. FSA manages this portfolio with 1,100 employees and 3,800 contractor personnel who operate and maintain the myriad of systems and processes that enable FSA to manage the Title IV federal student aid programs. At FSA, "We help put America through school."

Challenged by Congress to integrate its many disparate legacy systems, improve service to its customers and employees, reduce its operational costs, and restore integrity to the systems and processes that manage the federal Title IV student loan and grant programs, FSA was designated the first Performance-Based Organization (PBO) to manage for results. This designation was the starting point for FSA’s effort to modernize the management, delivery, and accountability of its Title IV Aid programs. Operating as a PBO, FSA implemented a corporate-like organization structure led by a Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), and General Managers.