Management Team

Joe Cronin Jr. – President and Founder

Mr. Cronin started Edvisors in January, 1998 as an educational services and marketing company focused on serving college students. He oversees all areas of the company, with focus on lender and marketing partner relationships. Prior to Edvisors, Mr. Cronin co-founded and served for four years as Senior Vice President of the International Education Finance Corporation ("IEFC"), a start up international education loan marketing company. His primary responsibility was the development and implementation of a marketing plan for the company's loan products resulting in more than $100 million in originated loans within 4 years. He developed extensive contacts throughout the world by meeting with university leaders in the fields of financial aid, admissions and international education.

Mr. Cronin has spent over 20 years in the student loan and banking industry having worked for the First National Bank of Boston, American Student Assistance and The TERI Corporation. He has also worked as a student loan adviser and as an urban youth counselor in Boston. Mr. Cronin earned his undergraduate degree in Psychology at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and has an MBA in International Business from Bentley College.

Geoffrey Willison – Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Willison has been the Chief Operating Officer of Edvisors since July 2006. He is responsible for the company's product management and marketing efforts, operations and administration. Prior to joining Edvisors, Mr. Willison was a relationship Manager for the Boston Consulting Group, where he worked from 2001-2006. He began his career at Braxton Associates, the strategy consulting group of Deloitte Consulting. Mr. Willison received an A.B. cum laude from Dartmouth College and a MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Christopher Penn – Chief Technology Officer

Christopher Penn is the Chief Technology Officer of the Student Loan Network and Edvisors, as well as Chief New Media Officer. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from Franklin & Marshall College in Political Science and a Master's Degree in Information Systems from Boston University. Prior to joining Edvisors, Mr. Penn worked as IT Director at Credit Union On-Line, a regional credit union data center in Waltham, Massachusetts and CTO of CASCAP, Inc., a non-profit based in Cambridge, MA. Mr. Penn has been called upon for expert information in new media by members of the Congressional Advisory Committee on Student Financial Aid. Mr. Penn has also been featured in several books, newspapers, and publications for his role in the Financial Aid Podcast and as co-founder of PodCamp, the New Media UnConference.

Katie Dexter – Product Director

Katie Dexter is the product director for the Student Loan Network, focusing on student loan origination in both Federal and private student loans. She has been with Edvisors since January 2004. Prior to joining Edvisors, Ms. Dexter worked for BT Conferencing and State Street Bank and Trust (SSgA). Ms. Dexter holds a Bachelor's degree from Northeastern University.

Mark Marquis – Director of Student Services

Mark Marquis has served as the Director of Student Services for the Edvisors Network since joining in August 2007. His role is to develop and grow a portfolio of service related programs which compliment the Student Loan Network. Prior to joining Edvisors Mark served as Director of Marketing and later Director of E-Business for Pyramid Research, an international market research firm. Before this Mark spent more than 6 years building consumer focused online marketing and e-commerce programs as well as managing web content and online services for the University of New England. Mark holds a Bachelor's degree in Education from the University of Maine.

Jonathan Rudy – Product Director

Mr. Rudy has been a product director for Student Loan Network since July 2004. He is responsible for Federal and private student loan consolidation, affiliate relations, and customer service. Prior to joining Edvisors, Mr. Rudy was a case manager for the Tampa-based law firm, Trumbull and Associates. He holds a BA from Eckerd College in Political Science and International Business.

Marty Buss Smith – Marketing Director

Marty Smith has been the Marketing Director of Edvisors since December 2006. Prior to joining Edvisors, Ms. Smith worked as a marketing consultant for clients such as RSA Security, 3Com and Harvard Business School; and worked in account services at various marketing and advertising agencies, including the Pohly Company and Leo Burnett Technology Group. Ms. Smith holds a Bachelor's Degree from Purdue University.