United States, August 2026 — Sallie Mae has appointed Melissa Bronaugh as Deputy Chief Financial Officer, marking another significant leadership progression during her more than seven-year tenure with the company. In her expanded role, Bronaugh partners closely with the CFO, CEO and Board to help shape Sallie Mae’s financial and strategic direction and support the creation of long-term shareholder value.
As Deputy CFO, Bronaugh leads a broad portfolio encompassing Strategic Finance, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Investor Relations, Corporate Development, Procurement and Finance Transformation. Her responsibilities include enterprise planning and forecasting, capital allocation, investor and analyst engagement, strategic growth initiatives, performance management, and modernization of finance processes, systems and capabilities.
Bronaugh joined Sallie Mae in 2019 as Senior Director, Accounting Operations, overseeing accounting functions spanning accounts payable, accounts receivable, fixed assets, payroll and benefits, revenue recognition, capital markets and accounting policy. She subsequently progressed through leadership roles including Vice President, Head of Investor Relations; Managing Vice President, Head of FP&A and Investor Relations; and Managing Vice President, Strategic Finance, before assuming her current position.
Prior to Sallie Mae, Bronaugh served as Associate Director at CrossCountry Consulting, supporting public and private companies across operational accounting, financial reporting, accounting policy, risk and compliance. Earlier, she spent more than 14 years with Navient as Director, Capital Markets Accounting, where her responsibilities included accounting and reporting related to secured and unsecured financings and a significant portfolio of securitization vehicles and asset-backed financing programs.
Bronaugh began her career in professional services, working as an Auditor at KPMG US before joining Deloitte as a Senior Consultant. With more than 25 years of finance and accounting experience, her career spans strategic finance, FP&A, investor relations, capital markets, corporate development, accounting operations, financial reporting and finance transformation. Her elevation to Deputy CFO reflects a continued expansion of her leadership responsibilities at Sallie Mae.
About Sallie Mae
Sallie Mae is a financial services company focused on helping students and families plan and pay for higher education. Its mission centers on supporting students as they begin their education journey and helping make college more affordable, equitable and accessible.
As a provider of private student lending, Sallie Mae offers financing as well as tools, resources and expertise designed to support college access and completion and help students and families make informed decisions when planning for higher education.
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