USA Funds Staff Profile: Solving Problems, Bringing Value

Teresa Spruill loves to help financial aid administrators in Mississippi and Louisiana solve their problems.

“The best part of my job is visiting schools and learning what’s working for them and what needs they have,” says Spruill, a USA Funds^® customer relations manager. “Then I consider how USA Funds’ products and services and the best practices I learn about from school visits and from my own experiences can help others address their challenges.”

Spruill has worked with Louisiana schools for USA Funds since 2004. Four years later she also became the customer relations manager for Mississippi. She is part of a team of seven USA Funds customer service professionals who work to determine the needs of customers and monitor customer satisfaction with their education loan service.

Her love of working with financial aid professionals and the students they serve and her own extensive background in college financial aid drew her to her current position, and those passions are what keep Spruill excited about her job.

“Ultimately what we do benefits students, which is why it makes me feel good when I see schools respond positively and hear that what we’re bringing to them — and their students — is of value,” Spruill says.

Spruill has nearly 25 years of experience in financial aid, starting with a position at Delta College in Metairie, La., shortly after she received her college degree. She has worked in financial aid offices at private career schools, junior colleges, and four-year universities in Louisiana and Texas. Prior to joining USA Funds, she was financial aid director at Louisiana College in her hometown of Pineville, La., where she still is based.

She also has held positions at USA Group, USA Funds’ former parent company, and at Sallie Mae.

“Being a former financial aid administrator myself, I’m always interested in what USA Funds offers that will make financial aid administrators’ jobs easier,” Spruill says.

One way USA Funds helps simplify financial aid administrators’ lives is through its efforts to help schools keep their default rates low. She cites USA Funds Life Skills^®, USA Funds’ financial literacy curriculum now available in an online format, as one product she and the schools with which she works are particularly excited about now.

“USA Funds Life Skills is just one example of the value we bring to schools,” Spruill says, “and knowing I work for a company that offers that value is why I love my job.”

When not working, Spruill says she spends the bulk of her time attending her 8-year-old daughter’s soccer and dance activities. She also teaches Sunday School for grades one through three and is a diehard fan of Sudoku puzzles.