Esther J. Cepeda Joins ISAC

Former Sun-Times columnist to oversee marketing, communications for state higher ed agency

SPRINGFIELD, IL –  Esther J. Cepeda has been appointed Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), Andrew Davis, ISAC Executive Director said today.

The state’s central provider of college aid, ISAC awarded $448 million in college scholarships and grants, guaranteed $1.2 billion in loans and registered 29 million hits on its website (collegezone.com) last year.  Its prepaid tuition program – College Illinois!(SM) – has enabled 27,000 Illinois families to prepay more than $1 billion in tuition and fees.

A highly-regarded columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times from 2006 to 2008, Cepeda, 33, writes a lively syndicated column on http://www.600words.com/.  She recently served as marketing consultant to the United Neighborhood Organization (UNO), one of Chicago’s oldest direct action community groups.

Davis said Cepeda will craft new marketing, media and outreach strategies as the 51-year old agency moves into a new phase with new purpose. 

“Esther J. Cepeda is an accomplished journalist, creative thinker and energetic advocate,” Davis said.  “She is a role model for young Latinas, a key target audience for ISAC’s message.  We are delighted to have someone of Esther’s stature on our leadership team.”

"I’m really buzzed about the opportunity to make untold numbers of college aspirants across Illinois well aware that a post-secondary degree isn’t just some pipe-dream,” Cepeda said.  “Paired with the support I have from an Executive Director who’s more interested in the number of college graduates we put into Illinois’ economy rather than just the number of loans we can give out, my staff and I will be pumping new life into this hidden gem of an agency.”

Born and raised on Chicago’s North Side, Cepeda is a graduate of Lane Tech High School and Southern Illinois University, and studied at the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism.  While working on her Master’s degree in special education at Roosevelt University, Cepeda was a bilingual teacher in low-income grammar and high schools in Lake County.

Cepeda’s Sun-Times column was trailblazing: not only was she the first Hispanic metro columnist for a Chicago daily, she was the first Latina to regularly appear in the sports section.  Her column covered a wide range of urban and ethnic issues, and featured a provocative “Pregunta del Dia” (“Question of the Day”).  Her insightful and often irreverent musings earned her frequent spots as guest commentator for CNN, Fox network news, WVON-FM, WGN-AM and other outlets. 

Prior to joining the Sun-Times, Cepeda wrote for the Daily Herald, Lakeland Journal and Scripps Howard News Service.  She also served as Vice-President of the Round Lake Area Library Board of Trustees. 

Last year, Cepeda was selected as a Columbia University “Next Generation Project” American Assembly Fellow, and recently convened with 100 nationally-selected young leaders at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars to address U.S. foreign policy and the future of global institutions.

“We are in an absolutely thrilling turning point in our nation’s history – poised to educate the next generation of leaders who will innovate solutions to the crises we’re so worried about today – and I’m just as thrilled to be taking the lead in getting them the knowledge and resources they’ll need to make it happen,” Cepeda said.

“Esther J. Cepeda is a rare individual who is equally comfortable on the sidewalks of Chicago’s La Villita neighborhood or in the corridors of international power,“ Davis said.  “Her experience will be invaluable to ISAC in our mission to better prepare Illinois students to compete and succeed in the new global economy.”

Davis noted that since he became Executive Director in January, 2007, ISAC has become more “Illinois-centric” in its lending strategy, boosted its outreach staff from 4 to 16, added Spanish- and Polish-speaking outreach staff, and launched initiatives to better reach non-traditional and first- generation college students.

In addition to encouraging earlier financial preparation for college, ISAC also promotes earlier educational preparation.  In a partnership with the Lumina Foundation and Ad Council, ISAC has launched the KnowHow2GO college access drive, which features a PSA campaign challenging 8th, 9th and 10th graders to take tougher courses.

About ISAC
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is the State’s centralized provider of financial assistance aimed at helping students and families access postsecondary education and/or training. Each year, the Commission awards an estimated $400 million in scholarship and grant aid to nearly 185,000 qualified students, and also provides an additional $740 million to borrowers through its student loan programs. The agency offers credit-based alternative loans, a 529 prepaid tuition program known as College Illinois!, and a broad array of outreach and informational services to ensure that families have access to the information they need to pay for a college education. More information is available by calling toll-free 800.899.ISAC (4722) or visiting the agency’s Web site at www.collegezone.com.