PHEAA CEO and leadership

Kyle Lefever is Interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Mr. Lefever joined the Agency in 2009. He is directly responsible for all aspects of financial reporting, accounting, budgeting, public finance, and administration.

Mr. Lefever previously served as the Agency’s Chief Accounting Officer where his responsibilities included all aspects of financial reporting, accounting operations, and financial controls. Prior to joining the Agency, Mr. Lefever held positions at Deloitte and KPMG.

Mr. Lefever holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Shippensburg University and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant.

Carol L. Scott is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO). Ms. Scott joined the Agency in September 2020. She is responsible for strategic leadership of the technology organization and the delivery of solutions that will position PHEAA as a leader in education technology.

Prior to joining the Agency, Ms. Scott was Managing Director of Digital and Technology Innovation at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). She also held director positions in PwC's IT Strategy and Enterprise Architecture Divisions. She brings 20+ years of experience in the information technology arena.

Ms. Scott holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University.

Jean Svoboda is Chief Legal Officer. Ms. Svoboda joined PHEAA in March 2019 as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Board Secretary. Her responsibilities include overseeing and managing the Legal Services Division and serving as PHEAA's Board Secretary.

Prior to joining PHEAA, Ms. Svoboda was in-house counsel for several financial institutions including M&T Bank, Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc., and Sterling Financial Corporation. She was also a partner at the law firm of Shumaker Williams PC.

Ms. Svoboda previously focused her practice areas in transactional matters, particularly mergers & acquisitions, divestitures, securitizations, fintech, financial reporting, public disclosure, corporate governance, risk management, regulatory affairs and compliance. Ms. Svoboda received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska and her Juris Doctorate degree from Creighton University School of Law.

Andrew Mehalko is Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Mr. Mehalko joined the Agency in 1988. He is directly responsible for all aspects of financial reporting, accounting, budgeting, and administration. He is also responsible for all functions within the Public Finance Department.

Mr. Mehalko previously served as the Agency’s Vice President of Public Finance where his responsibilities included management of tax-exempt and taxable financing, covenant compliance and reporting, loan acquisition, and portfolio maintenance.

Mr. Mehalko holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Elizabethtown College.

Experienced in-house attorney with a demonstrated history of of success in the financial services and state and local tax industries, with recent focus on consumer financial services compliance, student financial aid, and contract issues. Graduated from University of Virginia School of Law and Bucknell University. Leadership roles in various community and professional organizations.

Jai Prakash is a Chief Information Officer at Embark and Chief of IT & Digital Operations at PHEAA and is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He has worked as IT Director, Corporate Business Systems at MONEYGRAM INTERNATIONAL INC; IT Leader- GE Security CommerceGuard at GENERAL ELECTRIC CO; and Black Belt - GE Security at GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. Jai attended National Institute of Technology Durgapur and Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies.

Jim Weld is a President and Chief Operating Officer at PHEAA and is based in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Judith Bines Vargas is a SVP & Chief Audit Executive at PHEAA and is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She has worked as Internal Audit Director /Director, Information Security at Ameri Source Bergen Corp.; Consultant at SOURCE PARTNERS LIMITED; and Audit Officer at Corestates Bank. Judith studied at LaSalle University and Philadelphia University.

LaWanda Morris is Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer. Ms. Morris joined PHEAA in December 2018. Her responsibilities include the Agency's risk management operations, including managing, reporting, and overseeing the firm's risks externally and internally to the organization.

Prior to joining the Agency, Ms. Morris provided consulting services focusing on the areas of risk management, finance, and accounting. Ms. Morris was Senior Vice President and Head of Capital Management for TD Bank and Senior Manager in Financial Services and the Consumer Finance Group for PricewaterhouseCooper LLP.

Ms. Morris holds a M.B.A. in Finance from The Wharton School - University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Accounting from Florida A&M University and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant.