College Savings Initiative

After their children's college savings accounts lost 38 percent of their value last year, some Illinois parents might be seeing some justice soon. The Illinois Treasurer's office recently reached a tentative deal with Oppenheimer funds to recover $77 million of the $85 million in losses.

“Everybody is so focused on health care legislation that everything else has to wait,” said Jackie Williams, director of the College Saving Initiative for the New America Foundation...

Director, College Savings Initiative

As Director of the College Savings Initiative at the New America Foundation, Ms. Williams develops and promotes progressive policy enhancements to 529 college savings plans in order to facilitate participation by low to moderate income families and thereby support greater access to higher education.

Washington, DC -- Beginning July 1, 2009, Reid Cramer will assume the post of director of  New America Foundation's Asset Building Program. Cramer, who holds a Ph. D from the LBJ School at the University of Texas at Austin, has been research director in the assets program since 2003 and played a leadership role in New America's Next Social Contract Initiative as well. Before joining New America, Cramer served at OMB in both the Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations.

Jackie Williams, executive director of Ohio's CollegeAdvantage plan, says a 529 needs a range of aggressive and conservative options. Aggressive plans are often sought by parents who started saving late and hope to catch up. ...

The bigger risk for parents today is not doing anything to prepare for college costs," said Jackie Williams, a spokesperson for CSPN. Typically lower fees, state oversight of plan management, and flexible amount and methods of contributions are some of ...

The New America Foundation and the Center for Social Development, a unit of Washington University in St. Louis, on Thursday announced a joint effort to study "529" plans, with a specific goal of making them more attractive to low-income families. ...

Today, May 21st, the New America Foundation and Center for Social Development (CSD) at Washington University in St. Louis announced a new College Savings Initiative to examine and improve "529" college savings plans so more people have the opportunity to attend and complete college.  

The New America Foundation, a Washington think tank, and the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis, also recently launched the College Savings Initiative, a joint venture to study and promote 529 plans, as well as financial-aid programs.

On June 1, Jacqueline “Jackie” Williams will become director of the initiative when she leaves her job as executive director of the Ohio Tuition Trust Authority in Columbus.

The New America Foundation, a Washington- based think tank, launched the College Savings Initiative as a joint venture with the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis earlier this year. The initiative held its first policy ...