J. Barry Morrow has served on our Board of Directors since 2006 and currently serves as our Non-Executive Chairman. He is the CEO and founder of BK Capital Group. He served as the Chief Executive Officer and Director of Collegiate Funding Services from 2002 until 2006 when the company was acquired by JPMorgan Chase. Mr. Morrow held the position of President and Chief Operating Officer of Collegiate Funding from 2000 to 2002. Prior to joining Collegiate Funding Services, Mr. Morrow served with the U.S. Department of Education as the General Manager of Financial Services for the Office of Student Financial Assistance and with SallieMae as Vice President of Regional Operations. Mr. Morrow holds a B.A. from Virginia Tech and an M.A. in public administration from George Washington University. Mr. Morrow has over 30 years’ experience in the education credit industry. His extensive management experience at the U.S. Department of Education, SallieMae and Collegiate Funding Services provides the board with a unique perspective on the issues facing companies in our industry.

John A. Bartholdson was appointed to our Board of Directors on November 14, 2019 as a Series A Preferred Stock Director. Mr. Bartholdson is a co-founder and partner of Juniper Investment Company, LLC, a New York based private investment firm. Mr. Bartholdson serves as the Chairman of the board of directors of Theragenics Corporation, a privately held company. Previously, he has served as a member of the board of directors of Obagi Medical Products, Inc., a publicly traded company, as well as on the boards of numerous private companies. Prior to co-founding Juniper Investment Company, Mr. Bartholdson was a partner of Stonington Partners, Inc. where he worked from 1997 to 2011. Mr. Bartholdson received his B.A. from Duke University and his M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business. He has many years of experience leading and overseeing investments across a range of industries and has a successful record of managing investments in public companies. Mr. Bartholdson’s extensive management oversight, service on multiple public and private company boards and committees, and deep transactional expertise provide valuable insight to the Board of Directors.

James J. Burke, Jr. has served on our Board of Directors since 1999. He is the founder and managing member of JJB Capital Partners LLC, a private investment firm, formerly J. Burke Capital Partners LLC, since 2007. He was also the co-founder, partner and director of Stonington Partners, Inc. since 1994 and co-founder of Merrill Lynch Capital Partners, Inc., a private equity fund for which he was the President and CEO from 1987 to 1999. He received a B.A. from Brown University and an M.B.A. with Distinction from Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration. Mr. Burke also serves on the board of directors of a number of privately owned companies and several non-profit organizations. Mr. Burke brings extensive financial and business knowledge to the board through his engagement in private equity investing since 1981. Throughout his career, he has been responsible for sourcing and analyzing investment opportunities, where he has developed both expertise and significant knowledge regarding the managerial, operational and financial aspects of a business.

Kevin M. Carney was appointed to our Board of Directors on March 11, 2020. Mr. Carney recently retired as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Web.com Group, Inc. (formerly a NASDAQ listed company). Mr. Carney joined the founding management team of Web.com in 1998 and served as its Chief Financial Officer through 2018. Since retiring from Web.com, Mr. Carney has been providing consulting services, specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Prior to Web.com, Mr. Carney was Director of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of The Carlyle Group and Carlyle International, respectively, from 1990 through 1994, and, after that, served as Director of Mergers and Acquisitions at Manor Care, Inc. (formerly a NYSE listed company). He began his career as an auditor with Arthur Andersen & Co., was a Certified Public Accountant, and holds a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from Boston College. Mr. Carney’s extensive accounting, financial and executive management experience in both financial and technology industries positions him well to serve as a member of our Board.

Dr. Michael A. Plater was appointed to our Board of Directors on August 7, 2020. Dr. Plater was formerly President Emeritus of Strayer University having begun his career at Strayer in 2010 holding successive positions as Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Interim President and President before his retirement. Prior to joining Strayer, Dr. Plater held various positions in education administration at such institutions as The Wharton Small Business Development Center, The College of William and Mary, Graduate School of Business, The University of Florida, College of Business Administration, Brown University and North Carolina A&T State University. Dr. Plater is a graduate of Harvard College with an AB degree in Economics, holds a Masters of Business Administration from The Wharton School and a doctorate in American Studies from The College of William and Mary.

Felecia J. Pryor was appointed to our Board on August 5, 2021. She is the Executive Vice President & CHRO for BorgWarner, Inc, a Tier 1 supplier to the automotive industry. Ms. Pryor has spent nearly two decades working in Human Resources for Fortune 500 companies. Before joining BorgWarner, Inc, she worked at Ford Motor Company, where she held various roles of increasing responsibility in Corporate and Labor Relations. Her expertise is in Business Partnership, Talent Management & Succession Planning, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Labor Relations & Collective Bargaining, serving as a change agent in business transformations and working closely with public companies Board of Directors. During her career, Ms. Pryor has had the opportunity to live in two countries outside of the United States of America. Namely, she’s lived in Nanjing, China, and Bangkok, Thailand, where she served in leadership roles for Ford. Ms. Pryor partners with CEOs and executives to align HR strategies to the business strategies to deliver value for the business while ensuring the employee experience is considered. Ms. Pryor holds a BA in Criminal Justice from Valdosta State University, a Master of Science degree in Public Administration from Florida Atlantic University, and a Juris Doctorate in Law from Western Michigan Thomas M. Cooley Law School. She is an attorney licensed to practice in the State of Michigan.

Carlton Rose was appointed to our Board of Directors on August 7, 2020. Mr. Rose is currently President, Global Fleet Maintenance & Engineering for UPS. A native of Marion, Indiana, Mr. Rose is an Automotive Engineering graduate of the Indianapolis campus of Lincoln Technical Institute, now Lincoln College of Technology. Starting his career at UPS in 1980 as a package handler, during his tenure, Mr. Rose earned numerous promotions as a result of his technical skills, business skills and team leadership. In January 2016 he was promoted to his current position. Civic oriented, Mr. Rose led UPS’s Southeast Region’s United Way Campaign in 2006 and 2007 which raised over $12 Million for the organization. In 2014 he was inducted into Lincoln College of Technology’s Hall of Fame. In 2018 he was inducted into Marion High School’s Hall of Distinction. Mr. Rose was inducted in 2019 into the UPS Automotive Hall of Fame and received the most prestigious Charles Soderstrom Award, named after one of the company’s founders. Mr. Rose is a board member of the Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence, and previously served on the boards of Quad County Urban League and the Star Struck Foundation.

Scott M. Shaw joined us in 2001 and currently serves as our President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Shaw has served on our Board of Directors from 2001 to 2006 and since July 2015. Prior to taking the position of President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Shaw served in the positions of President and Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Business Development of the Company. Prior to joining Lincoln, Mr. Shaw was a partner at Stonington Partners, Inc., where he had been since 1994. As a partner at Stonington, Mr. Shaw was responsible for identifying, evaluating and acquiring companies and then assisting in the oversight of these companies through participation on the board of directors of acquired companies. In addition, Mr. Shaw worked closely with senior management to develop long-term strategic plans, to evaluate acquisitions and new investment opportunities, to assist with refinancing, and to execute on the final sale of the company either to the public or to another company. Mr. Shaw also served as a consultant to Merrill Lynch Capital Partners Inc., a private investment firm associated with Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., from 1994 through 2000. Mr. Shaw holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business and a B.A. from Duke University. His extensive financial and business management experience provides the board a unique perspective on the issues facing companies in our industry.

Sylvia Young, was appointed to our Board of Directors on February 22, 2023. Ms. Young is currently the owner of Young Consulting Advisors, LLC where she brings over 35 years of experience as a dedicated veteran of hospital administration to healthcare consulting and executive coaching. Ms. Young previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of HCA Continental Division from June 2012 to February 2023. The Division, a $3.6 billion net revenue regional health care system, includes HealthONE in Denver, CO and Wesley Healthcare in Wichita, KS. Before her appointment to the Denver-based Division headquarters, Young served as President of HCA’s Sunrise Health System. Ms. Young was named to the list of “2022 Top Women Leaders in Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare magazine. In 2021, she was named “Woman of Distinction” by the Girl Scouts. In 2019, Young was awarded “Outstanding Women in Business” in Healthcare and “Most Admired CEO” by the Denver Business Journal. In 2018, Ms. Young received “Alumni of the Year” from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Graduate School of Health Administration. She was also a Denver Business Journal finalist for “Outstanding Women in Business. In April 2019, Young was appointed At-Large Trustee of the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees. Ms. Young holds a Master’s degree in Health Administration from the University of Alabama, Birmingham and a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Samford University in Birmingham.