Needham, Mass. - Upromise Inc., the country's largest non-governmental service helping families save for college, today announced that Thomas Anderson has joined the company as chief executive officer.  Anderson, former chief executive officer of AmeriFee, a medical finance business owned by Capital One®, succeeds George Bell, who will remain a member of the Upromise board of directors.

“In Tom, we have found a leader with a proven track record in managing growth businesses, experience in retail financial services, and a deep passion for our education mission,” said Michael Bronner, founder and chairman of Upromise.

Before serving as chief executive officer of AmeriFee, Anderson ran the Young Adult credit card line of business at Capital One.  Prior to Capital One, he was a partner at McKinsey & Company, where he focused on financial institutions, retail banking and consumer credit.  Anderson is also a former teacher and has worked with the Boston Public Schools and Massachusetts Special Education Reform.  He holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and a M.S. from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

“Helping to make higher education more affordable is one of our most important responsibilities as a society and as parents, especially when most families with college-bound children are struggling to afford the rapidly growing costs of a college education,” said Anderson. “Upromise has made a meaningful difference for families nationwide and I look forward to helping the company increase its impact in the years ahead.”

Since its launch in 2001, Upromise has become the largest non-governmental service helping families save for college with 6 million members nationwide.  In just two years, working alongside The Vanguard Group, Upromise also has become the country’s largest provider of direct-to-consumer 529 college savings plans.

“We are very grateful to George Bell for his outstanding leadership through the early stages of our growth and look forward to his continued contributions as a board member,” Bronner continued.

“It’s been a pleasure advancing the Upromise mission these past years and I look forward to serving on the board and to assisting the company in the future,” said Bell.

About Upromise Upromise is the country's largest non-governmental service helping families save for college.  Membership is free and allows families to automatically save money for college while making everyday purchases at more than 20,000 grocery and drug stores, 14,000 gas stations, 9,000 restaurants, 10,000 hotel locations nationwide, thousands of retail stores and over 250 online shopping sites.  Upromise's partners include America Online, Citi®, Coca-Cola®, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Kellogg Company, Kimberly-Clark, McDonald's®, SBC Communications, JCPenney.com, LandsEnd.com, llbean.com, sears.com, and hundreds of others. Upromise also makes it easy for families to invest in their own tax-advantaged college savings plan or use contributions to pay off student loans.  The 529 college savings plans are offered through Upromise Investments, Inc. (member NASD/SIPC).  Upromise is headquartered in Needham, Mass. For additional information, visit www.upromise.com  or call 781.707.8400.