As vice president of marketing and communications, Elizabeth Brandes oversees branding, strategic marketing, and communications efforts for CAEL. Brandes joined CAEL in 2018 and has 20 years of experience in collaborative marketing and communications, strategy development, and program management. She enjoys engaging in the creative development of programs designed to improve access and success for consumers of postsecondary education.
Most recently, Brandes served as vice president of marketing for Student Connections, LLC. Previously, she held leadership positions at Strada Education Network, Sallie Mae, Sallie Mae UK, JPMorgan Chase, Bank One, and Southwest Student Services Corporation. She and her teams supported $3B in education lending at Bank One and $6B at JPMorgan Chase, and she was a member of the founding team for Sallie Mae International, Sallie Mae’s UK-based international education lending arm. A graduate of the 2015 Indiana Leadership Forum, Brandes also interned in the German parliament with Rainer Eppelmann, who was Minister for Disarmament and Defense in the last cabinet of the German Democratic Republic. She served as longtime chair of the Music Academy Board of Directors at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI) and currently volunteers with Starbase Indy, which promotes humanitarianism and STEM education.
Brandes earned her bachelor’s degree with honors in German and French from Indiana University and she holds a master’s degree in Germanic Languages and Literatures from the University of Illinois.
Want to learn more? Let's talk.
If your institution or organization is seeking guidance, solutions, or support from CAEL, or if you have an idea for a future collaboration initiative with us, please reach out. We'd love to connect.
