Peter Mazareas

Dr. Peter Mazareas is considered one of the nation's foremost experts on college financing. He is a cofounder of Invite Education, a company that focuses on educational planning and financing strategies. Over his career, he has held numerous leadership roles across the college savings and loan industries, from influencing 529 policy and plan development on the national and state levels, to creating innovative college savings and loan programs, to galvanizing the state and private sectors towards responsible industry development. He also serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Strategic Advancement Group, Inc., a consulting company which provides program development, strategic planning, management reviews, marketing strategies, sales force and broker dealer training services for clients in the college savings and financing sectors.

As a committed advocate for the national college savings movement, Dr. Mazareas helped lobby Congress for the initial passage of Section 529 and each subsequent piece of 529 legislation. He has testified before and met with Treasury, IRS, MSRB and SEC officials regarding 529 Regulations, and has assisted numerous states with the development of their individual 529 Programs.

Industry Leadership & Public Service

Dr. Mazareas helped establish the College Savings Foundation, a leading Washington DC-based nonprofit industry association, where he served as Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer, and currently serves as a member of the Executive Committee. Earlier, he was elected to serve as the Chair of the National Association of State Treasurer's College Savings Plans Network (CSPN), where he previously served as Vice Chair, a member of the Executive Committee, and helped establish CSPN's Management Institute.

His experience in public finance includes serving as Deputy Treasurer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where he oversaw the receipt, disbursement and investment of $19 billion in state funds from 158 agencies. During his subsequent tenure as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA), he structured and brought to market hundreds of millions of dollars in student loan bonds. Under his leadership, MEFA established several innovative savings and loan programs, including the UFund College Investing Plan, the UPlan Prepaid College Tuition Plan, an International College Loan Program, the MEFA Out of State Loan Program, and the MEFA Graduate Loan Program.

Academic Perspective & Background

Dr. Mazareas brings a distinct higher education perspective to his work, with academic experience serving as both an administrator and faculty member at both public and private colleges and universities. This includes serving as a full-time Visiting Professor of Business at Boston College's Carroll Graduate School of Management, where he taught courses on strategy and business development. He received a B.A. from Harvard College, and both an M.B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Additionally, he was selected as a Ford Foundation Fellow and awarded a Woodrow Wilson Internship.

Media Presence & Alumni Engagement

He has presented at a large number of national conferences and has been quoted and interviewed in a variety of national publications, radio and TV shows, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Kiplinger's, CNN, PBS, Bob Brinker, Money Magazine, Smart Money Magazine, Investment News, and Ignites, where he has also served as a guest columnist.

Dr. Mazareas is actively involved in his college and high school alumni activities. He established his high school's Alumni Association/Endowed Scholarship Program, serving as the founding president for seven years. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Harvard Alumni Association, where he serves as the Northern New England Director of Clubs and SIGs, and President of the regional Massachusetts Club.