Joel Mayer is a former prosecutor, government investigations attorney, Chief Compliance Officer, recognized authority on ethics and compliance programs in Higher Education, and speaker and facilitator at national and local conferences. He holds B.A. degrees in Political Science and Psychology from Syracuse University, a Law Degree from Pepperdine University, and a Certificate in Leadership Development from Rutgers University. As an Assistant Atlantic County Prosecutor, Joel tried several high-profile cases and oversaw multiple high-profile and multifaceted major crime investigations as a Trial Team Leader and as Supervisor of the Atlantic County Narcotics Strike Force, including a successful long-term multi-jurisdictional undercover investigation resulting in several convictions and the permanent closure of a notorious club which was one of the most prolific sites along the East Coast for the distribution of club and “date rape” drugs. That investigation was cited by then Governor Christine Whitman as a major factor in increasing sentences for possession and distribution of club and “date rape” drugs. Throughout his career as a prosecutor, Joel also served as Deputy Chief of the Computer Crimes Unit, taught courtroom testimony and incident report writing as a faculty member of the Atlantic County Police Academy, and is a graduate of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Division of Criminal Justice/NJSP Top Gun training program for the interdiction and prosecution of narcotics, gangs, and guns offenses, and has been a featured speaker at New Jersey Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association conferences. After leaving the prosecutor’s office, Joel handled several complex commercial, bioethics, products liability, and criminal matters as a senior associate with a well-respected South Jersey firm, including cases in the State and Federal Courts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Joel left private practice to become the first Chief Compliance Officer for the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) where he designed, delivered, and oversaw the Authority’s compliance program, which, at the time, was the only such program of its kind for state-based student lending and loan servicing entities in the country. While at HESAA, Joel developed a national reputation for innovating and creative problem solving in the wider ethics and compliance space, was one of the first few hundred people in the country to achieve the CCEP designation as a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional, became a frequent speaker and expert panelist at the annual National Ethics and Compliance Conference in Higher Education, where he facilitated the Chief Compliance Officers Roundtable also attended by C-Suite corporate executives and executive leaders in higher education and healthcare, and was a published author in New Jersey Lawyer Magazine. In 2014 Joel was recruited by Navient, the nation’s largest student loan serving company soon after it spun off of SallieMae, Inc., where he was Managing Director and Head of Government Investigations. In that role, he collaborated with and earned the respect of some of the nation’s most distinguished corporate litigators on multiple high profile federal investigations and coordinated the defense of multi-state Attorney General investigations where he quickly developed the respect of federal and state regulators and prosecutors as a trusted and effective negotiator. His ease of communication, listening, and creative, strategic problem-solving skills in support of Navient’s Washington, D.C. based Government Relations Office also led to his involvement in the drafting and revision of various state laws and regulations, including the California Student Loan Bill of Rights. Joel is Vice President of the Cherry Hill School District Board of Education and longtime youth travel soccer coach. He lives in southern New Jersey with his wife, retired career NJ Deputy and Assistant Attorney General and former Acting Camden County Prosecutor, three children, and two dogs, including a very grateful rescue English Bulldog.