PPSL Launches Borrower-led Community Action Council
New council will focus on advocacy and efforts to advance borrowers’ rights and drive systemic changes in higher education as Department of Education gets dismantled
Washington, DC (April 1, 2025) – The Project on Predatory Student Lending (PPSL), the leading legal organization representing student borrowers against predatory for-profit colleges, has launched a new Community Action Council to drive advocacy efforts to protect student borrowers’ rights and advance systemic changes in higher education.
The Council is a collective of student loan borrowers dedicated to advocating for a fair, transparent, and accountable higher education system. The council believes that colleges and universities must be held responsible for delivering on promised outcomes, that student loan policies should prioritize borrower protections, and that every student deserves access to affordable, high-quality education without the burden of lifelong debt.
Comprised of eight advocates and former for-profit college students from across the country, the Council launches at a time when the US Department of Education is being dismantled and oversight agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau eliminated.
These eight passionate individuals will serve as community advocates, working alongside PPSL staff to lift up borrower voices that will drive change and protect borrowers’ rights. Last month, CAC members and PPSL staff met in DC and participated in bi-partisan meetings with congressional staff where they highlighted the importance of borrower defense and accountability for predatory institutions. PPSL also hosted a reception in partnership with Third Way, where long-time accountability champion Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) joined as a guest speaker.
“There’s no better or more important time than right now to collaborate and organize around the need for a more equitable and just higher education system,” said Ashley Harrington, PPSL senior director of policy and advocacy. “Our client community has been some of the most effective, engaged, and knowledgeable advocates on predatory student lending, and we’re excited to launch the Community Action Council as a formalized way to harness and develop those skills.”
The members of the 2025 pilot cohort of the Community Action Council include:
Arthur Chaney, Illinois, attended Everest University
Alyse Hammond, Arizona, attended Arizona Summit School of Law
Dr. Rita Jones, Louisiana, attended Grand Canyon University
Eric Rabena, Washington, attended International Academy of Design & Technology
Melody Richards, Texas, attended ITT Technical University
Lucinda Sanchez, Illinois, attended DeVry University
Alexis Stanley, New Jersey, attended Florida Coastal School of Law
Lovisha J. Williams, California, attended ITT Technical University
PPSL’s client community includes more than one million borrowers across the country. PPSL’s unique model of litigation and advocacy has helped influence the public conversation about predatory student debt and achieved the cancellation of over $22 billion in fraudulent student loans.
Learn more about the Community Action Council and its individual members at ppsl.org/communityactioncouncil.
About the Project on Predatory Student Lending
The Project on Predatory Student Lending (PPSL) is the leading legal organization representing student borrowers against predatory for-profit colleges and the policies that enable institutions to exploit and cheat students. PPSL uses bold, strategic litigation and advocacy to demand accountability in the higher education space and influence policy solutions to create a more just and affordable education system. PPSL represents more than one million student borrowers and its work has resulted in cancellation of more than $22 billion of fraudulent student loan debt.
