Seasoned marketing veteran to lead Earnest’s next phase of growth in customer-first lending

Earnest, a fintech company empowering professionals and students to maximize their financial futures, announced today that Emily Childers has joined as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). In her role on Earnest's executive leadership team, Childers will lead all aspects of the marketing organization across brand, growth, and communications.

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Earnest Welcomes Emily Childers as Chief Marketing Officer (Photo: Business Wire)

With nearly two decades of experience, Childers joins Earnest from Intuit Credit Karma. There, she most recently served as Head of Growth Marketing, leading a team to drive acquisition, engagement, and monetization strategies across all channels. She also held key positions as General Manager of Personal Loans and Head of Credit Cards Marketing. In these roles, she developed and executed strategies to scale products and deliver lasting growth.

“The financial needs of professionals and students are evolving faster than ever,” said David Green, Earnest CEO. “Addressing the rapid changes requires a marketing leader with a unique blend of expertise. Not only is Emily the right person to lead that charge, she also brings a data-driven, personalized approach that mirrors our customer-first philosophy."

Childers’ experience in building trust and transparency and her passion for improving financial systems will be invaluable as Earnest focuses on cutting through the noise in the quickly changing student loan landscape. As CMO, she will lead the company’s strategy and multi-channel approach to deliver the right message, in the right place, at the right time by first leveraging data to understand borrowers’ needs. This customer-first approach and her belief in fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and data-driven decision-making will enable her to scale Earnest’s reach, deepen customer engagement, and drive growth.

“The average graduate in 2024 leaves college with nearly $40,000 in loans,” said Childers. “It's critical that we arm consumers with knowledge to help them make informed choices before borrowing and to take control of their finances after graduation. I’ve spent my career building awareness for financial products and services that improve the lives of Americans, and I’m thrilled to be working with this incredible team to get Earnest in front of all of the consumers we can help.”

Learn about Earnest's growing portfolio of solutions to help professionals and students take control of their financial futures at www.earnest.com.

About Earnest:

Earnest empowers past, present, and soon-to-be students to maximize their financial futures through thoughtful guidance and impactful products. Founded in 2013 on the belief that financially responsible people deserve better options and access to credit, Earnest's education tools and lending products empower anyone seeking higher education to reduce the total price tag of their education, supercharge their ability to pay down student debt, and get on the right financial track fast. Learn more at earnest.com.

Earnest is a subsidiary of Navient (Nasdaq: NAVI).

Earnest Loans are made by One American Bank, Member FDIC, or FinWise Bank, Member FDIC. One American Bank, 515 S. Minnesota Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57104. Finwise Bank, 756 East Winchester, Suite 100, Murray, UT 84107

Earnest loans are serviced by Earnest Operations LLC, 300 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 340 Oakland, CA 94612, NMLS #1204917, Earnest loans are serviced by Earnest Operations LLC (NMLS #1204917) with support from Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri (MOHELA) (NMLS# 1442770). One American Bank, FinWise Bank, and Earnest LLC and its subsidiaries, including Earnest Operations LLC, are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.

© 2025 Earnest LLC. All rights reserved.

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“The average graduate in 2024 leaves college with nearly $40,000 in loans,” said Childers. “It's critical that we arm consumers with knowledge to help them make informed choices before borrowing and to take control of their finances after graduation."