Specialty Finance
SLM Corp Executive Compensation (FY25)
SLM · Executive and director compensation, fiscal 2022 to 2025
Data as of September 7, 2026Latest filing (8-K): June 18, 2026
230 figures on this page: 219 cited to the filing that reported them, 11 calculated from figures it prints. See the citations
Total compensation for Jonathan Witter, Chief Executive Officer, came to $11,261,733 in fiscal 2025, and Witter's total was 4.6% lower than the $11,804,848 reported for fiscal 2024. The company reported a chief executive pay ratio of 102:1 for fiscal 2025, against median employee compensation of $110,230. Shareholders supported the say-on-pay proposal with 99.4% of votes cast including abstentions in favor at the meeting held June 16, 2026 for fiscal 2025. Companies named in the disclosed peer group include Ally Financial Inc., Axos Financial, Inc., BankUnited, Inc., Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and Credit Acceptance Corporation, among others.
What changed from fiscal 2024 to fiscal 2025
The figures that moved, and by how much. Analysis of these figures is part of the Velarion platform.
Chief executive total compensation — Jonathan Witter: $11,804,848 → $11,261,733 (4.6% lower)
CEO pay ratio: 115:1 → 102:1 (11.3% lower)
Frequently asked questions
Answers drawn from the data on this page.
Who is SLM Corp's chief executive and what were they paid?
Total compensation for Jonathan Witter, Chief Executive Officer, came to $11,261,733 in fiscal 2025. Witter's total was 4.6% lower than the $11,804,848 reported for fiscal 2024.
What was SLM Corp's say-on-pay result?
Shareholders supported the say-on-pay proposal with 99.4% of votes cast including abstentions in favor at the meeting held June 16, 2026 for fiscal 2025.
Which companies are in SLM Corp's peer group?
Companies named in the disclosed peer group include Ally Financial Inc., Axos Financial, Inc., BankUnited, Inc., Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and Credit Acceptance Corporation, among others.
What is SLM Corp's chief executive pay ratio?
The company reported a chief executive pay ratio of 102:1 for fiscal 2025, against median employee compensation of $110,230.
Executive compensation
Every element reported for each named executive officer, by fiscal year.
Fiscal 2022
| Officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension and deferred earnings | All other compensation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jonathan Witter Chief Executive Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Jennifer Palmer Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Donna Vieira Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Fiscal 2023
| Officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension and deferred earnings | All other compensation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jonathan Witter Chief Executive Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Kerri Palmer Executive Vice President and Chief Operational Officer and President of Sallie Mae Bank | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Steven McGarry Former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Departed during or after this year | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Donna Vieira Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Nicolas Jafarieh Executive Vice President and Chief Legal, Government Affairs, and Communications Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Peter Graham Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
Fiscal 2024
| Officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension and deferred earnings | All other compensation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jonathan Witter Chief Executive Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Peter Graham Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Kerri Palmer Executive Vice President and Chief Operational Officer and President of Sallie Mae Bank | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Donna Vieira Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Nicolas Jafarieh Executive Vice President and Chief Legal, Government Affairs, and Communications Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Fiscal 2025
| Officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension and deferred earnings | All other compensation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jonathan Witter Chief Executive Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Peter Graham Co-President and Chief Financial Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Kerri Palmer Co-President and Head of Financial Services and President of Sallie Mae Bank | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Donna Vieira Former Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Departed during or after this year | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Nicolas Jafarieh Executive Vice President and Chief Legal, Government Affairs, and Communications Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero. A negative change in pension value is shown but, as the company reports it, not included in the total.
Equity awards granted
Individual awards as disclosed: type, date, unit counts at each level, and grant date value.
Fiscal 2025
| Officer | Award | Grant date | Threshold units | Target units | Units granted | Maximum units | Exercise price | Grant date fair value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donna Vieira | PSU | — | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ |
| Donna Vieira | RSU | — | — | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
| Jonathan Witter | PSU | — | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ |
| Jonathan Witter | RSU | — | — | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
| Kerri Palmer | RSU | — | — | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
| Kerri Palmer | PSU | — | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ |
| Nicolas Jafarieh | PSU | — | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ |
| Nicolas Jafarieh | RSU | — | — | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
| Peter Graham | PSU | — | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ |
| Peter Graham | RSU | — | — | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
Fiscal 2023, 2024 are included in the PDF.
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero. Threshold, target and maximum apply only to performance awards and are never shown for time-based or option awards.
Outstanding awards
Awards still held at fiscal year end.
As disclosed at fiscal 2025 year end
| Officer | Award | Unvested units | Market value of unvested units | Exercise price | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kerri Palmer | RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — |
| Peter Graham | RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — |
| Jonathan Witter | RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — |
| Donna Vieira | RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — |
| Nicolas Jafarieh | RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — |
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero.
Director compensation
What each non-employee director was paid.
Fiscal 2025
| Director | Fees earned in cash | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension and deferred earnings | All other compensation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mary Carter Warren Franke Board chair | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ | ◇ |
R. Scott Blackley | — | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Jim Matheson | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Mark L. Lavelle | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Vivian C. Schneck-Last | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Ted Manvitz | — | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Janaki Akella | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Christopher T. Leech | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Kirsten O. Wolberg | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Henry F. Greig | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Gary Millerchip | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Daniel Greenstein | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Robert S. Strong | ◇ | — | — | — | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Jonathan W. Witter served on the board in fiscal 2025 and received no compensation for board service. Executive directors are typically paid through their executive roles, shown above.
Earlier years are included in the PDF.
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero.
Director fee schedule
The standing retainers and premiums the board pays, as published.
| Board chair premium | ◇ |
| Audit committee chair | ◇ |
| Compensation committee chair | ◇ |
| Nominating and governance chair | ◇ |
Disclosed peer group
The companies this board named as its compensation comparison group. The list is disclosure; the comparison is analysis.
Fiscal 2025
- Ally Financial Inc. ALLY
- Axos Financial, Inc. AX
- BankUnited, Inc. BKU
- Commerce Bancshares, Inc. CBSH
- Credit Acceptance Corporation CACC
- Enova International, Inc. ENVA
- F.N.B. Corporation FNB
- LendingClub Corporation LC
- LendingTree, Inc. TREE
- OneMain Holdings, Inc. OMF
- Prosperity Bancshares, Inc. PB
- SoFi Technologies, Inc. SOFI
- Synovus Financial Corp. SNV
- Upstart Holdings, Inc. UPST
Say-on-pay history
Shareholder support for the compensation program, by year.
| Year | Meeting | Support | Votes for | Votes against | Abstentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | June 16, 2026 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2024 | June 17, 2025 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2023 | June 18, 2024 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2022 | June 20, 2023 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2021 | June 21, 2022 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2020 | June 8, 2021 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2019 | June 18, 2020 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2018 | June 20, 2019 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2017 | June 21, 2018 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2016 | June 22, 2017 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2015 | June 23, 2016 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
Chief executive pay ratio
As calculated and reported by the company.
Ratio
◇
Median employee compensation
◇
Chief executive total compensation
◇
What this page does not include
Everything above is a fact SLM Corp disclosed, and it is free. Everything below is our analysis of those facts, and it is not.
Peer benchmarking
Where SLM Corp sits against its disclosed peers — percentile position by role and by pay element, and the ranking behind it. The disclosed peer group is free; comparisons across it are part of the Velarion platform.
Executive Compensation Report — $1,500Written compensation analysis
A read of the pay program as designed and as paid: incentive structure, goal rigor, the alignment between the committee's stated philosophy and what the numbers show.
Executive Compensation Report — $1,500Board and governance analysis
Committee composition, independence, director pay positioning, and the governance provisions read together rather than listed.
Board Governance Report — $1,200Realizable pay
What the awards above are actually worth today against what they were valued at on grant, and what the gap says about the pay-for-performance link.
Velarion IntelligenceAdviser switching and vote outcomes
Two datasets covering compensation-adviser changes and what followed a contested vote. Both are part of the Velarion platform.
Enquire about accessMultiple companies at once
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Velarion IntelligenceCitations
Every figure on this page is cited to the document that reported it. Select any figure to see its citation.
230 figures on this page: 219 cited to the filing that reported them, 11 calculated from figures it prints.
219 cited to the filing
11 calculated from the filing
Documents cited
- 0001032033-26-000036Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001193125-26-1822002025 Director Compensation Table · 2025 Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table · Director Compensation · Outstanding Equity Awards at 2025 Fiscal Year-End Table · and 1 more section
- 000119312526182200CEO Pay Ratio
- 0001628280-25-032410Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001193125-25-100629Summary Compensation Table
- 0001628280-24-029341Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001193125-24-118174Summary Compensation Table
- 0001628280-23-023299Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001193125-23-122378Summary Compensation Table
- 0001628280-22-018066Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001628280-21-012104Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001628280-20-009830Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001628280-19-008279Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001193125-18-204064Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001193125-17-216587Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001193125-16-633152Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
Cite this data
This page is free to cite. Attribution we ask for:
Velarion, “SLM Corp executive compensation, FY2022–FY2025.” https://intel.velarion.ai/comp/SLM (accessed 2026).
Short form: data: Velarion
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Specialty Finance rankings
Peers SLM Corp discloses
The companies named in SLM's own disclosed peer group.
Terms on this page
Cite this data
APA
Velarion Company Intelligence. (2026). Velarion database: executive and board compensation data (Version 2026Q3) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22283854
BibTeX
@misc{velarionData2026,
author = {{Velarion Company Intelligence}},
title = {Velarion database: executive and board compensation data},
year = {2026},
version = {2026Q3},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.22283854},
publisher = {Zenodo},
url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22283854}
}