Grant Thornton LLP issued the following announcement on Sept. 24.

Jay Hurt has joined Grant Thornton Public Sector as a managing director in its financial management practice. Based in the firm’s Alexandria, Va., office, Hurt will be responsible for helping federal agencies transform and improve their operations.

Formerly chief financial officer of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), Hurt oversaw the distribution of more than $120 billion in aid annually and the financial health of the federal government’s $1.4 trillion student loan portfolio. During his tenure, he led the multi-office effort to implement a student loan purchase program that injected more than $100 billion into the failing student loan markets – and resulting in no borrower going without federal student loans due to lack of capital. He also served as acting chief customer experience office for the more than 40 million Americans served by FSA.

“Jay has proven adept throughout his career at motivating teams and turning limited resources into significant public sector results,” said Carlos Otal, national managing partner, Grant Thornton Public Sector. “It’s exactly the kind of experience that will help us better serve government clients striving to maximize performance and efficiency in the face of tightening budgets and increased demand for services.”

Earlier in his career, Hurt was as a senior manager for IBM Business Consulting Services (formerly PwC Consulting), a consultant for American Management Systems, an MBA consultant for the University of Michigan, and a system designer and managing analyst for the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Hurt received a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in corporate strategy and finance from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Richmond. He completed a senior executive fellowship at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and holds the Certified Government Financial Manager designation from the Association of Government Accountants.

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