Student loans have a HUGE and growing impact on our industry – from taking hundreds of dollars out of each paycheck for many to the worries over saving enough for your kids’ college – it is impacting quality of life, productivity, talent retention and sales. On this episode we are joined by one of the leading experts on higher education, Michael Dannenberg, who discusses the student loan crisis in depth and provides exclusive insights and advice for shoe workers preparing for their kids’ college applications and payments, those paying off student loans, as well as explains how and why executives should add student loan benefits in employee packages. Everyone in the footwear industry needs to listen to this episode, a topic which is a personal passion to the Shoe-In hosts! Michael Dannenberg is the director of strategic initiatives for policy at Education Reform Now, and was previously senior advisor to various public officials, including former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA). He has been featured in major publications like the NY Times, Washington Post and other national outlets. He was the lead staff author of the College Quality, Affordability, and Diversity Improvement Act, sponsored by Senator Kennedy and for which National Journal named him to "The Hill 100" list of Congress' most influential aides.