David Green

David Green is senior vice president of Navient and CEO of Earnest, a fintech lender focused on education. David has broadened the scope of our impact, leading Earnest to become America’s largest refinancer of student loans. Under his leadership, strategic initiatives include the acquisition of Going Merry, a national financial aid platform where students match to and apply for scholarships, institutional aid, and government grants through a single free application. He previously served as chief operating officer and chief product officer at Earnest, developing a keen sense for how to deliver on the company’s mission to make higher education attainable and affordable for everyone. During prior roles at Earnest, David oversaw lending product management, design, and engineering. He has also scaled the company from 20 employees to over 250 today and is passionate about training teams. Earnest joined the Navient family of companies in 2018.

Previously, David founded Poplar Finance, a fintech startup focused on eliminating the need for large security deposits in residential rentals. And as the vice president of business operations at the American Mortgage Consultants, he managed large operations teams of 300+ remote employees.

An avid outdoorsman, David enjoys mountaineering, hiking, trail running, and camping. He serves as a mentor for First Round Fast Track, advising early-stage operational leaders. David received his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from George Washington University. He lives in the Bay Area with his wife and two young sons.