Education Dept. Taps Runcie to Head Federal Student Aid Office

James Runcie, who has served as interim chief operating officer of the Education Department's Federal Student Aid office since William J. Taggart resigned his post in July after two years in the job, has been appointed as chief operating officer on a permanent basis, Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter announced in an e-mail on Thursday. Runcie joined the Federal Student Aid office, the "performance-based organization" that administers the government's financial aid and loan programs, in 2009 after a career in banking.