Director of Financial Aid

• Jan 2023 - Present

Director of Financial Aid

• Nov 2013 - Jan 2023

Lead the development, implementation and evaluation of the rules and regulations for providing financial aid services which ensure compliance with federal, state, and institutional policies, guidelines and laws.• Supervise and act as subject matter expert on all student financial aid grant, work study, scholarship, veterans and loan programs.• Hire, supervise, provide leadership and evaluate performance of Financial Aid and Veterans staff. Ensure staff is trained in accordance with all federal and state guidelines. Supervise the day-to-day operations of the Financial Aid and Veterans office.• Collect, analyze and generate reports related to Financial Aid and enrollment management for upper administration.• Communicate with administration regarding the impact of financial aid regulations on institutional policies and procedures.• Review, update and prepare financial aid consumer information, student budgets, and student forms annually.• Responsible for the development and implementation of institutional policies and procedures to ensure compliance and meet audit and program review requirements. Prepare information for annual federal and state audits.• Represent the college at meetings and conferences including conducting workshops.• Serve on campus government teams, taskforces and committees as requested.• Counsel students on financial, personal, and academic issues.

Associate Director of Financial Aid

• Oct 2012 - Nov 2013

Ensure compliance with laws and regulations for multiple programs. Manage program support staff, monitor federal, state and institutional aid budgets, reconciliation and year end close activities.• Document and maintain documentation of processes; create training as needed.• Monitor and manage programs including loans, Pell, R2T4 and NSLDS.• Supervise program staff of five.• Serve as liaison with local organizations, faculty and department heads interested in student aid programs.• Create and maintain office publications and financial aid web page.• Evaluate student’s financial need; determine awards based on federal, state and institutional regulations.• Counsel students on financial, personal, and academic issues.

Assistant Director of Financial Aid

• Sep 2010 - Oct 2012

Reviewed eligibility, processed documents and awarded aid for a caseload of over 500 students in accordance with federal, state and institutional guidelines.• Provided excellent student and family customer service in person and on the phone. • Primary advisor for all scholarship functions including needs analysis, disbursement and reconciliation.• Processed DHS paperwork when secondary confirmation of citizenship is required for applicants.• Managed ISIR application and NSLDS transfer monitoring processes.• Provided limited supervision of Work Study students in the office.• Assisted Director of Financial Aid with special projects as assigned such as the creation of written materials and coordinating an annual student income tax/FAFSA workshop.

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER

• Jun 2003 - Jun 2010

Federal student loan guarantor with over $285 million in annual guaranty volume. Responsible for maintaining client satisfaction and volume retention for accounts in Washington, Idaho, California, Alaska, Utah, Colorado and Nevada. *Identified problems, answered questions and offered solutions to northwest colleges and their students realizing a 15% increase in loan portfolio. *Provided counseling and advice to student loan borrowers including presentations resulting in timely application completion and increased borrower understanding of their rights and responsibilities. *Researched and interpreted policy and federal regulations for school administrators ensuring compliance with complex student aid requirements. *Resolved technical problems and questions on use of online applications and student aid generating exceptional customer satisfaction ratings and increased user effectiveness. *Conducted demonstrations and training on NELA products and services leading to successful and seamless implementations. *Knowledgeable technical resource to students and schools for troubleshooting processes and systems streamlining customers' work loads and processes. *Facilitated interactions with lenders and lender servicers clarifying customer setups and needs which bolstered customer confidence. *Prepared team training sessions for clients providing process and resource understanding in compliance with federal regulations.

SENIOR FINANCIAL AID COUNSELOR

• Mar 1996 - May 2003

Reviewed eligibility, processed documents and awarded aid for a caseload of over 2500 students. *Counseled thousands of students and families regarding financial aid and budgeting leading to increased financial literacy and understanding of the aid they qualified for. *Worked effectively with other departments on campus such as Office of Minority Affairs, Registrar and academic advisers to ensure student retention and successful graduation rates. *Awarded aid over $1 million in aid to over 100 student athletes ensuring compliance with Title IV, Title IX and NCAA rules and regulations. *Planned and facilitated high school and other on-and off-campus presentations providing financial aid and university information to prospective students and parents. *Created one page student Q&A handout regarding private student loans resulting in 20% questions from students at service counter and saving 10% of time for counter personnel. *Assessed office needs and areas for improvement and provided recommendations contributing to multiple training opportunities for the department.

STUDENT FINANCIAL PLANNER

• Nov 1992 - Feb 1996

Processed applications and awarded aid for over 350 students. • Assisted hundreds of students and families with financial aid and budgeting, leading to increased financial literacy and understanding of recipient aid package eligibility. • Provided counseling to students re-entering school, ensuring student retention and high graduation rates. • Consistently met or exceeded new student start target goals, resulting in over 85% enrollment rate of prospective students counseled. Processed applications and awarded aid for over 350 students. • Assisted hundreds of students and families with financial aid and budgeting, leading to increased financial literacy and understanding of recipient aid package eligibility. • Provided counseling to students re-entering school, ensuring student retention and high graduation rates. • Consistently met or exceeded new student start target goals, resulting in over 85% enrollment rate of prospective students counseled.