Opening Session - Working Together to Insure Loan Access

Sunday, July 6th
12:30 pm - 2:15 pm

Performance: Swil Kanim

Swil Kanim has been featured on KIRO TV NEWS, National Public Radio's Earth on the Air, Northwest Public Radio, NW Cable News Network and the Canadian Chum Network's New Canoe.

In addition to working in 24 episodes of CBS's Northern Exposure, his music and acting ability were highlighted by starring in Sherman Alexie's critically acclaimed The Business of FancyDancing.

He was selected to perform as part of the Bellingham's Sister City Program in Teteyama, Japan where he continued on to Seoul, Korea for a memorial/reunion concert for orphans of the Korean Conflict. The Indigo Girls asked Swil Kanim to be their opening act in Seattle to kick off the Honor the Earth Concert tour of North America. Swil Kanim also performed for five years with the Growth and Prevention Theater Company (GAP Theater), based out of Seattle. The GAP Theater Company presented professional plays about racism and varying forms of bigotry for institutions across the Great Northwest.

He has done school assemblies for elementary and secondary education in Washington State, British Columbia, Canada, and in Sitka Alaska. He has performed for the staff and participants of Re-habilitation Centers across the state of Washington.

At the American Indian Film Awards in San Francisco, Swil Kanim has been a featured performer since 2003, he was featured on the soundtrack of a documentary about Indian Boarding Schools, which won the Best Documentary award.

Swil Kanim has received the Certificate of Virtuosity from the Whatcom Chapter
of the Washington State Music Teachers Association, the Bellingham Municipal Arts Award for Promoting Self-Expression in Community, and Woodring College of Education Professional Excellence Award.
Panel Discussion: Working Together to Insure Loan Access

Panelists:

John Dean, Principal, Washington Partners, LLC

Brett E. Lief, President, National Council of Higher Education Loan Program, Inc. (NCHELP)

Kathleen Smith, President, Education Finance Council (EFC)

John Dean, Principal, Washington Partners, LLC

John Dean is a principal in the Washington, D.C. public affairs firm of Washington Partners, LLC. The firm specializes in federal education programs and represents educational institutions, non-profit associations, and others involved in federal education and social service programs. He is also a partner in the law firm of the Law Offices of John E. Dean.
Prior to entering private practice in 1985, Dean served as Associate Counsel to the Committee on Education and Labor of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he provided staff support to Members of Congress on the Higher Education Act, Older Americans Act, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, and on other programs. Since entering private practice, Dean has served as special counsel to the Consumer Bankers Association (CBA), the principal representative of for-profit lenders in the FFEL program.
In 1996, Dean founded Higher Education Washington, Inc. (HEWI), an information resources company to serve the education community. HEWI publishes Student Lending and the HEWI NewsLine. Dean also is the current national board chair of the National College Access Network (NCAN) and a director of the KnowledgeWorks Foundation.
Dean is a graduate of Georgetown University and Georgetown University Law Center and resides in McLean, Virginia.

Brett E. Lief, President, National Council of Higher Education Loan Program, Inc. (NCHELP)

As president of NCHELP, Brett Lief serves as a primary liaison between the council and its membership and the United States Congress, the Executive Branch, the U.S. Department of Education and other governmental agencies. Prior to joining NCHELP in 1995, Mr. Lief served as Association Vice President for Student Aid Policy and Regulatory Affairs for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU).

Before joining NAICU, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Chancellor of Higher Education in New Jersey. Prior to serving as Deputy Chief of Staff, he was the state Director of New Jersey's grant and scholarship programs and Deputy Assistant Chancellor for the State's student aid programs and data center. He has worked in the student aid field for over 30 years. He began his career as a director of financial aid in the public and private sectors.

Kathleen Smith, President, Education Finance Council (EFC)

EFC's mission is to promote and expand access to higher education by ensuring the availability of student loan funds while striving to make paying for college easier and less expensive for all students and families. EFC represents non-profit student loan secondary markets that participate in the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFEL) as well as affiliated entities including guaranty agencies, lenders, rating agencies, insurers and investment bankers. Smith is responsible for all management aspects of the EFC Washington Office. She represent the interests of the EFC membership with Congress, the White House, the U.S. Department of Education and within the higher education community, promoting the association's goal of ensuring access to affordable postsecondary education for all students and families.

Before taking the position of EFC President in January of 2005, Smith held the lead staff position on higher education issues for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce. In that capacity, she spent three and a half years working directly with key members of Congress on higher education issues and has played a leading role in numerous pieces of bipartisan legislation designed to improve the Nation's higher education system.

Prior to joining the committee, Kathleen served as chief of staff and director of corporate communications for the Education Finance Council (EFC) from 1998 - 2001. Prior to joining EFC, she served as the federal relations director for the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA). As the head of PHEAA's Washington office, Kathleen acted as a liaison with Congress, the Department of Education and numerous student financial aid organizations. She was responsible for monitoring new and pending legislation and its impact on the FFEL Program, students, and schools as well as several administrative functions.

Prior to her position at PHEAA, Kathleen served for five years as the director of communications and public relations for the Connecticut Student Loan Foundation. She previously served as the assistant director of financial aid at D'Youville College in Buffalo, New York and as a program analyst at the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation in Albany, New York.

She received her B.A. from D'Youville College in 1982, a Masters in public administration (MPA) from the University of New Haven in 1991, and a Masters Degree in communications: journalism and public affairs at American University in 1998.

TBA, U.S. Department of Education

National Chair's Reception

Sunday, July 6th
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Join National Chair Michael Bennett in the NASFAA Exhibit Hall for networking with your colleagues across the nation. This is a great way to reconnect with colleagues you have not seen in the past year, meet new friends and learn about the products and services that our offered by our business partners.

Luncheon with Congressman Ric Keller, 8th District, FL

Monday, July 7th
12:15 pm - 2:30 pm

Congressman Ric Keller, 43, was re-elected in November of 2006, to his fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He represents the people of the 8th Congressional District, which covers the greater Orlando area and stretches from Celebration to Ocala.

Congressman Keller has served as the chairman, and now ranking member, of the House higher education subcommittee. As the only Floridian in Congress to serve on the House Education and Labor Committee, Congressman Keller is the state's point man on education issues in Washington.

Congressman Keller also sits on the House Judiciary Committee, where he has been a leading advocate of the COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) program to put more law enforcement officers on our streets.

Congressman Keller was raised in Orlando, and graduated from Boone High School. He received his bachelor's degree from East Tennessee State University, where he graduated first in his class. He received his law degree from Vanderbilt University.

Ric resides in Orlando with his wife, Dee Dee. He has four children, Nick, Christy, Kaylee and Kate.

Annual Business Meeting and General Session with Michael Bennett, Dr. Philip Day and Dr. Dallas Martin

Tuesday, July 8th
8:30 am - 10:00 am

This combined session begins with NASFAA's Annual Business meeting including presentation of selected NASFAA awards. The Business meeting will be followed by a general session with remarks from 2007-08 National Chair, Michael Bennett, NASFAA President and CEO, Dr. Philip Day and NASFAA President Emeritus, Dr. Dallas Martin.

Grab & Go Lunch in the Exhibit Hall

Tuesday, July 8th
11:30 am - 1:00 pm

If you miss the reception Sunday evening or just run out of time, here is another opportunity to reconnect with old friends and visit with our exhibitors. Our exhibitors have a lot to talk with you about, please be sure to visit with them.

NASFAA Poolside Cookout

Tuesday, July 8th
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

NASFAA will be hosting a special evening so that you may gather with old friends one last time before heading home. Please plan on sharing your evening with your friends and colleagues.

Closing Breakfast, Department of Education Update and Passing of the Gavel

Wednesday, July 9th
9:00 am - 11:00 am

The Department of Education will provide conferees with current and late breaking news and NASFAA President Dr. Philip Day will make some closing remarks.

Speakers:

Vince Sampson, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education

Jeff Baker, Director, Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education

Dan Madzelan, Director of the Forecasting and Policy Analysis Staff, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education

Closing Remarks: Dr. Philip R. Day, Jr., President & CEO, NASFAA

Vince Sampson, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education

Vince Sampson works at the office of Postsecondary Education as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Policy Planning and Innovation (PPI). Vince came to us from the Department of Education's Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs, where he still serves as Senior Counselor with responsibility for oversight matters. He joined the Department in 2007 after serving as Deputy Chief Counsel for the Committee on Resources in the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to his Hill experience, Vince served in various capacities in the private sector, most recently as Vice President for Public Affairs at the Association for Competitive Technology. Vince graduated from UCLA and went on to get his J.D. at Santa Clara University School of Law in California. He later received his LL.M. from Georgetown University.

Vince and his wife have twin daughters and live in Virginia.

Jeff Baker, Director, Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education

Jeff Baker is no stranger to financial aid or to NASFAA. He has been a student aid professional for almost 35 years, starting at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and including almost 20 years at San Francisco State University. Prior to entering the field of financial aid, Jeff was a high school teacher in Port Washington Wisconsin. For the past 14 years Jeff has been at the Department of Education where he is currently the Director of the Policy Liaison and Implementation Staff for the Department's Federal Student Aid office. In that capacity he advises senior FSA management on all statutory, regulatory, and policy matters that relate to the Title IV Federal student aid programs.

Jeff holds a B.S. in Management from Northeastern University, an M.S. in Education from the University of Wisconsin and has done postgraduate work in higher education administration at the University of Southern California.

Throughout his financial aid career, Jeff has been an active member of NASFAA serving as a committee chair, trainer and twice as a Commission Director. He is a past member of the WASFAA Executive Council and a Past President of the California association.

Jeff is the recipient of numerous awards, including NASFAA's Meritorious Achievement Award and Regional and State Leadership Award. He has been honored by WASFAA with their Creative Leadership Award and Lifetime Membership Award and is the recipient of a Distinguished Service Award, President's Award and Lifetime Membership Award from the California association. Jeff is also the recipient of a Distinguished Service Award from The College Board.

Dan Madzelan, Director of the Forecasting and Policy Analysis Staff, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education

Dan Madzelan began his Federal career with the Office of Education in 1978. He is currently the Director of the Forecasting and Policy Analysis Staff in the Office of Postsecondary Education, where he works on a variety of program and policy issues, including the development of the Department's annual budget request for the student financial aid and other programs administered by OPE. He has responsibility for long-term postsecondary education studies that help guide Federal policy as well as short-term studies of national importance on postsecondary education issues.

Mr. Madzelan provides a consultation link between OPE and the advocacy groups and constituencies at interest for national student aid policy. He has served as the Federal negotiator in each of the last five rounds of Negotiated Rulemaking for the student financial aid programs. He also helps prepare the Department's responses to Congressional inquiries related to proposed legislation and the oversight function of the Department of Education.

In these roles, Mr. Madzelan has gained and demonstrated a broad knowledge of families' financing of higher education in general, and the Federal student financial assistance programs in particular.

Prior to joining the Department, Mr. Madzelan held his second-best job: an electric submersible dewatering pump mechanic employed by Flygt Corporation of Norwalk, Connecticut.

Mr. Madzelan was born in Washington, D.C. and is married with four children.

Dr. Philip R. Day, Jr., President & CEO, NASFAA

Dr. Philip R. Day, Jr. has more than 35 years experience as a teacher, college administrator and chief executive in postsecondary education. Prior to assuming the Presidency of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), Dr. Day served as Chancellor of City College of San Francisco, one of the largest and most diverse community college districts in the United States for a ten year period. Upon his departure, Dr. Day was designated by the Board and College Community as Chancellor Emeritus. Dr. Day also served as the President of Daytona Beach Community College from 1990-1998, after having served as President of Cape Cod Community College in Massachusetts and Dundalk Community College in Baltimore, Maryland. Typically, and in his role as a college CEO, Dr. Day has served in leadership positions with the Chamber of Commerce, Workforce Investment Board, and other social/human service/economic development related organizations.

At the state level in California, he is the former Chairman of the Community College League of California's Legislative and Finance Committee and member of the State Board of Governor's Funding Formula Task Force. On a national level, Dr. Day has served for a six-year term as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Community Colleges and for three years, was a member of the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education. While on the Board of AACC, he was the founding Chair of the Commission on Workforce and Economic Development. He also served for six years as a member of the National Advisory Council on Vocational Education, which advises Congress on all matters related to vocational/career education.

Most recently, Dr. Day has directed and is the founding President of the National Articulation and Transfer Network (NATN), a voluntary consortium of Great City Schools, Urban-based community colleges, HBCUs, HSIs, Native Americans, and Asian/PIs-serving institutions dedicated to improving access to the Baccalaureate degree for students of color by improving the transfer process. NATN now operates at the national level under the sponsorship of the Institute for Higher Education Policy and the Alliance for Equity in Higher Education which consists of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO), and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). Dr. Day continues to serve as the Immediate Past President of the Board of Directors of NATN.