Group Coaching Testimonials

Blue Icon Advisors is here to help you, your financial aid office, your school, and ultimately your students. Below are a few testimonials from some of our satisfied clients who have already seen a positive impact from their work with Blue Icon. 

Please visit our Testimonials page for client feedback on consulting projects.

Aspiring Director Group Coaching

Jump to: P&P Group Coaching | New Director Group Coaching

Eric Johnson"Through Aspiring Director Group Coaching with Blue Icon Advisors, I learned more about implementing effective policies and procedures and communicating effectively among campus leaders. Within two years of completing the group coaching, I was promoted twice, ultimately to my current position as director. In my role, I serve on the College's budget committee, incorporating financial aid analysis into enrollment management decisions." 

-Eric Johnson, Director of Financial Aid, Goldey-Beacom College

Raisl Davis"After participating in Aspiring Director Group Coaching with Blue Icon Advisors, I have been promoted to Assistant Director and am more aware of the resources NASFAA offers to its members. I'm using those resources to further my professional development and improve our policies and procedures." 

-Raisl Davis, Assistant Director of Financial Aid, University of California College of the Law, San Francisco

"I learned real world experiences that I can carry with me throughout my career and was able to connect with experts and peers that I feel I will be able to continue to reach out to."

-Andrea Johnston, Associate Director of Financial Aid, Fitchburg State University 

"[It] was so nice to learn about how things are done at other schools that are much different than mine, as well as making contacts with other schools that are exactly like mine.

- Jaime Missimer, Assistant Director of Financial Aid, Pearl River Community College

"I often found myself relating the current week's assignments to different tasks in my current  job. I will definitely be using what I've learned to complete some projects in the near future."

- Danchees Ingram, Associate Director, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Eric Johnson"The course was beneficial for me in developing leadership skills, understanding various financial aid practices at other institutions, and the skill of developing effective policies and procedures. I was recently promoted to Assistant Director. Aspiring Director Group Coaching was one of the smartest professional development decisions I have ever made."

- Eric Johnson, Assistant Director, Goldey-Beacom College

"I was able to build a new set of skills relating to writing P&P's, compliance and listening to what other FA professional were doing at their respective schools. It was great to get other perspectives on enrollment management and being an FA leader within your institution."

- Kelly O'Brien, Financial Aid Advisor and Scholarship Coordinator - Yavapai College 

"I have been writing policies and procedures for may years, but still learned a lot. Each topic was relevant. I also used the personal branding session to enhance interviews that I was engaged in. I thought about what I wanted the interviewer to take away from our meeting."

- Sharon Collins, Financial Aid Specialist- Operations, College of DuPage 

Elizabeth M. Riquez"My goal is to prepare the next wave of future directors as much as possible. Aspiring Directors Group Coaching will only increase my staff's talent portfolio."

- Elizabeth M. Riquez, MBA/MIS, Director of Financial Aid Services, Baruch College

"I really liked the discussions between the group and learned how other schools process documents, develop P&Ps, and their opinions and recommendations on processes."

- Ashley Stevenson, Assistant Director of Scholarships, University of Utah

"The coaching sessions helped me to understand and prepare for the challenges facing financial aid administrators in institutions that are vastly different than my current institution.  The sessions provided me with valuable information about the range of director positions available across the nation, and how to best market myself to them."

- Christina Lamb, Senior Associate Director, Student Financial Aid & Scholarships, University of Florida

"After this course, I feel like I am ready to take on some new projects as well as to learn more about other financial aid topics."

- Kristi Shelton, Associate Director of Student Financial Services, Quincy University

Carey Jennings"It came at the right time for me in my job. I needed the training and learning of each topic and appreciate the thoughtfulness of the instructors." 

-Carey Jennings, Interim Director of Financial Aid at Viterbo University

"The cohort that I was in contained institutions much different than mine and brought a whole new perspective on certain financial aid topics. Also, the educated and knowledgeable trainers brought a wealth of information and valuable experience to the training that helped tremendously."

-Katie Eilers, Assistant Director, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

"I enjoyed creating projects and putting the knowledge gained into an actual project. It allowed me to get working knowledge in a safe environment."

- Amey Ashley, Senior Financial Aid Officer, Florida SouthWestern State College

"I gained a wealth of knowledge during the 6 week session and really enjoyed hearing from the experts about compliance, how to write policies and procedures and also understanding what a director does, and how I can leverage the knowledge I currently have to move on to the next step in my career as a director of financial aid."

- Jessica Lopez, Associate Director Pomona College

Deanna Cyran"The group coaching was excellent. I gained so much knowledge, resources, and contacts from this class. It was very in-depth, engaging, and covered more topics then I originally expected it too."

- Deanna Cyran, Associate Director Financial Aid Systems, Loyola University Maryland

New Director Group Coaching

Jump to: P&P Group Coaching | Aspiring Director Group Coaching

Carolos"I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this group and will take lots away from it. All of the concepts were very eye opening and will allow for us to make simple changes quickly. I would say, this has been one of the most effective training groups I have been a part of."

– Carlos Villarroel, Associate Director of Financial Aid, Portland Community College

"I cannot express the deep gratitude to you and your staff for the professionalism and care I experienced during New Director Group Coaching. Tammy’s support during meetings away from the actual sessions gave me confidence and decreased my anxiety.  I never thought I would be working as a financial aid administrator, let alone a director. Following the six week workshop, I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I can be successful in financial aid." 

– William West, Director of Financial Aid, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

"Blue Icon Advisors' New Director Group Coaching was a great support group in my first year as a director. The weekly discussions and materials touched on key topics that will help me be successful. The consultants provided positive feedback and had their own experiences that they could add to the conversation." 

– Marie Fico, Director of Student Financial Services, St. John Fisher College

Sharon Griffin"I thought the group coaching was amazing. In my opinion, all new directors should enroll. The weekly homework assignment was challenging due to everything going on with COVID-19, but the assignments were necessary and gave us a hands-on opportunity to create a model for our own institution. The instructors were knowledgeable and willing to help at all times. The group coaching was exactly what I needed to guide me to the next level of office professionalism."

– Sharon R. Griffin, Interim Director of Financial Aid, Saint Augustine's University

Tiffany Williams"Participating in this course helped me to see the importance of mentorship as it pertains to financial aid leadership. It also helped me to realize that while I was on the right track with our team, some areas needed a little more fine tuning. There were a few things that I was able to add to my departmental plans that I had not thought of and I really appreciate the fact that we were all able to add our own perspectives by completing the assigned tasks."

– Tiffany Williams, Assistant Director of Financial Aid, South Louisiana Community College

Tammy Easter"Everyone was so helpful I felt like I gained a new circle of colleagues. All the coaches were great, however, I truly appreciated my one-on-one time with Tammy Harrison."

– Tammy Easter, Director of Financial Aid, Moody Bible Institute

"My goal was to learn from [Blue Icon coaches] as well as my peers. I was hoping to find more innovative ways to solve problems, as well as have some insight into other offices. I thought the group collaboration was great, and I enjoyed the instructive leadership. The class was all I expected and more."

 – Megan Speth, Director of Financial Aid, Mary Baldwin University

"I spent time focusing on important topics that will make a huge impact on my team. These topics are really the basis of where we will start building our foundation and ideals that will be ever-evolving. It was such a good group and a good experience to learn from the others in class. Everyone approached every assignment differently. And it was neat to pick up on things to add to the calendar and get ideas for professional development."

– Andrea Puckett, Director of Financial Aid, Illinois Eastern Community Colleges

"[After three months] I'm still loving my operational calendar and making ongoing updates with new projects. I sent it to our registrar office because they were looking for a framework to do the same thing."

–  Zachery Gries, Director of Financial Aid, Loras College

"This experience forced me to move out of the theoretical and into the practical. I need both but the latter is typically when it all comes together for me."

– Donald Gordon, Director of Financial Aid, Scholarships & Veteran Services, Rio Hondo College

"I wanted a foundation for what I need to know in this new role that I didn’t need to know when I was working with my specific program areas."

– Jacquelyn Copeland, Interim Associate Provost and Director, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

"I learned so much from the coaches, who were always accessible, and from my colleagues in this group."

– Kimberley Willis, Financial Aid Director, SUNY Brockport

"[Blue Icon] coaching helped me fine-tune my messaging and thought process on presenting to leadership."

– Emily Haynam, Executive Director of Financial Aid, University of Missouri

Policies & Procedures Group Coaching

Jump to: New Director Group Coaching | Aspiring Director Group Coaching

"I was able to flesh out our R2T4 policy as a result of this course. That is one section of the manual I can check off and move forward with."

-Thea Gillespie, Associate Director Compliance and Training, University of Michigan-Dearborn

Vaine Lutz"The P&P course has been extremely helpful and I have learned a lot by taking this course that was only 6 weeks long vs. my own knowledge in the past 8 years working in the financial aid office."

-Vaine Lutz, Director of Financial Aid, Friends University

The class was beyond my expectations! I not only learned how to differentiate between a policy and a procedure, but I also learned how to use the P&P builder on the NASFAA site and I have a clear plan as to how to approach the project.

-Sigrun Olafsdottir, Director of Financial Aid, Franklin University Switzerland

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