NASFAA members are always moving ahead, whether enhancing their skills in their current roles, accepting promotions or job changes, or discovering new pathways as retirees. Below are a few colleagues who were honored with awards or recognitions or made changes in their professional lives in 2024-25.

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This Week's Movers & Shakers

Job Changes & Promotions

• May 1, 2025 – Lashanda Chamberlain, formerly the director of financial aid at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, is now the director of student financial aid at Athens State University.
• April 28, 2025 – Colleen Hathaway, FAAC^®, was promoted from associate director to director of financial aid at Northeast College of Health Science. 
• April 16, 2025 – Jennifer Bell, FAAC^®, will be the director of financial aid at Portland State University. 
• April 14, 2025 – Chansone Durden, formerly a senior manager at Earnest, will be a business development officer at Navy Federal Credit Union. 
• April 7, 2025 – Eyricka Oglesby was promoted from financial aid counselor to senior financial aid counselor at Northern Michigan University.
• April 1, 2025 – Heather Shelly was promoted from director of financial aid compliance to associate vice president for financial aid and enrollment services at Georgia Southern University. 
• April 1, 2025 – Libya Hunter was promoted from financial aid advisor to assistant director of financial aid at Bishop State Community College.
• March 24, 2025 – Brandi Blanton was promoted from associate director of financial aid at Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine to director of financial aid at the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine of Rowan University. 
• March 17, 2025 – Kristi Blevins was promoted from financial aid specialist to director of financial aid at Highland Community College in Highland, Kansas.
• March 1, 2025 – Katie Starling, formerly the assistant director of student financial assistance at Kansas State University to the director of financial aid at McNeese State University.
• March 1, 2025 – Hayley Jordan was promoted from associate director to director at Austin College. 
• February 10, 2025 – Susan Gonzalez was promoted from financial aid advisor to special program coordinator for MASFA students at Bunker Hill Community College. 
• February 3, 2025 – Sean Nevils, FAAC^®, formerly the financial aid specialist at Adler University, is now the assistant director of student financial aid and scholarships at the University of Illinois Chicago. 
• February 3, 2025 – Jacqueline Kohler was promoted from financial aid counselor to WP online assistant director of financial aid at William Paterson University.
• February 2, 2025 – Lauren Andalora, FAAC^®, formerly a financial aid administrator, is now the financial systems specialist at Western Governors University.
• February 1, 2025 – James Brooks, formerly the senior associate vice president and director of financial aid and scholarships at University of Oregon will be the senior vice president for student experience and enrollment at St. Mary's College of California. 
• January 27, 2025 – Craig Slaughter, formerly the associate vice president of enrollment and director of financial aid at Kenyon College, is now the executive director of financial aid at Wake Forest University.
• January 6, 2025 – Jose Chavira, formerly the associate director of client services at Arizona State University, is now the director of enrollment management Northern Arizona University.
• January 6, 2025 – Richie Harman was promoted from financial aid counselor to assistant director of federal compliance at the University of Idaho.
• January 6, 2025 – Dustie Sullivan, FAAC^® was promoted from financial aid counselor to assistant director of federal compliance at the University of Idaho.
• January 6, 2025 – Norma Cortez is now a financial aid counselor and program coordinator at California State University, Long Beach. 
• January 2, 2025 –  Lee Bray, FAAC^®, was promoted from director of financial aid to senior director of financial aid, veterans affairs, and student resource centers at Pitt Community College. 
• December 16, 2024 – Lauren Summerlin was promoted from senior financial solutions advisor to financial aid scholarship analysis University of Maryland Global Campus.
• December 10, 2024 – Tristan Schmittinger was promoted associate director of financial aid to director of financial aid at Rider University.
• December 5, 2024 – Kimberlee Kainulainen was promoted from financial aid technician to senior financial aid technician at Northern Michigan University. 
• December 5, 2024 – Alfred Diaz was promoted from director of financial aid to director of student services at Atlantic University. 
• December 2, 2024 – Anne McDermott, FAAC^®, was promoted from director of financial aid to assistant vice president for enrollment at Salve Regina University. 
• December 2, 2024 – Candace Henry-Schroder, formerly the director of financial aid at West Shore Community College, is now the director of financial aid at Delta College. 
• December 2, 2024 – Phil Asbury, formerly the director of financial aid at Northwestern University, is now the executive director of financial aid at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
• December 2, 2024 – Nathan Lohr, FAAC^®, formerly the director of financial aid at Wabash College, is now the deputy director of financial aid at Purdue University.
• November 16, 2024 – Wayne Kruger was promoted from executive director of financial aid operations to associate vice president of financial assistance services at St. Petersburg College. 
• November 13, 2024 – Alexandra Sands is now a financial aid counselor at Morgan State University.
• November 4, 2024 – Brittany George was promoted from senior financial services specialist to assistant director of training and compliance at Western Michigan University.
• November 4, 2024 – Amber Kellogg, formerly the assistant director at Healthcare Career College is now the systemwide associate director of financial aid programs At California State University Office of the Chancellor.
• November 4, 2024 – Carrie Short, FAAC^®, formerly the director of financial aid at Lakeland Community College, will be the director of financial aid at Baldwin Wallace University. 
• November 1, 2024 - Angelika Williams,  FAAC^®, was promoted from assistant vice provost for student financial services to associate vice provost for student financial services at the University of San Francisco
• November 1, 2024 – Megan Chan, formerly the associate dean of financial aid, compliance and training at the University of Southern California, is now a partner at Hogan Marren Babbo & Rose, Ltd.
• October 24, 2024 – Julie Hostager was promoted from senior assistant director of scholarship programs to associate director of scholarships at the University of Iowa.
• October 21, 2024 – Claire Rapp, formerly a financial aid officer at Oklahoma Wesleyan University, is now the financial aid operations coordinator at Rogers State University.
• October 16, 2024 – Aaron Espenshade, formerly a financial aid advisor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, is now a financial aid counselor at Morgan State University.
• October 14, 2024 – Carita Evans was promoted from assistant director of financial aid and scholarship programs to assistant director of financial aid and graduate studies at Florida A&M University.
• October 7, 2024 – Renee Blanchet was promoted from assistant director for administration and operations to assistant director for compliance, audit and privacy at the University of Vermont. 
• September 30, 2024 – Miranda Cole, formerly the director of student financial services at Rider University, is now the director of financial aid at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.  
• September 23, 2024 – Samuel Oliver Jr., formerly the associate director of financial planning & registrar services at Mercer University, is now the executive director of student financial services & Title IV compliance at Chattahoochee Valley Community College. 
• September 23, 2024 – Amanda Nicholson was promoted to financial aid coordinator at Trident Technical College. 
• September 23, 2024 – Melissa Connell was promoted from financial aid specialist to financial aid coordinator at Trident Technical College.
• September 22, 2024 – Englishe Trujillo, formerly an advisor at Nelnet, Inc., is now a financial aid counselor and program coordinator at California State University Long Beach.
• September 11, 2024 – Ayla Arviso was promoted from financial aid advisor to scholarship coordinator at California State University, Los Angeles.
• September 9, 2024 – Dr. Melissa Vargas was promoted from assistant director of financial aid to director of financial aid at Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing. 
• September 6, 2024 – Maria Sager was promoted from assistant vice president of financial aid to associate vice president of financial aid at the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. 
• September 2, 2024 – Paula Bernal-Bromley, formerly the assistant director of financial aid at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, is now the associate director of financial aid at Tufts University.
• September 1, 2024 – Justin Womack was promoted from financial aid coordinator to senior coordinator of financial aid at University of Central Missouri. 
• September 1, 2024 – Dede Gonzales was promoted from director of financial aid to assistant vice president of financial aid and scholarships at Texas State University.
• September 1, 2024 – Grace Moylan was promoted from associate director of financial aid to director of financial aid at Adelphi University. 
• September 1, 2024 – Shannon Crossland was promoted from director of student financial services to associate vice president of compliance and director of student financial services at Frank Phillips College.
• August 26, 2024 – Christine Forgie, FAAC^®, formerly the assistant director of financial aid at William Paterson University, is now the managing assistant director of financial aid at Ramapo College of New Jersey. 
• August 26, 2024 – Patricia Peterson is now the campus relationship director at SoFi.
• August 26, 2024 – Amanda Cantú, was promoted from assistant director of financial aid to associate director of financial aid at the University of St. Thomas. 
• August 19, 2024 – Helen Faith, FAAC^®, formerly the director of student financial aid at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is now the associate vice provost for enrollment and student financial services at the University of Virginia. 
• August 18, 2024 – Jared Grabb was promoted from financial aid advisor to assistant director of financial assistance at Bradley University.
• August 12, 2024 – Visa Graves, formerly the lead financial aid specialist at the College of the Desert, is now the director of financial aid at the College of the Siskiyous. 
• August 9, 2024 – Andrew Rouhier is now the director of financial aid operations at the University of Dayton.
• August 5, 2024 - Crystal DeLong was promoted from regional manager of education finance to student lending national sales manager at Citizens.
•  August 2, 2024 – Rachel Mecca, FAAC^®, was promoted from financial aid counselor to assistant director of financial aid at Montclair State University.
• August 1, 2024 – Paris Charles was promoted from assistant director of financial aid for compliance and quality assurance to associate director of financial aid initiatives and student success at the University of San Francisco.
• August 1, 2024 – Linda Lopez was promoted from associate director of financial aid and scholarships to director of financial aid and scholarships at California State University, Los Angeles. 
• August 1, 2024 – Adam Kuykendall was promoted from financial aid coordinator to director of financial aid at Jackson State Community College.
• July 26, 2024 – Jason Call was promoted from associate director of operations to director of financial aid at Marshall University.
• July 22, 2024 – Mark Riggs is now the regional manager at Monogram, Personalized Student Loans.
• July 22, 2024 – Gustavo Sanchez was promoted from peer advisor supervisor to assistant director of training at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
• July 16, 2024 – Dr. Robert Hamilton, formerly the director of federal and state programs at Texas tech University, is now the executive director at Wayland Baptist University. 
• July 16, 2024 – Erin Anderson was promoted from financial aid coordinator to assistant director of financial aid at Kansas City Kansas Community College.
• July 12, 2024 – Traci Armes, FAAC^®, formerly the deputy director at the University of Texas at Austin, is now the assistant vice president for financial aid and scholarships at the University of South Florida.
• July 11, 2024 – Amber Truitt was promoted from financial aid counselor to assistant director of financial aid at Oklahoma Wesleyan University 
• July 10, 2024 – Keith Chezem was promoted from assistant director of financial aid to director of financial aid at Ivy Tech Community College.
• July 8, 2024 – Dixie Shearer, formerly the program coordinator at West Virginia University, is now the director of financial aid at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton.
• July 8, 2024 – Morgan McCombs, formerly the assistant registrar at Ivy Tech Community College, is now the associate director of financial aid at Butler University.
• July 1, 2024 – Jenny Garcia was promoted from associate director of compliance and training to senior associate director of compliance and audits at the University of San Francisco.
• July 1, 2024 – Richard Boruszewski, formerly the director of financial aid at UW Green Bay, is now the senior director of financial aid at Salt Lake Community College.
• July 1, 2024 – Ambra Reed was promoted from verification coordinator to assistant director at Western Nevada College.
• July 1, 2024 – Kaitlin Riner was promoted from financial aid assistant to financial aid coordinator at Carthage Technical Center.
• July 1, 2024 – Mia Myers, FAAC^®, was promoted to associate managing director at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
• July 1, 2024 – Yesenia Esposito was promoted from associate director to senior associate director at Columbia University.
• July 1, 2024 – Susan Stephenson, formerly the enrollment management executive director at Western Nebraska Community College, is now the higher education consultant senior manager at Eide Bailly LLP.
• July 1, 2024 - Jenn Toomey was promoted from assistant director of financial aid and financial wellness advisor to director of financial aid at Case Western Reserve University - School of Medicine.
• July 1, 2024 – Dr. Christina Tangalakis, FAAC^®, formerly the associate dean of financial aid at Glendale Community College, is now the interim director of financial aid at Wake Forest University.
• July 1, 2024 – Katie Conrad, FAAC^®, formerly the senior associate director of financial aid at Florida International University, is now the executive director of scholarships and financial aid at Georgia Institute of Technology.

Retirements

• June 1, 2025 – Debra Langdon, currently the director of financial aid at Marion Technical College, will retire in June after 29 years of working in financial aid.
• May 9, 2025 – Pat Peppin, currently the director of financial aid at Mesa Community College, will retire in May after 38 years of working in financial aid.

• April 30, 2025 – Theodore Malone, currently a senior consultant at Financial Aid Services, will retire in April after 39 years of working in financial aid.

• April 28, 2025 – Darrin Rooker, currently the director of financial aid at Northeast College of Health Sciences, will retire this month after 33 years of working in financial aid. 
• April 1, 2025 – Phyllis Brevard, formerly the verification coordinator at Winthrop University, retired in April after 37 years of working in financial aid.
• April 1, 2025 – Nanci Regehr, currently the financial aid director at Rio Salado College, will retire this month after 30 years of working in financial aid.
• January 31, 2025 – Delisa Falks currently the assistant vice president of scholarships and financial aid at Texas A&M University will retire in January after 37 years of working in financial aid
• January 1, 2025 - Lori Vedder, currently the interim vice provost of enrollment management and director of financial aid at the University of Michigan-Flint will be retiring at the end of this year after 35 years in financial aid. 
• December 31, 2024 - Diane Sprague, FAAC^®, currently the assistant vice provost at University of Texas at Austin, will be retiring at the end of this year after 38 years in financial aid. 
• December 31, 2024 – Kevin Culler, currently the executive director of financial services and financial aid at Henry Ford College, will retire at the end of this year after 36 years of working in financial aid. Kevin also worked at Wayne State University for 15 years.
• December 31, 2024 – Tania Savoit, currently the director of financial aid at McNeese State University, will retire at the end of this year after 30 years of working in financial aid. 
• December 17, 2024 – Kathy Wright, currently the executive director of student financial assistance services at Tarleton State University will retire in December after 41 years of working in financial aid. Kathy also previously worked at Indiana University Indianapolis.
• December 10, 2024 – Nora Cargo currently the director of financial aid at Texas A&M University will retire this month after 32 years of working in financial aid.
• November 15, 2024 – Douglas Watson, FAAC^®, currently the director of financial aid at Midland University, will retire this month after 40 years in financial aid. 
• October 11, 2024 – Kevin Bradshaw, currently the director of enrollment systems at DePaul University, will retire in October after 44 years of working in financial aid. Kevin started his career as a student employee at DePauw University.
• September 30, 2024 – MorraLee Keller, currently the senior director for strategic programming at the National College Attainment Network, will retire in September after 44 years of working in financial aid.
• August 30, 2024 – Howard Leslie, FAAC^®, currently the vice president of financial aid compliance at Berkley College, will retire in August after 48 years of working in financial aid.
• August 9, 2024 – Michael Bennett, formerly the associate vice president of financial assistance services at St. Petersburg College, retired in August after 44 years of working in financial aid. Michael is a former NASFAA National Chair, EASFAA President, and New Jersey (NJASFAA) President.
• July 12, 2024 – Steve Woodburn, formerly the assistant vice president for student financial services at Colorado Christian University, retired in July after 40 years of working in financial aid.
• July 1, 2024 - Billie Jo Hamilton, associate vice president of enrollment planning and management at the University of South Florida, has retired after 43 years working in financial aid.
• July 1, 2024 – Tami Gilbeaux, currently the assistant vice president of business development at Inceptia, will retire in July after 45 years of working in financial aid.

Awards, Recognitions, & Other

• April 3, 2025 – Daniel Matamoros, FAAC^®, currently the center director at Midtown Achievement Center, successfully defended his PhD Dissertation in Higher Education at Loyola University Chicago. Daniel was also a member of NASFAA’s 2021-22 Diversity Leadership Program Class. 
• March 25, 2025 – Brian Duchon, currently the assistant director at Youngstown State University was selected as a 2025 recipient of the Youngstown State University Distinguished Service Award.
• December 13, 2024 – Rebecca Schreiber was recognized with the inaugural Financial Aid Change-Maker Award from the Association of American Law Schools section on Pre-Law Education and Admission to Law School. 
• November 12, 2024 – Zachary Christian, FAAC^®, currently the deputy director of the SC Higher Education Tuition Grants Commission, received the SCASFAA Achiever Award at the annual conference of the South Carolina Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
• October 18, 2024 – Dr. Consuela Perez co-authored a chapter, “Student Financial Aid Practice: Continuing Change,” in the edited textbook “Rentz’s Student Affairs Practice in Higher Education” which details the history of federal financial aid and explores current administration of Title IV aid.
• September 20, 2024 – Kimberly Stubbs, currently the director of student financial aid at the University of Central Arkansas, received the 2024 Employee of the Year Award from the University of Central Arkansas Staff Senate.  
• August 16, 2024 – Timothy Sampson, currently the director of financial aid and scholarships at University of North Carolina at Pembroke, received the 2024 Erskine Bowles Staff Service Award. The award, given by the UNC Staff Assembly, recognizes Timothy’s commitment to service. 
• August 8, 2024 – Dr. Gregory Guzman, currently the vice president of financial aid services and government liaison at Hondros College of Nursing, co-authored a book, "Out of Pocket," about what parents and counselors need to know about paying for college. 
• July 1, 2024 – James Kellam was recently elected as the 2024-25 president of SCASFAA (South Carolina). James is also the South Carolina representative on the executive board of SASFAA. He is currently the associate vice president for student financial services at Converse University.  
• 2024 NASFAA Awards Announced in Milwaukee

2023-24 Movers & Shakers