June State & Regional Association Updates
By Maria Carrasco, NASFAA Staff Reporter
In this monthly round-up in Today's News, we would like to highlight what’s going on in your state and regional associations.
This month, we have the opportunity to hear from our colleagues in Ohio, Georgia, Arkansas, Washington, the Eastern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (EASFAA), the Midwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA), and the Western Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (WASFAA).
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Alexander Jordan, president of OASFAA (Ohio), shares that the association hosted its annual conference, bringing together financial aid professionals from across the state for three days of learning, collaboration, and inspiration. With engaging keynote speakers, dynamic breakout sessions, and meaningful networking opportunities, this year’s conference truly embodied our theme of “Thrive,” writes Alexander.
Emmilee Mitchell, president of GASFAA (Georgia), shares that the association held its annual conference in Athens, Georgia, in May. This year's conference theme was "Choose Joy," which Emmilee writes “served as an inspiring reminder that, despite the challenges and complexities we often face in financial aid, we are privileged to do this meaningful work each day.”
GASFAA also recognized this year's award recipients, which include Joe Buchholz of Ellucian; Tracy Ireland of the University System of Georgia; Jill Rayner of the University of North Georgia; Emma Stich of Mercer University; and Pennie Strong of the Georgia Student Finance Commission.
“Together, we continue to make a lasting impact on the lives of our students — and that is something to celebrate!” Emmilee adds.
Gina Tolbert, president-elect of AASFAA (Arkansas), shares that the association hosted its spring training in April with the “Friends” theme of "I'll be there for you." During the training, the Arkansas Division of Higher Education provided updates about its new scholarship programs. Session topics included fraud, conflict resolution, and more. “It was a great conference!” writes Gina.
Melanie Ruiz, president of WFAA (Washington), shares that WFAA has elected Molly Walsh to be president-elect of the association. Molly is the financial aid director at DigiPen University and will become WFAA president in October.
Ken Ferreira, president of EASFAA, shares that the association’s annual conference at Foxwoods Resort in Connecticut was a huge success, with the largest attendance on record in several years.
Additionally, EASFAA showcased its new strategic plan, EASFAA@60: Honoring Our Legacy; 
Shaping the Future, and presented multiple awards and honors at its annual business meeting. Past president Tayler Kreutter passed the gavel to Ken Ferreira as EASFAA's new president, where he conveyed an agenda for 2025-26 with a focus on three areas: 360 degrees of communication, identifying and delivering on milestone goals, and championing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belongingness. More information on Ken's agenda as EASFAA President can be found on the EASFAA website.
Betsy Johnson, president of MASFAA, shares that registration for the association’s annual conference is open. The conference will be held October 12-15 at the St. Charles Convention Center in St. Charles, Missouri. The theme is "Lean On Me," which is meant to celebrate “the friendships, trust, professionalism, and help we have found in each other, especially during these recent tough years,” Betsy writes.
Bronwyn Garrison, president of WASFAA, shares that the WASFAA 2025 Conference was a huge success.
“Thank you to our amazing conference committee led by Jannine Oyama and Sherrie Padilla, our corporate sponsors, and in particular NASFAA for all of their support,” Bronwyn writes. “We appreciate Kristi Jovell, Karen McCarthy, and Tim Maggio for attending. Also, congratulations to Mike Johnson on his NASFAA Regional Leadership Award. We are proud to call him one of our own!”
Bronwyn adds that the association is heating up for its Summer Sister Dale Brown Institute in San Diego on June 9-13, which will include the association’s Executive Council meeting. Additionally, the association will be at NASFAA’s National Conference in Anaheim later in June.
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Check back next month to see what your colleagues are doing across the country, and check out your colleagues’ updates from previous months!
Publication Date: 6/17/2025
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