Announcing NASFAA's New President & CEO
Dear NASFAA members,
On behalf of NASFAA's Board of Directors, it is my pleasure to announce that Melanie Storey has been selected as NASFAA's next President & CEO, effective May 1. After an extensive and thoughtful search process led by the Presidential Search Committee, the Board is confident that Melanie is the right leader to guide NASFAA into its next chapter.
Many of you are already familiar with Melanie and her unwavering support for financial aid professionals, as well as her deep commitment to our shared mission to open doors of opportunity for all students, no matter their socioeconomic status.
Melanie's experience at the Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid will be a valuable asset as our profession navigates an evolving regulatory landscape and uncertainty around the Department's size and scope. Melanie's decades of work on federal higher education policy and implementation — including inside the association space — make her uniquely positioned to tackle these obstacles, strongly advocate for financial aid professionals and the students we serve, and work as a diplomatic leader and liaison with our federal partners.
In the days and weeks ahead, there will be more opportunities to get to know Melanie and learn about her priorities as NASFAA President. In the meantime, you can read an open letter from Melanie. Please join me in welcoming her to the NASFAA community!
Sincerely,
Kristi Jovell
2024-25 NASFAA National Chair
Publication Date: 3/25/2025
Christopher H | 3/26/2025 10:32:16 AM
We all welcome Ms. Storey and hope for her success and good health! This said, I imagine many of us would like to know that our new CEO came out of a search pool where established, direct-speaking aid professionals with school experience were recruited and considered. It is past time for NASFAA to survey the membership about what we believe the organization should be doing and saying with regard to direct, pointed, and blunt advocacy. I believe you will hear from many members that partnership with DOE/FSA should not be a priority - not even in the top ten. It was disappointing to read in the Chronicle interview that NASFAA's position in the future might be that FSA is doing good work. I do not know how this position can be defended after our members have been subjected to multiple years of remote training conferences conducted in FSA staff member's kitchens in front of white sheets, the FSA-supported politics of the GE/FVT deadline, and the ongoing new-FAFSA blunder. To imply that productivity will be lost with FSA staff cuts implies that aid professionals experienced forward-thinking, dedicated productivity to begin with. At this time as an organization, we cannot support this position.
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