Our Presenters

NASFAA Vice President of Professional Development and Institutional Compliance

Dana currently serves as the vice president of professional development and institutional compliance for NASFAA. In this role she oversees all products and services assigned to the training and regulatory assistance and certification and credentialing departments, supervises DC-based and remote training staff, manages the annual Leadership & Legislative Conference & Expo, and develops session content for NASFAA's national conference. As a member of NASFAA's executive team, she is instrumental in ensuring NASFAA is working toward the vision, mission, and goals established by NASFAA's Board of Directors. Prior to working at NASFAA, she held positions at Nelnet Diversified Solutions as a national trainer, at Nelnet as a regional director, and at High Point University as the director of student financial planning. She holds a bachelor’s degree in justice and policy studies from Guilford College, a master's degree from the University of Phoenix in organizational management, and master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

MS, AFC®, CPFM, FAAC®, NASFAA National Chair

Brad is an accredited financial counselor and certified personal financial manager who works as the associate vice president for access and enrollment management/director of financial aid and scholarships at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. With over two decades of experience in the financial aid profession, Brad has been active in state, regional, and national financial aid associations as a presenter, committee member/chair, and elected officer. A past president of VASFAA and SASFAA, he has also served NASFAA in various roles, including treasurer, conference chair, Standards of Excellence (SOE) reviewer, SOE assessment leader, and a member of the Financial Affairs Committee. Brad has been honored for his work by receiving the VASFAA Lifetime Membership Award, VAFSAA Excellence Award, SASFAA Distinguished Service Award, and NASFAA Regional Leadership Award. In addition to his financial aid activities, Brad teaches personal finance courses (online and in person) at JMU and provides financial counseling services on a professional basis outside of his role with JMU.

CommonHealth Wellness Consultant

Cynthia Duncan currently serves state employees as a CommonHealth Wellness Consultant. She has over 20 years’ experience in the nutrition, fitness, and wellness industry working in both the public sector and private corporations. Cynthia completed her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Exercise at Virginia Tech, and her Master of Science in Community Health Education at Old Dominion University. She is a certified fitness instructor through the Athletics and Fitness Association of America and National Academy for Sports Medicine, and is a certified nutrition coach through the National Academy for Sports Medicine. Cynthia enjoys helping state employees reach their health goals through participation in CommonHealth programs and challenges! 

Director of Training

Robert Weinerman is the Director of Training at Iron Bridge Resources, a nationwide higher education consulting firm headquartered in Massachusetts. He has been offering tax training for financial aid officers on both federal and institutional aid programs since 2014, and took over Jim Briggs’ tax training business when Jim retired in 2015. Prior to his current role as a trainer, Robert worked for over a decade as a senior level financial aid officer at MIT, Babson College, and as a consultant for a number of smaller schools in the Boston, Massachusetts area, and over another decade working with parents as they worked to figure out the best way to save for college, pay for college, or repay their own student loans.

Manager

As a first-generation college student, Brad is passionate about access and student success. Prior joining Kennedy and Company he worked in student financial aid at two and four-year institutions in Virginia and Washington, DC. He led operations and compliance functions of financial aid offices and implemented initiatives to streamline processes and increase efficiencies. He is a Past-President of the Virginia Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (VASFAA). Brad holds a B.A. from Roanoke College and a M.A. in Education and Human Development form the George Washington University.

Brad lives in Roanoke with his wife, two children, and golden retriever. In his spare time he enjoys getting outdoors or playing sports, particularly basketball. He also coaches his son and daughter’s youth basketball teams. 

Assistant Vice President of Financial Aid and Student Employment

Daniel T. Barkowitz is Assistant Vice President of Financial Aid and Student Employment at the University of Miami, a position he has held since July 2022. Daniel has served 35 years in institutions of higher education. Previous roles include: Assistant Vice President of Financial Aid and Veterans Affairs at Valencia College; Director of Financial Aid at MIT; Dean of Financial Aid / Associate Dean of Student Affairs for Columbia College and Columbia Engineering at Columbia University in the City of New York; Director of Operations and Training for the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority; and Assistant Director of Financial Aid at Boston College.  

Daniel has held various volunteer roles with NASFAA, SASFAA, EASFAA, FASFAA (Florida) and MASFAA (Massachusetts) including Past President of the Florida Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (FASFAA) and the inaugural Chair of the NASFAA’s Commission of the Certified Financial Aid Administrator (CFAA) Program.  He is currently serving as President-Elect of SASFAA in 2022-23.

Daniel previously served as Treasurer of FLIP National, a 501(c)3 organization focused on elevating the voices and experiences of first-generation and low-income college students.  He also currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board for Valencia College’s Peace and Justice Institute.  

Daniel is a recipient of FASFAA’s Distinguished Service Award, MASFAA’s Presidential Award, two-time recipient of MIT’s Dean of Undergraduate Education Infinite Mile Award, and the recipient of Florida College Access Network’s (FCAN) Top Influencer Award.

Daniel served as the primary negotiator for 2021’s Federal Student Aid (FSA) Negotiated Rulemaking representing Financial Aid Administrators and has served on the FAFSA Design Team and FSA Partner Advisory Council. 

Daniel earned his Bachelors of Science in History from Northeastern University and his Masters of Education in Human Resource Education from Boston University. He earned a certificate in Professional Fundraising from Boston University. He holds the FAAC® (Financial Aid Administrator, Certified) Designation.

Daniel has led presentations on Financial Aid and College Financing to many audiences (more than 500) ranging in size from 2 to 2000 for local, state, regional and national audiences.  He has been interviewed frequently for television, radio and newspapers on the topic of financial aid. 

Daniel has two adult children and two fur-babies (Luna and Rufus, small dogs with big attitudes).  Daniel is a published poet, musical theater actor, and Tarot card collector and designer. He promises an enjoyable and informative presentation.

Director of Campus Partnerships

Tim is the Director of Campus Partnerships at Earnest Student Loans. He is a veteran with over 20 years of experience directing new product development and management within the education finance and financial services industries. He is the first in his family to earn a college degree having an undergraduate and MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University. He has previously worked in product development with both Navient and Sallie Mae. Tim has three children, all grown with his youngest being a junior in college. His most recent youngest child is a four-legged rescue named Emma. 

Sr. Account Executive, Campus Partnerships

Chansone Durden graduated from the University of Florida in Economics. She started working in financial aid as a student worker, then after graduation worked at UF professionally. She has worked at the Florida Department of Education, California State Education Commission/EdFund, and Texas Guaranty now Trellis. She has also worked with other lending companies before her current position with Earnest Private Student Loans. She is passionate about access to higher education, especially for underserved students, being first-generation herself.

She loves the quote from her friend "education is an equalizer and travel is the best education". She loves learning about other cultures and believes that the best way to learn about a culture is through appreciating their food and the history behind the food.

Sr. Account Executive, Campus Partnerships

Lou Murray is a Senior Account Executive for Campus Partnerships, at Earnest.  Lou works closely with schools and industry partners in the Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions by helping identify education finance solutions through Experian’s Suite of products and services.

Lou has served the Higher Education space for over 25 years, having worked as lender, guarantor, servicer and e-commerce representative.  These opportunities have allowed him to assist schools, students, and families at all levels of education.  As a first-generation graduate from the University of Houston, a former pastor, and a leader in various higher education associations throughout the country, Lou has a passion for public-speaking and motivating others.  In fact, providing motivation and spreading wellness is considered to be one of his hobbies.

When not visiting with schools, assisting students, or providing presentations, Lou makes time to “geek or rock out” with his three kids, Alessandra, Aliana, and Ian, catch a good game with his wife, Nidia, or play catch with his dog, Acee.  Lou resides in Pearland, Texas.

Associate Director of Financial Aid

Mr. Lee Andes has served at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) for over 25 years.  Mr. Andes’ primary responsibility as Associate Director for Financial Aid is oversight of the state’s financial aid programs and the Domicile Guidelines which are used by the institutions to determine eligibility for in-state tuition.   

Head of Campus Development

Kevin Holman is senior executive with over 20 years of experience in higher education.   Kevin’s broad range of institutional expertise ranges from complex software and hardware installations and IT management to excellences in education lending solutions.

Currently serving as the Head of Campus Development for College Ave Student Loans, Kevin has multi-state responsibility leading relationship management in the Mid-South region.  

Prior to College Ave, Kevin served in project management, client relationship and regional management roles for Campus Logic and Transact Campus (formerly Blackboard).  Kevin started out in his career as internal IT support and then later the Blackboard Learn System manager for Norfolk state.  With his experience, Kevin has had exposure to all aspects and teams within university systems.

Kevin holds a masters and bachelors (magna cum laude) from Norfolk State University.

Residing in the tidewater area of Virginia, Kevin is husband, and father of four adult children.  With years of experience devoted to solutions and results for his internal and external clients Kevin’s mantra is “ He lives to serve!”

Head of Campus Development

Patty is a Relationship Manager with Citizens with over 20 years of industry experience including 8 years as a Director.  Patty serves on numerous committees in state organizations from conference committees to Leadership Development initiatives.  With a Masters in Organizational Leadership she often presents on the topics of organizational culture and leadership because she loves to see people grow and take next steps in their development.  Patty has been married to her sweetheart, Paul, for 40 years this year and they have 3 children, 5 grandchildren, and 1 particularly spoiled pooch, Amos.

Director Business Development & Government Relations 

Will Shaffner has over 41 years of experience in the student loan and higher education finance arena and currently is the Director of Business Development & Government Relations at the Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri (MOHELA), serving in this capacity since 2004. Mr. Shaffner participates as a member of the Executive Management Team at MOHELA and is responsible for all sales, government and external relations activity within the Authority - including school and lender channels, private loan origination, government relations, as well as marketing, e-commerce, public & industry relations efforts. Mr. Shaffner has represented the student loan and higher education finance industry, participating on the 2014 Negotiated Rulemaking and the 2021 Negotiated Rulemaking teams.  Prior to MOHELA, he worked with American Student Assistance and also held various positions at USA Group/SLMA.  Prior to working within the higher education finance industry, Mr. Shaffner was the Associate Director of Student Financial Aid at the University of Central Florida. He currently serves on the Missouri Scholarship & Loan Foundation board as Vice-Chair, NCHER and EFC Government Relations Committees, and on the Infinite Scholars board as Co-Chair. Mr. Shaffner holds a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida.

Regional Manager

Kathleen has dedicated her career to higher education supporting schools, families and students by working on college campuses in both financial aid and admission offices.  She has also worked for lenders and companies representing products supporting higher education such as chatbots and live chat.  Kathleen currently works for Cognition Financial as a Regional Manager covering the SASFAA region.  She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and dog.   

Director of Financial Aid

Megan Hartless is Director of Financial Aid at Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave where she has been since 2014. Her career in financial aid began as a graduate assistant in 2003 at VCU while she was there pursing her MFA in Theatre Pedagogy. After graduating from VCU, Megan worked at Mary Baldwin University (then College) from 2006 to 2014, beginning as a Financial Aid Counselor and working her way up to Assistant, then Associate Director. She is passionate about making college affordable and accessible to all students, especially underserved student populations, and removing barriers for students so that they can obtain degrees and credentials that will help them build meaningful, successful lives. Megan is active in shared governance at BRCC and firmly believes that it is the responsibility of the whole campus to educate the student. Megan also teaches communications courses as an adjunct at BRCC. 

Megan, her husband, and their two wild and wonderful boys Lennon and Perry, along with the bestest boy Wolfgang Pup live in Staunton where they can be found outside whenever the weather allows it. 

Coordinator of Financial Aid

Ryan McNamara brings 18 years of financial aid experience to VASFAA. Those 18 years comprise of Clearwater Christian College, Florida Southern College, Randolph College, and currently Director of Financial Aid at Central Virginia Community College. Heavily involved in his previous Florida State Association included being secretary for six years, as well as President of FASFAA in 2015. Now he serves as President-Elect for VASFAA. 

Training and involvement are two things that he truly believes in. Early in his career, he was at a small liberal arts college, so the State Association was pivotal to his success. Access to good training is a must.

Ryan is married to Veronica and has three children- Elizabeth who is married and just graduated with her Associates, Alexa is in 11th grade, and Wade is in 4th. 

In his free time, he is President of the Appomattox Soccer Association and coaches his sons’ U10 soccer team. 

Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Master of Education in Educational Leadership both from Clearwater Christian College. 

Director of Financial Aid

Sherika has over 10 years of financial aid experience in the Virginia Community College System and currently serves as the Director of Financial Aid at Northern Virginia Community College.  She is a Past-President of the Virginia Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (VASFAA). Sherika earned her Bachelors in Economics and Sociology from the University of Virginia and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Management from Strayer University.  

Sherika is committed to the work of removing barriers to education through teamwork, delivering compliance with compassion.  When she is not working to change lives through the power of education, she enjoys being mommy to her son, James (Jax), spending time with family and friends, and traveling.  

Special Agent

Nicole A. Dotson is a Special Agent (SA) with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General (ED OIG), in the Washington Field Office (WFO) conducting internal and external criminal investigations and administrative investigations. She has been with ED OIG for four years. Prior to this position, SA Dotson was a United States Probation Officer in the District of Maryland supervising individuals convicted of violent and white-collar crimes. SA Dotson spent the prior 10 years working as an officer and supervisor for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) in Washington, DC supervising individuals on probation, parole and supervised release and conducting pre-sentence investigations. SA Dotson is a two-time HBCU Alumnae with a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.

Director of Financial Aid

Mr. Andrew Quinn has been working in financial aid for over a decade. He has worked in a four year private, four year public, and the past 5 years with the Virginia Community College System. He is currently the Director of Financial Aid at Brightpoint Community College. He also serves as a Representative-at-Large on the VASFAA Board. If he's not working he is probably searching for a new restaurant to try with friends in the Richmond area or spending time with his dog, Arrow. 

Director of Financial Aid

Michelle is Director of Financial Aid at Spalding University in Louisville, KY where she has worked since 2009.  She is currently serving as President-Elect for KASFAA and has previously served as Treasurer and an earlier term as President during COVID.    She holds two bachelors degrees: a BA in Art and a BS in Account as well as a Masters Degree in Business Communication with a concentration in Organizational Leadership.  In her free time she loves spending time with her 3 kids and 3 dogs and volunteers with a local circus that focuses on aerial arts. 

Assistant Vice President, Business Development

Matt built his professional career providing guidance on debt management, repayment solutions, and repayment counseling. His diverse background in higher education and financial aid makes him an ideal advisor for colleges and universities in the Midwest. 

Before joining Inceptia, Matt was an administrator for Manchester University, a district manager with American Student Assistance and director of enrollment management with the University of Saint Francis where he earned his MBA. Being on all sides of student lending empowers Matt to better navigate the changing government guidelines, delineate specific repayment solutions as well as provide valuable financial education to students and staff.

Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Director of University Scholarships and Financial Aid

Beth Armstrong serves as the Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Director of University Scholarships and Financial Aid at Virginia Tech.  She has worked in financial aid for 28 years and has been at Virginia Tech for the last 9 years.  Beth currently serves as VASFAA’s past-president; as a member of the COSUAA steering committee; and, as an instructor for SASFAA’s New Aid Officer Workshop.  

Unlike many of her financial aid peers, she did not begin her financial aid career as a student staff member.  Financial aid piqued her interest after college when she obtained a job at a student loan guarantor where her favorite position was serving as a policy analyst.  Beth earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science in Higher Education Administration from Indiana University.

School Relations Director

Dave Deibel joined ECMC in 2006 as a School Relations Director and brings extensive knowledge of the student loan industry to his work with schools. Dave’s comprehensive understanding of both federal and private loan programs gives him a perspective that has proven valuable to school clients. 

During the past sixteen years, Dave has served schools throughout the East Coast. Through regular visits, calls, and presentations, Dave assists schools with creating and implementing default management programs and provides schools with ECMC’s latest products and services related to default aversion and financial literacy. 

Prior to ECMC, Dave worked in the Office of Student Financial Aid at the College of William and Mary as an Assistant Director of Operations for twelve years.

Director of Financial Aid

Chad Sartini recently resumed the role of Director of Financial Aid, Veterans Affairs, and Records at Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, VA. He is thrilled to be back in the Virginia Community College System after having served the last four years as Associate Director for Client Services in the Office of University Scholarships and Financial Aid at Virginia Tech. 

Chad began his career in financial aid at Virginia Western in 2011 as Coordinator of Financial Aid and Veterans Affairs after working in both the admissions and records offices. Chad began volunteering with VASFAA shortly after and has been involved ever since. 

He is currently the VASFAA funds manager and has served VASFAA as president, conference co-chair, and chair of both the electronic services and government relations committees. 

Chad holds a Ph.D. from Old Dominion University, an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a B.A. from Washington and Lee University.

Sr. Associate for Financial Aid

Tierney has worked at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) for almost 17 years. 

Her primary responsibilities as Senior Associate for Financial Aid are managing the Virginia Alternative State Aid (VASA) Application and the GEAR UP Virginia Scholarship.