Our Speakers

Kevin Holman is a senior executive with over 20 years of experience in higher education. His broad institutional expertise spans complex software and hardware implementations, IT management, and excellence in education lending solutions.

As Head of Campus Development at College Ave Student Loans, Kevin leads relationship management across multiple states in the Mid-Atlantic region. He plays a pivotal role in strengthening partnerships and driving growth within higher education institutions.

Before joining College Ave, Kevin held leadership positions in project management, client relations, and account management at CampusLogic and Transact Campus.

Kevin’s professional mantra is: “I live to serve!”

Nanette White has more than 35 years of experience in the higher education industry. Prior to joining Sallie Mae, she was Assistant Director of Financial Aid at the University of Lynchburg (Lynchburg College). She currently manages the business relationships for colleges, universities, and high schools in Virginia, as well as the Sallie Mae HBCU strategy.  Nanette earned a B.A. degree in communication from The American University and M.B.A. from the University of Lynchburg (Lynchburg College). She resides in Lynchburg, VA with her husband George and puppies Bentley and Bella.

Leigh Ann Hussey is the Assistant Vice President for Enrollment and Financial Aid at the University of West Georgia and is currently serving as the SASFAA President. A native of Mississippi, Leigh Ann held positions at both Itawamba Community College and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College before venturing to Georgia for a total of over 17 years of experience in the financial aid profession. In her free time, Leigh Ann enjoys live music, college sporting events, and spoiling her pets - Truvy Willadene the dog and Carl Dean the cat.

Will Shaffner has over 42 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, 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 as one of the loan servicing lead negotiators, on the 2021 Negotiated Rulemaking as alternate, and on national news and media outlets as a subject matter expert. He has presented multiple times on a variety of higher education finance topics across the country for years.

Prior to MOHELA, he worked with American Student Assistance as Director of Lender and Strategic Partnerships. He also held various sales and training positions at USA Group/SLMA from 1990 – 2001. 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.

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.

Mr. Lee Andes has served at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) for over 27 years and has worked in higher education for over 35 years.  Mr. Andes’ currently has responsibility for 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.

Lee has recently been named Director of Finance Policy & Innovation. Lee is a founding member and former President of the Virginia College Access Network (VirginiaCAN), has served as President of the National Association of State Student Grant & Aid Programs (NASSGAP), and is currently a member of the College Board’s Southern Regional Council.  

Kelley A. Florian is the Director of Financial Aid for Bon Secours Richmond Higher Education Institutions, where she oversees Title IV administration and compliance for three Virginia-based colleges. With 24 years of experience in financial aid, she has deep expertise in federal cash management, G5 drawdowns, reconciliation, credit balance compliance, Return of Title IV calculations, and audit preparation. She partners closely with finance and leadership teams to ensure strong internal controls and regulatory compliance across multiple OPEIDs.

Kelley currently serves as the Public Relations Committee Chair for VASFAA and is passionate about mentoring and supporting fellow aid administrators. She enjoys translating complex federal regulations into practical, sustainable processes that institutions can confidently implement.

A Richmond, Virginia native, Kelley lives with her husband, their children, and two beloved dogs. Her family is her greatest motivation and the reason she works as hard as she does. When she is not reconciling accounts or navigating federal regulations, she is planning family events, traveling, or finding creative ways to make both work and life a little more meaningful.

Kathleen Roebuck is the Regional Manager for Monogram supporting institutions across the SASFAA region.  

In her role, she provides training, guidance and strategic support to school partners and borrowers on Monogram’s private student loan offerings.   

She lives in MA with her husband and enjoys hiking, golfing, and travelling.

Kimberly Ketterman is the Senior Assistant Director of Financial Aid at William & Mary.

She has been at William & Mary for almost 11 years in the financial aid department. Almost 13 years in total in higher education, working in student services at previous institutions.

She worked previously as an undergraduate counselor, but has spent most of her time at W&M working with the graduate school population.  

She is also a mom of three:

Olivia, who attends George Mason University

Teagan, who attends the University of Virginia

Hunter, her yellow lab

Chantelle Isaacs has spent seven years working alongside the Higher Education field, with experience in pre-college and grad-school test preparation, career services and advising, coding bootcamps, and now private lending at Ascent Funding.

Her passion for helping students succeed and thrive has been a constant throughout her career.

She’s excited to bring her hobby of playing Dungeons and Dragons into the realm of Financial Aid.

Andrew Quinn has been working in financial aid for almost 15 years. He has worked in a four-year private, four- year public, is currently the Director of Financial Aid at Brightpoint Community College, and is this year’s VASFAA Immediate Past-President. He is pursuing his PhD in Community College Leadership from Old Dominion University. Outside of work he enjoys trying new restaurants and traveling. 

India Rowe is a Financial Aid Specialist at Central Virginia Community College, having begun her career in mid-2023. In a relatively short time, she has taken on a wide range of responsibilities, including verification, professional judgment reviews, student loans, Federal Work-Study, and internal scholarships. In addition to her core duties, she has supported recruitment efforts both on campus and throughout the community. These experiences have strengthened her understanding of her role, enhanced her connection to the student population, and provided insight into other departments she works closely with.

Shortly after entering the field, India became an active member in VASFAA, initially contributing to the Conference Planning Committee and the Development Partner Committee. She currently serves the Newsletter Committee and is a Rep-At-Large on the VASFAA board.

With a career built on the front lines of student service, Yvonne Giannini understands the unique challenges facing new financial aid professionals. After joining Brightpoint Community College in 2021 as a Customer Service Representative, she transitioned into a Financial Aid Counselor role, where she focuses on clear communication and compliance. Now stepping into the world of VA benefits as a School Certifying Official in training, Yvonne is passionate about helping new colleagues navigate their own career paths in the ever-changing landscape of higher education.

Preston Dodson currently serves as a Student Lending Relationship Manager with Citizens Bank, where he supports institutions across North and South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, DC, Delaware, and Maryland. Before joining Citizens Bank in December 2024, Preston served as a financial aid administrator for 13 years in the Financial Aid Office at Campbell University in North Carolina. His journey began as a Graduate Assistant working with the Federal Perkins Loan program and ended as Director of Financial Aid, a position he held for his final 3.5 years at Campbell University.

Tim Maggio is a Business Development Officer on Navy Federal Credit Union’s Education Lending team, where he builds partnerships with schools and organizations to support students and families in financing their education.

Prior to joining Navy Federal, Tim spent more than a decade in higher education, including roles in student housing, financial aid, and community development, and later served as NASFAA’s Director of Community and Engagement.

He holds degrees from SUNY Plattsburgh and Shepherd University and lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife and two children.

Isabel Douroupis is an Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) for the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General (ED OIG), Washington DC field office and Atlanta field office. ASAC Douroupis supervises investigations involving allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse of ED funding in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Washington DC, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama. 

Prior to her current position, ASAC Douroupis was an ED OIG Special Agent in the Western Region for approximately 12 years until May 2020. Prior to working for ED OIG, ASAC Douroupis was a U.S. Customs Border and Protection Officer in the Long Beach, California seaport for approximately four years. ASAC Douroupis has a Master in Public Administration and a Bachelor in Business Administration.

Brandie Weaver is originally from Richmond, VA and currently resides in Williamsburg, VA with her dog Willis.  She has been working in Higher Education since graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and minor in Spanish.  

She started at Strayer University as the Admissions Secretary and quickly transitioned to the Business Office where she assisted with Financial Aid, Veterans Benefits, Third Party Contracts, and Collections. While working at Strayer, Brandie earned her MBA from Strayer in 2011. In 2014, she found her calling as the Veteran Services Coordinator and lead SCO at Virginia Peninsula Community College.  Since then, her passion to assist veterans and her commitment to SCO compliance duties has led her to become the Assistant Director of Military & Veteran Services. 

Jeff Arthur brings over 40 years of experience in higher education leadership, with deep expertise in financial aid administration, federal compliance, and institutional reporting. He recently served as a negotiator in the U.S. Department of Education’s AHEAD negotiated rulemaking and has previously participated in negotiated rulemaking on gainful employment and student loan issues. He remains actively engaged in national policy discussions through advisory groups and committees.

In his current role as Chief Regulatory Officer Jeff offers a unique perspective on how federal regulations translate into institutional systems, data, and day-to-day operations. His combined regulatory and technology leadership provides practical insight into how financial aid offices can navigate increasing compliance complexity.

Jana Cox is the Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where she leads an amazing team and oversees institutional, state, and federal aid programs. With over 24 years in financial aid, she’s passionate about helping students reach their goals while navigating the ever-changing world of regulations. She currently serves as President-Elect for TASFAA.

Since moving to Tennessee in 2021, Jana has stayed actively involved in TASFAA, including serving as conference co-chair for 2024 and 2025 and helping organize the Middle Management pre-workshop. Before that, she held several leadership roles with CCCSFAAA, including serving as incoming president, and has presented at NASFAA, TASFAA, CCCSFAAA, and College Board Colloquium.

Outside of work, Jana is a proud mom of three sons and “Yaya” to five beautiful grandbabies who are truly the light of her life.

Kathryn Owens is the Director of Financial Aid at the University of Richmond, where she provides leadership in strategic planning, compliance, operations, and staff development. She brings over 23 years of experience in financial aid and has been a member of VASFAA for most of those years.

Kathryn currently serves as Treasurer of VASFAA and has previously contributed as Training Co-Chair and as a member of the Annual Conference Committee. 

Kim Dieber is the Pell Boost Project Coordinator for the Virginia Community College System. She has nearly 14 years of experience in higher education, including work in admissions, career coaching, and transfer advising.

As a first-generation college graduate, Kim cares deeply about helping students find clear paths through college and reaching their goals. Her work focuses on making systems easier to navigate and creating more opportunities for all students. 

Kim lives in Richmond with her husband, three children, and Molly, their 14½-year-old cockapoo, who enjoys sleeping and joining the occasional Zoom call. 

She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Higher Education at the University of Virginia.

Rosa began her financial aid career in 1998.  Prior to that she worked in the banking industry for 7 years.  Her first financial aid position was at Longwood University, a small 4-year public institution.  After 8 ½ wonderful years, she found her forever home at Hampden-Sydney College, a private, all-male school in rural Virginia. Hampden-Sydney is one of the oldest colleges in the US, and is currently celebrating its 250th anniversary.   

She currently serves as the Associate Director of Financial Aid. Her duties include:  ISIR reviews, awarding, Verifications, SAP, R2T4,  Federal Work Study reconciliation, annual and endowed scholarship designations, Veterans benefits, dumpster fire prevention, and ‘other duties as assigned.’  Durning her 27 years as a member of the Virginia Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, she has served on numerous committees, presented at conferences, and has served on the state board for 4 years.  She currently serves as President-elect.  

Outside of financial aid, Rosa has been happily married for over 35 years, and has 2 grown children, both of whom were married during the past year.  She doesn't have any grandchildren yet, but is looking forward to that role.  She plays the piano for her church, and serves as their treasurer

Beth Armstrong serves as the Associate Vice Provost of Enrollment Management & Director of University Scholarships and Financial Aid at Virginia Tech, a position she has held since September 2013. She has worked in financial aid for over 25 years and has worked for four-year public universities in Arizona and Indiana-- in addition to Virginia Tech.  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 B.A. and M.S. Ed. in Higher Education Administration from Indiana University.  And, she loves getting to connect with her VASFAA peers!

Barry and holds degrees from Elon University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and has been at SCHEV part-time a little over two years. He is a retired Virginia Tech Assistant Provost. Simmons has over 50 years of experience in higher education at public, private and HBCU institutions and has consulted and held interim directorships for numerous institutions across the nation. He currently manages the Pell Initiative for Virginia.

John Michael Schott is the Assistant Director for Grants at his alma mater, James Madison University. In November of this year, he will celebrate twenty years of working as a financial aid administrator. As is often the case, he stumbled into his career, but he’s glad to have found his calling. Within his office, he has worked in customer service on the front counter, loans, and grants. All that remains are scholarships and compliance, and he will have completed his Financial Aid Infinity Gauntlet. While he has been active in SASFAA for several years, this is JM’s first VASFAA Conference.

Adrianna Dameron is a Verification Specialist in the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at James Madison University. As a first-generation college graduate, she understands the challenges of navigating the financial aid process and is committed to a student-first approach.

She has nine years of experience in financial aid, beginning as a Federal Work-Study student at Central Virginia Community College, and has spent the majority of her career at JMU. Since joining the university in 2018 as a Customer Service Representative, she has supported students and families through the financial aid application process, verification, and professional judgment reviews. 

Adrianna resides in Staunton, Virginia, with her husband and their pets: three cats—Dog, Salem, Poe, and their dog, Carlie.

Loretta Jones is the Director of Financial Assistance Development at ECPI University, where she has dedicated 25 years to helping students achieve their educational goals. A NASFAA Certified Financial Aid Administrator (FAAC®), Loretta is passionate about supporting both students and her colleagues in the financial aid community. She currently serves as President of the Virginia Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (VASFAA). When she’s not working, Loretta loves spending time with her husband and their three dogs, who keep life full of energy and joy.