Meet The Faculty

Submitted by Summer Institute and Leadership Symposium Committee Co-Chairs Jennifer Schroeder, Program Coordinator at Iowa State University, and Stephanie Petsch, Assistant Director at Eastern Michigan University

Thinking about registering for Summer Institute or Leadership Symposium? We have an experienced and excited faculty lined up to teach at this year’s conference. Get to know a few of the faculty we have lined up. We would love to get to know you more in Kalamazoo this summer. If you would like register for Summer Institute or Leadership Symposium, visit masfaaweb.org/Summer-Institute.

Manda Riley

Manda is a Financial Aid Adviser at the University of Missouri-Columbia where she has been in financial aid for one year! She attended Summer Institute in 2018 and had a wonderful experience so she is now volunteering her time back by being a SI faculty member. Manda’s involvement with MASFAA began with attending SI last year. After that she applied for MASFAA’s scholarship in order to attend the annual conference last fall in Minnesota. This year, she is honored to present a session at the annual conference in Chicago. Manda also serves on MASFAA’s Financial Literacy Task Force. In MASFAP (MO’s association), she serves on the Professional Development Committee, Program Committee, and Research Committee. Manda will be teaching Application Process, COA, and Student Eligibility & Packaging. Manda hopes to inspire participants to take the financial aid world by the reins, ask a lot of questions, and absorb as much as possible during SI. Manda has a background in social work helping college students with mental health and suicide prevention. She is a beagle mom and loves all things Harry Potter – you should check out her office- it’s decked out in all things HP!

Kelsey Ryder

Kelsey is an Assistant Direct at the University of Iowa. Kelsey has been in financial aid for 5 years where she began working in financial literacy and recently moved to the AD role overseeing the Counseling & Financial Literacy teams. Kelsey has been involved in IASFAA from the beginning of her career. She has served IASFAA on the Program Committee, Chaired the Association Communication Committee and currently is serving as Secretary. Kelsey attended MASFAA’s SI in 2016 and helped with local arrangements when MASFAA was in Iowa in 2015. Kelsey is excited to expand her knowledge and find creative ways to engage participants. Kelsey is also looking forward to meeting more financial aid professionals. Kelsey will be teaching SAP, COA, Direct Loans, and Application Process. On a side note, Kelsey has a sheltie names Sheldon who (unfortunately) cannot come to SI with her but she would be happy to share pictures and videos with anyone who is interested!

Melissa Van Meter

Melissa is currently the Associate Director of Operations at Ohio University. Melissa started like many as a work-study student and was then hired full-time where she has been for 20 years. Melissa has attended several MASFAA conferences and served on the Conference Planning Committee for our 2017 and 2019 conferences. Melissa is also involved with NASFAA, participating in several Angoff Study Teams and the Rapid Response Network. She has participated in two NASFAA Certified Financial Aid Administrator task forces. Melissa has not attended MASFAA’s SI or LS but is looking forward to sharing her varied experience and knowledge with the Leadership Symposium group. Melissa will be leading sessions on Personality Assessment, Building a Strong Team, and Campus Involvement. Melissa is looking forward to a great event where we can share ideas and learn from one another.

Chad Olson

Chad has been with the Office of Student Financial Aid at Iowa State University for 17 years, currently serving as the Assistant Director for Counseling & Loans. Chad has been actively involved in IASFAA and MASFAA while he has been in financial aid. Chad has served as IASFAA President and was recently elected as the President-Elect of MASFAA for 2019-20. Chad also serves MASFAA as the Donor Development Committee Chair. Chad participated in the inaugural MASFAA Leadership Symposium and admits it had a powerful effect on his career. He is very excited to be faculty this year and hopes to be able to give back to this year’s participants. Chad will be teaching Leadership sessions on Building Leadership & Supervisory Skills, Building a Strong Team, Conflict Management, Change Management, and Association Involvement. Chad is married with three kids and a dog. In his spare time, Chad coaches youth sports like wrestling, baseball, and football.

Val Meyers

Val has been in financial aid for almost 34 years. She began her career as a file clerk back when paper records were the thing! Currently Val serves Michigan State University as the Associate Director of Financial Aid. As Val advanced in the office, she was given an opportunity to serve on MSFAA. Val has served MSFAA as editor of the Newsletter, Membership Co-Chair and President. Val has also served MASFAA in several ways including Secretary, Treasurer and as a member of Federal Issues (now Advocacy and Legislative Initiatives). Val has also participated with Negotiated Rulemaking by representing financial aid administrators in that process. Val has earned all 17 NASFAA credentials and has previously taught Summer Institute two other times. Val loves to interact with other aid administrators and talk about real-life applications of what we learn in the credentialing sessions. Val has several well-tested teaching tools and stories she is excited to share including the explanation of this picture…

Val will be teaching Consumer Information, COA, Packaging, Verification and SAP at SI this summer. Val encourages you to attend because there are prizes and it will be fun!

For more information about Summer Institute and Leadership Symposium and to register for the event, click here.

Reflections on Summer Institute

Submitted by Manda Riley, Financial Aid Adviser at the University of Missouri - Columbia and 2019 Summer Institute faculty member

Come one, come all – sign up for MASFAA’s 2019 Summer Institute!

Last year, my supervisor encouraged me to attend MASFAA’s 2018 Summer Institute after a whopping two months of working in the financial aid world.  I’ll admit – I was nervous.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from the experience and didn’t know if I would be “up to par” with my colleagues. 

Fortunately, I was welcomed with open arms from the moment I arrived.  I quickly felt comfortable with the group and recognized that there were financial aid professionals from all backgrounds and levels of experience.  I enjoyed meeting “newbies” like myself as much as I enjoyed meeting our seasoned veterans.  I did not once feel that I didn’t belong.

Reflecting a year later, I can tell you that Summer Institute was one of the most valuable financial aid experiences I have had to date.  I gained new knowledge, yes, but just as important, I gained new friends.  When traveling to other financial aid events, I am excited to reach out to the colleagues I met at Summer Institute and reconnect.  I have found a community with MASFAA, and am confident that you will too.

One of the biggest perks?  Being eligible to earn all of your NASFAA credentials!  After attending Summer Institute, I went back to my office inspired to complete them all.  One month later, I received all 17 – the first to achieve this goal in the state of Missouri.  My colleagues Dr. Nick Prewett, Gena Boling, Keri Gilbert, and Keely Haynes have all achieved their credentials since then, too!  Maybe you will be the person in your office to inspire your co-workers to meet this wonderful bench mark. Bonus perk:  An awesome flashing pin from NASFAA that states “Credentialed professional.”  Oh, and more credential certificates than you could possibly display in your office.  Seventeen picture frames later…

During Summer Institute, I grew significantly from the professional development and NASFAA credential sessions offered.  As an adviser, I continue to utilize the information gained there each day.  More importantly, I learned where to find information when I need it, and found colleagues that I can reach out to when I need support.  I also got to try out fun activities like duckpin bowling and explore Columbus in my downtime.  How fun is that?

As a faculty member for 2019 Summer Institute, I am thrilled to share my love and passion for financial aid with you – a lot of which was inspired and grew during my time at Summer Institute.  We are prepared to welcome you with open arms, and regardless of your level of expertise, our faculty will encourage you to grow in new ways with your fellow MASFAA colleagues. 

Moral of this story… go sign up!  See you in Michigan, MASFAA!




To learn more and register for the 2019 MASFAA Summer Institute and Leadership Symposium, visit https://www.masfaaweb.org/Summer-Institute.

Experiences from a New Board Member

Submitted by Jennifer Schroeder, Program Coordinator at Iowa State University and co-chair of the Summer Institute and Leadership Symposium Committee

Last month I had the privilege of attending my second MASFAA board meeting in Chicago; my first board meeting was prior to the annual conference last October in Minnesota.  I am currently co-chairing Summer Institute and Leadership Symposium with Stephanie Petsch.  This co-chair position is my first such position with MASFAA and, so far, has been challenging and very rewarding!

I have been involved at the state level in Iowa for the past decade and feel very comfortable there.  However, when I was asked to serve MASFAA, I was a little apprehensive.  I was humbled to be asked to serve our regional association, I was excited at the opportunity to meet more great colleagues from across the region, I was intrigued by the challenge, I was nervous about the scale of the responsibility and I was wondering if I would be able to do it.

Fast forward 6 months and we’re in the thick of planning Summer Institute and Leadership.  So far, this has been a great experience for many reasons.  I like the challenge of trying some new, I have a co-leader who I work well with, Marvin and board have been supportive and responsive to our questions, I’ve meet a wealth of new MASFAA folks and I’ve gotten an inside look at the operations of the MASFAA board.

MASFAA board meetings are full of great discussion, idea generation, networking and laughing.  The board worked hard all day, discussing what committees have been working on, addressing questions and concerns from each committee, sharing struggles and ideas from each state representative and planning for MASFAA’s future.  After working hard all day, the evening brought an opportunity to enjoy each other’s company and get to know one another over some Chicago deep dish.  The next morning, it was back to work finishing up remaining MASFAA business.

From my experience working on the MASFAA board, I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter what your title is, how long you’ve been in the profession or how shy you might be because MASFAA welcomes us all!  I’ve learned that there is an expansive network of financial aid professionals who are ready and willing to answer your questions and share their experiences with you as you fulfill your MASFAA board responsibilities.

I would encourage everyone to consider any offer to serve on a MASFAA committee, work on the MASFAA board or run for a MASFAA elected position.  While I was intimidated at first, I am glad I took a chance and said “yes” when Marvin asked me to serve MASFAA in this role!

On another note- we are planning a great Summer Institute and Leadership Symposium experience this summer at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo!  Make sure you watch the blog and website for details coming very soon!

MASFAA 2018-19 Planning and Event Updates

Submitted by Marvin Smith, MASFAA President, Executive Director of Student Financial Services, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)

Dear MASFAA Friends and Colleagues:

I hope all is well and you are ready for the holiday season.  Your MASFAA leadership has been busy since the wonderful conference in Minneapolis this past October. A lot of good work is occurring. Some of the highlights…

• MASFAA has a new “MASFAA Moments” YouTube Channel.

• MASFAA is planning a monthly training and development webinar series to begin in January, 2019. Members are encouraged to submit your ideas regarding our webinar series name. Stay tuned to your favorite MASFAA social media channel for more details.

• MASFAA is planning for the 2019 Summer Institute and Leadership Symposium to be held at Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, MI) June 3-7, 2019 around the theme “Soar to Your Future”.

• MASFAA’s 2019 Annual Conference will be held at the Chicago Lombard Westin on October 6-9, 2019. I encourage members to check out the inspiring 2019 MASFAA Annual Conference video built around our conference theme “Champions of Tomorrow”.

• Nick Prewett, Financial Aid Director at the University of Missouri and immediate past MASFAA president represented MASFAA at the Ohio fall conference in Columbus, OH where OASFAA celebrated their 50^th anniversary (!). OASFAA invited back all the past presidents and had them line up across the stage and give a bit of a background story for OASFAA.  Nick noted that he won thousands of dollars at their casino night. If anyone needs any money contact Nick Prewett.

• Michele Trame, Financial Aid Director at the University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana and MASFAA president-elect represented MASFAA at the Missouri fall conference. MASFAP was held at the Lodge of the Four Seasons Resort in Lake Ozark, MO where apparently Missouri folks go to get re-energized. Michele got to hang out with Nick Prewett since Nick never misses a conference opportunity to play games of skill and chance like BINGO and have fun with colleagues.

• I had the pleasure of representing MASFAA at the West Virginia fall conference. Note this conference was actually held as a joint conference at the Rocky Gap Resort in Flintstone, MD in combination with the Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, DC area financial aid associations (referred to as the “Tri-State” association). WVASFAA made me feel special and welcome. The combination conference worked nicely. I will always remember this conference fondly—it was great to connect with friends and colleagues.

• We’ve had more than fifty MASFAA members volunteer to serve on a committee or taskforce. If you volunteered and have not been plugged into a volunteer opportunity please send me an email (Marvin Smith, mlsiii@iupui.edu).

• Finally, I’m pleased to announce that MASFAA has begun to develop a new Strategic Plan that will be led by past MASFAA presidents Sara Beth Holman (Lawrence University in Wisconsin) and Dick Battig (Model College of Hair Design in Minnesota). Watch for your chance to provide input in the coming months.

I hope you all have a happy holiday and a great new year. Stay tuned to hear more about the good work that keeps getting done by and for MASFAA members.  

MASFAA Member Spotlight!

One of the tasks of the Summer Institute faculty is to identify a winner of MASFAA's Haywood Legacy Scholarship, an award that provides for registration to the MASFAA conference and membership dues for the upcoming year. This week, it is our pleasure to introduce you to a newcomer to our profession - Vie Ward from University of Illinois, the 2017 Haywood Legacy Scholarship recipient!



How did you get started in financial aid?

I began my career in higher education as an admissions counselor where I enjoyed the atmosphere and energy of a college campus. I then stepped away from higher education and moved to Nashville, Tennessee where I worked at the headquarters for a startup ride-sharing company. During my time there, I was drawn to understanding the complexities of how the mobile app operated from engineering, to product management, to customer service.

Pairing my tech and higher education backgrounds, I knew working in financial aid would allow me to stay challenged by learning the intricacies of a new system, while holding on to my passion for helping others.

What did you study in college? What drew you to that subject?

I have a bachelor's degree in Communication Studies with an interpersonal emphasis. I've always been fascinated with how humans communicate with one another across various mediums and wanted to study something I would use every single day.

What advice do you have for someone new to financial aid?

In my short time in the field, I have learned that financial aid is ever-changing. My advice would be to allow yourself time to develop a strong foundation for financial aid concepts so that adapting to change will be that much easier. Be sure to lean on your colleagues and supervisors for advice and guidance. And lastly, have fun!

What keeps you motivated when you are having a difficult day at the office?

I stay motivated by remembering the critical role we play in contributing to student success. We all work hard to guide students and families through the financial aid process and even during difficult situations, we help to explore alternative solutions. During the busier or more stressful times, I take a deep breath and remember why I am here and the importance of my role.

What do you enjoy doing outside work? 

Outside of the office I love to spend time with my family. My son began crawling at the beginning of August and it's been wonderful to see him move around so much!

Are there any fun facts that would surprise someone who just met you?

I'm a singer/songwriter and play piano, guitar, harmonica and ukulele. I have auditioned for roles on the TV shows "Glee" and "Nashville". I was also on my college's table tennis team and once lost in a regional tournament to a 9-year-old!

Thank you, Vie, for sharing a bit about yourself with the MASFAA membership. We encourage those attending the conference to say hello and welcome this new member.


The Haywood Legacy Scholarship, established by former MASFAA president Zina Haywood, is awarded to one person of color to attend the annual MASFAA conference. The recipient is selected from amongst Summer Institute attendees by the SI faculty. MASFAA is grateful to Ms. Haywood for her continued support of both MASFAA and the professional development of people of color.