September 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 from Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Idaho, Pennsylvania, the Rocky Mountain Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (RMASFAA), the Southwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (SWASFAA), and the Western Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (WASFAA).
Emmilee Mitchell, president of GASFAA (Georgia), shares that GASFAA held its first Virtual Training Webinar for the 2024-25 year "24-25 FAFSA: Where are we now?" where Financial Aid Administrators shared lessons learned from the 2024-25 aid year. GASFAA will be holding monthly virtual webinars in 2024-25 and is also gearing up for the 2024 Fall Workshop, which will be a two day in-person training event for GASFAA members at Mercer University in Macon, GA.
Bambie Roy, president of ILASFAA (Illinois), shares that the association, in part with the Midwest Association of Student Financial Aid (MASFAA), is excited to announce their first FAAC® Exam Prep workshop on October 25 in Chicago. The association will also be holding its 2024 Leadership Academy from October 29-31 in Springfield, Illinois.
Vanessa Wiest, co-chair of IASFAA’s (Iowa) program committee, shares that in late July, members of the association’s executive council met at Iowa State University for the President's Summer Retreat. The retreat was to band together financial aid colleagues from across the state to brainstorm and collaborate toward initiatives for the year. At the retreat, the association discussed a new membership model, professional development, community engagement opportunities, quarterly updates via the IASFAA newsletter, and more.
Kelley Christianson, president of IASFAA (Idaho), shares that the IASFAA Annual Conference will be hosted in Boise on October 3-4.
Jared Menghini, president of PASFAA (Pennsylvania), shares that the association is working on a new strategic plan to guide the association’s future direction and goals. Additionally, PASFAA is creating a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, which will focus on integrating DEI principles across all aspects of the profession.
The association is also preparing for its October conference, which will take place at the Kalahari Resort in the Poconos, with a variety of sessions and activities to engage and inform members, Jared writes.
Nicole Casey, vice chair of RMASFAA’s News Committee, shares that registration is now open for RMASFAA’s annual conference in Rapid City, South Dakota. “The conference promises to offer further opportunities for training, networking, and collaboration, ensuring that RMASFAA members are well-prepared to tackle the challenges of the coming year,” Nicole shares.
Nicole also shares multiple RMASFAA blog posts, including member reflections of the 2023-24 Leadership Pipeline and a recipe round-up. The association, in July, also celebrated the results of the RMASFAA 2024-25 election, Nicole writes.
Audra Main, president of SWASFAA, shares that the association had four financial aid administrators that were honored at the Oklahoma Career Technology Conference in August. Additionally, the association is preparing for its annual conference, “A Few of Our Favorite Things” in Little Rock, Arkansas on November 13-15.
Bronwyn Garrison, president-elect of WASFAA, shares that registration is now open for the 2024 Jerry R. Sims Management and Leadership Institute (MLI). The institute’s "Back to School" sessions are scheduled for October 22-24 at the Kennedy School in Portland, Oregon. The sessions will cover a wide range of topics including project and accountability management techniques, regulatory requirements and timeframes, and developing and supporting operational calendars.
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: 9/3/2024
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