Conference Agenda
WEDNESDAY, November 3, 2021

• 9:00am – 9:15am - Welcome, Jenna Eastman, NAFAA President
• 9:15am – 10:15am - R2T4 - Trey Harrison, FSA Training Officer - R2T4 Slides
• 10:30am – noon - Direct Loan Quiz Show - Dana Kelly, NASFAA Vice President of Professional Development and Institutional Compliance - Direct Loan Slides
• noon - 1:00pm - Lunch Break
• 1:00pm – 2:00pm - Verification & Conflicting Information - Trey Harrison, FSA Training Officer - Verification Slides
• 2:15pm – 3:45pm - Implicit Bias: Awareness to Action - this is an interactive session presented by the WASFAA Training Committee - Anthony Morrone, Christina Tangalakis and Nicole McMillin
• 3:45pm – 4:45pm – Social Hour

THURSDAY, November 4, 2021

• 8:30am – 9:00am – NAFAA Business Meeting - Proposed Bylaws Change
• 9:00am – 10:00am – Still Nudging: Helping Students Make Optimal Choices  - Carissa Uhlman, Vice President of Student Success, Inceptia - Nudging Slides
• 10:15am - 10:45am - WASFAA Update - Sarah Everitt, WASFAA President
• 10:45am – 11:45am - Pell Recalculations - Trey Harrison, FSA Training Officer - Pell Recalculation Slides
• 11:45am – 1:00pm – Lunch Break
• 1:00pm – 2:00pm - Inside the Beltway - Rachel Gentry, NASFAA Assistant Director of Federal Relations

Presenters

Trey Harrison, Federal Trainer in the Washington, DC Office of Federal Student Aid

Like many, Trey began his journey to the financial aid profession as a work-study student. It was at this part-time job where a verification form and a very inquisitive mind would lead Trey to develop a progressive passion for the profession of federal student aid. After 14 years of experience in leading teams to success, developing and implementing training, and providing students with funding solutions, Trey still finds fulfillment in providing solutions for students & institutions in his role as a Federal Trainer.

Dana Kelly, NASFAA Vice President of Professional Development and Institutional Compliance

Dana Kelly 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.

Nicole McMillin, Director of Financial Aid at Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine

Nicole received her Master of Public Administration from the University of Idaho and her Bachelor of Arts in Political and Public Communication from Northwest Nazarene University.  The continual change and challenge are part of what she loves most about being a financial aid professional and the last 17 years have certainly had a lot of both. 

Nicole gives back to the profession by volunteering in professional organizations at the state, regional and national levels.  She is a strong advocate of associations like WASFAA because of the opportunities they provide to support and collaborate with other financial aid professionals, as well as the avenues they open to advocate for our students and promote access, affordability and awareness.

Anthony Morrone, FAAC^®, Director of Financial Aid at Nevada State College

Anthony began his career in financial aid in 2002 at the front desk of Prescott College in Arizona. Anthony currently serves as past-president of the Western Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (WASFAA), for which he also served as Training Committee chair and member of the Sister Dale Brown Summer Institute faculty. He has served NASFAA on the Association Governance Committee and the task force for Advanced Topics track of the Leadership Conference. Anthony also served as president of the Nevada Association of Financial Aid Administrators (NAFAA), and as the Arizona and Nevada state liaisons for the Western Association of Student Employment Administrators (WASEA). Anthony particularly enjoys the training aspects of his job and volunteer roles, as well as meeting and learning from other financial aid professionals at conferences and events.

Christina Tangalakis, Ed.D., Associate Dean of Financial Aid at Glendale Community College

Previously, she was director of financial aid at Hispanic Scholarship Fund, associate director at the University of Southern California, assistant director at Pepperdine GSEP, and a financial aid counselor at Central Washington University. Affordability, access and diversity are the issues central to her daily work and professional interests. In December 2018, Christina was named one of the six members of the inaugural class of NASFAA's Diversity Leadership Program.

As a member of the LGBTQ community with Latinx heritage, Christina explains that diversity is more than just a passing phase—it is a way of life, an aspiration, and a motivation for creating change. Christina is currently a member of the advisory council for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and sits on the board of directors of the Foundation for the AIDS Monument. In the future, Christina wants to continue to advocate for marginalized populations' college access and affordability, and to mentor a new generation of financial aid leaders who will be ready to shape the industry's future.

Carissa Uhlman, Vice President of Student Success at Inceptia

Carissa’s nearly fifteen year collegiate career included roles in admissions, advising, records, student services, and financial aid. She served as the financial literacy consultant for DeVry’s Columbus Metro, and she also created an adult learner financial literacy program at Franklin University. She now enjoys building financial education partnerships with colleges and universities across the country in her role as vice president of student success at Inceptia.
 
Carissa received her BA in Communications & Business from Malone University, her Masters of Human Resource Management from Keller Graduate School, and her business Credential of Readiness from Harvard Business School.

Sarah Everitt, Director of Financial Aid Operations at Gonzaga University

Sarah started her career in financial aid 12 yearsago in an entry-level position—and with no prior knowledge of the field—at Spokane Falls Community College in the state of Washington. She immediately fell in love with financial aid, however, because it was "a perfect blend of working with students and problem-solving." After serving at the community college for two and a half years, Sarah took a position in the financial aid office at a private institution just under an hour away, Gonzaga University, where she continues to work today. "I love many things about Gonzaga—the community, our commitment to our students' growth and development, the mission-centered Jesuit education, the basketball, and the beautiful campus," she said. "But what I love about working at Gonzaga is that I'm challenged and supported to continuously improve in my role."

Rachel Gentry, NASFAA Assistant Director of Federal and State Policy

Rachel Gentry contributes to NASFAA's policy and advocacy efforts, representing the association before congressional members and staff and working to enhance the advocacy capacity of its members. Prior to joining NASFAA, Rachel worked in higher education policy analysis and research in Washington, D.C., and began her career in higher education as a high school college advisor assisting low-income and first-generation students through the college application and financial aid process. 



Event Questions: