As part of the Association News Committee for RMASFAA, we are highlighting our current committee chairs and state presidents. In each “RMASFAA Exchange” we will invite four or five of them to be “In the Spotlight” and give you the opportunity to better know these dedicated and hard-working volunteers.

I am a 1993 graduate of Carroll College and a Helena, Montana native. I loved Carroll College so much, I decided to stick around and work for the college. I may just retire from this place! I started my financial aid career right out of college with the Montana Guaranteed Student Loan
Program as a customer service representative. I was just looking for any job that could help pay off my student loans...who knew it would lead me into the career I have now. I left MGSLP for Carroll College just after a year and a half. I've been with Carroll since 1995 but have worn many hats. I started as a financial aid counselor then spent a short time as our institutional researcher for the college until I returned to financial aid as associate director. I was promoted to director after our long time director, Dick Franz, retired in 2003.

I've been active in our Montana association, holding several terms on our board as member-at-large and by organizing a MASFAA conference in Helena. I became active in RMASFAA first by helping the publications committee with Montana news and then by co-chairing the RMASFAA conference in Big Sky, Montana in 2003. Our RMASFAA conference committee was honored with committee of the year and I was honored with the Oscar Award in 2003. Most recently, I've been contributing to RMASFAA as vice chair of the 2005 Summer Institute. I attended my first NASFAA conference this last summer in Minnesota—what a great time and learning experience. I've been so lucky to have met and become friends with so many financial aid gurues!!! The experience and friendships have been invaluable! Most of my family is in Helena, so they are all close by. I'm not married yet and have no children...still looking for the "right" one :) . I spend most of my free time pursuing my many interests, such as golfing (I love to try and impress the retired men on the course that look at you with that, "Darn, I have to golf with a woman. She'll slow me down," look); downhill skiing (when we actually get snow on our local hill); running (it's a love/hate relationship); camping, or pretty much anything social—I'm a social butterfly.

They say financial aid is not a career that anyone chooses, and that would be true in my case, but I certainly have chosen to continue my career in financial aid at Carroll College. The people are too great to give up!