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.

My name is Beverly Bell, and I am currently serving as the Interim Secretary for RMASFAA.

I am the Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. I returned to NWC in December 2004 as the Director, having worked here previously in the Financial Aid Office for 14 years. I took a four-year time-out from the world of college financial aid and worked from an office in my home in Cody as the Assistant Manager for Outreach and Marketing for WSLC.

I have an AAS degree from a thousand years ago in Animal Health Technology (Veterinarian Assistant), which provided skills that proved vital in calming the “angry beast” in distraught students and parents slugging through the financial aid process. I received my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wyoming as an Outreach student just 4 ½ years ago. I understand the perils and pitfalls that befall our non-trad students and the sense of accomplishment in finally completing that elusive degree. I believe strongly in the importance of education and the potential it has to bring positive changes to the lives of people who commit to the challenge of their pursuing educational goals.

I came to financial aid totally by accident. I had already starved as a veterinarian assistant, and was working at NWC in the payroll office. I needed a job that would pay enough to support my family, and the financial aid office paid better than the payroll office and had an opening, so I made the move. I attended RMASFAA Summer Institute after working in financial aid for only two months, and when I returned to campus, I told Dean Obenauer (our Director at the time) that I had bitten off more than I could chew this time; I didn’t think I could do the job. Seventeen years later, I know that financial aid is where I belong and I know that my passion is in helping parents and students find the windows and doors to the opportunities to attend college, and then encouraging them to go through those doors to create their own futures.

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to serve as the secretary and president of WyASFAA and on the Board of RMASFAA as the Wyoming representative; the pleasure of teaching at RMASFAA Summer Institute for the PD&L Track and will teach as CORE faculty this summer; and currently serve as the Interim RMASFAA Secretary.

I have been married for 22 years to a gentleman patient enough to put up with me. My son, Boot Hill (I’m not kidding), is a Deputy Sheriff in Sheridan, WY. My beautiful daughter, Eddee, lives in Fort Worth, TX and is a coordinator for international adoptions for a private adoption service. John and I have four llamas, that we affectionately call “the kids". Llamas are a quiet lot and can help you put the challenges of the world in perspective. Add two kittens to the mix and we are a diverse and happy family.