Brenda Brown is the Director of Business Development at College Aid Services. She is a member of the senior leadership team with a priority in client relationship management. From time to time, she also works on projects and assignments as a Senior Consultant. As the Director of Business Development, Brenda is responsible for acquiring new clients and developing strategic partnerships with current clients, as well as recruiting and managing the team of consultants. Brenda works closely with each client and consultant to provide support and collaboration throughout each assignment.
Brenda has over 35 years of experience in higher education in various roles of financial aid. With the perfect mix of functional and technical understanding, she is classified as a “funky-tech” financial aid administrator. She utilizes these functional, technical, and analytical skills to support and recommend strategies in the management of financial aid. As a consultant, she has led a verification team and conducted compliance assessments and business process reviews.
Throughout her financial aid career, Brenda volunteered in several roles in NASFAA, SASFAA, and FASFAA, including Electronic Services Chair, Conference Chair, Graduate and Professional (GP) Issues Chair, Professional Development Chair, and the 2019-2020 Legal Issues Task Force Chair. Through this involvement, she established a large network of colleagues, resources, and friends in the profession and led sessions at workshops, conferences, and webinars. As the GP Issues Chair for NASFAA in 2010, she received a Certificate of Appreciation from the NASFAA Chair for revitalizing the GP community and launched the listserv to engage members in NASFAA issues, activities, and trainings. She was nominated and selected as a NASFAA MVP in 2014 and has been recognized by FAFSAA twice, once in 2010 with the Certificate of Appreciation Award and again in 2017 with the Distinguished Service Award.
In addition to these volunteer opportunities, building relationships with students and parents and helping them make education a reality was the most rewarding part of her career. “It is fulfilling to know that I was a part of their educational journey and that many continue to stay in touch and share their lives with me today.”
Following her retirement from the traditional financial aid office, Brenda joined College Aid Services in 2018. She knew consulting was the next step in her career and was excited that this opportunity led her to have the chance to develop relationships with all clients as the Director of Business Development.
When asked what advice she will give a new person starting in Financial Aid, Brenda emphasized the importance of listening and patience, stating “Many times, you must have a conversation and use your expertise and skills to lead the conversation or read between the lines to know what students are really asking. The best you can do for a student or family is let them know they are being listened to and make them feel like they are your primary focus.”
If you are interested in joining the College Aid Services team, please fill out our questionnaire here. To learn more about how College Aid Services can help your institution, contact us at info@collegeaidservices.net or by phone toll-free at 833-GETCAS1 (833-438-2271).