Brenda D. Burney

Brenda Burney is a higher education and financial aid professional with more than 40 years of progressive leadership experience across colleges, universities, proprietary institutions, and consulting environments. Throughout her career, she has served in roles ranging from front-line financial aid counselor to Executive Director of Financial Aid and Title IV Compliance, building a reputation for operational leadership, regulatory expertise, and a strong commitment to student service.

Brenda has extensive experience leading financial aid operations at public universities, private institutions, community colleges, HBCUs, and proprietary schools. Her leadership roles have included positions at North Greenville University, Augusta University, Columbia State Community College, Tennessee State University, and Austin Peay State University.

She has managed all aspects of federal, state, and institutional aid administration, supervised large financial aid teams, led system implementations, prepared institutions for federal reviews, and guided compliance efforts related to Title IV and NCAA regulations.

In addition to her campus leadership, Brenda has more than a decade of consulting experience providing interim financial aid leadership, compliance support, staffing assistance, verification services, and operational reviews for institutions nationwide . Her consulting work has included serving as Interim Director for public colleges and universities, assisting institutions preparing for federal program reviews, supporting HCM2 processing and compliance efforts, and helping colleges strengthen financial aid operations and organizational structure.

Brenda joined College Aid Services as a Senior Consultant in 2026, where she assists institutions with financial aid compliance, interim leadership, operational reviews, and comprehensive assessments designed to strengthen effectiveness, improve processes, and support student-centered service.

She earned a Master of Science in Health Care Management from Austin Peay State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Counseling and Rehabilitation from Marshall University.