David Gelinas

David Gelinas joined the College Aid Services team in 2020 as a Senior Consultant. He is an experienced, innovative, forward-thinking, and collaborative financial aid and enrollment management professional who retired after serving for 40 years at both public and private universities.

Drawing upon his extensive expertise, David collaborates with clients to provide support and guidance in areas such as student admission recruitment, financial aid, enrollment, retention, and degree completion strategies. His goal is to assist clients in achieving their objectives and surpassing their goals in the delivery of aid.

His most recent role at an institution was at Davidson College as the Senior Associate Dean of Admission and Financial Aid (2008-2020). His financial aid expertise includes compliance, reporting, and management of federal, institutional, state, and athletic aid. His keen understanding of financial aid and federal regulations, plus his experience in creating policies and procedures are only a few reasons why he is a valuable resource on the College Aid Services team. David supports our assessment, compliance, enrollment management, remote processing and training services.

Prior to Davidson College, David was the Director of Financial Aid at Sewanee – The University of the South (1986-2008), Director of Financial Aid at Northern Montana College (1982-1986) and Financial Aid Officer at The University of Michigan (1980-1982).

Throughout his distinguished career, David actively participated in various roles and committees at the state, regional, and national levels. He served as the National Chair for NASFAA in 2005-2006 and more recently contributed to the FAFSA Simplification Working Group during the 2019-2020 academic year. His exceptional contributions to the field of financial aid have been recognized with awards such as the NASFAA Lifetime Achievement Award and Lifetime Membership. Even after retiring from the traditional financial aid office in 2020, David continues to make a lasting impact through his involvement with College Aid Services.

David holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Westfield College (now known as Westfield University), which he earned with Summa Cum Laude honors in 1976. He furthered his education with a Master of Arts in Education from Western Michigan University in 1978, again graduating Summa Cum Laude from the institution.

With his wealth of experience, dedication to collaboration, and commitment to excellence, David Gelinas is a highly esteemed member of the College Aid Services team, providing invaluable guidance and support to clients in their pursuit of effective aid delivery and student success.