Dr. Reba Smith

Dr. Reba Smith joined College Aid Services as a Senior Consultant in 2025, bringing more than 30 years of leadership experience in higher education, specializing in financial aid administration, compliance, and institutional operations. 

A U.S. Army veteran, she has held leadership roles such as Chief Compliance Officer, Vice President of Compliance and Financial Aid, and Regional Director of Financial Aid, demonstrating a strong commitment to regulatory excellence and student success.

Dr. Smith’s expertise encompasses a broad spectrum of compliance areas, including federal student aid audits, accreditation readiness, Title IX reporting, R2T4, SAP, verification, policy and procedure development, FISAP and e-App submissions, and federal/state inspections. She has also led multi-campus operations and conducted internal audits to strengthen institutional effectiveness.

She is highly proficient in financial aid platforms such as FAME, CAMS, PeopleSoft, Campus Nexus, and Anthology, as well as the U.S. Department of Education’s suite of systems for administering Title IV funds.

A respected voice in the field, Dr. Smith is an active member of NASFAA, WASFAA, and the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE). She has served on the Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) Regulatory Affairs Committee and as an Accreditation Team Leader for the Accrediting Commission of Career Colleges and Schools (ACCSC).

She holds a Ph.D. in Education/Organizational Leadership from Northcentral University, a Master of Legal Studies in Compliance and Risk Management from the University of Arizona, an MBA from Kaplan University, and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Wilmington University.