University of California
Segmental Leadership Award
Dr. Joseph W. Watson
The Segmental Leadership Award is given to a CASFAA member in each of the five segments in recognition of outstanding leadership in the segment, CASFAA, or the financial aid profession.
Dr. Joseph Watson has faithfully served as the University of California's Commissioner on the California Student Aid Commission since 1987. He is currently the Chair of the Commission as the organization attempts to recreate itself and find the most effective means to manage its guarantee function for student loans.
Throughout the challenges of the last few years, Joe has managed to keep focused on the welfare of students who need financial assistance to attend college. The University of California is blessed to have this man of real vision and large spirit to guide the work of our State's student aid organization in all seasons.
Dr. Watson is currently the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and a professor of chemistry at the University of California, San Diego. He belongs to several professional organizations and has received numerous awards from prestigious associations such as the NAACP, the City of New York, Omega Psi Phi and CASFAA.
On behalf of CASFAA, I am proud to present the UC Segmental Leadership Award to Dr. Joseph W. Watson.
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Special Recognition Award
Michael Alexander
From time to time individuals are identified whose personal efforts have made a significant difference for CASFAA. The Special Recognition Award is given to an individual in recognition of that person's dedication and service beyond the normal call of duty.
Michael Alexander has put CASFAA "on the map" with www.casfaa.org. He has spent numerous hours on maintenance and enhancements to the CASFAA web site. His generous giving of time and expertise, teaching by example the ways technology can improve communication and broaden member participation have been outstanding. He has challenged us to do more by teaching us labor-saving ways to proceed, always with the goal of improved human communication and understanding. Michael's contributions are silent but very constructive. One need only visit www.casfaa.org to understand the magnitude of his work for CASFAA in 1999.
On behalf of CASFAA, I am so proud to present you with this well deserved Special Recognition Award.
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Special Recognition Awards
Renee Gullotto and Andrea Kramer
From time to time individuals are identified whose personal efforts have made a significant difference for CASFAA. The Special Recognition Award is given to an individual in recognition of that person's dedication and service beyond the normal call of duty.
This year CASFAA tried something new. There was a series of one-day workshops called the CASFAA mini-conferences. They were held at ten sites from San Diego to Redding from June 2 to July 8, 1999. More than 800 financial aid professionals attended these workshops and the reviews were stellar. While there was a committee that worked very hard to see the mini-conferences to fruition, there were two individuals who did an incredible amount of work over and above the normal volunteer duty.
These two individuals never missed a step and kept the committee together when it could have easily fallen apart. Renee Gullotto processed all the registration forms for all the attendees at the mini-conferences. She collected the registration fees and sent confirmations. She pitched in wherever and whenever it was needed. Without Renee, there would have been no CASFAA mini-conferences in 1999.
Andrea Kramer produced the written materials for the mini-conferences, handled the publicity, kept track of the speakers and reminded the rest of the committee what was supposed to be happening. She is diligent, organized and amazing.
I am thrilled on behalf of CASFAA to present Special Recognition Awards to both Renee Gullotto and Andrea Kramer for making the CASFAA mini-conferences of 1999 overwhelming successful.
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Special Recognition Award
Friedhild Brainard Office Manager
CSU, Fullerton
Upon occasion, individuals are identified whose personal efforts have made a significant difference for CASFAA. The CASFAA Special Recognition Award is given to an individual in recognition of that person's dedication and service beyond the "normal call of duty." Executive Council has selected Friedhild Brainhard to receive the award this year.
For the last three years, Friedhild has served CASFAA as Chair of the Placement Services Project. Her goal has been to gather and distribute information about financial aid job openings to the membership as expeditiously and effectively as possible. This has involved her oversight of the monthly CASFAA Job Placement Bulletin, the automated telephone service ( known as the CASFAA Job Hotline), the JobsLink feature of the CASFAA Web Site, and all placement service matters pertaining to the CASFAA Listserve.
This year, with the help of CASFAA Webmaster Michael Alexander, Friedhild initiated JobsLinks on the CASFAA web site. This service offers employers and prospective employees access to career opportunities 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. As a result of this new feature, and as a benefit to the CASFAA membership, job announcements are now: 1) published on the web site; 2) sent as an e-mail message on a weekly basis to over 700 CASFAA Listserve subscribers; 3) made available on the CASFAA Job Hotline; and 4) included in CASFAA's Job Placement Bulletin which is mailed to approximately 1,600 members at their respective institution.
Through Friedhild's creativity and diligent efforts, CASFAA's Placement Services have been expanded dramatically.
Friedhild has consented to again Chair the Placement Services Project next year. She has unquestionably gone above the "normal call of duty" through her volunteerism, and CASFAA has been the beneficiary. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the success of the Association, Friedhild is awarded the CASFAA Special Recognition Award.
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Community Colleges
Segmental Leadership Award
Syed Rizvi
The Segmental Leadership Award is given to a CASFAA member in each of the five segments in recognition of outstanding leadership in the segment, CASFAA, or the financial aid profession.
This year's community college segmental award winner is truly outstanding. When you think of this individual the word energy comes to mind; not just get from place to place energy, but high energy. He is a person who doesn't just get involved, he sees a job through from start to finish. He is what some might term an "overachiever" because he always strives for perfection.
He worked in the proprietary segment until he discovered his true calling, the California community colleges. From his first position to the one he currently holds, he has brought his intelligence, organizational skills, and sense of humor to each job. He was the CASFAA Rookie of the Year in 1997 and is the CASFAA '99 Conference Chair.
I am delighted to award the CASFAA Community College Segmental Leadership Award to Syed Rizvi, the Director of Financial Aid at Rio Hondo Community College.
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Proprietary Colleges
Segmental Leadership Award
Tim Bonnell
The Segmental Leadership Award is given to a CASFAA member in each of the five segments in recognition of outstanding leadership in the segment, CASFAA, or the financial aid profession.
This year's Segmental Leadership Award for the Proprietary College Segment goes to an individual who has devoted numerous hours to training and training issues. He has given of his time in a generous and unassuming manner and has served on several CASFAA committees, including the Proprietary Issues Committee. He has also been very involved in the certification workshops. He is an effective advocate for the Proprietary segment and an excellent teacher.
He worked as a financial aid officer and business officer at Heald Colleges and the Jewelry Technical Institute before moving to the California Student Aid Commission as an analyst in the School Services Unit in 1993. He left for a brief period to work with the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Vocational Education, but returned to the commission in March of this year. For a time he served as the CSAC liaison to WASFAA.
I can only be speaking of Tim Bonnel. Tim has a warm heart and a fantastic sense of humor. He is easy going, making him a perfect trainer for financial aid. The partnership in training between CSAC and CASFAA has been strengthened time and time again because of Tim's contributions. He is always prepared and passionate about helping financial aid professionals and students.
I am delighted to present the CASFAA Segmental Leadership Award to Tim Bonnel.
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Graduate and Professional Students Segmental Leadership Award
Kara Moore
The Segmental Leadership Award is given to a CASFAA member in each of the five segments in recognition of outstanding leadership in the segment, CASFAA, or the financial aid profession. Since 1994, a leadership award is also given to honor leadership in the Graduate and Professional field.
This year's award recipient has 19 years of financial aid experience and has worked in many facets of higher education. She has worked for schools, CSAC, lenders, and the College Board (CSS). She is currently the Financial Aid Director at Holy Names College in Oakland, CA. Because of her previous lender experience, she has also had the opportunity to belong to and participate in numerous other state financial aid associations, including WASFAA, AZ, OR, WA and NV.
Kara Moore has a vivacious personality and a great sense of humor. Because she has been on "many sides of the fence", she is able to contribute to the graduate/professional segment with unique insights, sensitivity and wisdom. Her leadership and creativity were key to making the 1999 Mid-Year Workshop in San Francisco so successful. She always volunteers for new tasks follows through with what she says she's going to do.
Kara has been a member of CASFAA since 1983 and has been involved with the Graduate/Professional segment since 1988.
I am pleased to present the CASFAA Segmental Leadership award in the Graduate and Professional field to Kara Moore.
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Creative Leadership Award
Rob Parisi
The Creative Leadership Award is given to a CASFAA member who has demonstrated, through significant leadership, innovation in the profession.
This year's recipient is a very capable financial aid administrator who not only has good ideas, but who follows through to see them to fruition. It can be a daunting task to come up with an innovative idea, present it to CASFAA for approval and budget, and then be responsible for making it happen.
There were several new CASFAA projects that took place in 1999. One of the most successful was the CASFAA Management Institute. This project brought together more than 20 financial aid professionals in a retreat setting. Through facilitated discussion, they were able to share experiences and learn more about the management of financial aid.
Robert Parisi, the Director of Financial Aid at Allan Hancock College and the current CCCSFAAA President developed and organized the first CASFAA Management Institute in June 1999. Rob demonstrated his leadership abilities in selecting the site, arranging for the speakers and facilitators, in coordinating meals and handling registration. The attendees rated this event a perfect 10.
I am pleased to give the CASFAA Creative Leadership Award to Rob Parisi.
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Segmental Leadership Award
Independent Colleges
Rathenia Harris-Hunter
The Segmental Leadership Award is given to a CASFAA member in each of the five segments in recognition of outstanding leadership in the segment, CASFAA, or the financial aid profession.
A member of CASFAA since 1987, Rathenia Harris-Hunter was the Assistant Director of Financial Aid at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business for over six years. Prior to that position, she worked at UCLA and at Platt College. Newly married late in 1998, Rathenia moved to Evanston, Illinois in September of this year to be nearer to family.
While in California, Rathenia volunteered regularly for CASFAA projects and activities, serving on the Fund Development, Fiscal Planning, and Conference Committees. She served ably as the Chair of the Fund Development Committee in 1996 and 1997. Notably, she understood the importance of developing future leadership, and so cultivated the talents of that committee's membership, which resulted in the selection of the subsequent committee chair. Turning to a new challenge in 1998, Rathenia worked on the early development of the CASFAA web site by serving as the site's second Webmaster.
As a graduate/professional school aid administrator, Rathenia also held ties to the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) and The Access Group. Even with this focus on students at the advanced level of education, she offered her time in outreach activities to high school students as well. In serving as a financial aid night presenter, she most often spoke at high schools with traditionally high-risk, underrepresented minority student populations, helping youth and their families learn about financial aid and complete the FAFSA applications.
For her years of dedicated service, CASFAA recognizes Rathenia Harris-Hunter with the 1999 Independent Segmental Leadership Award.
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Lifetime Membership Award
Jerry Sims
Lifetime Membership is given to a person who has made major and significant contributions to the profession over an extended period of time. Lifetime Membership is usually awarded at the time the recipient retires or otherwise leaves the profession. This is the highest award CASFAA bestows and is only awarded in exceptional cases. Longevity is not, by itself, sufficient for the awarding of Lifetime Membership. Lifetime members shall have all rights and privileges of membership including the right to vote on all matters that come before the association.
The 1999 CASFAA Executive Council voted to award a Lifetime Membership award at this conference. The recipient has been active in CASFAA, WASFAA and NASFAA activities since 1989. He exemplifies the leadership to which financial aid administrators strive. He is one of California's most beloved and respected leaders.
He has been an elected or appointed member of CASFAA's Executive Council many times. He has served as Independent Segmental Representative; Conference chair (or co-chair), and acted as liaison in 1995 and again in 1996. He was the originator and organizer of Financial Aid Sunday a highly successful CASFAA activity that promoted early awareness on a statewide basis. He has served on the Training Committee, the High School Relations Committee and many tours of duty on the Conference Committee. He was awarded the CASFAA President's Award at the 1998 Conference for his support and encouragement during the 1998 year.
He has also been an elected or appointed member of WASFAA's Executive Council many times. He served as Secretary, Fund Development Chair and numerous times on the Conference Committee. He was elected President-elect in 1995 and served as President in 1996 and Past-President in 1997. He chaired the Nominations & Elections Committee in his capacity as Past-President. When he was Fund Development Chair, he was raised $100,000 which set a new standard for Fund Development Chairs who followed him. To further illustrate his originality, he created, organized and coordinated WASFAA's first Advanced Track at the WASFAA Summer Institute in 1996. He also arranged for a WASFAA Long-Range Strategic Planning meeting prior to his assumption of the presidency.
This aid administrator was a member of the NASFAA Board of Directors in 1995-96, 1996-97 and 1997-98. He served on the Association Governance Committee and the Multi-Cultural Initiative Committee. He left a lasting memory and an example of his leadership when serving on the Multi-Cultural Initiative Committee. He originated the NASFAA Carnival of Learning, which is an early outreach program to low-income elementary school children in the city where NASFAA holds its annual conference as a pre-conference activity. He also serves on NASFAA's Strategic Long-Range Planning Committee.
He is there believing in the potential of everyone and prompting them forward with offers of assistance, words of encouragement, mentoring or help in decision making. These demonstrations are typical of this kind man's humanity toward other people.
I could be speaking of no one other than Jerry Sims. On behalf of the CASFAA Executive Council and the CASFAA membership, I am proud to present the CASFAA Lifetime Membership Award to Mr. Jerry Sims.
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Meritorious Service
John Anderson
The Meritorious Service Award is given to a CASFAA member in recognition of an outstanding achievement or accomplishment in the financial aid profession. To receive the award, the individual should have made either an important single accomplishment or contribution or several significant accomplishments or contributions.
The 1999 CASFAA Executive Council selected this recipient for his several significant accomplishments to our profession. He has served CASFAA, WASFAA, NASFAA and the Oregon Association. He has served on numerous committees and is instrumental in the activities of the California State University segment. When he was the Fiscal Planning Chair of CASFAA, he researched several investment strategies and recommended a plan that was endorsed by the Executive Council. He served as treasurer of WASFAA for multiple terms and kept their books in squeaky clean condition.
As Vice president of CASFAA for 1999 he chaired the Federal Issues Committee and made trips to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Negotiated Rulemaking. He ably led the Federal Issues Committee in several rounds of letter writing to key players in Washington. He is a well respected member of the financial aid community and I'm sure Portland State University is still missing him.
I am delighted to present the CASFAA Meritorious Service Award to Dr. John Anderson, the Director of Financial Aid at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He is a scholar and a gentleman.
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Rookie of the Year
Dr. Jonathon Roberts Financial Aid Administrator
Pepperdine Graduate School
The Rookie of the Year Award is given to a relatively new CASFAA member or volunteer to CASFAA activities, in recognition of accomplishments and/or contributions in the year they begin active participation. This year's Executive Council has selected Dr. Jon Roberts, who served as Listmaster for CASFAA's ever-growing Listserve, to receive this award.
During the past year, Jon successfully relocated the CASFAA Listserve from its opening site at Santa Clara University to its current site at Pepperdine. Through his efforts, the site transition was made to appear relatively seamless to Listserve subscribers.
The number of subscribers to the CASFAA Listserve has now grown to over 700. Jon worked very diligently throughout the year on daily problem-solving with subscribers and in continually clearing the Listserve of invalid addresses, etc.
Jon was also instrumental in upgrading the functionality of the Listserve to include the new digest feature, as well as the creation of the monthly mailing list help file.
Jon has volunteered to serve as the CASFAA Listmaster again next year. CASFAA is most appreciative of Jon's contribution as Listmaster this year, and looks forward to his continued participation as an active member of the Association and in the field of student aid for many years to come.
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CSU Segmental Leadership Award
Lili Vidal Assistant Director of Financial Aid
CSU, Northridge
CASFAA Leadership awards are intended to honor distinguished colleagues in each of the five segments of California postsecondary education and a CASFAA member who works primarily with Graduate and Professional students.
These awards recognize the individual's continued leadership and service to his or her constituency, CASFAA, or the financial aid profession in general. This year, Executive Council selected Lili Vidal to receive this award for the CSU segment.
Lili has been actively involved in CASFAA for some 12 years. She has served as a member of the CASFAA Conference Program Committee, as a presenter at numerous CASFAA Conferences and Mini-Conferences, and as a CASFAA Management Institute participant.
For the past 3 years, Lili has served as Chair of the CASFAA High School Relations Project. In this role, she has spearheaded various training workshops for High School counselors in cooperation with CSAC and EdFund.
Through Lili's efforts CASFAA has initiated outreach through the Western Association of College Admissions Counselors (WACAC) and other meetings and workshops attended by High School counselors. The High School Relations Project has also been working very hard on transitioning printed materials intended for High School counselors to web-based information pages for better dissemination and quicker access.
Lili will serve on the CASFAA Executive Council next year as the CSU Segmental Representative. She has also agreed to chair the CASFAA Scholarship Committee.
In recognition of her continued leadership and service to CASFAA, the CSU segment, and the financial aid community, Lili is awarded this year's CASFAA CSU Segmental Leadership Award.
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President's Awards
& President's Citadels
Addalou Davis & Michael MacCallum, Steve Herndon, David Levy, & Syed Rizvi
Each year the CASFAA President selects a person or persons who have made significant contributions during the year which have been instrumental to the success of CASFAA. With the number of dedicated volunteers who are currently serving CASFAA, this is not at all an easy decision.
The current Executive Council and the staff at Long Beach City College can attest to the fact that I do not always do things the same way other people do things. Having said that, let me tell you that I have selected recipients of the President's Award and have also named three individuals as citadels. These are the people who have been my strongholds this past year. When I needed assistance, sometimes before I knew I needed it, they were there to assist. They were there to hold me up when I felt overwhelmed - my fortresses.
The first citadel is Dr. Steve Herndon. With his gentle demeanor and even temperament, he helped me by writing, by guiding, by listening and by being there. I admire him as a student services professional and I treasure him as a friend.
The second citadel is David Levy. David has assisted me all year by answering questions, reciting some CASFAA history when needed, and taking care a multitude of association issues from site selection, to awards, to archives. I always knew I could count on David. If he said he would do it, it would be done and done well.
The third citadel is Syed Rizvi. Although he has been busy chairing his first conference committee, he has always made himself available to assist in any task I needed to accomplish. He has helped me sorting certificates, making phone calls, and making some tough decisions. He is a respected colleague and a dear friend.
I have also selected two people as President's Award recipients. The first is a woman who I greatly admire. She does not take herself too seriously, but she does take her work seriously. She has a compassion for students that is commendable. She has helped me in countless ways this past year and I am honored to call her a friend. Whenever I had a question, I could pick up the phone and ask her. She listened to my ideas and offered constructive advice. She contributed to the cohesiveness of this year's Executive Council and did so with enthusiasm and strength. Not once did she tell me, "You can't do that."
I am thrilled to present the 1999 CASFAA President's Award to Addalou Davis, immediate past president and Director of Financial Aid at McGeorge School of Law.
The second recipient is probably not as well known as Addalou, but has also helped me in innumerable ways this year. He is a trusted friend, and an esteemed colleague. He has been my back-up, my partner and my sounding board. There is no way I could have had the opportunities that I did in 1999 without his assistance and expertise in keeping the financial aid program running at LBCC. We have worked together at Long Beach City College for the past 18 years. Those of you who have attended his "True Colors" workshop will understand when I say he is a "true blue."
A few years ago he was introducing me at a college function and I have been waiting for payback. As I search for the right words to describe him, I can't just call him a coworker, because that is not sufficient. After all, he used to be my boss, and now I'm his boss! He's more than a friend; we've shared so much. The LBCC Financial Aid Office is more like family, so let me introduce you to Michael MacCallum, my work husband, and the recipient of the 1999 CASFAA President's Award.
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Committee of the Year
Web Registration/Credit Card Subcommittee of the Conference
Project Chair:
Ann Klein, UC San Diego
Project Members:
Michael Alexander, Possibilities in Paradise
John Anderson, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Tony Ashe, UC San Diego
Addalou Davis, McGeorge School of Law
Georgette DeVeres, Claremont McKenna College
Toni DuBois, Long Beach City College
David Levy, Caltech
Tina Mata, UC San Diego
The success of Conference Registrations and Fund Development has been enhanced by the development of a web-based credit card payment process. This Project, led by Ann Klein, persevered through the many questions, seeming obstacles, timidities, and technical challenges to help transform Conference Registration into a contemporary process that provides increased service to all CASFAA members and our lender partners who support our many activities through fund development. Much time and effort went into figuring out what it would take to accomplish the goal, how to do it, and then to complete the mission.
Great job!
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