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Justin Draeger Justin Draeger is President and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. He is a first-generation, undergraduate and graduate degree recipient with over 14 years’ experience in assisting disadvantaged populations achieve their goals and better their communities, including 10 years in administering, interpreting, communicating, or developing student aid policy. He serves as the primary voice of NASFAA and as the liaison between the association and members, education community partners, the Congress, the White House, the U.S. Department of Education, other government agencies, and the media. As a spokesperson of the association, Justin has been featured on The Today Show on NBC, National Public Radio, CNBC, C-SPAN and in numerous national publications. Justin began his career in student aid working as a financial aid director at the Douglas J Aveda Institute in East Lansing Michigan and went on to work for the Michigan Guaranty Agency as a lead regulatory analyst before joining NASFAA in2006. Prior to his appointment as President, Justin worked in the communications and public policy departments at NASFAA. Justin volunteers and serves on the board of regents of Baker College and other organizations that promote health and education, including Pueblo-a-Pueblo, a charitable nonprofit that seeks to build sustainable, viable and healthy indigenous communities in Guatemala. He earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Resource Management from Brigham Young University and a Master’s in Business Administration Finance from Baker College.
Jeff Baker
Jeff Baker is no stranger to financial aid. He has been a student aid professional for more than 35 years, starting at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and including almost 20 years at San Francisco State University. Prior to entering the field of financial aid, Jeff was a high school teacher in Port Washington Wisconsin. For the past 18 years Jeff has been at the Department of Education where he is currently the Director of the Policy Liaison and Implementation Staff for the Department's Federal Student Aid office. In that capacity he advises senior FSA management on all statutory, regulatory, and policy matters that relate to the Title IV Federal student aid programs.
Jeff holds a B.S. in Management from Northeastern University, an M.S. in Education from the University of Wisconsin and has done postgraduate work in higher education administration at the University of Southern California.
Throughout his financial aid career, Jeff has been an active member of NASFAA serving as a committee chair, trainer and twice as a Commission Director. He is a past member of the WASFAA Executive Council and a Past President of the California association.
Jeff is the recipient of numerous awards, including NASFAA's Meritorious Achievement Award and Regional and State Leadership Award. He has been honored by WASFAA with their Creative Leadership Award and Lifetime Membership Award and is the recipient of a Distinguished Service Award, President’s Award and Lifetime Membership Award from the California association. Jeff is also the recipient of a Distinguished Service Award from The College Board.
Diana Fuentes-Michel
Diana Fuentes-Michel Executive Director of the California Student Aid Commission Diana Fuentes-Michel was appointed Executive Director of the California Student Aid Commission (Commission) on May 5, 2003, bringing with her an extensive background in higher education program administration, policy development and state and federal governmental advocacy. A proud recipient of a Cal Grant B from 1975-1979, Fuentes-Michel credits the Cal Grant Program with providing the financial support she needed to become the first in her family to receive a college degree.
Her work in public policy and program administration has focused on increasing educational opportunity, student access and financial aid through involvement with the enactment of the Cal Grant Entitlement Program and the state's Scholarshare Investment Program. Fuentes-Michel’s passion and commitment to serving low-income first generation college students led to the establishment of a statewide financial aid public awareness program, Cash for College, which partners with private business and community based organizations to provide scholarship assistance and hands on workshops in both English and Spanish. During 2011, more than 600 Cash for College workshops were held in 50 California counties, motivating students to fill out the necessary applications for all available forms of financial aid.
Fuentes-Michel has enjoyed a distinctive career in higher education and government. She was Director of Public Affairs for the University of California and Vice Chancellor for the California Community Colleges. As Undersecretary for former California Secretary for Education, John Mockler, she advised the Governor on higher education policy and legislation and assisted the Governor in the appointment process for numerous education boards and commissions. She also served as Assistant Secretary for Higher Education from 1999-2000 under former Senator and Secretary of Education Gary Hart. Prior state service includes ten years as legislative and budget staff to the California Postsecondary Education Commission, legislative aide to former Assembly Member Peter Chacon and as a budget analyst for the California Department of Finance. Featured Speakers
Under her leadership, the Commission’s Cal Grant and specialized programs have expanded to provide financial aid to more than 330,000 eligible students in 2010-11 (attending both private and public California higher education institutions) from less than 248,000 eligible students in 2003-04. Commission staff initiated the WebGrants4Studentsprogram to provide 24/7 access for students to track their grant applications, and a Voice-activated Response System in the Commission’s call center to expedite information sharing with the general public. Fuentes-Michel also led staff in making improvements in the Cal Grant Grade Point Average Verification System and regional school training initiatives. In addition, the Commission, under her leadership, implemented a real-time grant delivery system in 2008-09 to streamline administrative processes and information sharing between Commission staff, financial aid offices, students and parents.
Fuentes-Michel is a 1975 graduate of Sacred Heart High School located in the Lincoln Heights community of Los Angeles, California. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Chicano Studies and also holds a Master of Arts degree in Government from California State University, Sacramento. She is a1979 California State Senate Fellow and a member of the national Jesuit honor society, Alpha Sigma Nu.
Fuentes-Michel and her husband, Dr. Jose Michel, have three daughters and reside in Sacramento, California. I. King Jordan I. King Jordan made history in 1988 when he became the first deaf president of Gallaudet University, the world's only university for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. He became president as a result of a social revolution frequently called Deaf President Now (DPN). The week-long movement was a watershed event in the lives of deaf and hard of hearing people all over the world. Since DPN, I. King Jordan's leadership has heightened public awareness of the important educational contributions Gallaudet makes to the nation and the world. He serves as an international spokesperson for deaf and hard of hearing people, as well as an advocate for all persons with disabilities. As a public speaker, Dr. Jordan continues to challenge the American public to examine their attitudes toward people with disabilities and to open their minds, hearts and workplaces to them. Dr. Jordan earned a B.A. in psychology from Gallaudet and an M.A. and Ph.D., both in psychology from the University of Tennessee. He holds twelve honorary degrees and is the recipient of numerous awards including the U.S. Presidential Citizen's Medal, the Washingtonian of the Year Award, and the James L. Fisher Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. In 1990, President George Bush appointed Dr. Jordan Vice Chair of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities and in 1993, President Bill Clinton reappointed him. He served as Commissioner on the National Commission on Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, and in 2010, President Obama appointed him Commissioner on the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars. |
