Amber Yocom Earns Nationally Recognized Financial Aid Administrator Award
Amber Yocom, Banner Financial Aid Support Specialist, at Terra State Community College, earned the FAAC® designation from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators' accredited Certified Financial Aid Administrator® (CFAA) Program.
“We are very proud of Amber and this achievement. She is a prime example of the dedication that all of our faculty staff have for the good of our students”, said Dr. Ronald M. Schumacher, President of Terra State Community College.
The CFAA Program is a first-in-the-industry effort launched in 2019 that validates the skills and knowledge of financial aid professionals at postsecondary institutions nationwide. The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, or NASFAA, is a nonprofit membership organization that represents more than 29,000 financial aid professionals at approximately 3,000 colleges, universities, and career schools across the country. NASFAA is the only national association with a primary focus on student aid legislation, regulatory analysis, and training for financial aid administrators.
"Financial aid administrators are entrusted with significant responsibility, ranging from ensuring college access for students to protecting the reputation of an institution and maintaining the integrity of federal financial aid programs," said NASFAA President & CEO Justin Draeger. "The FAAC designation affirms the professional commitment of a financial aid administrator not only to those responsibilities, but also their commitment to uphold the highest ethical standards."
Yocom joins the ranks of an elite group of more than 300 other financial aid professionals who earned the FAAC designation after successfully passing a comprehensive knowledge exam and affirming commitment to the standards of ethical behavior that have long been a hallmark of the financial aid profession.
“Earning the FAAC designation is a remarkable achievement. It demonstrates Amber’s competence in and commitment to financial aid administration as well as the students at Terra State Community College. The FAAC designation requires years of work and training and countless hours of studying in order to achieve this goal,” said Jessica McCarthy, Dean of Enrollment Services.
Over the course of her career, Yocom has worked in the financial aid field for more than 16 years and has developed a passion for helping students understand the financial aid opportunities that are available to them. She holds a Master of Science Degree in Organizational Leadership from Bellevue University. Yocom holds seven other NASFAA credentials in addition to the FAAC designation.
“Financial aid administrators work in a highly-regulated, continuously-evolving industry where knowledge matters,” says Craig Alan Slaughter, 2023-24 CFAA Program commission chair and director of financial aid at Kenyon College. “As part of an inclusive and supportive FAAC community, we commit to the highest standards of professionalism and professional development to support the success of the communities, institutions and students we serve.”
More information about the certification program may be found at nasfaa.org/certiflcation_overview (http://www.nasfaa.org/certiflcation_overview), or by contacting NASFAA's certification program staff via email at certiflcation@nasfaa.org (mailto:certiflcation@nasfaa.org).