(Acworth, Ga. – March 16, 2017)
In an effort to grow professionally as a leader at Chattahoochee Technical College, Student Financial Services Executive Director Jody Darby recently visited the nation’s capital to interact with members of Congress and their staff during Capitol Hill Day.
Capitol Hill Day occurred on March 1 in conjunction with the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) Leadership & Legislative Conference and Expo — a three-day event designed to deliver knowledge, perspective, and insight into management issues facing current and future financial aid leaders. The conference featured four targeted pathways, including New and Aspiring Aid Directors, Fundamentals of Enrollment Management, Strategic Enrollment Management and Association Management.
As a representative of the Southern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (SASFAA), Darby participated in the Association Management pathway, which was geared for rising volunteers or those interested in becoming a future volunteer at the state, regional or national level. Agenda topics included Developing and Implementing Your Leadership Plan, Governance and Board Effectiveness, Ensuring Effective Governance, Fiscal Fitness and Running a Meeting.
“Elected as treasurer for SASFAA, I’ll serve the Association’s members beginning July 1 for two years. The conference’s Association Management pathway was excellent — full of great material that will help me in this role,” Darby said. “The speakers were experts in their fields — some in non-profit management, some in student aid, and some in both areas.”
On the final day of the conference, participants were encouraged to participate in meetings with their delegation in the U.S. Congress during Capitol Hill Day. According to NASFAA, having financial aid professionals partake in personal interactions with members of Congress and staff delivers the on-the-ground perspectives necessary for policymakers with Higher Education Act reauthorization on the horizon.
“Being able to meet with key officials in Washington D.C. who are instrumental in crafting legislation that affects our students, nationwide, was quite an honor,” Darby said. “As a leader at any level or within any organization, one must not only reflect on today, but one must be concerned about tomorrow. The aid programs, budgetary constraints, regulatory burden, schools’ and students’ rights and obligations, etc. affect our nation’s students today, and they will continue to shape higher education in the future. It was a pleasure to advocate on behalf of students, and I remain hopeful in the college serving as a resource for those offices in the future.”
Darby’s visit included a meeting with Congressman Tom Graves, who is the representative for Georgia’s 14th congressional district, as well as with a staffer from N.C. Senator Richard Burr’s office and a staffer from state Senator Johnny Isakson’s office. He additionally met with three senior-level representatives from the U.S. Secretary of Education’s office.