Four additional staff in the university’s financial aid and scholarships office have earned the FAAC® designation from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators’ accredited Certified Financial Aid Administrator® (CFAA) Program:
- Derek Moore, associate director of client services
- Alex Huerta, financial aid counselor
- Kait Chase, NCAA compliance specialist
- Yazmin Zalazar, associate director of scholarships and athletic aid
The team at Boise State now includes a total of six staff members with the FAAC® designation, out of Idaho’s 14 financial aid administrators who hold this credential.
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 and 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.”
These Boise State staff members join the ranks of an elite group of more than 700 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.