Thank you for attending the 2023 Conference in Bellingham, WA!

October 18-20, 2023
Four Points by Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center
714 Lakeway Drive
Bellingham, WA 98229 

2023 Conference Registration is Now CLOSED!


WFAA MEMBERSHIP PRICING FOR 2023-24
October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024
 
  • 2023-24 WFAA Individual Membership (new or active/renewing members): $45
  • 2023-24 WFAA Membership with Institutional Pricing (allows for enrollment of multiple/unlimited individual members from the same institution): $200

PLEASE NOTE: If your membership is expired, you should be able to renew for 2023-24 as part of the conference registration form. You should be presented with a Membership selection page after logging in. If you need to renew and do not see the membership page on the registration form, you can renew your membership first at Member Services.

If you are currently enrolled in an individual membership and wish to switch to institutional pricing, you must contact Tammy Zibell (Membership) at [email protected] who will coordinate with Louisa Diana (Treasurer) to switch your account to reflect institutional pricing and link all applicable accounts. This must be completed before you can submit the conference registration form.

 

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FEES

We are pleased to offer affordable conference registration fees this year, as follows:
Note: Conference registration fees listed below are only for admission to the conference and do not include or guarantee hotel accommodations. Prices below do not include the annual individual or institutional WFAA membership fees as detailed above for new or renewing members.
  • Current WFAA Members (including members who have institutional pricing): $200/attendee
  • Non-Members Not Seeking WFAA Membership: $245/attendee
  • 2023-24 Sponsor/Vendor Members: $600/attendee (includes the $200 individual conference registration fee plus a $400 vendor table fee) 
 
PRE-CONFERENCE TRAINING EVENT
 

WASFAA will be offering a pre-conference, NASFAA Authorized In-Person Training event on Packaging & Award Notification the morning of October 18th. Register Now Here!  

Pre-Conference Event Description: Join us for an informative and interactive session in which we’ll explore the Packaging & Award Notification which involves employing strategies to distribute limited financial aid resources to qualified students to attend the postsecondary school of their choice. The packaging process combines various types of Title IV and non-Title IV aid from federal, state, institutional, and private entities, to help meet the financial need of college students. 

Included in the $55 WASFAA-member registration fee for this NASFAA Authorized event is the NASFAA U Self-Study Guide, regularly priced by NASFAA at $218, and voucher for up to two attempts to pass the Student Eligibility credential examination, a total value of more than $300. 
 

CLICK HERE FOR CONFERENCE SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

 

2023-2024 WFAA Conference Agenda

 

10/18/2023

 

8:00-11:30 AM

WASFAA Pre-Conference Training: Packaging & Award Notifications NASFAA Credential

Fairhaven Room

9:00-11:00 AM

FAC Business Meeting with CTC's

Sehome Room

10:00 AM- 12:00 PM

Vendor Setup

Mt. Baker Room

10:00 AM- 12:30 PM

Registration Table Open

Library Hallway adjacent to Main Event Hall

11:00- 11:30 AM

Newcomers Session with WFAA Executive Council

Whatcom Room

12:00- 1:30 PM

Welcome Luncheon

Whatcom Room

12:45 PM

Keynote Speaker- Cara Lane

Whatcom Room

1:30- 1:45 PM

Break

 

1:45- 2:30 PM

Rise Up to Change- General Session by Cara Lane

Whatcom Room

2:30-3:00 PM

Vendor Visit and Break

Mt. Baker Room

3:00- 4:00 PM

FAFSA Simplification: What is Your School Doing and How to Handle the Tough Conversations

Presented by Molly Walsh, DigiPen/ WASFAA Training Committee Co-Chair

Whatcom Room

3:00- 4:00 PM

The Washington College Grant (WCG), WCG-Connect (WCG-C), State Aid Repayments

Presented by Gabriele Matull Worst, WSAC

Fairhaven Room

3:00- 4:00 PM

Identity Theft

Presented by Jeff Lackey, Sallie Mae

Sehome Room

3:00- 4:00 PM

How To Leverage Social Media to Increase Student Engagement

Presented by Rosemary Martinez-Kepford, Earnest

Cascade Room

4:00- 4:15 PM

Transition

 

4:15-5:15 PM

Pell Calculations with FAFSA simplification and Case Studies

Presented by Molly Walsh, DigiPen/ WASFAA Training Committee Co-Chair

Whatcom Room

4:15-5:15 PM

Keep Moving Forward: How Financial Aid Outreach Can Support Conditional Scholarship Recipients

Inez Olive and Jessica Davis, WSAC

Fairhaven Room

4:15-5:15 PM

Best Practices: Working with Veteran and Military-Affiliated Families on Your Campus

Presented by Alexandra Bailey, Spokane Falls CC & Teresa Robinson-Duane, South Seattle College

Sehome Room

4:15-5:15 PM

Engaging Gen Z with Clear Communications

Presented by Wendy Papkoff, Campus Logic (Ellucian)

Cascade Room

 

Dinner on own

 

   

 

 

10/19/2023

 

 

Breakfast on Own

 

8:30-9:00 AM

Networking and Vendor Time (Whatcom and Mt. Baker)

Whatcom Room and Mt. Baker Room

9:00-10:00 AM

NASFAA General Session- Top FAFSA Simplification Questions- Virtual w/ NASFAA Trainer Karen McCarthy

Whatcom Room

10:00-10:30 AM

Vendor Visit and Break

Mt. Baker Room

10:30-11:30 AM

What You Need to Know: FAFSA Simplification Act

Presented by Christina Winstead, WSAC

Whatcom Room

10:30-11:30 AM

PJ Determinations and Homeless Youth Session with FAFSA Simplification Changes

Presented by Molly Walsh, DigiPen/ WASFAA Training Committee Co-Chair

Fairhaven Room

10:30-11:30 AM

Compassion within Compliance: Leveraging Financial Aid as an Equity Tool

Presented by Teresa Robinson-Duane, South Seattle College, Beth Hawes & Shawn Warner, Green River College

Sehome Room

10:30-11:30 AM

Leading from the Middle: What it means and how to do it well

Presented by Amanda Cornelius, Northern Arizona University and WASFAA President

Cascade Room

11:30 AM -12:30 PM

Lunch & Networking

Whatcom Room

12:30- 12:45 PM

Charity Spotlight: Animals as Natural Therapy

Whatcom Room

12:45-1:15 PM

WASFAA Update by WASFAA President Amanda Cornelius

Whatcom Room

1:15-1:30 PM

Vendor Visit and Break

Mt. Baker Room

1:30-2:30 PM

Better FAFSA Training Scenarios

Presented by Christina Winstead, WSAC

Whatcom Room

1:30-2:30 PM

Unaccompanied Homeless Youth – From a College Perspective

Presented by Chantel Fields & Joy Hicks, Bellingham Technical College, Molly Paterson, Western Washington University

Fairhaven Room

1:30-2:30 PM

Take a Break: The Importance of Rest and Walking Away

Presented by Greg Kerr, ECMC Solutions

Sehome Room

2:30-2:45 PM

Transition

 

2:45-3:45 PM

Building Partnerships and Leveraging Resources to Increase Capacity for Financial Aid Completion

Presented by Christina Winstead, WSAC

Whatcom Room

2:45-3:45 PM

Challenges and Potential Solutions with WorkStudy

Presented by Debbie Jackson, WSAC, Melanie Ruiz, Shoreline CC, Lisa Fortson, Clover Park Technical College, Rachel Lee, Olympic College, & Joy Hicks, Bellingham Technical College

Fairhaven Room

2:45-3:45 PM

The Future is Now: Preparing the Resumption of Repayment

Presented by Greg Kerr, ECMC Solutions

Sehome Room

2:45-3:45 PM

Identifying and Preventing Financial Aid Fraud

Presented by Kristen Gast & Brandon Waldren, Eide Bailly LLP

Cascade Room

3:45-4:00 PM

Transition

 

4:00-5:00 PM

Birds of a Feather- 2 Year

Whatcom Room

4:00-5:00 PM

Birds of a Feather- Public 4 Year

Fairhaven Room

4:00-5:00 PM

Birds of a Feather- Private 4 Year

Sehome Room

4:00-5:00 PM

Birds of a Feather -For Profit

Cascade Room

5:30-7:00 PM

President's Reception- Lite Hors D’oeuvres

Restaurant

 

Dinner on own

 

   

 

 

10/20/2023

 

7:45 AM

Breakfast and Networking

Whatcom Room

8:30-9:30 AM

WFAA Business Meeting

Whatcom Room

9:30-11:00 PM

WSAC Update by Carla Idohl-Corwin

Whatcom Room

 

Make Sure to Stop in to Visit Vendors!

Mt. Baker Room