July 2008

Meet the Staff

Staff News

MDHE expands its staff

During the two most recent Missouri legislative sessions, several pieces of important higher education legislation were passed and signed into law. Many of these laws created new programs and new responsibilities for the Missouri Department of Higher Education. To help the MDHE perform its expanded duties, the MDHE is expanding its staff with five new positions, including two new positions within the state aid area as well as an additional position within the compliance department. As the positions are filled, the MDHE will introduce new staff members in the August and September issues of the Digest . . . Stay tuned!

Furthermore, as a part of the overall updated staffing design, Robert Powell was promoted to a newly created Policy Analyst position. In his new role, Robert will be the primary person responsible for analyzing new legislation, regulations, and laws and identifying any impacts on MDHE policies and Missouri financial aid officers. Robert will also work closely with Dan Day, Senior Associate for Compliance, in researching and answering your financial aid policy questions. Robert may be reached at robert.powell@dhe.mo.gov and Dan may be reached by emailing dan.day@dhe.mo.gov.

Get to know the MDHE's School & Lender Services staff!

Shellee Kilbride is the senior associate for the School & Lender Services area. She supervises the School & Lender Services staff and oversees daily operations.

Shellee lives with her husband, Chris, and three children, CJ (11), Jaycee (7), and Jayke (5 months). Her hobbies include spending time with family, exercising with Wii Fitness, and doing homework. She received an associate degree from Moberly Area Community College in 1999 and later went on to complete her bachelor's degree at Columbia College in 2001. She is currently pursuing her master's degree with Columbia College.

Shellee has been in the field of financial aid for 11 years and came to work for the MDHE in August of 2007. She says, "The industry changes every day, and I'm happy that the MDHE is able to consistently provide great services without expense to Missouri's tax payers. This is an exciting year to be able to subsidize FFELP default fees for our Missouri students when there are so many other uncertainties in the industry."

Shelly LeCure is the ATOM accounting coordinator. Shelly manages the ATOM escrow account and provides customer service to schools and lenders. She also tracks and monitors ATOM statistics and the default fee process.

Shelly is a 1992 graduate of Central Methodist College with a bachelor's degree in business with a minor in economics. She lives with her husband and two sons, Matt (8) and Joey (3). Her hobbies include spending time with her boys, biking, hiking, rock climbing, and reading. Shelly has nearly 3 years experience at the MDHE.

Diann Tews is the area's office support assistant. Diann has an associate degree in business, and she and her husband live in the New Bloomfield area. Her hobbies include gardening, sewing, and spoiling her 12 grandchildren. Diann enjoys working with the School and Lender Services group, of which she has been a part for nine years, and feels that the group is "providing helpful, courteous service to the schools and lenders."

M. Kay Perry is our program specialist focused on d-fee processing and providing customer service to lenders.

Kay is the youngest of 12 children and has two sons, Michael and Sean. Kay has an Associate of Arts in business, an Associate of Applied Science in data processing, a Bachelor of Science in management, a certificate in upholstery, and a certificate in building construction. Her hobby is calling all of her parents' descendants on their birthdays and anniversaries to keep in touch. That is 195 birthdays alone - and the number goes up every year!

Kay is "proud that we are going to pay the default fees for students attending Missouri postsecondary institutions and that we provide a free service to schools and lenders."

Jill Wilson - As the ATOM coordinator for School and Lender Services, Jill's job responsibilities include keeping up with the changing student loan industry by making changes for lenders and schools, and processing agreements and profile updates. Jill has been in her position for about two and a half years.

Jill has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Columbia College and recently graduated from Walden University with her MBA. She lives with her husband and two children, Lane and Addisyn.

Jill is "proud that we are able to provide great customer service in the School and Lender Services area."

Norma Gilliland is our program specialist assisting schools and lenders with loan maintenance of FFELP loans. Norma worked for the MDHE in the 1990s and returned in 2006; she now has a cumulative of more than five years of MDHE service.

Norma was born in Pennsylvania and moved to Missouri in the Mid 70's. She is married to Randy and has two beautiful daughters, Mariah (12) and Alexis (8). She received her associate degree from Hesston College in Kansas City and then went on to complete her bachelor's degree at William Woods in 2005. Her hobbies include taking care of her family, traveling with Mariah's softball team, and participating in school activities for both girls. Norma has worked for the State of Missouri since 1995.

Lisa Wilson is one of our client managers. (Be sure to check out our "Client Manager" article in our Product News section.)

Lisa is a graduate of Central Missouri State University (now known as the University of Central Missouri) where she received a bachelor's degree in education in 1988. She holds a lifetime certificate from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to teach grades 1-8, and she has been employed with the MDHE for about eight years.

Lisa lives with her husband, Darryl, and two sons, Brock (17) and Quinten (14), on their family farm north of California, Mo. Her hobbies include camping, antique shopping, and attending football and basketball games for her sons.

Lisa has been with the MDHE since 2000 and began working in the School and Lender Services-ATOM area in 2006.

Lori Tarpein is our other client manager.

Originally from the St. Joseph area, Lori graduated from University of Missouri - Kansas City with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and worked for the Platte County Children's Division before joining the MDHE. She lives in Jefferson City with her fiancé, John, and their two cats. Her interests include baking, going to flea markets, and playing canasta with her family.

Lori has been with the MDHE for a year and a half. She says "I enjoy working with the schools and feel that MDHE has a genuine concern for our clients and a sincere eagerness to help them."

MDHE Staff return from NASFAA Conference

As referenced in last month's Digest, marketing and default prevention staff from the MDHE recently traveled to Orlando to present two sessions to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. In addition to our presenters, Leanne Cardwell (assistant commissioner), Dan Day (senior associate - Compliance), and Shellee Kilbride (senior associate - School and Lender Services) also attended the conference for the latest in policy updates and to participate in a variety of financial aid interest sessions.