Specializing in Government Financial Aid (Ontario/Out of Province/USA) and Student Accounts

Returned to permanent role as Coordinator, Financial Aid and Student Awards (August 2016)

- Hire, on-board, schedule and supervise approximately 30 enrolment services representatives and 10 student Greeters and Telephone Operators (Contact Centre> email, telephone, in-person) using Workday- Involved in many process improvement initiatives such as the Contact Centre re-design using CISCO, which improved response rates from 30% to +85% during our peak period - Participated in Student Central Stakeholder and RO Administration meetings to communicate and facilitate service processes- Escalation point for team leaders, staff and other departments regarding front-line services- Approved exceptions keeping in mind the student and college’s best interest- Provided Performance Evaluations- Acted as a point of reference for RO policies and procedures- Offered on-going training to ensure staff are giving accurate information and feel empowered to make sound decisions- Implemented change management through team involvement; empowering the team to make change- Completed performance management under the guidance of Human Resources and Assistant Registrar- Chair of Service Model Working Group since April 2019

- Create a new communication plan to pro-actively educate students on the benefits of budgeting- Assisted in the amalgamation of Registrar’s and Financial Aid’s front line staff; training, change management, created/documented new processes- Update the Financial Aid website using Wordpress, which includes opening and closing awards applications, publishing new awards, and including additional student resources- Manage a team of ten students to promote the bursary application- Organize and offer training for new employees, front line staff/ Financial Aid Officers; created trainingmodules- USA (VA, Sallie Mae, FAFSA) student loan/funding administrator- Acting Out-of- Province student loan administrator (1 year)- Acting OSAP officer; processed OSAP applications, assisted students in completing application (4 months)- Assess and process Emergency Bursary applications, mobilize internal and external resources- Facilitate start of term budget planning/ financial aid information sessions, AC class and high school visits- Facilitate professional development workshops for all AC staff on OSAP, including Free Tuition and Net Tuition- Coordinate with NSLSC to offer re-payment information session on campus

- Conduct needs assessments, offer academic advice and refer students to internal/external supports when required - Coach students on various learning strategies that are conducive to online learning- Coordinate and facilitate online and on-campus Orientation and WIRED sessions for part-time and full-time online students- Maintain and update +20 online program homerooms with current events and announcements- Host information/recruitment booths during Open House - Compile data and identify trends from “at-risk” reports and implement retention initiatives accordingly for all full-time online programs- Issue learning contracts to students on academic probation; monitor student success and provide follow-up service- Offer flexible office hours to accommodate online learning students- Implemented new communication avenues for students to increase accessibility: text messaging, Skype, Facetime and Join.me- Developed and facilitated a workshop on Student Retention for the Heads of Continuing Education Conference in collaboration with La Cité Collégiale- Initiated and raised funds for the first bursary available to online students exclusively, Rees Bursary- Assisted in successfully hosting the 2013 Fall Mature Student Network Orientation for +100 attendees- Member of the College Student Success Committee

- Responsible for online facilitator hiring, invoicing and course scheduling for over 1500 courses- Subject matter expert in all facets with regards to Online Learning- Team leader for two staff members: Exam Coordinator/Resource Coordinator- Resolved escalated student issues regarding exams, refund requests, facilitator/student complaints- Trouble shoot e-portal/ Black Board technical issues; solicit technical support if required- Responsible for CourseEval set-up (semester/monthly intakes); analyzing data and creating end of term reports- Managed the website Chat feature (Livechat), invoicing, staff coverage, reporting- Responsible for liaising with over 15 colleges across Ontario as the main point of contact for Online Learning at Algonquin College- Nominated for Support Staff Award

- Access and relay sensitive client information to counselors via telephone (call-centre)- Enter accurate and clear case management notes in client files or update counselor profiles using Lotus- Manage inbound calls using ice Contact Centre

Assisting mature students upgrade their skills through post-secondary education, better reflecting the needs of the labour market. Target populations: Newcomers, Second Career Applicants, First Generation and Experienced Workers.- Met with potential non-direct students to discuss employment goals and suggest appropriate program and delivery options- Developed individualized training plans that included navigating the registration process, meeting key administrative deadlines, internal/external referrals and available funding options- Liaised with other College personnel and mobilized appropriate supports for potential and current students - Assisted students in requesting refunds, transfer credits, exemptions/ PLAR, program transfers, reduced course loads, program progressions and Second Career funding amendments- Completed Labour Market Information research to support Second Career applications and understand employment trends- Promoted services to internal departments and external resources to recruit potential students; developed a PowerPoint presentation used during information sessions- Hosted information/recruitment booths for the Experienced Worker Centre during Algonquin College events: Open House Winter & Spring, Construction Fair and Academic Upgrading Fair- Facilitated an Algonquin College career exploration workshop for five Minwaashin Aboriginal women: 3 out of 5 enrolled to Algonquin College programs in academic upgrading and online learning- Initiated and implemented a “First Generation Bursary” application session to promote the bursary and assist students in filling out application forms; the event generated over 70 new applicants

- Managed a caseload of approximately 300 clients with financial difficulties, disabilities, language and cultural barriers- Conducted interviews and provided in-depth assessments to identify client’s current employment objective, barriers to employment and developed a “Return to Work Action Plan”- Counseled clients on job search techniques, basic life skills and motivational strategies- Provided program information to ensure all clients understood program eligibility criteria as well as their rights and responsibilities; made referrals to appropriate resources- Created integrated electronic client files; tracked, monitored and followed up on clients’ progress- Maintained a sound knowledge of Federal, Provincial and Municipal legislation, policy, procedures and programs- Offered outreach services to community partners and facilitated information sessions

- Fast-tracked and promoted to Financial Service Representative I within 6 months- Delivered high quality customer service in both official languages- Identified clients’ basic banking needs and offered appropriate CIBC products- Maximized cross-selling opportunities to achieve sales targets- Assisted in the training of new staff- Balanced and replenished Automated Teller Machine