By Chloe Stanley, NASFAA Communications and Engagement Assistant

MVP: Most Valuable Professional is an occasional series that features a brief Q&A with a different NASFAA member. Do you know a financial aid colleague with something interesting to say? Send the names of potential future MVPs and a short note about why you're nominating them to [email protected]. 

Meet Audra Main, FAAC^®, financial aid director at Moore Norman Technology Center. 

Audra brings more than 30 years of financial aid experience to her work and approaches every aspect of her career with a passion for learning, networking, and fun.  Dedicated to mentoring, Audra encourages newer professionals to find their own growth path within the financial aid community. With an interest in thinking critically about approaches to executive leadership, she continues to model the values of collaboration and forward-thinking leadership in her work. 

“I didn’t always have the greatest mentoring early in my career, so I want to make sure others have the support I didn’t,” Audra said. “What good am I doing if I don’t teach others what I know? Some leaders are afraid to, but I’ve learned that sharing knowledge is what helps people grow – and that’s how we keep talent in this profession.”

Over the years, Audra has contributed her time and expertise to the financial aid community in numerous ways. She has served on NASFAA’s Board of Directors, and participated in various national task forces, including the Career Awareness Toolkit Task Force. Audra is also a part of this year’s Executive Leadership Collective. At the regional level, she has served as SWASFAA president and worked on multiple committees. 

Her commitment extends to state-level leadership as well, where she has held nearly every office and contributed to the advancement of policy and practice, particularly in the area of clock-hour schools. Through her dedication to service and mentorship, Audra has helped shape the profession while inspiring others to step into their own leadership roles. 

Learn more about Audra, her interests, and her career path in the Q&A below!

How did you get your start in financial aid?

Technically, I started right out of high school – about six months after – working at the Oklahoma Guaranteed Student Loan Program, processing paper applications. This was 1988. I left for a bit to do other things, then came back to the guaranteed student loan program in 1990 and worked there for five years.

Then the Oklahoma City Bombing happened, and I left financial aid for a couple of years. When I came back, I was working at a community college as an administrative assistant. That department was closing, and they said, ‘Oh, you’ve worked in the guaranteed student loan program - let’s put you in financial aid.’ And that was almost 30 years ago.

Tell us about your institution. What are some unique aspects of working at Moore Norman Technology Center?

Well, the biggest thing that makes our school unique is that we’re a public clock-hour school – not a proprietary one like many clock-hour schools. 

What I love about my school is that among the 29 career tech schools in Oklahoma that follow the same model, ours uses a rubric and matrix to accept applications. Most career tech schools in Oklahoma focus primarily on high school students, and adult students only get admitted if there’s space left. At our school admission is truly based on who deserves to be in the program.

I love that because it gives adult students – like electricians and other skilled tradespeople – the chance to get certifications and licenses they need.

What I don’t like is that because we’re a clock-hour school, we often get forgotten. We’re a very unique type of school, and there aren’t many like us. There’s always the need to emphasize clock hours – not just credit hours. 

What do you find the most rewarding and fulfilling about your work?

We have a very high success rate, and I love that. Our institution cares a lot about our employees and the students, and they take the time to nurture the students and make sure they have everything they need.

I also love financial aid. I want people to love it, too. It’s such a great group of people. I have lifelong friends all over the country who I’ve met through volunteering with NASFAA, SWASFAA, or at the state level. We even go on vacations together. I really love that.

If you could change one thing about financial aid, what would it be?

It’s a tough one. I think everyone just assumes financial aid people are going to roll with whatever happens, and they’re not valued for the role they play at their institution. For example, at our school, we have superintendents instead of presidents. When my superintendent started he said, ‘I hate financial aid,’ quite a lot during that first year. He said he hated having to follow all of the rules. That’s the bad rap financial aid gets – that they’re always the “no” people.

That’s when I decided to pivot my message – not focusing on what we can’t do, but how we can do things within the rules and the law. I hate that financial aid is portrayed as so black and white. Yes, it is, but there are ways to make things happen without breaking any rules. 

I’ve learned that sometimes you need to stop telling people ‘no’ and instead offer solutions. When I changed to that mindset, everything changed.

I wish more financial aid people would have that attitude. But again, compliance concerns make them so worried about rules that they forget about how they’re communicating. Building that relationship and changing the narrative of what financial aid is about is so important.

What's something you wish all higher ed folks knew about financial aid?

They’re really the most loyal and hardworking people at an institution. They take a beating but come back every day because they love what they do. 

Do you have any recommendations for people just getting started in the field?

Get involved in your state and local associations and get to know the people you can trust. As I tell people in my office, your people can be my people in these associations – but it’s okay if you have your own people. It’s also okay if you want to challenge me because you’ve heard something different. We can talk about it. 

So just get involved. That’s the best way to really get to know the financial aid world.

What's something you couldn't function without?

My family and my friends. I’m a very social person – I can’t be isolated. I definitely can’t do life or work without friends. 

I even have my “adventure” friends who travel with me to conferences. While we’re at the conferences, we’re also out exploring the city, having fun, seeing the sights, and doing whatever. That’s kind of how I like to live.

Anything you have learned this year? 

I learn every day. For anything you do, whether personal or professional, you just have to find your resources and learn everything you can about what you’re doing. And most importantly, just have fun doing it. 

Any new hobbies you have picked up this year?

People who know me know that I’m the person who loves Christmas. I had 28 Christmas trees at my conference last year because it was a hard year. I thought we all needed to come together like family, support each other, and just enjoy each other. 

People also know I love the Oklahoma City Thunder. I was really sad when they won the championship while I was in Anaheim at the NASFAA 2025 National Conference – I didn’t get to celebrate properly since it was our first championship.

Any summer plans or typical activities you enjoy in the warmer months? 

I have a group of friends – five of us – we call ourselves ‘The Squad.’ We hang out at the pool, a couple of us have boats, and we like going to the lake.

Want to learn more about Audra? Check out her Voices of NASFAA episode on LinkedIn.

Publication Date: 8/22/2025

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