MVP Nancy Ferguson, FAAC®
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].
MVP
Meet Nancy Ferguson, FAAC®, executive director of student financial aid and scholarships at the University of Georgia.
With 26 years of dedication to the profession, Nancy has built a career defined by leadership, advocacy, and a deep commitment to student success. A Past President of the Georgia Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (GASFAA), Nancy now serves as GASFAA’s Legislative Affairs Chair, and contributes regionally as Secretary on the Southern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (SASFAA) Board.
Nancy’s leadership also extends to the national level. As a previous member of NASFAA’s Executive Leadership Collective, she was a part of a cohort committed to championing the financial aid profession.
Among the many milestones in her career, one stands out vividly for Nancy. “One of my favorite milestones was when I received my FAAC®. NASFAA invited me to be in the first cohort in the country before the test was open nationally. I was so nervous, and when I passed, it was such a great feeling of accomplishment,” Nancy said.
For Nancy, earning that credential marked not just personal achievement, but a commitment to elevating the profession.
Learn more about Nancy, her interests, and her career path in the Q&A below!
How did you get your start in financial aid?
I began my career in financial aid like most of us do – I needed a job and I just kind of fell into it! The job I held prior to financial aid was in the science library, talk about a change of pace! I went home and cried after my first summer, wondering what I had gotten myself into. I just finished my 27th summer – I still wonder what I have gotten myself into all these years later.
What have been some of the biggest changes you’ve noticed in the profession since beginning your career?
I love all the changes in technology over the years that have made our jobs more efficient. When I started, everything was paper. We used to have “award letter parties” every spring where we stuffed paper award letters into envelopes for the mail. Student files were all paper and if one of those files went missing all that student’s information was gone, as in gone-gone! Phone messages were taken on those pink slips of paper, etc. There was definitely no getting tax info on the FAFSA directly from the IRS. Things are so much better now and are continuously improving.
Tell us about your institution. What are some unique aspects of working at the University of Georgia?
The University of Georgia (UGA) is the only school I have ever worked at. I have the most amazing team and great leadership. We also have a pretty cool physical space. The Holmes Hunter Academic Building is actually the assemblage of two antebellum buildings; one built in 1831 and the other in 1860. In 1906, the buildings were joined and, just in the last few years, went through a major, historic preservation renovation. If you find yourself in Athens, please come see us!
What do you find the most rewarding and fulfilling about your work?
Right now, I am taking a lot of pride in watching my team grow in their careers as they engage in professional development, tackle complex problems, and get involved in our professional associations. They give me a lot of faith in the next generation of financial aid professionals and I like to think I play at least a small role in their success, just as my predecessors did for me.
If you could change one thing about financial aid, what would it be?
The constant change that we’ve had the last few years. As a profession we have been in complete chaos since 2020 and with all the new OB3 changes it’s not going to die down any time soon. It seems we need to be prepared for anything and everything all the time. I told some people that dragons could descend from the sky right now and I wouldn’t be surprised. Financial aid administrators would just say “Ok. I guess we are doing dragons today.” I’m done with the unprecedented times. I’d just like some precedented times for a while!
What's something you wish all higher ed folks knew about financial aid?
Two things: 1. Your institution would not be open without us, so please treat us that way. I’m blessed to work at a school that values the work we do, but I know that is not universal as I have visited campuses that shove their financial aid offices in dank basements, who tragically understaff their offices, and treat financial aid as an absolute afterthought, and that is a real shame. 2. We generally don’t enjoy saying “no” all the time. Financial aid regulations are what they are, and we are tasked with upholding them.
Do you have any recommendations for people just getting started in the field?
Get to know the other people in the financial aid community! We are an amazing group, and I know I would have lost every last drop of my sanity without my colleagues who are some of my most cherished friends. You can do this by getting involved in our professional organizations. I also think that “Tim the Slack Guy” from NASFAA is doing such a great job at conferences and within the associations to get people to meet and engage with one another.
What's something you couldn't function without?
Diet Coke! My team recently gifted me with 17 cases and are taking bets on how long it will take me to get through them all.
Do you have any hobbies or special interests you’d like to share?
I make friendship bracelets as a stress reliever. I try to customize the colors and charms to the conference or event and I hand them out. It makes me so happy when I see people wear them at future events as well. I gave out almost 80 at last year’s NASFAA conference!
Are you looking forward to any fall/winter or holiday plans?
UGA OSFA’s office is divided into 4 suites, and we do holiday “suite wars” which is a decorating contest. I have something up my sleeve this year for my suite – so UGA OSFA – it’s on!
Publication Date: 11/26/2025
Lashanda C | 12/1/2025 10:51:56 AM
Congratulations, Nancy! You’re definitely an MVP! I’m so blessed to be able to call you a friend!!!
Elizabeth M | 12/1/2025 9:29:14 AM
Congratulations, Nancy. Keep slaying those dragons!
Marvin S | 11/26/2025 3:53:52 PM
Congratulations to Nancy the dragonslayer! Well deserved MVP accolades!
Edward S | 11/26/2025 1:21:58 PM
It was wonderful reading about you Nancy and i think this may become my signature line in my emails (a great GREAT quote...thank you!):
It seems we need to be prepared for anything and everything all the time. I told some people that dragons could descend from the sky right now and I wouldn’t be surprised. Financial aid administrators would just say “Ok. I guess we are doing dragons today.”
Heather B | 11/26/2025 10:0:37 AM
Thanks, NASFAA, for recognizing Nancy as an MVP! She is supportive, smart, funny, and gets my obsessions with Diet Coke AND Disney. She makes a huge difference in our profession and in her state and region. Congratulations, Nancy!
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