Sessions & Speakers

Dr. Kerri Moseley-Hobbs works for the U.S Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) where she is continuing a more than 20-year career in postsecondary education and federal student aid. She has held positions as a Technical Specialist, Financial Aid Director, and now a Policy Specialist at FSA. Her focus and subject matter expertise as a Policy Specialist at FSA’s Policy Implementation and Liaison are the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), student eligibility, verification, needs analysis, homeless youth, foster youth, incarcerated students, community outreach, and the Experimental Sites Initiative. Kerri contributes to guidance and outreach in FSA areas including FAFSA design and completion, verification selection and guidance, EFC/Needs Analysis formulas, student eligibility, the design and administration of experiments under the Experimental Sites Initiative, while collaborating in these areas with the Office of Postsecondary Education, the Undersecretary’s office, the General Counsel’s office, and other subject matter related federal agencies.

Kellis Robbins is a member of the U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) Product Management Group, serving as a project manager for the Student Aid and Borrower Eligibility Reform (SABER) development and product owner of the Federal Student Aid Estimator. She has a passion for applying human-centered design to the higher education experience and is excited to apply those same skills at FSA. She obtained her master’s in communication management from George Washington University.

Gail Holt is Dean of Financial Aid at Amherst College in Western Massachusetts. She provides strategic direction and leadership for Amherst’s comprehensive, fully need-based financial aid program, meeting 100% of calculated need without loan. Amherst College is "need blind" for all students. Holt has been leading students and their families through the financial aid application process for more than two and a half decades and is currently serving as chair of the NASFAA FAFSA Simplification and Implementation Working Group. She also served on the NASFAA FAFSA Simplification Task Force in 2015. She is a past president of the Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA). Holt has helped to advance the financial aid profession by contributing to a variety of professional development programs nationally and for the Eastern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (EASFAA). One of the favorite parts of her job is spreading the message that a college education can be affordable for students of all economic backgrounds. “I like talking about financial aid with families, and I like demystifying the process,” Gail says about her work at Amherst College. “It is a true pleasure as a financial aid professional to be able to serve exceptionally qualified students through grant assistance that truly meets their financial needs.”

Karen currently works in NASFAA's division of policy and federal relations, providing a financial aid administrator's "on the ground" perspective to federal student aid policy discussions and debates. She began her career in student aid working in the financial aid offices at several large, four-year institutions, including Boston University, Miami University of Ohio, and The Ohio State University. She began work in NASFAA's training department in 1999 before joining NASFAA's policy team in 2010.