Hi! I am Jennifer

I am Collaborative Culture; an educational consultant with a specialization in financial aid and thought partner here to support understaffed, student services departments, financial aid offices, and prospective students seeking a route to higher education. I help institutions optimize programs, services, and technology solutions to support student access and success, and I empower individuals to pursue the educational path that’s right for them.

I am also an Oakland Native, former first-generation student, woman higher education leader, and proud toddler mama.

Let's collaborate and be thought-partners to lead change in our communities with passion, empathy, and a positive mindset.

I am

Experienced

I have 17 years of experience in the financial aid & student services industry serving higher education institutions and coaching diverse students one-on-one.

Empathetic

I actively listen to clients and together we identify sustainable solutions that most importantly, work for them.

Advocatory

I am passionate about providing support to under-resourced, minority students and minority-serving institutions.

I believe

That education has the power to be transformative and that all students deserve equitable opportunities.

That student service professionals are some of the hardest working people in higher education.

That through positivity, empathy and collaboration we can bring
change to our communities, and promote social mobility.

More about me

  • Los Medanos College

    Diablo Valley College

    Foothill College

    Contra Costa Community College District 

    • 16 years of financial aid experience (community college sector) serving diverse students.

    • 10 years of financial aid management experience overseeing institutional compliance.

    • Facilitated committee and workgroup meetings.

    • Collaborated with stakeholders to create educational pathways for disproportionately-impacted students.

    • Led Department of Education Program Review and Cal Grant Audit.

    • Developed college policies, procedures, and business processes with a student-equity mindset.

    • Implemented and managed new state program initiatives. 

    • Performed data analysis, and program evaluation for institutional program review.

    • Conducted workshops and trainings for large audiences of college professionals.

    • Developed project implementation plans to serve as a roadmap that guides a team in performing activities and tasks to meet the targeted goals and objectives. 

    • Project management experience: developed project timelines to ensure important milestones are met and the project moves forward to completion.

    • Cultivated and fostered collaborative work environments and teams to work toward a shared mission, goal and to support student success.

    • Led a Pell Grant Reconciliation Workgroup and assisted the college in reconciling/recouping $1.8 million.

    • Led a districtwide financial aid committee to prepare the SIS system for new aid year processing.

    • Restructured institution's Federal Work-Study (FWS) funding model to optimize utilization of funds.

    • Developed and implemented a financial aid pathway for formerly incarcerated students.

    • Redesigned SAP financial aid appeal process for students and staff to improve efficiency. 

    • Contributed to the design of a new free tuition program for first-time students.

    • Led a college's Cal Grant Audit and developed a corrective action plan, resulting in the college averting findings of approximately $50k in financial liability.

    • Utilized technology-driven solutions to improve student experiences (e.g. Global Core, Ocelot).

    • B.S. Degree in Human Development, Minor in Psychology.

    • M.A. Degree in Higher Education Leadership.

    • Contra Costa Community College District Leadership Institute.

    • CSU Fullerton Leadership Institute of Tomorrow.

    • Knowledge of various financial aid management systems (e.g. COD, NSLDS, WebGrants).

    • Proficient in Ellucian Colleague Student Information System.

    • Knowledge of the following technology platforms: Ocelot Chatbot and Counseling Center, Global Core Software, Dynamic Forms.

Let me take the stress
out of program and college planning.

Chat with me

Your first call is free.