North Carolina State Report
Dana Kelly, NCASFAA President

Can you believe spring is upon us! I can’t believe how fast my time as President of NCASFAA has flown. I have enjoyed this opportunity beyond measure. To date, NCASFAA has had a tremendous year—a very successful New Aid Officer Workshop and 2005 Fall Conference, our first-ever Leadership Symposium was a hit, two well-attended Support Staff Workshops continued to serve a vital need, we provided NASFAA Training across the state, selected three recipients for our newly implemented Middle School Enrichment Scholarship and assigned each recipient a mentor from our membership, notified guidance counselors across that state of updated state post-secondary school information, and hosted the 2006 SASFAA Conference that included an awesome NCASFAA Commuter/Hospitality Suite. Whew! It has been a busy year—but we aren’t done yet!

Spring will take us to Wrightsville Beach for the annual 2006 Spring Conference, April 24-26, at the SunSpree Resort. Look for Tony Carter and his remarkable Program Committee to put together a very worthwhile event filled with training opportunities and definitely some fun in the sun! Anthony Jones from the Department of Education will be with us for the entire conference and will not only provide attendees with a Federal Update, but will also present a General Session on what he feels are “hot topics” in our profession today. Kay Stroud and her Professional Advancement Committee will also host a Pre-Conference Event that will take an in-depth look at federal income tax information.

As I said many times before, NCASFAA is the outstanding organization it is because of its membership. I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the NCASFAA membership for helping make this a successful year. Your support has enabled NCASFAA to continue to thrive and be an active part of the financial aid profession in North Carolina. Whether you served on the Board, a committee, helped out at SASFAA or attended one of NCASFAA’s many events, your participation made a difference. Thank you!

I’d also like to thank the SASFAA Executive Board and especially the eight other State Presidents with whom I served. You guys are the best! Serving as President of NCASFAA afforded me the opportunity to become involved with SASFAA on a level I had not previously experienced. We are truly blessed as a profession to have such outstanding regional association!

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