Carla Bender, associate director of financial aid at Hope College, has been elected vice president of the Michigan Student Financial Aid Association (MSFAA).
Founded in 1967, the MSFAA brings together postsecondary schools and other public and private organizations involved with providing financial aid for students. The association has more than 500 members.
As vice president Bender will be a member of the organization's Executive Board, which consists of seven members and five sector representatives. Her one-year term begins at the end of the month.
Bender has been a member of the Hope staff since 2002. She has served the MSFAA in a variety of ways, including as a sector representative for two- and four-year independent colleges and universities, and as a member of the Federal Issues, State Issues and Communications committees. Her involvement in her field beyond campus also includes serving as an "Ask the Aid Advisor" volunteer with finaid.org.
Prior to coming to Hope, she had held positions in financial aid at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, Union Community College in New Jersey and Oakland University. While in New Jersey she was active in the New Jersey Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, and was a trainer for New Jersey High School Guidance Counselor Financial Aid Training.