Helen Faith joined UW-Madison as the Director of the Office of Student Financial Aid in August 2020. Faith has twenty years of financial aid, student affairs, and enrollment management experience at both public and private, 2- and 4-year institutions. Her extensive knowledge of policy and regulations has led her to be a trusted resource for colleagues and policy advocates alike. She has been a key negotiator in the federal negotiated rule-making process for the U.S. Department of Education, in addition to serving on the national board of directors for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) and as president of the regional Western Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
Faith is a Certified Financial Aid Administrator and has a master’s degree in Educational Policy, Foundations, and Administration from Portland State University. She received her bachelor’s degree with honors in Literature from the University of California-Santa Cruz.
Faith is the fifth Director of Student Financial Aid at UW-Madison, and she is proud to share the University’s deep and sincere commitment to equity, inclusion, and transformative social change. She believes that college affordability and access are critical factors in enabling progress toward these worthy goals, and she pursues them wholeheartedly with vision, drive, and joy.