NOVA’s Cottom Represents at Advocacy Pipeline Event on Capitol Hill

Jacquelyn Cottom, assistant director of financial aid compliance at NOVA, and Allene Curto, associate director of financial aid services at Springfield College in Massachusetts, participated in an Advocacy Pipeline event hosted by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA). During their visit to Capitol Hill, they met with staffers from the offices of five different lawmakers representing Virginia and Massachusetts.

The main discussion point of the advocacy pipeline was the passage of the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act. NAFSAA also profiled the leaders.  An excerpt is below.

Jacquelyn Cottom, Assistant Director of Financial Aid and Compliance, Northern Virginia Community College

“When I was first contacted by NASFAA to participate in the Advocacy Pipeline I first thought, “How did they know I was interested in advocacy?” I go to work every day to support our students, and the opportunity to communicate and share with individuals who help shape laws that affect our students and profession genuinely excites me. Over the many years in this profession, that excitement is still there and the realization of how important and valuable those efforts are have grown.  

Within the week of our visit, the Senate voted to pass an amended version of the FUTURE Act. We were scheduled to meet with members of the House Ways and Means Committee to discuss IRS data sharing, so the timing seemed perfect. Then, the day before our visit, the House voted on the bill and it passed. It was one of those, “What just happened?!?!” moments.”

Thank you for giving voice to our needs at the college. Click for the full article published by NASFAA