I have been working in Student Services at the University of the West of Scotland since 2008. Initially joining the team as a Student Support Adviser, I moved on to become the Student Funding Team Leader and have been in this role for over 10 years. Since taking on this role the team has developed significantly to become a proactive service for students, with the development of financial capability skills being a core strategy in our service delivery.

I have been on the NASMA Board since 2017 in the role of Scotland Policy Rep and have thoroughly enjoyed this experience. During this time I represented NASMA on the Scottish Government Project Board that has delivered the new Student Information Scotland resource, designed to be an initial and comprehensive resource for all types of students embarking on study, and includes a financial capability focus.

Through this role I have also worked closely with SAAS, developing a working relationship that features NASMA as a partner in operational and strategic discussions, and representing the views of Scottish members.

I look forward to continuing to be part of the NASMA Board, this time in the position of Chair, and look forward to working with the Board, NASMA Office, Committees and wider membership to support our members.

I have worked in Higher Education for 14 years based at the University of Birmingham I started as a Student Funding Advisor and moving to my current role of Head of Funding, Graduation and Awards team almost 3 years ago. I lead a team of 11, with a wide range of responsibilities, sitting in Student Services.

During my time at Birmingham, I have overseen access bursaries, Student Support Funds, Federal Student Aid and scholarship establishment and governance. I have also been involved in the establishment of Sanctuary Scholarships and was involved with the University becoming a University of Sanctuary. My team also coordinates the University Funding Administration System, bringing together all scholarship and bursary information at the University into one central system for administration and payment purposes.

I have been regional co-chair of the Midlands for the last 2 years, and I look forward to continuing to contribute to the mission of NASMA.

I’ve enjoyed building twenty five years experience working within the Money Advice Team at Edge Hill University. Alongside this role, I’ve worked as a Resident Hall Manager, Disciplinary & Support Officer and Accommodation Debt Recovery Officer. I’ve used all platforms to gain rich insight into student issues, behaviour and communication.

In the early days, as a solo adviser, NASMA was very much a lifeline. As time has progressed, it’s been great to feel it’s an organisation I could contribute to, being involved in the Money Doctors project, my previous role as North-West Regional Chair, delivering at the 2022 NASMA conference and now as a member of the board.
I’m passionate about community, collaboration and communication and am currently working alongside SLC and the NHSBSA to improve resources for students and staff and improve communication to students.
Training and development sit within my core values and are something I engage with, from a place of curiosity, on a personal and work level. I look forward to working with the board and members to continue to offer a current, varied and engaging training and development programme.

I have been working in Student Services at the University of the West of Scotland since 2015. I absolutely love my role. My day to day can be so varied: dealing with students on a one-to-one basis; problem solving; coming up with content for social media or web support; processing fund applications; planning and running events. There is never a dull moment.

Prior to working in a university, I worked for a long time supporting unemployed people to build confidence, develop their skills and secure work. This experience has served me well when supporting our very diverse student population. I provide support to students on issues such as housing, budgeting, benefits and debt. I also support them with student finance queries and making sure their funding stays on track.

On the other side of the role, there are lots of fun and creative outlets. I have really enjoyed developing financial capability materials. I find that researching and creating tools and guides helps balance out the challenges of supporting students with more complex issues. I also love meeting students and participating in fun events.

I am an accredited NASMA member and active participant in the Scotland region.

I work at UWE Bristol as Student Money Service Team Manager. I’ve worked in Higher Education for 23 years including 15 years as a Money Adviser and 3 years leading our fabulous Money Advice & Student Engagement team. I do the things that many of you do in your day-to-day, helping students to swim through the sometimes-murky waters of student finance, working closely alongside our hardship funds team, and exploring the mystical world of engaging students in financial capability. For the past 2 years it’s also been my honour to represent South West members as Regional Co-ordinator, listening to members views and feeding them back to NASMA where needed. For the past 20 years NASMA has been a fantastic resource to me. Being able to tap into our collective NASMA brain and benefit from the awesome training on offer has been invaluable. I think the work of NASMA has improved things significantly in the world of student finance. I hope to contribute to this as Campaigns Co-ordinator by drawing on the knowledge and experience of all NASMA members to help influence student finance policy and take forward campaigns to help improve the student experience.

I currently work as the Financial Support Manager at Keele University, where I have worked since 2022. I’ve worked in a variety of different roles in Higher Education since 2008, all of which had an element of Student Finance weaved into them. I’ve completed my master’s in educational leadership in 2024, which I’ve studied part time alongside working full time.

As part of my role, I manage a team of Financial Support Officers and a variety of different financial support packages offered by the university. Days are often varied and since joining NASMA in 2022, I’ve found it to be such a support. I’ve also been co-chair of the Midlands regional meetings for the last few years and have learnt a lot in facilitating meetings within the region and hearing about the different challenges and successes other universities are having.

England policy is about to go through a massive change and I’m excited to be able to bring my expertise on student funding by joining the board and getting involved in conversations on behalf of NASMA members.

I have been a student money/debt adviser with Advice SU, the SU advice team at Queen’s University, since 2007. Before joining Queen’s, I was a money/debt adviser with Citizens Advice and also worked in welfare benefits as an assessor. My work involves providing student finance and debt advice to enrolled and prospective students of the University, and promoting financial capability. I enjoy widening participation work and provide student money sessions to prospective students participating in the various widening participation programmes at Queen’s. I work in partnership with a wide network of organisations, representing the needs of HE students in NI, such as the Money and Pension Service (formerly Money Advice Service), Advice NI, and the Consumer Council. I am currently collaborating with the Department for Communities in NI to address the problems and issues experienced by students claiming Universal Credit. I have special interest benefits work, and hope this is an area of expertise which will be a valuable contribution to the NASMA. I would also like to use my position on the NASMA Board to make representations to the Department of Health to seek a review of the current funding arrangements for degrees in nursing and midwifery in NI.

I’ve worked at St Andrews since 2017, first as an administrator within the Scholarships team in Registry, moving to the Money Advice team in Student Services May 2022. Here I work as a money adviser, helping students to budget their money effectively, as well as administering discretionary funds the University offer. Our team work pro-actively with students, to ensure they are in the best financial position, and have the knowledge they require for life after university
During my time as a money adviser I manage our money mentor scheme, employing students to support the money advisers and promote our services to students.
I’ve been a member of NASMA since 2022 and have found it invaluable, the knowledge shared between members has been great and as the Scotland Policy representative I hope to continue and contribute to this going forward.

I have been a NASMA member since 2003. NASMA membership has been invaluable to me throughout my career. I have worked at 2 different students’ unions and 2 universities in Wales. I started my career at Bangor University Students’ Union and then moved on to work in Student Services as the Student Money Adviser that included managing the Hardship Fund. 6 years later I moved to Cardiff and started my career there in the Students’ Union again before moving to Student Support 12 years ago as a Student Support Adviser. In this time, I also studied an Masters in Equality and Diversity, part time.

My day-to-day work varies from providing one to one support to students on student finance related issues, to plan and co-ordinate our team’s student communication activities. I have a solid understanding of student finance in Wales and the intricacies of the differences across the UK. I have a special interest in equality, diversity and inclusion and have been leading the work within my division for supporting vulnerable groups such as care leavers and estranged students.

I am passionate about being pro-active to improve the student experience and see my role on the NAMSA board as an opportunity to do this.