Experience

  • A Career Dedicated to Students and Families

    With over twelve years of experience working in higher education finance, Kaylee prides herself in working alongside a network of advocates in supporting neurodiverse, disabled, and at-risk students to dream big and achieve their educational and career goals.

    In the financial aid office Kaylee has helped countless families to afford the ever-rising costs of colleges, universities, and career schools. As a counselor and certifying official Kaylee has travelled to schools and community centers to help families better understand the resources that may be afforded to them, as well as assist veterans in securing their educational benefits.

  • Financial Aid and Higher Ed Finance Expert

    Whether it be talking to middle-schoolers about their dreams to be astronauts, or helping PhD students secure funding for books and meals, or even aiding college graduates in understanding how to lower their student loan payments to match their income, Kaylee has seen every aspect of the student lifecycle.

    With an in-depth knowledge of curricula, compliance, and aid administration, Kaylee has come to understand each cog in the machine of higher education and student finance.

  • Effective Grant Writer and Fundraiser

    Kaylee’s responsibilities have included applying for and managing both technical and non-technical grants and donor funds ranging from several thousand dollars to several million dollars per award. One of the highlights of Kaylee’s career thus far has been to quickly secure emergency relief funds to provide additional financial assistance to students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    All of these funds have helped countless students, families, and communities by lightening the burden of educational costs and by funding research and training to propel great minds to soar to new heights within their industries.

Roles

  • Military Program Coordinator, VA School Certifying Official

    University of Rochester | Rochester, NY

  • Vice President of Operations, Director of Financial Aid

    Shear Ego International School of Hair Design | Rochester, NY

  • Student Debt Counselor

    Continental Services Group, Inc. | Fairport, NY

  • Financial Aid Administrator

    Colorado Technical University | Chicago, IL

  • Student Loan Coordinator

    Career Education Group | Chicago, IL

  • Financial Aid Administrator

    Le Cordon Bleu | Chicago, IL

COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS AND RELATED PROJECTS

  • Verification of Compliance Committee Member

    Middle States Commission on Higher Education Accreditation Self-Study | University of Rochester

  • Reaccreditation and NYSED School Licensure Officer

    Shear Ego International School of Hair Design | Rochester, NY

  • Organizational Improvement Taskforce

    Career Education Corporation | Chicago, IL

RECENT Conferences and Related coursework

Leading for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education - University of Michigan, Estimated Completion May 2024

Meeting on the Future of Ukrainian Higher Education - Association of American Universities, May 2021

Veteran Benefits Administration Certifying Official Office Hours - US Department of Veteran Affairs, Monthly from March 2019 - January 2023

School Counselor Webinar - New York State Financial Aid Administrators Association, October 2022

Guns on Campus: Best Practices and Lessons Learned - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, October 2022

First-generation Professionals in Higher Education: Strategies for the World of Work - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, March 2022

Leading Campus Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention: Grounded Approaches for Student Impact - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, May 2021

Equity-Driven, High Achievement Assessment of Student Learning and Development - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, May 2021

Testimonials

“I’ve had the pleasure to watch Kaylee grow since she was born, and I believe that her experience and compassion for students and her community make her a great pick for Mount Morris school board”.

               —Christian Swanson, Mount Morris Community Member

“Kaylee is a person who will fight for what she believes in, and only does what is right and just. She is an extremely honest and a caring person. I know that Kaylee would give 100% to the school board and do anything she could to help improve the school. Kaylee is more than qualified to do the job”.

—Chelsey Woodworth, Mount Morris Town Clerk

“During the first year of her time with Career Education, Kaylee managed to support, assist and counsel hundreds of students from various backgrounds and demographics. It was apparent early on, that Kaylee has the ability to adjust her communication style and personalize her approach and interaction for the benefit of those she worked with.

Kaylee is a very intuitive and skilled communicator; she is able to simplify complex processes into understandable terms and examples to ensure student comprehension. Additionally, her ability to connect with different perspectives was uncanny and she shows a strong potential to empathize effectively, especially in a fast paced environment.

Kaylee has been a pacesetter within our team; she has demonstrated the ability to gather her experience and share her skills with others, often opting to mentor new advisors without being instructed to do so. I have seen firsthand the benefit of her approach to adversity and her desire to assist others in efforts to help shorten their learning curve.

Kaylee is an emerging leader with great potential to impact objectives while always keeping the big picture in mind. Kaylee is one of the few individuals that can effortlessly blend driving results while having a positive influence on her environment. I believe that she is a future leader and will continue to bring her ability to simplify complexity and do so with a smile on her face”.

—Justin Allen, Former Director of Campus Processing at Career Education Corporation