Tayler Kreutter

• Oversee a comprehensive student financial services program, managing an institutional financial aid budget of $65 million and a total financial aid program of $85 million annually
• Direct the management of the institutional loan program, overseeing the $14 million loan portfolio and ensuring its effective administration while aligning with federal and state regulations
• Provide strategic and operational leadership to align financial aid and student account programs with the College’s mission, enhancing overall service delivery and ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations
• Develop and administer standard operating procedures for the department, including professional development and training, improving team performance and operational efficiency
• Oversee the implementation of econometric modeling for yield and financial aid projections, optimizing the student enrollment funnel and enhancing financial aid strategy to increase enrollment
• Monitor compliance with Title IV and state financial aid programs, ensuring adherence to federal regulations and institutional policies to protect financial records and prevent potential risks

Strategic Leadership and Organizational Development

• Led the transformation of Student Financial Services (SFS) through a comprehensive reorganization, improving team efficiency, and establishing clear role definitions, accountability standards, and measurable performance metrics for 12 staff members
• Prioritized professional development for all 12 staff members, resulting in a 95% staff certification rate in federal aid regulations
• Strengthened cross-functional collaboration and relationship-building with campus stakeholders, resulting in a 30% increase in positive feedback on SFS from faculty and staff in annual surveys, and improving interdepartmental communication
• Mentored and developed the SFS leadership team, fostering professional growth in both technical knowledge and soft skills such as collaboration, problem solving, and adaptability
• Collaborated with the Division of Student Success to develop strategies for case management of academic and financial risk students, ensuring timely intervention and enhanced student success
• Implemented a service feedback program to continually assess the performance of the Student Financial Services office and identify areas for improvement

Student Services Optimization

• Introduced an innovative caseload management structure that empowered SFS counselors to handle 20% more cases while improving student satisfaction by 18%, fostering better relationships and outcomes for over 2,500 students annually
• Guided the implementation of the YouCanBookMe online appointment system, facilitating 1,500+ student and family appointments, with 95% of appointments now conducted virtually, improving accessibility and reducing appointment scheduling errors
• Spearheaded the redesign of financial aid offer letters, meeting all 10 best practices outlined by the U.S
• Government Accountability Office (GAO), leading to a 20% increase in student and family satisfaction based on feedback from over 1,000 families
• Championed the College Cost Transparency Initiative, securing Mount Holyoke College’s recognition as one of only 30 private colleges nationwide at point of debut to meet national standards for cost transparency, resulting in a 25% increase in yield from high need financial aid recipients
• Increased operational efficiency by creating a robust financial aid application tracking system, reducing reading delays by 25% and facilitating a 15% faster completion rate for financial aid processing, impacting over 5,000 student applications annually
• Introduced a new system for applicant record creation, enabling streamlined processing for inquirers and applicants submitting the CSS Profile, improving data accuracy and reducing processing time by 20%
• Initiated the earliest financial aid application reading cycle in department history, including returning students, to provide students with financial aid information as soon as possible, improving student decision-making timelines by 20%
• Developed and executed a strategic outreach and communication campaign, leading to a $4 million improvement in accounts receivable, a 15% reduction in outstanding balances, and the elimination of financial withdrawals, maintaining a 100% success rate for five consecutive semesters

Community Engagement

• Delivered 30+ community-based financial aid presentations in the fall, increasing outreach and educating students and families on financial aid options
• Represented Mount Holyoke College at state, regional, and national conferences, engaging with professional organizations to stay informed of current financial aid trends and best practices
• Created and delivered multiple briefings on local and national issues pertaining to student financial services, ensuring that both internal and external constituencies were kept informed of critical developments

Student Employment

• Implemented a successful transition of the Student Employment Program into Student Financial Services, increasing student participation by 25% and improving overall student employment satisfaction scores by 15% through streamlined processes and enhanced financial aid integration
• Led the improvement of student employment governance and structures, working toward long-term efficiency and sustainability in the program
• Stabilized the Student Employment program by refining job posting, hiring, logging hours, and payment processes, resulting in a 30% reduction in administrative errors and a 15% faster processing time for students
• Enhanced onboarding processes for student employees, including I-9 completion, by implementing targeted outreach and process refinements, increasing compliance rate to 98% and reducing onboarding time by 25%
• Cultivated strong relationships with stakeholders by facilitating open communication and collaboration.

• Developed and maintain policies and procedures intended to ensure compliance with external regulations and internal policies and procedures designed to maximize timely collection of student tuition dollars while ensuring student and parent satisfaction
• Managed and distributed $35 million in aid to undergraduates and graduates
• Optimized packaging strategies that maximize net revenue, control discount, and balancing institutional goals while ensuring an appropriately unbiased awarding process
• Served as the chief financial aid compliance officer ensuring accurate reporting and full compliance with all regulations, laws, and institutional policies for aid programs
• Worked collaboratively with departments across campus to enhance service delivery to students, faculty and staff including process redesign, implementation of new service models, and integration of systems
• Ensured effectiveness and integrity of central systems that calculate, assess, bill and collect student tuition/fees, housing and dining revenue $42 million annually
• Provided leadership in making recommendation for system enhancements and implementing applicable system related process changes

• Directed the office’s customer service activities, ensuring effective, professional interactions between the Financial Aid Office (FAO) staff, the campus at large, and our students and their families
• Lead the effort to utilize new and existing customer service activities to continuously improve the customer experience
• Provided direct supervision to multiple staff members, as well as leadership to the entire office by coordinating and developing counseling models to ensure the FAO’s commitment to service excellence across all staffing level and served as a leader and mentor in modeling and reinforcing counseling behavior
• Managed the office’s relationships with the key departments such as Athletics, Eastman Dual Degree, campus opportunity programs, and advancement to extend the office’s outreach efforts
• Supervised staff including hiring, conducting performance reviews, and training to ensure the development of the staff member
• Indirect responsibility for all activities overseen by direct reports
• Managed the endowed scholarship program of over $1.5 million annually, including development of effective procedures to ensure efficient awarding and disbursement, compliance with donor restrictions, and verification of accuracy of eligibility calculations
• Assessed Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), and execute the activities necessary to inform students of failure to achieve progress, as well as managing the SAP appeal process
• Oversaw the financial aid appeal process including need-based and 9th/10th semester requests

• Manage and oversee financial literacy, outreach, social media for aid office
• Collaborate with staff and other appropriate contacts to develop and disseminate a quarterly Financial Aid Newsletter to over 4,000 readers
• Processed applications of financial aid casework including needs analysis, packaging, verification, appeals and counseling for approximately 700 students
• Supervised two professional staff members including financial aid counselor and guest relations counselor within the Customer Service Team

• Coordinated and oversaw all outreach activities for the financial aid staff
• Implemented a robust, campus wide financial literacy program utilizing Salt and American Student Assistance
• Managed social media accounts to ensure distribution of financial literacy information and important deadlines
• Collected and analyzed financial data on approximately 700 students/families for need analysis, packaging, and verification

• Collected and analyzed financial data on approximately 1200 students/families for need analysis, packaging, and verification
• Coordinated outreach activities within the office and community, totaling approximately 60 events and presentations per year
• Helped manage the awarding of Student Aid from Gifts and Endowments, including identifying intent, fund types, stewardship, and budgeting for purposes of reporting and reconciling

• Was responsible for providing high quality correspondence, informational materials and program documentation
• Monitored customer contact volume and proactively managed scheduling and other activities
• Created and facilitated new hire training and mentoring programs for student staff and temporary workers
• Processed change of status forms and manipulated data for the Satisfactory Academic Progress regulations