Financial Aid Office Consultants

Senior Principal Consultant

Steven J. McDowell, MBA, FAAC®

Associate Vice President for Financial Aid Services & Title IV Compliance

Connecticut State Community College

Mr. Steven J. McDowell is the Associate Vice President for Financial Aid Services & Title IV Compliance at Connecticut State Community College. In this role, he has led all activities related to enrollment management during the Connecticut State Community College merger with the US Department of Education and the 12 legacy institutions. He has successfully created and implemented a multi-campus organizational structure for a team of over 55 financial aid staffing professionals and veterans affairs staff, all dedicated to serving a student body of over 40,000. Mr. McDowell has presented locally, regionally, and nationally on vital topics including satisfactory academic progress, verification, gainful employment, strategic enrollment management in financial aid, policy construction, free college programming, and organizational change within the Financial Aid Office.

With over 20 years of experience, Mr. McDowell is a recognized leader in the field, passionately bridging financial aid and strategic enrollment management. His commitment to higher education public policy, specifically in financial aid administration, has led him to serve in volunteer capacities with organizations such as the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), supporting their public policy agendas.

As a dedicated writer, he has contributed to College & University Journal, SEM Quarterly, and multiple chapters in Financial Aid Leadership in Strategic Enrollment Management. He is also the author of the Basic Guide to Financial Aid, a national award-winning publication that provides a roadmap for enrollment professionals to ensure they understand the fundamentals of financial aid administration and Title IV compliance.

Mr. McDowell’s dedication to the field has been acknowledged on both local and national levels. He is a past president of the Connecticut Association of Professional Financial Aid Administrators (CAPFAA) and one of only three individuals in the nation to hold certifications from AACRAO in Strategic Enrollment Management and NASFAA as a Certified Financial Aid Administrator®. His accolades include CAPFAA’s Henry L. Miller Emerging Leader Award in 2017, the P. Jerome Cunningham Distinguished Service Award in 2023, and AACRAO’s Emerging Leader Award in 2020. In 2023, he was honored with NASFAA’s Robert P. Huff Golden Quill Award.

Mr. McDowell earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance from Bentley University and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Hartford. He is currently pursuing his Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from the University of Hartford.