Financial aid director honored by state association

Melissa Ibañez, director of financial aid and associate vice president of enrollment management, was recently recognized for her service to the Pennsylvania Association of State Financial Aid Administrators.

Ibañez received the President's Award for providing exemplary leadership to the association during 2015.

Ibañez is also the director of financial aid at the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville. She has worked at Pitt-Bradford since 1999.

In addition to managing the Financial Aid Office and administering student financial aid programs, she is a certifying VA official for the campus.

She is also a member of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, the Standards of Excellence Peer Review Team, the Eastern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, and the Northeast Association of Student Employment Administrators. She serves on many of these organizations' committees and frequently presents at conferences and provides training at various workshops.

Ibaňez volunteers at Hill Memorial United Methodist Church, serving on its council and the finance committee, as well as an usher and head auditor. She also has volunteered with the Special Olympics since 1999 and is active with the Polk Center.

Before coming to Pitt-Bradford, she served as the associate director and director of financial aid at Syracuse (N.Y.) University College of Law and as the assistant director of financial aid at Seattle University School of Law.

Ibaňez holds both master's and bachelor's degrees in business administration from Pacific Lutheran University. She and her husband, Mack, live in Bradford.