State financial aid group honors Ibanez

The Pennsylvania Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators has honored Melissa Ibañez, the director of financial aid.

The association presented Ibañez with its Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes service to the association over a period of time and not for a single event or activity. Recent recipients of the award make each year's nominations.

Ibañez has worked with PASFAA since coming to Pitt-Bradford as director of financial aid in 1999. She has served as chairperson, committee and faculty member for the association's Don Raley Institute for new financial aid administrators several times. In 2018, she is again serving as chairperson for this training.

She presents at high school financial aid nights, college fairs and association conferences, where she has also served as moderator. She has served as chairwoman, committee member and presenter for other association trainings.

In addition to managing the Financial Aid Office and administering student financial aid programs, she is also the certifying Veterans Administration official for Pitt-Bradford.

She is an active member and volunteer with several other professional organizations. Additionally, she volunteers at Hill Memorial United Methodist Church, serving on its council and finance committee and serving as head auditor.

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.

In 2015, she was named associate vice president of enrollment management. She also serves as the director of financial aid and the certifying Veterans Administration official at the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville.

In 2015, she received the PASFAA President's Award for providing exemplary leadership to the organization.

She and her husband, Mack, live in Bradford.