The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) appointed American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) nominee Kimberly Brown, Ph.D., M.Ed., vice president of enrollment management and student affairs at Des Moines University (DMU), to serve as an alternate negotiator representing financial aid administrators on the department’s newly established negotiated rulemaking Committee on Borrower Defenses and Financial Responsibility. The USDE enacted this negotiated rulemaking committee to develop proposed regulations supported by committee consensus on borrower defense to loan repayment financial responsibility and other issues regarding Title IV federal financial aid programs.
With 25 years of experience in a range of higher education administration and operations issues, with a specific focus on student financial services and financial aid programs, Dr. Brown will bring an intricate understanding of the impact of Title IV student financial aid programs to this role.
“I’m honored to have been appointed by the USDE to serve on this committee representing financial aid administrators nationally, and I look forward to working with my fellow negotiators to ensure students, higher education institutions, faculty and the public are well-served by federal financial aid programs,” says Dr. Brown.
As past chair of the AACOM Council of Student Financial Aid Administrators (CSFAA), Dr. Brown spearheaded the creation of financial literacy and financial aid debt management modules, which are now being utilized by the nation’s osteopathic medical schools and their students and graduates. As a respected voice and resource for her colleagues, she continues to serve as an active member of the CSFAA and works with her fellow council members to advise AACOM on legislative and regulatory issues that pertain to the improvement of federal student financial aid.
In her role at DMU, Dr. Brown manages a staff of 26 employees and the operations for five budgetary departments, which include the director of financial aid and director of admissions and recruitment. She is committed to expanding financial aid counseling and financial literacy programming for students.
“With her extensive experience administering and overseeing financial aid programs,” says Stephen C. Shannon, D.O., M.P.H., AACOM president and CEO, “I am confident that Dr. Brown’s perspective and expertise will be invaluable as the USDE seeks to review and revise Title IV financial aid programs and regulations. We are pleased that the USDE has established this committee and look forward to continuing our work with the department to ensure federal policies support the educational pathway of the future health care workforce.”
AACOM nominated Dr. Brown to serve on the Borrower Defenses and Financial Responsibility Committee in September and previously submitted comments to the USDE when it announced its intent to establish negotiated rulemaking committees, urging the department to recognize the unique characteristics of medical education as they relate to these regulations.
