Nancy Barnett, Director of Client Relations –
Financial Aid Services

When you ping Nancy Barnett, director of client relations at Financial Aid Services (FAS), she might respond from Washington, D.C., Miami, or Juneau, Alaska. As one of the nation's premier higher education financial aid consulting firms, FAS leverages Nancy's marketing expertise for direct marketing, public relations, brand awareness, sales and client retention programs across the U.S.

Nancy relies on her 20 years in higher education, tourism and pharmaceutical marketing to stay at the top of her class by creating, implementing and measuring strategic marketing and public relations initiatives. As an honorary lifetime member of the Georgia Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, Nancy is keenly aware of the challenges faced by the more than 350 college and university financial aid offices FAS has served. She consistently offers marketing programs that describe the education and support FAS offers clients to advance service quality, increase administrative efficiency, better use technology and improve student satisfaction.

In the spring of 2009, Nancy and the FAS team approached c21 to create an e-mail newsletter for FAS' clients and prospects that would provide:

• education on trends in the financial aid industry sector;

• case studies to illustrate the challenges, solutions and results experienced by financial aid offices in universities and colleges nationwide; and

• tips to improve financial aid processes.

The e-newsletter, coined The Compass, launched in May 2009 with outstanding statistical results. The second edition showed an improvement over the first mailing – a 15.6 percent open rate (an increase from 10.5 percent) and a 4.7 percent click-through rate (an increase from 3.8 percent). Together, Nancy and c21 have worked to streamline content, increase distribution and optimize layout, based upon the open and click-through rates for each article's readership.

A native of Baltimore, Md., who grew up in Jacksonville, Fla., Nancy spends her time away from FAS fufilling her desire to travel. She has visited every state in the union, and recent fun locations include Acadia National Park in Maine and Reno, Nev. A graduate of Stetson University, Nancy held key marketing, public relations and financial aid management roles at Brenau College, The Art Institute of Atlanta, Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia Student Finance Commission.