The Awards and Scholarship Committee handles all the details around soliciting
nominations for awards and scholarships, selecting recipients, and notifying
those awarded.
Amy Spinnato, Chair
Associate Director of Financial Aid
Stevenson University
1525 Greenspring Valley Road
Stevenson, MD 21153
Phone: (443) 352-4371
Fax: (443) 352-4370
Email: aspinnato@stevenson.edu
Committee Members:
Danielle Ballantyne - Loyola University Maryland
Keia Brown - Harford Community College
Lori Henry - Frederick Community College
Patricia E. Lopez - Montgomery College
Committee Activities for Awards and Scholarship Committee Volunteer of the Year
Volunteer of the Year nominated by the Membership Committee and the Executive
Board. 2002 first year of award.
2002-2003 Volunteer of the Year - David Manning
New Member of the Year
New Member of the Year nominated by Professional Development and Training Committee
and Executive Board. 2002 first year of award.
2002-2003 New Member of the Year - Pat Shoemaker
Committee of the Year
Selected by the Chair, Past-Chair and Chair-elect. 2001 first year of award.
2002-2003 Committee of the Year - Development Committee
Marilyn Brown Professional Excellence Award
The DE-DC-MD ASFAA Executive Board created the Marilyn Brown Professional Excellence
Award in 1990 to honor the memory and life work of a dedicated financial aid
administrator. Over a twenty-year career, Marilyn Brown could maintain equilibrium
between the constant challenges of her profession and the needs of her students.
Because of her expertise, students who would have fallen out of the system received
financial aid that enabled them to complete their education. The recipients of
this award demonstrate these qualities of professionalism and sensitivity. Recipients
must show an exceptional contribution to students, school or the association;
show professional ethics of the highest caliber; and with at least five years
in the financial aid profession, show dedication to serving students in adverse
situations. In the spirit of rewarding unrecognized excellence, the recipient
need not be a member of the association.
The 2001-02 recipient of this award was Elaine Sweeney from CCBC-Dundalk.
The Service Award
In 1978, the Executive Board created the Service Award to recognize the achievements
of members whose active participation on committees or other organization activities
had contributed to the betterment of the association. An Executive Board member
or a Committee Chairperson makes nominations for the Service Award. This recipient
has served the association in one or more of the following ways: (1) increasing
membership participation, (2) enhancing the image of the associatin in the wider
community, (3) promoting professional development of the membership.
2001-02 recipient was Margaret Bowler from CCBC-Catonsville.
Lifetime Membership Award
The Lifetime Membership award honors a longtime active member of the association
for extraordinary service. Any association member may submit a nomination to
the Awards Committee. After review, the Awards Committee submits the nomination
to the Executive Board for approval. The winner of this award receives a plaque
and lifetime membership to the association.
In 1992, the Executive Board established a scholarship for students attending
an eligible institution in Delaware, the District of Columbia and Maryland. We
make a $1,000 award to a student from each area. Financial aid directors nominate
students on a need and merit basis, and the Awards Committee reviews the application.
The scholarship recipients are announced at the spring meeting. Twelve scholarships
were awarded for the 2001 - 02 academic year.
