Kevin Barnes

Kevin is a senior financial aid leader with over 20 years of experience in Title IV compliance, financial aid operations, and student information systems. He has served in roles including Financial Aid Systems Manager, Director of Financial Aid, Institutional Researcher, and Data Manager for the Office of Recruitment and Retention, bringing a rare blend of compliance, systems, and data expertise to his work.

He has led financial aid operations at mission-driven institutions serving high percentages of Pell-eligible and first-generation students, with hands-on expertise in FAFSA processing, verification, Return to Title IV (R2T4), reconciliation, packaging, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), NSLDS/COD reporting, audits, and federal and state program reviews. His regulatory experience includes FISAP, IPEDS, eApps, and institutional reauthorization.

Kevin brings deep systems expertise, having played key roles in multiple student information system and financial aid system implementations. He is an experienced super user of Banner, PowerFAIDS, and Jenzabar, with hands-on responsibility for system configuration, testing, troubleshooting, training, and optimization to support compliance, data integrity, and operational efficiency.

Known for translating complex federal regulations into clear, practical processes, he partners closely with Admissions, Registrar, Advancement, Academic Affairs, Institutional Research, Finance, and IT teams. His leadership philosophy centers on the belief that financial aid is essential institutional infrastructure—supporting access, persistence, and long-term sustainability.

Kevin holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in College Student Affairs from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.