Gary Byers

Gary Byers has nearly 30 years of experience in financial aid. Prior to joining Financial Aid Services (FAS), he held leadership positions in financial aid at a number of large public and private institutions, including National-Louis University, University of Illinois and DeVry University. Industry colleagues, throughout the country, have looked to Gary as an expert in designing and managing large-scale financial aid operations that combine efficiency and rigorous compliance controls. He has administered financial aid in a variety of institutional settings. His work with graduate schools and the online education environment has given Gary a keen understanding of financial aid regulations for alternative academic calendar structures, such as non-term and non-standard term and the Borrower-based Academic Year (BBAY) models.

Some of Gary’s recent projects have included interim director and interim executive director of financial aid engagements with University of Baltimore, University of Texas Permian Basin and Wayne State University.

Throughout his tenure at FAS Gary has been an integral part of several teams. He has overseen professional staff, coordinated efforts in training and quality assurance. Gary has assisted our clients with functional and technical innovations in aid delivery. Gary spearheaded several client engagements focusing on process improvement initiatives. He is adept to applying complex regulatory requirements to delivery processes and procedures.

He has strong user knowledge of Ellucian’s Banner, Campus Management’s CampusVue, The College Board’s PowerFAIDS and Oracle PeopleSoft systems. He is also most proficient with the U.S. Department of Education’s suite of technology applications and systems for administering Title IV federal student aid.

Over the years, Gary has been active in financial aid professional associations in California, Florida, Georgia and Illinois as well as regional and national associations. Gary holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Emory University and a Masters of Educational Administration from the University of Illinois, Chicago.