Michael Shields
Independent Consultant
With over 20 years of experience in higher education financial aid administration, Michael is a seasoned executive leader specializing in financial aid compliance, systems, and operational leadership across federal and state regulatory environments.
He has served as Executive Director of Financial Aid at Trinity Christian College, where she led comprehensive financial aid operations and ensured compliance with Title IV, VA education benefits, and state aid programs. His work has spanned both strategic leadership and hands-on operational oversight in complex regulatory settings.
His expertise includes verification, Return to Title IV (R2T4), reconciliation, packaging, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), and policy and procedure development and review, along with extensive experience managing federal and state compliance and regulatory guidelines. He has led institutional reporting and compliance efforts for FISAP, IPEDS, eApps, and U.S. Department of Education Common Data reporting.
He brings deep systems expertise, with proficiency in Banner, Colleague, PowerFAIDS, CampusLogic, CAMS, and PeopleSoft, and has served as a super user for PowerFAIDS and CAMS, supporting system configuration, optimization, and compliance alignment.
He has partnered closely with Admissions, Registrar, Advancement, Student Life, and Athletics to align enrollment strategy, student support, and regulatory requirements. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Illinois State University and a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from DePaul University in Chicago.
He is an active member of ILASFAA, MASFAA, NASFAA, and NACUBO, and brings a steady, compliance-first leadership approach to her consulting work—helping institutions maintain audit readiness while supporting student access and institutional sustainability.