Michael Shields

Michael Shields has over 30 years of student financial aid experience in two-year and four-year public, for-profit private and four-year private institutions. Michael came to Financial Aid Services (FAS) in 2017. As a senior consultant, he supports financial aid offices across the country. He provides Interim Staffing, Consulting and Assessment services to improve business processes and enhance student satisfaction. He has a strong knowledge of federal regulations and regulatory guidelines to assist clients in strengthening their compliance efforts.

His previous experience includes tenure with Antonelli College, where he was vice president of student finance, overseeing the Financial Aid, Student Accounts, Registrar and Default Management areas. Prior to joining Antonelli College, Michael was executive director of financial aid at Kaplan University managing financial aid training, the office of the ombudsman and regulatory compliance teams. He has served as a senior aid administrator for the majority of his professional career in higher education.

He is experienced with several financial aid software systems, including Ellucian (SunGard) Banner, Ellucian (Datatel) Colleague, College Board PowerFAIDS and the U.S. Department of Education’s suite of applications and website for administering federal student aid.

Michael has been active in the financial aid professional associations at national, regional and state levels. He has served on a variety of different committees and made numerous presentations at the Midwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA) and the Illinois Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (ILASFAA). His reputation as a trainer and presenter earned Michael invitations to speak at many other state conferences over the years.

Michael received his Bachelor of Science from Illinois State University and Master’s in Administration in Higher Education from DePaul University in Chicago Illinois.