Tonya Williams

With over two decades of leadership in higher education, Tonya is an experienced financial aid and enrollment management professional specializing in compliance and operations.

She has held senior roles at institutions including Lackawanna College, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, Centenary University, and Trinity Washington University, serving as Director of Student Financial Services, Director of Enrollment Services and Compliance, and Director of Financial Aid. In these roles, she led complex financial aid operations through periods of regulatory change, heightened oversight, and institutional transformation.

Her expertise includes verification, Return to Title IV (R2T4), reconciliation, packaging, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), audits, and federal and state program reviews. She has extensive experience with regulatory reporting, including FISAP, IPEDS, and state reporting, and has supported institutions under Heightened Cash Monitoring (HCM).

She has managed and collaborated across student financial services, debt management, collections, and compliance functions, working closely with Admissions, Registrar, Business Office, Student Affairs, and academic support teams. She is proficient in Banner, Colleague, and PowerFAIDS and has contributed to retention and first-year experience initiatives.

She holds an M.S.Ed. in Higher Education Administration & Leadership (Enrollment Management) from Drexel University, an MBA in Accounting from DeSales University, and a B.S. in Accounting and Business Management from East Stroudsburg University. In her consulting work, she helps institutions move from reactive compliance to proactive risk management—protecting students, institutions, and trust.