Executive Staff

Milton2010Milton L. Kerstein

President
mkerstein@heag.us

Milton Kerstein has extensive credentials in the field of Financial Aid. He has more than 30 years experience in financial aid where he held several positions within the Massachusetts’ university and post-secondary system. In 1989, he founded The Higher Education Assistance Group, Inc. and is President. In addition, he is a member of several professional organizations such as the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) and the Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA). Mr. Kerstein has been an invited presenter at many professional conferences dealing with higher education.

karKaryn Wright-Moore

Vice President of Compliance and Quality Assurance
kwrightmoore@heag.us

Karyn Wright-Moore’s career spans more than 25 years as a Higher Education Professional, with expertise in areas affecting the compliant delivery of Federal Student Aid Programs.  Karyn started her career in Higher Education in 1985 as an Entry Level Financial Aid Counselor while attending college in Los Angeles, CA.  After earning her degree (with help from a part-time job in Financial Aid) and working in Financial Aid for 12 years, she married and moved to New Jersey to continue her career.  Karyn has successfully served as Director of Financial Aid, Campus Executive Director, Compliance Officer, Vice Presidents of Financial Aid and Operations and finally, Higher Education Consultant.  More importantly, she has maintained her functional level knowledge and expertise, most often preferring to base operations at the campus level to support and mentor Financial Aid staff, students and their families.  Karyn has worked in public, private, proprietary and non-profit institutions.  She has been the Financial Aid Subject Matter Expert for implementation and/or upgrade initiatives for the four most popular SIS systems; Banner, PeopleSoft, CampusView and Datatel.  She describes her passion for Financial Aid as “designing solutions to master the perfect moving target”. Karyn joined the HEAG team in September, 2013.

Joanne Dashiell Executive DirectorJoanne Dashiell

Executive Director
jdashiell@heag.us

Joanne joined HEAG as Executive Director in 2018.  She has 15 years of experience in the financial aid industry. As a former financial aid administrator in a fast-paced, single-person office, Joanne understands the challenges our clients face. Additionally, Joanne was the Manager of Student and Parent Education Services at the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA) and managed several programs and teams at American Student Assistance (ASA) where she was responsible for developing training and educational programs for colleges and universities.  From interim staffing and processing support to implementing process improvements and student service initiatives, Joanne is focused on delivering exceptional support to ensure colleges and and universities meet their students’ needs and comply with financial aid regulations.

Joanne is a member of the Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA), the Eastern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (EASFAA) and has served on the Board of the Massachusetts Educational Opportunity Association (MEOA). She holds a B.S. and a Masters in Business Administration, both from the University of Maine.