Karen McCarthy

Director of Policy Analysis
NASFAA
Washington DC
Biographical Sketch: Karen began her career in student aid working in the financial aid offices at several large, 4-year institutions, including Boston University, Miami University of Ohio, and The Ohio State University. She began work in what is now NASFAA’s training and regulatory assistance department in 1999 before joining NASFAA’s policy team in 2010. She serves on the Department of Education’s FAFSA Design Team and has served as NASFAA’s representative at negotiating rulemaking sessions, both as a resource for school-based negotiators and as a negotiator herself. She has served as a staff representative on various NASFAA task forces including Reauthorization, Campus-based Allocation Formula, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Graduate and Professional Issues, and R2T4. A native of Massachusetts, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree from The Ohio State University.