Alanna Nelson is a Management and Program Analyst for the Campus-Based Division at Federal Student Aid (FSA). She has been in the role for over nine years, serving as the operational subject matter expert for the Federal Work-Study (FWS) and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) programs and helping partners to navigate their administrative complexities. She has facilitated projects such as the transition of the Campus-Based programs into the Common Origination and Disbursement System, and the impacts of FAFSA Simplification on Campus-Based reporting processes.
Alanna began her financial aid career over 20 years ago as a work-study student at UMass, Amherst, where she completed her B.A. and later a Master’s in Public Policy and Administration, with a focus on education policy. She has always been driven by a desire to improve outcomes for students through the advancement of equity and access. She brings this passion to her work at FSA, and previously to her community as a founding member of a proposed Waldorf-inspired charter school in Baltimore city. She currently resides in Sacramento, CA where she enjoys the sunshine and being closer to family.