Meet Our Staff

Staff Directory
	Frederick Holding Director Fred received his Bachelor's from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Master's from North Carolina Central University. He has nearly 20 years of experience working in higher education (most at Duke University) in the following areas: Residence Life, Student Accounts, Registration, Athletics, and Financial Aid. Fred joined the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid in 2013 and has served in the capacities of Associate Director and Interim Director prior to assuming his current position as the Director of Financial Aid.
	Shannon Miles Associate Director Shannon has been with the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid since 2002. She oversees the financial aid counseling team, who provide aid to both the undergraduate and graduate student population and she serves as a VA certifying official on campus. Shannon holds an undergraduate degree from Roger Williams University and a Master's Degree in Higher Education from Capella University.
	John Lerma Senior Assistant Director, Customer Service & Compliance John has been with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid since May, 2017. He received a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication: Public Relations, and a Master's in Public Administration from UNC-Pembroke. Prior to joining UNCW, John worked as a Financial Aid Counselor with The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
	Daniel McClanahan Assistant Director, Technical Operations Daniel started with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid in April, 2018. He received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, followed by a Master’s in Executive Leadership from Liberty University. Daniel worked in the Financial Aid Office at Liberty University for seven years before coming to UNCW.
	Jennifer Barnes Financial Aid Counselor Jennifer joined the office of Scholarships & Financial Aid in December 2020 after serving as a Financial Aid Specialist with the College of Central Florida, located in Ocala, Florida. Jennifer has three years of experience with Financial Aid. She also earned an AS degree Information Technology, as well as a BS degree in Management Information Systems; both obtained from the College of Central Florida.
	Rick Baumgarner Senior Financial Aid Counselor Rick received his undergraduate degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008 and his Professional MBA from UNCW in 2020. Before joining the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid at UNCW, he worked in a number of roles in higher education, including serving as Senior Assistant Director at the Office of Financial Assistance at Indiana University Bloomington.
	Patrice Brown Financial Aid Counselor Patrice holds a B.S in Business Administration from Shaw University and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Business Administration from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Before joining the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid at UNCW, Patrice served as an Assistant Director in the Office of Financial Aid for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Patrice has over 11 years of financial aid experience and has been with the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid at UNCW since July, 2019.
	Heather Couty Heather joined the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid in December 2020. Before moving to North Carolina, she was a Financial Aid Specialist at John A. Logan Community College in Southern Illinois. She has an A.S. in Veterinary Technology from John A. Logan.
	Lori Felumlee Financial Aid Counselor Lori joins us from Coastal Carolina Community College where she worked as a Financial Aid Assistant and the Work Study Coordinator with eight years experience. She has a B.S in Psychology from Fayetteville State University and she is obtaining her Masters of Science in Higher Education with Purdue University Global.
	Lauren Janney-Wolf Financial Aid Counselor Lauren joined us in December 2020 after serving with Cape Fear Community College where she worked most recently as the Foundation Relations & Scholarship Coordinator. She has a B.A. in Sociology from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland.
	Alton Johnson Financial Aid Counselor, Veterans' Representative Alton has been with the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid since October, 2014. He is a seven year, US Navy, Persian Gulf War veteran. He serves as lead counselor for the entire veterans' population, serves an undergraduate and graduate financial aid caseload and enjoys offering financial aid. Alton holds an AS degree in Business Administration, has several service medals and plans to finish his bachelor's in Business Administration at UNCW.
	Melodie Loughney Functional Analyst Melodie joined the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid in 2017. She has worked in higher education for more than 20 years. The majority of her career was spent at New York Chiropractic College where she served as a financial aid counselor, Bursar and most recently, Assistant Director of Financial Aid. Melodie earned a BS degree in Business Administration and Economics from SUNY Empire State College.
	Steve MacKinnon Business Officer Steve has been with the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid since February, 2015. Steve holds two Bachelor's degrees, one of which is a B.B.A. in Accounting. Originally from the Baltimore/Washington area, Steve is a licensed CPA with over 15 years of financial and accounting experience in manufacturing and corporate settings, transferring his knowledge and expertise to the university setting.
	Emily McKibbin Financial Aid Processor Emily has been with the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid since 2015. Born and raised in Charlottesville, VA, Emily received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from James Madison University in 2008 and has lived in Wilmington since 2010.
	Wanjiku Njuguna Financial Aid Counselor Wanjiku moved to Wilmington and joined us in August 2020. She has directed an organization where she worked with young children, and then later worked as a Financial Aid Specialist with college students helping them with complete the financial aid process. She has a B.S. in Finance and Master of Science in Education; both from Southern Illinois University.
	Lisa Pipkin Financial Aid Counselor Lisa has over 13 years of financial aid experience, having served as the Financial Aid Administrator at Mid-Atlantic Christian University. In that role, she performed all functions associated with the administration of federal, state and institutional aid. She holds a BS in Christian Education, with a minor in Sign Language from Mid-Atlantic Christian University.
	Dan Sanchez Senior Financial Aid Counselor Dan received his Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Weber State University and his MA in Education from Trident University International. He began working in financial aid administration in 2010, serving as Financial Aid Counselor, and then Assistant Director of Financial Aid, for the University of Mount Olive. Dan has been with the UNCW Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid since 2015.
	Charlene Sidberry Administrative Associate Charlene has been with the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid since 2000. She holds a B.A. in Business Management from Shaw University.
	Tracy Talley Financial Aid Counselor Tracy started with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid November 2019. She joined our team after spending a year exploring and living in California. Being a Delaware native, she worked at a private university called Wilmington University. As of May 2020, Tracy has received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from that same University.
	Patrick Whitfield Financial Aid Counselor Pat joined us in 2020 after serving 12 years with Cape Fear Community College where he worked most recently as a Financial Aid Coordinator and prior with Admissions and the Cashier’s Office. He has a B.S in Business Administration from Mount Olive College, Associates in Accounting and a certificate in Computer Information Systems from CFCC.
	Janice Vereen Administrative Associate Janice has been with the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid since 1999. She is a native Wilmingtonian and holds an A.A. in Secretarial Science from Cape Fear Community College.
	Chad Voorhees Senior Financial Aid Counselor, Veterans' Representative Chad has been with the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid since May, 2015 and has been working in financial aid at other institutions for the past five years. Chad received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication from East Carolina University.