Melanie Amrhein has been named Interim Executive Director of the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA), effective April 3, 2007. The action was taken by the Louisiana Student Financial Assistance Commission (LASFAC) following the retirement of the agency’s longtime Executive Director, Jack L. Guinn.

Amrhein has been employed with LOSFA since 1999, first as Assistant Executive Director for Operations (Aid Programs) and then as Assistant Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer.

“This is such an exciting time to be in the financial aid industry,” Amrhein said. “We are in the midst of new state and federal initiatives, and LOSFA is committed to being very proactive in working with the schools and the Board of Regents as we find new sources of aid to help students access higher education,” she continued. “Our mission is to ensure that all qualified students have the aid necessary to fulfill their ambitions.”

Prior to joining LOSFA, Amrhein spent ten years in the Office of Student Aid and Scholarships at Louisiana State University as an Assistant Director and later as Associate Director. She served as President of the Louisiana Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (LASFAA) during 1998-99. Her prior experience was in the field of academic counseling and she spent many years working with university students in that capacity.

Amrhein is currently serving on the Executive Board of the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP) as Immediate Past President.

Amrhein received both her BA and MA from Louisiana State University (LSU) and is a lifelong resident of Louisiana.

LOSFA administers Louisiana’s premier merit-based scholarship program, the Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS); the state’s 529 college saving program; the Student Tuition Assistance and Revenue Trust (START) program; and is the U.S. Department of Education’s designated guarantor in Louisiana for the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP).

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