Jennelle Willis

Senior Project Manager, Student Development
Student Freedom Initiative (“SFI”)

Accountable to the Chief Operating Officer for the full lifecycle management for the organization’s research, development, and implementation of projects aimed at reducing the wealth gap through the lens of education for member institutions.  The portfolio of projects includes those projects that are associated with internships, certifications, Minority Serving Institution (MSI) Federal Work Study (FWS) Experimental Sites Initiative (ESI), Student Development, on campus Engagements, and other initiatives that complement academic course work and enable attainment of organizational outcomes.

Having worked in Higher education for 15 + years, with the most recent tenure at Howard University serving as the Manager, Student Awards, her primary focal point has been within the realm of financial aid at primarily minority serving institutions within the Washington Metropolitan Area. While at Howard, Jennelle crafted new mediums in which to communicate with students during the unprecedented COVID challenges to establish a new norm in Student engagement. Designed a new learner-centered Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) workshop to help increase the total understanding of the life cycle surrounding the SAP process while subsequently attempting to decrease the rate in which students are repeatedly identified for Failing SAP. Throughout a Career within Financial aid, managed over 50 million in Federal, State, and Institutional based Funding for the purpose of assisting students and families with the means to pursue post-secondary education. Responsible for the design and implementation of several financial literacy benchmarks and student engagement programs through her tenor within financial aid, while also serving as a primary point of research at the institutional level for Policy integration and compliance. She continues her path in higher education toward the enrichment of the lives of others within her community.  Graduate of Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland having obtained both a Master of Arts degree in Human Resource Development and Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology.