The first session of this year's "Emerging Leaders Program" was held on February 21st, and like this MASFAA initiative as a whole, it was a great success. MASFAA's Professional Development and Training Committee (PD&T for short) sponsored the event which was held at the Wellesley College Club. The group of 20 attendees was made up of both first year and second year participants in an effort to facilitate multiple levels of mentoring and the valuable exchange of ideas. The inclusion of members in a 2 year rolling program fits with the programs mission of retention and advancement of talented individuals within financial aid in Massachusetts.

The morning began with the group making introductions followed by an overview of the program as a whole. The first year participants were provided with the "Emerging Leaders Handbook" a binder containing resources for those interested in developing their leadership abilities

Supplemental materials and session handouts can be added as the program continues, and were provided through out the day both the first year and second year participants. The group was encouraged that they are very important members of their financial aid offices as well as the MASFAA community and that it was an honor to have been nominated by those they work with. An overview of the MASFAA committees and volunteer opportunities was presented with the help of many of the participants who are already serving MASFAA through the assorted committees.

The morning double session entitled "Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way" was presented, or more appropriately we should say, guided by Deborah Glenn-Long, a very well known trainer and presenter in the New England financial aid community. The "Dimensions of Leadership Profile" tool was utilized and helped shine additional light on the various types of leaders in the room and their diverse strengths. As the title suggests the topic of "situational leadership" was discussed, addressing the fact that different types of leaders can be helpful on different occasions. The group interaction was an important part of this session.

A warm lunch was a welcome respite on what was a very cold day, and the room was warmed by the sound of lots of good conversation. The networking benefit of such an event should not be overlooked and continued through a quick group activity which challenged the participants to make quick meaningful interactions and to recall information about those they conversed with, the performance was excellent and prizes were awarded.

The afternoon consisted of a session on "Discounting" and differing institutions financial aid philosophies. Troy Davis from Elms College and Susan Sullivan from Northshore Community College presented information and guided this discussion. Jenny Aguiar also contributed to the development of the presentation though she was not able to attend.

The topic opened up discussion of how diverse institutions can be and how it impacts the jobs of financial aid professionals. Members of the group were encouraged to consider the mission of their institution when asking why they do what they do. This was intended to help the emerging leaders to continue to develop a big picture approach. Susan and Troy stayed on for a panel discussion which was open to the group's questions covered many facets of the financial aid profession from on going changes in financial aid to career advancement. We thank the panel and the Emerging Leaders for their questions.

We would like to thank those who provided excellent content for this event and encourage our participants to continue to develop their skills as they serve MASFAA, their institutions, and the students of Massachusetts this spring. The second "Emerging Leaders Workshop" of the year will be coming up before you know it, with a tentative date of May 27th or 28th.