Zarita Barton

Manager, Financial Aid Communications

Lone Star College

Current and Previous TASFAA Activities and/or Activities for Other Organizations:

• Fall Conference Committee, 2017-present
• Fall Conference Chair 2023
• Awards and Scholarship Committee 2017-2019
• TASFAA Trailblazer Recipient 2022

From the Candidate:

I started my career in financial aid in 2010 at the University of Texas at San Antonio. I was introduced to TASFAA and SWASFAA by the leadership at UTSA, and was given the opportunity to attend the state and regional conferences as a young financial aid professional. I was privileged to see my leaders and mentors as active members of the organizations and felt drawn to volunteer as well. As my career progressed at the University of Houston Downtown and Lone Star College, I became increasingly more involved in TASFAA as a member of the Fall Conference and Awards and Scholarships committees. I have assisted with planning the fall conference since 2017, have served as the Charity sub-committee chair since 2018, and am currently serving as the SWASFAA/TASFAA Conference Co-Chair in 2023. I was also honored with the TASFAA Trailblazer award in 2022, which gave me the opportunity to attend the NASFAA Leadership Conference and complete the Association Leadership pathway. This pathway has prepared me to take on a leadership position within the organization and hope to serve TASFAA in different capacities for years to come.