Mary Booker, previously assistant vice provost for student financial services at the University of San Francisco, has been named executive director of student financial services at the University of Delaware, effective March 23.

In announcing her appointment, Rodney Morrison, vice president for enrollment management, said, “Mary is passionate about student success. She believes in advocating to provide students the resources needed to minimize debt while affording the opportunity to thrive and graduate in a timely manner. She is passionate about creating strong partnerships and collaborations with colleagues and other administrators across campus, including students.”

A first-generation college graduate and a U.S. Army veteran, Booker has extensive experience in the field of higher education financial aid.

Of her tenure at the University of San Francisco, Donald Heller, provost and vice president of academic affairs there, said, “Mary earned respect across campus based on her transparent nature and strong experience in financial aid. She has done a great deal of work to move the needle and get things done. Mary is known as someone who is accessible. She is honest and helpful in trying to figure out solutions.”

Earlier, Booker was director of financial aid at Gustavus Adolphus College and Pomona College. Seth Allen, vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid at Pomona College, called her “a real thought partner.” She always had the mindset of collaborating, he said, to better understand their priorities and overall enrollment management strategy. “Mary is someone who feeds off of connecting with her partners all across campus,” he added. “She made sure to build relationships with the career center, student life and dean’s office. She wanted to always be on top of how financial aid impacted students from various vantage points. Mary always had a lot of energy and was well known across campus as a positive force.”

Previously, she served as the associate director of financial aid at both Dartmouth and Oberlin colleges.

Throughout her career, Booker has served on National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) task forces and collaborated with the Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS) to reimagine state financial aid in California. She also served as an independent segment representative and vice president for federal issues for the California Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (CASFAA) for three years. In addition, she was a member of the College Board Campus Need Analysis Roundtable (CNAR) and Financial Aid Services Committee of FASSAC, as well as an active member of the Association of Black Admissions and Financial Aid Officers in the Ivy League and Sister Schools.

Booker earned her bachelor’s degree in organizational management at Gustavus Adolphus College and master’s degrees from Minnesota State University and Dartmouth College. She is a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served a tour of duty during Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf War.