About
Nancy Masten is the Director of Grantmaking Policy and Operations. She leads the Grants Management team, ensuring that our systems and practices are both user-friendly for grantees and uphold the highest standards of integrity. Her work focuses on aligning grantmaking processes and policies with Ascendium’s strategic goals while supporting grantees through efficient, transparent operations. She joined the organization in 2006.
Most recently, Nancy served as Ascendium’s Manager of Policy and Compliance Support. In that role, she was responsible for monitoring the student loan policy space, maintaining the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) Common Manual: Unified Student Loan Policy, communicating student loan statutory and regulatory changes, supporting the compliance management system, and representing Ascendium on various industry organizations. Prior to joining Ascendium, Nancy was a senior policy analyst at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
Raised in Illinois, Nancy earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Illinois State University and is a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP) through the Compliance Certification Board and member of the Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics (SCCE).
