Padgett Outstanding Achievement Award

Kelly D’eath, financial aid director at Gadsden State, has received one of the highest honors bestowed by the Alabama Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. At a May 2018 AASFAA conference, she was given the M. Cecil Padgett Outstanding Achievement Award.

“I’m honored to be recognized by my colleagues,” she said. “I love my job and I love doing what’s best for our students. For many students, financial aid is the only way they can continue their education. It’s so important to make sure we help them achieve their educational goals.”

The M. Cecil Padgett Outstanding Achievement Award is named for the late financial aid director at Spring Hill College. It is presented to an individual who has provided exemplary service in the area of student financial aid over a sustained period of time. The award is intended to recognize outstanding contributions to higher education and student assistance programs in Alabama.

D’eath has been the financial aid director at Gadsden State since 2006. She has been recognized for outstanding service many times. Most recently, she received the Chancellor’s Award for Administrators and the Excellence in Service to Students Award from the National Society of Leadership and Success.

She participated in the Gadsden State Leadership Development Institute and the Alabama Community College System Leadership Program. She has served as the president of AASFAA and chairperson of its Legislative Relations Committee. She also served on the executive board for the Southern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. D’eath has presented at AASFAA, the Florida Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and the Alabama Banner Users Group.

A resident of Riddles Bend, D’eath has a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Human Resource Management from Jacksonville State University and a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Alabama.