UM-Dearborn’s Financial Aid Director Kevin Towns recognizes the power of grants and scholarships. Not only does Towns know how to navigate the complexities of the financial aid field with his 15-plus years of professional experience, he also understands how financial support can change lives. That’s because he’s lived it.
“There are many phrases used to classify the type of situation I was in as a young person — low-income, limited resources. No matter what you want to call it, we just didn’t have the money for me to go to college. Getting a scholarship changed my life,” says Towns, who graduated from Bowling Green State University. “Financial aid gives access to opportunities.”
Towns has led financial aid offices at major universities, including Johns Hopkins University, The Ohio State University and most recently, North Central College in Illinois as the senior director of financial aid. His resume is impressive — just like the path that brought him there.
Towns grew up in Columbus, Ohio. He was a top high school student who wanted to go away to college. He didn’t think it was possible until he was awarded a full-tuition scholarship from BGSU — one that’s similar to UM-Dearborn’s Go Blue Guarantee.
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Today, Towns — who started at UM-Dearborn in spring 2025 — advocates at the local, state and national level for student support. Earlier this month, Towns was on Capitol Hill representing the need for student financial aid in the wake of the continued government cuts to funding. He’s also spoken with local media to explain financial aid changes and to offer tips for navigating the financial aid process.
In addition to advocating for the financial support needed for educational access, Towns says university financial aid staff offer a variety of supportive services like early academic intervention. His own academic struggles in college helped him understand how critical timely intervention and clear communication can be.
“I know what students can experience because I’ve been there. Students want to succeed — and there’s nothing we want more as a university employee,” he says. “To help students reach their goals, you need to break down complex systems — financial aid is a complex system — into understandable steps. You need to let students know what they need to do and then share the resources available to help. That way you ensure a financial aid office feels relational, rather than transactional.”
Towns has engaged in a variety of leadership work during his career — from training employees at OSU to running financial literacy programs for first-generation college students at Johns Hopkins to developing a full-tuition in-state scholarship program at North Central.
“Financial aid gave me the access I needed. College, in turn, gave me my options for career paths. Now that I’ve walked through the door, I want to hold it open for others who want to enter,” he says. “Education isn’t just academic. It’s experience and connections too.” During Towns’ sophomore year, a friend told him about a federal work study position in BGSU’s financial aid office. “I needed a job and my friend wanted me to work there and encouraged me to apply. I thought I was taking on something temporary, but it changed my life,” he says. “The more I understood about financial aid, the more I grew passionate about it.” After graduating in 2010, Towns accepted a financial aid specialist position at Baldwin Wallace University in Ohio.
Towns says even with all of his Ohio connections, he’s always been a Wolverine fan. “I’ve never been a Buckeye, even when I grew up in Columbus, even when I worked at Ohio State University,” he says with a laugh. “When I worked at Ohio State, I’d represent Michigan when we played Ohio State and I’d be the focus of the jokes. I’d joke right back. I think that helped build team morale — a rivalry can bring you together. My former coworkers now say I’m on the dark side, but I know we’re the good guys.”
Towns says UM-Dearborn was an ideal choice because he has family in the Detroit area and he connects with the university’s mission of access, affordability and community impact.
“We all want to make a difference. College can change the trajectory of someone’s life. It did for me,” he says. “But what really sealed the deal was the staff here in the financial aid office. They feel as strongly as I do about helping talented students with limited resources have the opportunity for an education. There’s something very special about that.”
Story by Sarah Tuxbury
