Dean Kahler, vice chancellor of enrollment management at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has announced that Carlia Smith is the new director of financial aid at UALR.

Smith’s appointment is effective Sept. 2.

“Ms. Smith brings with her an outstanding customer service philosophy and wonderful financial aid experience. I am particularly impressed with her vision for the future of financial aid and look forward to having her join UALR,” Kahler said.

Smith’s professional experience includes consulting work with Baptist Health Schools, Tulane University in New Orleans, St. Louis University in Missouri, as well as UALR, where she developed an internal audit system to analyze the accuracy of the federal verification process.

She has worked at the University of Arkansas System as associate vice president for student financial services, Lyon College as director of financial aid, and Hendrix College as director of financial aid.

Smith has served as president of the Board of Directors for the Student Loan Guarantee Foundation of Arkansas (SLGFA) and was a six-year member of the board. She is an active member of the Arkansas Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and numerous other organizations.

Smith received her MBA from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. degree from Lyon College in Batesville.