2025-2026 Edward M Kennedy Public Service Award

Jillian Glaze

Senior Director, Student Financial Services

Bunker Hill Community College

The Kennedy Award is named in honor of the late Senator Kennedy in recognition of his advocacy for the needy and underserved and his tireless fight to expand financial aid opportunities during his many years representing Massachusetts in the United States Senate. We can think of no other person who better represents these ideals than Jill.

During her 17-year tenure at Bunker Hill Community College she has been a fierce advocate for the students on her campus as well as the broader community college system in Massachusetts. Her advocacy and expertise were particularly vital during the past few years, during which the community college system in Massachusetts saw a major expansion in financial aid eligibility while simultaneously dealing with an increased level of fraudulent activity designed to steal financial aid dollars and the less than perfect rollout of the new, simplified FAFSA.

All of that would have been more than enough for any Director of Financial Aid to deal with, but Jill found a way to give even more of her time and energy to the financial aid community. She served as MASFAA president, leading all of us through a year of change and uncertainty. After her presidency, she could have taken a step back from MASFAA, but instead she poured herself into new projects with the membership and technology committee and government relations committee. She’s always thinking of ways to improve our organization and she’s always one step ahead of us all.

Each one of us has benefited from her leadership and mentorship. She’s been there to answer questions and offer advice. I know we speak for many people in this room who would say the same. You only have to look at her staff to see what an amazing leader and mentor she is. They model her dedication to service and advocacy every day. It’s an honor to present this award to our friend Jillian Glaze.