AFCPE Members Recognized for Innovative Work in Building Economic Security in Their Communities

WESTERVILLE, Ohio, Nov. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2021 Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education® (AFCPE®) Awards recognize individuals and organizations across the country who elevate the personal finance field through innovation, expertise, leadership, and mentorship.

"AFCPE Members' dedication to building financial capability in their communities continues to amaze and inspire me," said Rebecca Wiggins, AFCPE Executive Director. "Through financial education, research, and counseling, these individuals and organizations are helping to create a future where financial security is attainable by everyone."

2021 AFCPE Award winners were selected through a rigorous peer-reviewed application process.

Distinguished Fellow Award: Ryan H. Law, CFP®, AFC® is the Director of the Utah Valley University Money Management Resource Center and teaches in the Personal Financial Planning program. Ryan has used his teaching skills to provide guidance and materials to help other institutions start student money management centers nationwide. He has contributed to AFCPE as a longtime member, volunteer, content writer, and he served on the AFCPE Board from 2017 to 2021 and as 2020 Board President.

Setting the Standard Award: NEFE's work embodies AFCPE's mission and vision, to ensure that all people, regardless of income or background, have the opportunity to achieve lasting financial well-being. Their generosity is helping to build capacity for financial professionals, their clients, and the communities that they serve.

Mary Ellen Edmondson Educator of the Year: Jennifer Wilson, MS, AFC®, is a faculty instructor and Assistant Director of the Personal Finance program within the School of Personal Financial Planning at Texas Tech University. Jennifer has extensive experience working with diverse audiences delivering financial awareness presentations, providing one-on-one financial counseling, and teaching financial counseling at the college level.

Financial Counselor of the Year: Dee Gardner has served as an AFC® for more than 12 years. She has reached more than 12,500 active duty Service members and their families through one-on-one counseling, unit briefings, and classroom presentations, to provide financial education, assistance with identification of goals, and strategies to overcome debt issues.

Outstanding Educational Program: The Predictably Irrational Book Study was developed by Andi Wrenn, AFC® to engage financial professionals in discussion related to personal finance. Through this self-study program, financial professionals gained an understanding of how to assist clients when it comes to the financial decisions they make.

Outstanding Consumer Financial Information: The PowerPay: Helping Debtors Become Savers tool gives you the tools to develop a free personalized, self-directed debt elimination plan. It helps to discover how quickly you can become debt free, and how much you can save in interest costs by following your debt reduction plan. There are an estimated 604,000 PowerPay user accounts with approximately 125,000 visits annually.

Outstanding Research Journal Article of the Year: D. Elizabeth Kiss, Kansas State University and Michael J. Kothakota, Wolfbridge Wealth: "Use of visualization tools to improve financial knowledge: An experimental approach"

Outstanding Practitioner's Forum: Amy Durrence and Hye Sun Kim, FreeFrom: Survivor Safety Banking Guidelines: How Banks Can Disrupt Intimate Partner Violence in the U.S.

Outstanding Symposium Poster: Lorna Saboe-Wounded Head, South Dakota State University Extension and Mia Russell, John Hopkins University: Staying Committed – College and COVID-19: The role of financial well-being, needs satisfaction, and college persistence

Outstanding Symposium Research Paper: Thomas Korankye, University of Arizona and Blain Pearson, Kansas State University: "The Role of Financial Advice in Promoting College Savings Among Households"

Outstanding Symposium Student Paper: Katherine Vasquez, University of Minnesota: "A First-Generation College Student Financial Literacy Needs Assessment"

Outstanding Research to Practice Award: Joyce Serido, University of Minnesota and Sharon Powell, University of Minnesota Extension: Make Money Make $ense

About AFCPE®
AFCPE® ensures the highest integrity of the financial counseling profession by certifying, connecting, and supporting diverse professionals. Our comprehensive certification programs represent the gold standard for financial counseling, coaching, and education, including the AFC® (Accredited Financial Counselor®) certification which is accredited by NCCA and nationally recognized by CFPB and DoD.

Media Contact
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SOURCE Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education (AFCPE)