Ferrum College announces the new additions of Jim Patterson, Director of Financial Literacy and Lori Sliwa, Director of Student Success. The two recently joined the Panther Family and work alongside students in the Carter Center.
Jim has been in the insurance and finance world for his entire career. He worked for Allstate Insurance for 25 years and then spent the last 13 years working with MetLife, Mass Mutual and NFS as an Advisor and most recently as Associate General Agent/ Sales Director. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Richmond. Patterson is also a member of the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce, Board Member of the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce, and Carilion Cancer Center Patient Family Advisory Council
Patterson will be working alongside the Financial Aid and Student Affairs offices to ensure that every student and their family have a clear understanding of their financial aid package and billing. He will be leading efforts to help ensure students leave Ferrum College with an understanding of fiscal management and how to manage a budget. Collaborating with Career Services and Professional Development to make sure students and employees have a baseline FICO score and understand how it impacts ability to housing, lending, etc. Patterson will also be a liaison to non-profits in the region to help provide access to financial literacy resources to the Ferrum College and Franklin County community.
Lori has over 20 years of experience in the non-profit and higher education sector that include working as a transcript evaluator at Moravian College and Director of New Opportunity School for Women at Lees-McRae College. She has also worked in career services at Maryville College and as a Human Resources Manager at Syracuse University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Buffalo State College in Arts & Letters/English.
In this role as the Director of Student Success, Sliwa will oversee initiatives that enhance student retention, persistence, and completion. This role is critical in supporting both incoming and current students by developing programs to
improve their academic and personal success. She is also responsible for managing the evaluation of transcripts from transfer students to ensure proper credit articulation and a smooth transition into the institution’s academic programs. Additionally, this position supervises the Career Center, and the Tutoring Center and ensures the effective use of the College’s student information system to maintain accurate records.
