Ebony Marsala (Lee Pellegrini)
Ebony Marsala, formerly the director of undergraduate aid at Northeastern University, joined Boston College this summer as director of financial aid. She succeeds Mary McGranahan, who retired in May.
A highly respected financial aid professional with 19 years of experience, Marsala was responsible for overseeing all aspects of undergraduate financial aid at Northeastern, including working directly with the school’s award recipients through a team of 19 financial aid professionals and staff, and reviewing financial models with senior leadership.
As director of undergraduate aid, she earned a reputation as a problem solver, strategic thinker, and effective communicator whose efforts improved the user experience for Northeastern’s financial aid recipients.
“Throughout the interview process, every BC employee spoke about a real commitment and expectation to be involved and connected with students and the greater campus community. In small and big ways, could tell that faculty and staff were committed to BC, which speaks volumes about an institution. I knew that I needed to be a part of this special community.”
In announcing the appointment, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management John Mahoney described Marsala as a respected professional who possessed the experience and expertise to enhance Boston College’s financial aid program for students and parents.
"Ebony has spent the past 19 years at Northeastern University acquiring deep experience in the field of financial aid and rising to key leadership roles, the most recent of which has been director of undergraduate aid,” said Mahoney. "In addition to her expertise in the complex workings of financial aid, our search committee was impressed with her commitment to inspiring leadership of her colleagues.
"Ebony supports BC's commitment to need blind admission and meeting full demonstrated need for all admitted students," he said. " I'm delighted that she is joining the Enrollment Management team, and I know she is enthusiastic to meet her new colleagues at BC."
Marsala said that she is excited to join a team that has earned such an outstanding reputation among student service and enrollment management professionals nationwide.
"Throughout the interview process, every BC employee spoke about a real commitment and expectation to be involved and connected with students and the greater campus community,” said Marsala. “In small and big ways, could tell that faculty and staff were committed to BC, which speaks volumes about an institution. I knew that I needed to be a part of this special community.
“I am also excited about working with and learning from John Mahoney, Bernie Pekala, and the entire Student Services team. John and Bernie are titans in the higher education community; it is truly an honor to have access to their unique vision and ways of thinking," she said. "As a financial aid professional, getting an opportunity to work with them on institutional funding theories and how data modeling is used to innovate aid budgeting and enrollment forecasting is invaluable. I am very excited to become a part of the team.”
““[W]orking at BC is kind of a homecoming in that I am returning to an educational system that has a focus beyond education. Empowering intellectual inquiry, truth in all things, and a passion for knowledge are all values that resonate with me personally and professionally. I look forward to joining the BC community.”
A member of the Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Professionals, to which she was named president elect in 2020, Marsala is also an active member of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
A Bronx native, she received a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and a master’s degree in educational administration from the State University of New York, Albany, and is pursuing a master’s degree in organizational communications from Northeastern University.
She currently lives in Lowell with her husband, Jason, the director of student accounts at North Shore Community College, and their dog, Addie.
"I attended parochial school for my K-12 education, so working at BC is kind of a homecoming in that I am returning to an educational system that has a focus beyond education,” said Marsala. “Empowering intellectual inquiry, truth in all things, and a passion for knowledge are all values that resonate with me personally and professionally. I look forward to joining the BC community.”
Jack Dunn | University Communications | August 2021