South Dakota State President

Cody McMichael currently serves the students of Black Hills State University as the Assistant Director and Math Specialist for Student Support Services. He is entering his sixth year in this position. Cody recently served as the ASPIRE Conference Committee Chair. He is currently serving ASPIRE as the Financial Aid Committee Chair. He is the President of the SD Chapter of ASPIRE.

Cody has served students in higher education for 20 years. The fall after graduating from South Dakota State University in 1987, Cody spent two years teaching college math courses at York College, in York, NE. He spent four years working as the Student Employment Coordinator at Black Hills State before becoming the Assistant Director of Financial Aid. As the Assistant Director of Financial Aid, Cody coordinated the entire student payroll on campus, was responsible for making all decisions related to special circumstances of students needs, and coordinated the summer financial aid program for the students at Black Hills State University.

Cody holds a Master’s Degree from the University of South Dakota in Administrative Studies and a Bachelors of Science degree in Mathematics from South Dakota State University.

Cody has many leadership experiences in other non-profit organizations:

He was an active member of National Association of Student Employment Administrators (NSEA) from 1991 to 1999. He served the members of NSEA as the Vice-President of Member Services (a national board member) for two years. Cody was the president of the Midwest Association of Student Employment Administrators from 1998 to 1999 and was an active member for eight years.

Cody was an active member of the South Dakota Association of Financial Aid Administrators (SDASFAA) from 1999 to 2004. He served as the President of SDASFAA in 2002. Cody won the prestigious SDASFAA Outstanding Service Award in 2003. He was also active in the regional financial aid association the Rocky Mountain Association of Financial Aid Administrators. He served as a regional board member and a member of the Publications Committee for one year.

Cody has presented many workshops and conference sessions on student employment and financial aid. He was a certified trainer for the National Student Employment Association’s Student Employment Essentials one-day workshop presented at sights across the nation. His presentation on student employee training won best of region at the Midwest Associations Regional Conference in the summer of 1997 and was selected for presentation at the National Student Employment Association Conference in Clearwater Beach, Florida in the fall of 1997.

Cody has been happily married to his wife, Valerie, for twenty one years. They have three boys; Lance 17, Sterling 12, and Chandler 7.