Heidi Bauer-Clapp named as Vice President of The National Association of Fellowships Advisors
Graduate School staff member Dr. Heidi Bauer-Clapp has been named as the new Vice President for NAFA.
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Dr. Heidi Bauer Clapp, director of the new office of grants and fellowships, was recently named as the new Vice President for the National Association of Fellowships Advisors (NAFA).
NAFA was formed in 2000 by a collective of university staff and faculty members interested in addressing common challenges faced during scholarship advising. With over 100 U.S. Universities and Colleges within its membership, along with several U.K.-based institutions, NAFA has made a significant, global contribution to enhancing how advising practitioners prepare students for competitive scholarships and fellowships.
Heidi began her tenure with NAFA when she started her position within the Graduate School back in 2015. Her involvement with the organization has steadily grown over the years since. “From 2019-2023 I co-organized NAFA’s training for new advisors at the graduate level. This is what NAFA refers to as graduate advisors, as opposed to those who primarily advise undergraduate students.”
In 2019, Heidi also served on a committee designed to serve the needs of graduate advisors, and in 2022 she was appointed to the Board of Directors as a non-voting board member. By 2023 Heidi was elected to the Board as an at-large member, prior to accepting her position as Vice-President in March 2025.
"When considering candidates for the position of Vice President of NAFA, Heidi Bauer-Clapp immediately came to mind,” Alicia Hayes, current President of NAFA shared. “Her organizational and leadership skills, demonstrated during her tenure as Chair of the Professional Development Committee, left a strong impression on me. I could not think of a better collaborator and thought partner to move NAFA forward as the organization continues to grow."
NAFA has a direct impact on how the Graduate School prepares students for their applications. By adopting the organization’s core values and code of ethics, Heidi and other Graduate School team members have adopted an advising strategy that is both proactive and student-centered.
“My work with NAFA has been increasingly important to my work in the grad school. I rely on the network of NAFA members at institutions across the country for day-to-day questions and insight on events and advising practices. But perhaps most importantly I hear directly from funders about changes to grant and fellowship programs, what makes an ideal candidate for different opportunities, common reasons applications fail, and other info that I pass along to students to help them develop competitive applications.”
Learn more about NAFA and its current board of directors by visiting their website.