Tom McDermott

Associate Vice Provost for Financial Aid

Tom McDermott’s career in financial aid began humbly as a work-study student at the University of Maryland, where his early exposure to the field sparked a lifelong commitment to expanding educational access. After serving as a financial aid counselor at his alma mater, he became director of administration at Lincoln Technical Institute in Columbia, Maryland, overseeing both financial aid and student billing operations.

Now in his 28th year at Johns Hopkins University, Tom has been at the forefront of modernizing the institution’s financial aid infrastructure and student experience. He led the implementation of a new university-wide system to support financial aid operations, oversaw the digitization of student records, and guided the deployment of AI-powered chatbots to enhance service delivery and responsiveness. His leadership has also expanded the University’s financial wellness programming, helping students and families make more informed financial decisions before, during, and after their time at Hopkins.

In 2012, Tom was appointed Director of Financial Aid and University Title IV Officer, and in 2017 became the University’s first Associate Vice Provost for Financial Aid—a role that unites financial aid compliance, strategy, and service delivery across all divisions.

Tom holds a bachelors degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland and a masters degree in information and telecommunication systems from the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School.

Beyond Hopkins, he has been an active voice in higher education policy and practice, having served as a Trustee of the College Board, chaired the Maryland Higher Education Commission’s Financial Aid Advisory Council, and led the College Board’s CSS/Financial Assistance Assembly.