CHSS Alumni Service Award - Mason

Daniel Lash

BS Economics '97

Dan Lash graduated from Mason in 1997 with a bachelor’s in economics. While at Mason, Lash interned for a financial planning firm in Vienna, Virginia and continued in that career path upon graduation. In 2006 Lash became a Certified Financial Planner Practitioner™ and partner at VLP Financial Advisors in 2010, the same firm where he worked beginning in 1998. Lash has served on the board of the Financial Planning Association National Capital Area (FPANCA) chapter from 2008 to 2017 and was president of the board in 2016. Dan received the 2019 Leadership Award and 2022 Financial Planner of the Year Award from FPANCA.

In 2016, as FPANCA president, Lash met with Mason’s School of Business to launch a CFP® Board accredited Financial Planning concentration. In Fall 2020, Mason launched the FP&WM program with 8 students and today has 51 students. Dan has served on the Mason FP&WM Advisory Board since its inception in 2020 and recently became President of the Board.

In 2018, Dan moved more of his volunteer focus to George Mason University. With help from Mason, Lash helped build the CHSS Alumni Board and chapter. The board started with one person and today has 15 active board members who develop and grow relationships with CHSS alumni and students. While serving as president of the CHSS Alumni Board, Lash represented the college on the Alumni Association Board.