A person who has consistently shown generous support of NBOA and independent school business officers through their thought leadership, participation in NBOA programs, and/or financial and practical support of the national independent school business officer community. Nominees must be affiliated with an NBOA member organization and may include, but are not limited to association executives, heads of school or senior administrators (other than a business officer) at an independent school, corporate partners, and consultants.
The recipient is announced in January, and the award is presented at NBOA's Annual Meeting.
Founder and CEO
Strategic Compensation and Coaching Partners
Patrick Schuermann, Ed.D., is founder and CEO of Strategic Compensation and Coaching Partners, vice president, strategic partnerships for the ed-tech firm Optima, and also a compensation advisor with NBOA Advisory services. Schuermann’s service to NBOA is extensive, most notably as the lead researcher for NBOA’s Mission-Anchored Compensation Strategies, the first comprehensive research and findings on independent school compensation. He was also instrumental in the development of the NBOA Leadership Academy and currently serves as co-director of the program, which shapes the next generation of independent school business office leaders.
Schuermann is the founding director of the national Center for Educator Compensation Reform at the University of Wisconsin. Among numerous accomplishments at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College for Education and Human Development, he established the Professional Leadership Institutes for independent school leaders and teachers as well as the Independent School Leadership Master’s Program, which he directed for eight years. In 2014, he won an Emmy Award for Best Educational Piece for his documentary “A Matter of Principals.”
NBOA has given out the Outstanding Support of Independent Schools Award since 2011. View the award's past recipients.
The Outstanding Support of Independent Schools Award honors the legacy of Sarah P. Daignault, who served as the Executive Director of NBOA for the first 12 years of its existence. The award recognizes the instrumental role in developing strong relationships in the independent school industry in support of the efforts of the business officer. It honors Sarah's vision and dedication, which transformed NBOA from a small group of like-minded business officers into a thriving organization supported by hundreds of members across the country.
The upgraded LRFM helps you model tuition, staffing, and revenue over 10 years. Build confidence in your school’s financial decisions—before they’re made.
