People

Chris Patterson

CFO

The John Cooper School

After two years at KPMG as an auditor, Chris started at Princeton Day School as the Asst. Director of Finance in 1995. He became the Chief Financial Officer at The John Cooper School in July 2011. He is fortunate to lead a great team in the Business Office, Buildings & Grounds, Custodial Services, Dining Services and Security. He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting, an MBA and is a CPA.

Online Courses

Budget Meets Mission: School Finance for Non-Business Leaders

Understand the independent school business model, learn to be a good steward of your school's financial resources and work more collaboratively around financial issues.
Engaging in Difficult Conversations with Employees

Learn to engage with employees in an empathetic manner while still clearly conveying important information and safeguarding your school from liability.
Human Resources Fundamentals for Independent Schools

Learn how to address day-to-day human resources challenges such as evaluation and termination, FMLA, the ADA and employee classification.
Leave Law Boot Camp

Learn about best practices related to employee leave and how federal leave laws intersect and overlap.
Long-Range Financial Modeling

Learn how to customize and manipulate NBOA's Long-Range Financial Model, a powerful financial planning tool for your school.
Measuring Financial Health with the Composite Financial Index

Calculate your school's Composite Financial Index (CFI) score — a tool trusted in higher education for decades — and learn how you can use the score and its 4 underlying ratios to think strategically about your school's financial strengths and weaknesses.
Nonprofit Accounting Fundamentals for Independent Schools

Learn the fundamentals of nonprofit accounting and reporting by exploring governance structures, internal control strategies, financial statements and compliance essentials.
Payroll Best Practices for Independent Schools

Learn about best practices related to payroll including employee classification and overtime pay, deductions and taxability and the complexity of calculating a faculty member’s final paycheck when they leave mid-year.
Safeguarding the Future: Enterprise Risk Management

This course will equip school leaders to identify, document and strategically manage the risks facing independent schools. It covers the principles of enterprise risk management (ERM) and provides tools and resources to institute an ERM program.
Stewarding Donor Dollars: Financial Principles for Contributions

Learn best practices related to gift reporting, compliance and donor stewardship, as well as how to develop a successful and strategic partnership between the financial and development functions at your school.
Strategic HR Leadership

Learn to develop and communicate your school's personnel management strategy and to be responsive to a changing market.
The Business and Art of Financial Aid

Learn tactical best practices related to the financial aid process to enhance the strategic partnership between the business and admissions offices and ensure long-term success.
Wage and Hour Boot Camp

Learn the ins and outs of wage and hour law, including the aspects that are unique to educational environments.

Past Webinars

Grants Management for Independent Schools This item is protected

May 26, 2026

Designed for business officers who manage or oversee grants, this webinar provides actionable tools and templates to strengthen financial stewardship and enhance mission impact through effective grants administration.
Enrollment Forecasting as a Strategic Financial Tool This item is protected

May 8, 2026

This webinar presents a strategic approach to enrollment forecasting that blends the enrollment team’s relational insights with financial analysis and data modeling. Learn how to strengthen projections using internal data alongside external signals.
There's More Room for Change Than You Think This item is protected

April 24, 2026

To stay competitive in today’s educational landscape, independent schools should modernize spaces by aligning with evolving pedagogical trends and technology advancements. Learn how existing spaces can be transformed to better serve a campus community.
Effortless Efficiency: Payroll to Performance This item is protected

April 13, 2026

Efficiency is paramount through the entire Human Resources function. In this webinar, HR leaders and business officers will explore how to streamline workforce management from payroll processing to performance evaluation.
Mission (and Margin) Possible: Leveraging Campus Assets This item is protected

March 30, 2026

From summer programs and rentals to strategic partnerships, schools can unlock new income streams. This webinar explores practical strategies to maximize underutilized assets, assess operational readiness, and design sustainable initiatives.

Net Assets Articles

Declining Days of Cash on Hand This item is protected

June 11, 2026

Fewer schools meet the 90-day benchmark as expenses rise and cash shrinks.
If You Want Employees To Use Their Benefits, Teach Them How This item is protected

June 10, 2026

Tips and tricks from NBOA’s Human Resources Council can help your school make the most of its significant investment in benefits.
Humor Me, Really: Using Laughter To Lead Better

June 2, 2026

As the school year comes to a close, it’s good to know that laughter can be great medicine for leaders.
Byte-Size AI: Early Use Cases of AI Agents This item is protected

June 1, 2026

Leaders from ATLIS share how schools are beginning to explore agentic AI — and why it’s okay to still be at square one.
Practical Steps for Rebuilding School Trust This item is protected

May 28, 2026

Sudden leadership changes, faculty departures, and a unionization effort left one school community unsettled. This is how they recovered their equilibrium.

FEATURED

Benchmark Against National KPIs with the Latest Financial State of the Industry Report

A research report analyzing trends across 18 key financial and operational indicators over five years. Use this report to benchmark performance, stress-test assumptions and make informed decisions, as external forces continue to challenge long-term financial sustainability.

RECENT DISCUSSIONS

NBOA CAREERS

Director of Development

Madison Country Day School
Head Junior Varsity Field Hockey Coach

The Hun School of Princeton
Head Junior Varsity Boys’ Soccer Coach

The Hun School of Princeton

VISIT CAREERS

Chris Patterson

Online Courses

Budget Meets Mission: School Finance for Non-Business Leaders

Engaging in Difficult Conversations with Employees

Human Resources Fundamentals for Independent Schools

Leave Law Boot Camp

Long-Range Financial Modeling

Measuring Financial Health with the Composite Financial Index

Nonprofit Accounting Fundamentals for Independent Schools

Payroll Best Practices for Independent Schools

Safeguarding the Future: Enterprise Risk Management

Stewarding Donor Dollars: Financial Principles for Contributions

Strategic HR Leadership

The Business and Art of Financial Aid

Wage and Hour Boot Camp

Past Webinars

Grants Management for Independent Schools This item is protected

Enrollment Forecasting as a Strategic Financial Tool This item is protected

There's More Room for Change Than You Think This item is protected

Effortless Efficiency: Payroll to Performance This item is protected

Mission (and Margin) Possible: Leveraging Campus Assets This item is protected

Net Assets Articles

Declining Days of Cash on Hand This item is protected

If You Want Employees To Use Their Benefits, Teach Them How This item is protected

Humor Me, Really: Using Laughter To Lead Better

Byte-Size AI: Early Use Cases of AI Agents This item is protected

Practical Steps for Rebuilding School Trust This item is protected

FEATURED

Benchmark Against National KPIs with the Latest Financial State of the Industry Report

RECENT DISCUSSIONS

NBOA CAREERS

Director of Development

Head Junior Varsity Field Hockey Coach

Head Junior Varsity Boys’ Soccer Coach

Become an NBOA Member