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

Business Office & Admissions Partnering on Net Tuition Revenue This item is protected

January 23, 2026

It’s essential to manage enrollment and financial aid in a consistent, sustainable and predictable way — but doing so can be complex and challenging. Learn how established sustainable net tuition revenue targets support mission, program and budget.
Optimizing the Auxiliary Workforce: Compliance, Culture & Sustainability This item is protected

January 9, 2026

This webinar invites school leaders to rethink auxiliary staffing — across summer, afterschool, enrichment and other programs — as a lever for sustainability, compliance and culture-building.
The Fine Art of Handling Conflict for Business Officers This item is protected

December 5, 2025

This webinar will equip attendees with practical strategies to navigate disputes with clarity and confidence, and offers actionable insights on handling complaints and resolving conflict in ways that foster collaboration and strengthen relationships.
Tuition, Trends, Trouble: What College Closures Signal for Independent Schools This item is protected

November 21, 2025

Explore financial sustainability for independent schools by analyzing college closures. Learn strategies to navigate risks and build resilience based on what may be gleaned from higher ed’s warning signs.
Small School, Big Solutions: Navigating Mission, Money and Innovation This item is protected

November 7, 2025

The financial reality of a school can deeply inform its mission. Discover how a small school's inherent need for innovation sparks powerful, scalable solutions for schools of all sizes to be nimble when resources are limited.

Net Assets Articles

Healthy Alternatives: Creating a MEWA This item is protected

January 29, 2026

Pooled benefit strategies can smooth renewal volatility, though shared governance means individual employers may need to compromise on coverage choices.
Congratulations to the 2026 NBOA Award Recipients!

January 27, 2026

This year’s recipients have elevated school financial strategy, advanced groundbreaking compensation research and pioneered AI frameworks for school business operations.
Byte-Size AI: Planning, Integrating Systems and Predicting This item is protected

January 26, 2026

Pine Crest School has saved two weeks’ worth of work in the business office through automating just two processes, and that’s just the beginning.
Byte-Size AI: Automating Processes, Elevating Strategy This item is protected

January 26, 2026

Aspen Academy’s business office has gained significant time savings through AI, which has allowed staff to focus on higher-level strategy.
Byte-Size AI: Building Your Own GPT This item is protected

January 20, 2026

Sarah Hanawald, executive director of Association for Academic Leaders, shares how school leaders across the U.S. have been building their own bots.

FEATURED

Plan Smarter with the Fully Updated and Expanded NBOA Long-Range Financial Model

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.

RECENT DISCUSSIONS

NBOA CAREERS

Associate Director of Admissions & Financial Aid

Linden Hall School for Girls
Upper School Math Teacher

Cape Henry Collegiate
Business Manager (Immediate Opening)

Barnesville School of Arts & Sciences

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

Business Office & Admissions Partnering on Net Tuition Revenue This item is protected

Optimizing the Auxiliary Workforce: Compliance, Culture & Sustainability This item is protected

The Fine Art of Handling Conflict for Business Officers This item is protected

Tuition, Trends, Trouble: What College Closures Signal for Independent Schools This item is protected

Small School, Big Solutions: Navigating Mission, Money and Innovation This item is protected

Net Assets Articles

Healthy Alternatives: Creating a MEWA This item is protected

Congratulations to the 2026 NBOA Award Recipients!

Byte-Size AI: Planning, Integrating Systems and Predicting This item is protected

Byte-Size AI: Automating Processes, Elevating Strategy This item is protected

Byte-Size AI: Building Your Own GPT This item is protected

FEATURED

Plan Smarter with the Fully Updated and Expanded NBOA Long-Range Financial Model

RECENT DISCUSSIONS

NBOA CAREERS

Associate Director of Admissions & Financial Aid

Upper School Math Teacher

Business Manager (Immediate Opening)

Become an NBOA Member