The NBOA Professional Achievement Award recognizes the invaluable contributions made by independent school business, finance and operations staff who are not business officers. These staff members distinguish themselves every day and make exceptional contributions to their schools and the independent school community. The highlights below come straight from their colleagues' nominations.
Title: Director of Finance
School: The Shipley School, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Years in position: 20
Years in an independent school business office: 20
Wearer of many hats: “Jayme is the definition of an unsung hero,” said Adam Wojtelwicz, CFO. “She lives, eats and breathes Shipley, and she can always be counted upon.” Karolyi also volunteers on several of the school’s committees, with a particular passion for work around diversity, equity and inclusion.
Continuing education: At various points in her career, Karolyi picked up additional tasks such as payroll, student billing and human resources in multiple capacities, allowing the school to move ahead on a variety of initiatives. “Jayme is a lifelong learner,” said Wojtelwicz. “She has recently begun to learn the ropes around capital expenditures, assisting the CFO in large scale renovation project management, which is another new area of learning.”
Valuable community resource: Karolyi is an active member of the local purchasing consortium (PAISBOA), where she sits on the data survey committee and the business insurance committee. She is one of the few directors of finance who serve in this high-level capacity. She has also served previously on the health benefits trust committee. “She is a trusted resource for both PAISBOA and NBOA, has co-presented with me on several occasions at the NBOA annual conference, and will always go the extra mile to help both of these fine organizations,” said Wojtelwicz.
See a full list of the 2020 recipients and read more about the NBOA Professional Achievement Award. Net Assets will post additional profiles of award winners throughout the spring — check in to learn more about other recipients.
