NBOA President and CEO
Where do I even start? What a meeting! After a harsh winter on the Eastern seaboard, many of us were more than ready for Orlando’s sunshine. I was so jazzed up to meet and chat with as many attendees as possible, I began to lose my voice!
Thankfully not so much that I couldn’t introduce NBOA’s forthcoming AI-powered chatbot, Bo, among many other incredible tools, publications and programs. These include the newly revised Practical Guidance for Independent School Business Operations, the Business Office Policies and Procedures resource page and the all-new Human Resources Institute, an in-person deep dive into HR best practices, which will be held concurrently with NBOA’s signature program Business Officer Institute, June 15-18, 2026, in Los Angeles.
I also recorded three episodes of the Net Assets Podcast in person — a format I much prefer to Zoom — with three all-star guests who have been standout leaders in independent school business and NBOA for decades. Look for the first of those in our next Net Assets NOW issue later in March — and wherever you get your podcasts.
And now to return to a long-held tradition of mine, a recap of leadership highlights from our outstanding keynote speakers. Clearly the meeting offered far more takeaways than I can share here, and attendees as well as those who have purchased the on-demand package can revisit those from mid-March, when they become available, through the end of June.
1. Stop improving and start evolving.
This is not one of the three main points that Tucker Bryant, a poet and our opening keynote speaker, highlighted, but they are his words, which help tie different nuggets together. Bryant reminded us that we are really good at our jobs, and may even be perfectionists in our work. But perfectionism can get in our way by slowing things down and preventing us from seeing new things. “The default to optimization is a race to average,” he said, because we end up doing things in similar ways as others.
Instead, we would do well to look twice at things we might usually dismiss, like the founder of YKK, who paid attention to the underappreciated zipper in the clothing manufacturing industry. This attention led to innovative improvements and ultimately great success for both the company and everyone who wears jeans.
We don’t have to think outside the box so to speak – the box is always there. Rather we should use the constraints of the box we’re in to push our thinking in new ways.
One way to look again is “writing by erasing” and undertaking an “erasure audit.” Bryant’s point was that you can come up with a new idea by subtracting from what you already have on your plate. His formula:
- First, pick an area of work you have influence over.
- Then, in a chart, list features or components of this aspect of work.
- Then, in a second column, record if that feature is essential or not.
- Finally, pick one thing you think is essential and try to prove yourself wrong by finding an alternative solution or understanding that no solution at all is tenable.
We all have a laundry list of things we could implement, and erasing some of them can help us focus on what will have the most impact. Bryant reminded us that we don’t have to think outside the box so to speak – the box is always there. Rather we should use the constraints of the box we’re in to push our thinking in new ways.
2. Community is the ultimate operating system.
Industrial designer and bestselling author Heather McGowan talked extensively about AI, and how the pace of change we face today is exponential and will require different skills than in the past. Just like fire changed human behavior and the human brain millions of years ago, AI will change our behavior and our brains in the years ahead.
McGowan noted that the current standard model of education was developed to turn farm workers into factory workers, and thus emphasizes adherence to rules and procedures. We had until recently been living in the information age, which followed the age of tools, but we are now in the age of intelligence, where information is like a vapor, penetrating everything we do. What will be required to succeed in this new age is critical questioning, creative thinking and social intelligence.
As it stands, a chatbot can now beat an average high school student in creative thinking, McGowan said, but not necessarily a kindergartener, who hasn’t yet been so molded by a system to conform. It’s a good thing our independent schools provide alternative models to shape young minds!
In terms of our work as business operations professionals, McGowan advised us to tap AI in such a way that it enhances our cognitive velocity without atrophying essential functions. Some functions we can safely outsource, like we’ve outsourced memorizing phone numbers to our smart phones. But we should keep our humanity in the loop when we use AI, like Admiral Rickover, the longest serving Naval commander who coined the phrase “human in the loop” when he advocated for keeping naval personnel involved in the groundbreaking technology he helped develop.
Trust, support and connection have helped us evolve to where we are today, and they will be required to advance in the future. I can think of no place where that’s truer than the independent school business office.
I found it heartening that McGowan ended her talk with an anecdote about a “belligerent optimist” named Lynette, a stranger who saved the day in McGowan’s time of need. She urged us all to be like Lynette, as “community is the ultimate operating system,” in McGowan’s words. Trust, support and connection have helped us evolve to where we are today, and they will be required to advance in the future. I can think of no place where that’s truer than the independent school business office.
3. The NBOA community is stronger than ever.
Every time I attend an NBOA Annual Meeting I am reminded and invigorated by how meaningfully connected our community is — how much wisdom, mutual admiration and joy we share when seeing each other face to face. Whether that was in the audience of a deep dive session or participation in a fast-paced goldmine, chatting at the opening reception under the palm trees or running around the Marriott golf course during the Net Assets Podcast Fun Run, this connection is truly one of a kind.
While I’m incredibly excited about Bo, our forthcoming AI helper, who will assist NBOA members in finding and processing the many rich resources on the NBOA website more effectively and efficiently than ever before, I’m even more excited about something can never be replaced by AI: the opportunity to work with the incredible individuals that make up this dynamic profession and who lead the membership association you call your professional home.
I hope all of you who attended the 2026 NBOA Annual Meeting came away with a trove of practical takeaways and perhaps even more importantly, a renewed sense of purpose and support from the independent school business leader community. If you weren’t able to join us this year and you’re interested in viewing sessions on-demand, it’s not too late to purchase and gain that access to the many, many informative sessions. And whether you were with us this year or not, I sincerely hope to see you in Dallas at the 2027 NBOA Annual Meeting, February 21-24!
Jeffrey Shields, FASAE, CAE
NBOA President and CEO
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