CEO Notebook
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Culture
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Human Resources
For more than 15 years I've been thinking about the role of the CFO, especially as it relates to educational institutions, vis-à-vis my professional positions at NBOA and NACUBO. Is it just me or is the CFO gettin
2 min read
Without shame or apology I admit that I'm a change addict. I firmly believe that any organization, program or resource can be made better. "No status quo," in fact, is a mantra I developed with my friend and colleague Gr
3 min read
CEO Notebook
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Boards and Trustees
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Leadership
Last year during the NBOA Business Officer Institute, a business officer approached me and said, "My head of school does not want me to attend trustee meetings." My stunned response: "That's a problem." I would conjectur
2 min read
Awesome, simply awesome. Days after the 2015 NBOA Annual Meeting, I'm still feeling the energy of the 1,000-plus independent school leaders who joined us in Boston, and especially the hundreds who heard "Excellence by De
2 min read
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Cash Management
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Culture
A California independent school teaches real-world business and investing skills through a hands-on business curriculum.
9 min read
I anticipate many wonderful moments at NBOA's 2015 Annual Meeting next week, not least among them the unveiling of the definitive narrative of the profession. "By the Numbers and Beyond: Independent School Business Opera
2 min read
CEO Notebook
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Cash Management
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Leadership
One of my favorite programs during the NBOA Annual Meeting is the NBOA Awards Lunch. The only national recognition program of its kind, this wonderful event doesn't just recognize individual achievement in independent sc
3 min read
CEO Notebook
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Boards and Trustees
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Planning
I was recently asked to share the biggest change I’ve observed in the business officer profession since 2010, when I became NBOA’s chief executive. My immediate thought was how your role has been elevated wel
2 min read
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Communication
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Human Resources
Independent schools grapple with defining and enforcing social media boundaries—and not only those involving students. “It’s a teaching moment.”
10 min read
From the archives: Aging head of school population hastens search timelines, inspires more thoughtful transitions.
15 min read
I've always enjoyed end-of-the-year lists of the top songs, most fascinating people and major news events that will be forever associated with the last 12 months. For my final CEO Notebook of the year, I've decided to re
3 min read
A Net Assets classic: As new educational alternatives cause even affluent families to balk at rising tuitions, independent schools are enhancing programming and tearing pages from the business marketing playbook.
8 min read
CEO Notebook
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Communication
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Enrollment
My first administrative role in education was in student affairs at The Ohio State University. As an undergraduate, I had enjoyed an incredible four-year residential experience, and I wanted to work in a profession that
3 min read
CEO Notebook
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Human Resources
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Planning
Last week, more than 30 business officers from across the country gathered to discuss the issues of greatest importance among their peers at NBOA's Conference on the Business Office (COBO). "This event symbolizes the nat
3 min read
One of the compelling ideas to come out of NBOA's Spectrum Project Report is that leadership, plain and simple, quite often makes the difference between a high-performing independent school and all others. The report, wh
3 min read
Here's a litmus test on online and blended learning in independent schools: Do you consider technology a tool that brings individuals together or keeps them apart?
2 min read
CEO Notebook
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Culture
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Risk Management
Sometimes our busiest times are also our best times for breaking out of routines. This is apparent to me now, as I (like all of you) merge into the jam-packed agenda of the new school year. Two weeks ago, while speaking
2 min read
CEO Notebook
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Communication
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Technology
At the 2011 NBOA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., Michael Horn wowed hundreds of business officers with provocative predictions about technology's imminent impact on the delivery of education at independent schools. Y
2 min read
CEO Notebook
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Human Resources
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Membership
As summer ends, I find myself thinking about the school year ahead and, by association, the NBOA year ahead. More than the programs, webinars and new initiatives NBOA will undertake, I'm struck by a significant detail of
3 min read
I have been surprisingly moved by the loss of Robin Williams. While my personal favorite performance was the Genie in Aladdin, I was most inspired by his 1989 role in Dead Poets Society. His character, English teacher Jo
2 min read
