With today's unseasonably warm weather in Washington, D.C., I recall that freezing morning in Boston like it was yesterday. The 2015 Annual Meeting Fun Run, in fact, is one of my favorite memories from NBOA's last 12 mon
2 min read
CEO Notebook
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Boards and Trustees
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Governance
A dynamic group of volunteers, a hard-working staff and a well-defined mission to which both groups are committed: This is the unique ideal of nonprofit governance, but it is not easily achieved. In fact, nonprofit leade
2 min read
It has been a week of tremendous loss for the independent school community and the world. Like all of you, I was shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of NAIS President John Chubb on November 12. He was a friend a
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CEO Notebook
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Boards and Trustees
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Governance
One of the greatest challenges of any nonprofit board is to ensure that its conversations are both generative and strategic. Frustratingly, boards too often get mired in committee work. As a consequence, the full board s
3 min read
A former chief financial officer connected with the students at her school by chaperoning overnight trips.
4 min read
"The bean counters are taking over the world!" A school faculty member posted this on Twitter, the implication being that the "numbers people" were influencing too many decisions at his school. I don't know a single busi
3 min read
CEO Notebook
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Boards and Trustees
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Compliance
It's often been said that the only constant is change. As we enter another school year, this cliché is spot-on.
3 min read
As business officers know too well, there really is no such thing as downtime anymore in independent schools. The summer is busy with wrapping up the prior school year and preparing for the one ahead. NBOA is no differen
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Riding bicycles to raise money and save rides.
4 min read
CEO Notebook
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Boards and Trustees
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Governance
With the busiest part of the school year behind most of us, I invite you to consider your school's Board of Trustees in the context of the NBOA Board of Directors. Our Board is probably similar to yours in some ways, yet
3 min read
As your school year winds down, your professional association's planning for next year is already ramping up. Last week, members of the NBOA staff assembled in Washington, D.C., to identify and plan the vast array of NBO
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Why one business officer trained to be a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg.
4 min read
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
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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
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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
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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
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
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From the archives: Aging head of school population hastens search timelines, inspires more thoughtful transitions.
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