2026 Business Officer Institute

Grace H. Lee is a partner with Venable, LLP in the Labor and Employment Practice. Lee is an independent school law attorney whose practice focuses on employment law, risk management and other compliance and regulatory matters that impact independent schools and nonprofit organizations. She has significant experience formulating and implementing policies and procedures that assist her clients in complying with applicable state and federal laws, and provides them with proactive and preventive strategies.

Mary Kay Markunas supports NBOA's full line of professional development offerings including the NBOA Annual Meeting, Business Officer Institute, webinars and online courses, and also provides resources and support to members. A former independent school business officer, she develops and delivers programs and content related to independent school business operations, leadership and governance, and nonprofit accounting practices. Markunas joined NBOA in early 2015 after serving as the director of finance and operations at The Avery Coonley School for 12 years. While a business officer, she served on the NBOA board of directors for five years (2010-2015). Before joining the independent school community, she worked in corporate finance at a global corporation and in engineering consulting.

Karyn Nishimura Sneath owns Npower, a nonprofit-focused leadership and organizational development consulting practice founded in 2001. Through Npower she has served over 240 clients consisting of associations, foundations, fraternal organizations, professional societies and universities. She has designed and delivered more than 760 training programs through the years. Sneath volunteers extensively with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). She has served on the ASAE Key Consultants Committee, the Professional Development Section Council and the Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Sneath is also committed to young professionals’ development, having served as the co-lead facilitator of the annual ASAE Future Leaders Conference from 2004-2019. In 2018, she was named an ASAE Fellow, recognizing her accomplishments and contributions to ASAE and the broader association community.

As NBOA’s chief learning officer, Jennifer Osland Hillen, CPA, CGMA, leads the team that delivers the association’s broad portfolio of programs, industry guidance, and resources across multiple delivery channels. She serves as a subject-matter expert on independent school finance, operations and governance, leads NBOA’s DE&I efforts, and supports the Board's Governance Committee. Hillen serves on the American Society of Association Executives’ Professional Development Advisory Council and has also served on the faculty for the M.Ed. in Independent School Leadership at Vanderbilt University. She worked at Ernst & Young before joining Harpeth Hall School, where she was a business officer for nearly a decade. Hillen has served on the boards and advisory councils of several nonprofits, including Renewal House (treasurer), the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, LEAD Public Schools, and WO Smith Music School. She is a past president of the Junior League of Nashville and a member of Leadership Nashville, and also wrote and illustrated the bestselling children’s book, “GOODNIGHT, NASHVILLE.” 

James Palmieri, Ed.D., CAE, is executive vice president at NBOA. Palmieri serves as a partner to the president and CEO in carrying out strategic initiatives as directed by the NBOA strategic plan, and he supports program and product expansion in partnership with members of the senior staff. Palmieri previously served as assistant head of school at Trinity Hall and as director of strategic initiatives and faculty at Kent Place School, both independent all-girls schools in New Jersey. Palmieri has served as treasurer and then chair of the board of directors of One Schoolhouse, an online education provider to independent schools. Palmieri earned his doctoral degree in educational leadership from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; his MA in K-12 educational administration and supervision from Seton Hall University; and his BA in elementary/special education from Providence College.

Jeffrey Shields, FASAE, CAE, has served as President and CEO of NBOA:  Business Leadership for Independent Schools since 2010. NBOA is the premier national association serving the needs of business officers and business operations staff at independent schools in areas including accounting, finance, tax, human resources, risk management, business IT and facilities.  The association has grown from 23 founding member schools in 1998 to nearly 1,300 US member schools, plus member schools in Mexico, Canada and 20 other countries around the globe.  Shields, an active member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), is a member of the 2008 Class of ASAE Fellows (FASAE) and has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation. He currently serves as a member of the Enrollment Management Association’s Board of Trustees.  Previously, he served on the ASAE and ASAE Foundation Board of Directors, as a trustee for One Schoolhouse, an innovative online school offering supplemental education to independent schools, and Georgetown Day School in Washington, DC.  He holds a B.A. from Shippensburg University and an M.A. from The Ohio State University.

With 20 years of human resources-related experience, Amber Stockham, SPHR, brings expertise in regulatory compliance, talent acquisition and management, organizational planning, and compensation and benefits design to her role as director, human resources programs at NBOA. Prior to joining NBOA in 2020, her career spanned a variety of industries, including social services, manufacturing and construction. She found a passion for education when she served as the director of human resources at Miss Hall’s School, an independent day/boarding school for girls in grades 9-12 in Massachusetts. In her current role, Stockham develops and delivers highly practical and engaging programs, products and services on topics ranging from difficult conversations and employee supervision to benefits administration. Stockham holds a master of business administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

Karen Volpi is NBOA’s director, accounting and finance programs. Volpi plays an integral role in the development and delivery of resources and programming, particularly with regard to accounting, finance and tax compliance. She serves as the liaison to NBOA’s growing controllers community and the Controllers Council as well as to NBOA member accounting and audit firms. Before coming to NBOA, Volpi was CFO at Darrow School, a co-ed boarding and day school for grades 9-12 in upstate New York. Previously she served in the accounting policy department for Berkshire Bank, and her career has spanned many years in finance and operations roles, primarily in banking and in construction management.