Katharine Wardle

Katharine Wardle

Assistant Head of School for Finance

Francis Parker School

San Diego, CA

Katharine Wardle joined Francis Parker in 2018. Previously, she was CFO for the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center. She has over 20 years of experience in financial and operational management in not-for-profit and for-profit organizations. Other roles include serving as CFO at Mingei International Museum, CFO at the technology startup Skinit, and CFO at one of Mexico's largest dollar store chains, Waldo’s. Wardle has an MBA in international management from the Garvin International School of Business, Thunderbird School of Global Management; an MS in political science from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, England; and an MA in politics and international relations from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Wardle is also a Certified Management Accountant and a Certified Treasury Professional. She serves on the boards of the Institute of Effective Education (TIEE), CAIS accreditation review committee and CAL-ISBOA Internship initiative, and she has previously served on the boards of the Elementary Institute of Science and Planned Parenthood, San Diego. Wardle is married to Patricia Brennan, and they have three daughters.

Online Courses

Past Webinars

  • How to Save Your School Money with PurchasingPoint This item is protected

    December 6, 2024
    This webinar provides an overview of the PurchasingPoint program, tour of the PurchasingPoint portal and examples of vendor discounts and sign-up processes. Webinar recorded on November 7, 2024
  • Defining Roles and Responsibilities for a Successful Construction Project This item is protected

    November 14, 2024
    Construction project are more complex than ever. Learn the different management roles of a construction project from the owner and architect to the construction manager and other key facilitators.
  • Inflation in Independent and Higher Education: The Case for the HEPI This item is protected

    November 1, 2024
    Access to reliable inflation data and using the most appropriate inflation measure is critical to accurate budgeting and planning. That's why Commonfund produces the Higher Education Price Index (HEPI), an inflation index.
  • Trends in Tuition Discounting: Insights from NBOA Research This item is protected

    October 25, 2024
    Learn about the research findings from the Tuition Discounting Report for PK-12 Independent Schools: 2021-2023, NBOA's recently released multi-year data analysis.
  • Addressing Student-to-Student Issues This item is protected

    October 17, 2024
    Research shows sexual incidents between youth make up approximately half of sexual abuse incidents. Through research and collaboration with leading experts, this session explores how schools leverage research to update policies and procedures.

Net Assets Articles

  • The Business of You

    January 7, 2025
    NBOA’s new research report, “Demographics of the Independent School Business Office,” reveals trends across schools, positions and individual career backgrounds and satisfaction.
  • Retaining Hourly Staff in a Tight Labor Market This item is protected

    January 7, 2025
    When food service workers expressed financial needs, the school negotiated wage raises and developed a staff compensation system.
  • On the Road

    January 6, 2025
    This business officer has come to treasure his weekend duties, even navigating heavy traffic on airport runs.
  • Show Me the Money This item is protected

    January 2, 2025
    Whether or not there’s a state or local law on the books, many schools are finding pay transparency is better for everyone.
  • It’s Keeping Me Awake at Night: What International School Tech Directors Are Losing Sleep Over

    December 23, 2024
    Data privacy and security remain top concerns for tech directors, with the introduction of AI tools adding complexity to regulatory compliance.