Unlike your board, the NBOA Board is comprised almost entirely of CFOs. When NBOA members lament the difficulty of getting trustees interested in school finances, it's a bit hard for me to relate. On the other hand, one of my biggest challenges is to get enough members of the NBOA Board interested in serving on the Finance and Audit Committee. After all, they get enough of that with their "day job."
The right balance of change and continuity is vital to the success of any board, so the NBOA Board of Directors transitions each summer. Some members rotate off after completing two three-year terms. Others join for the first time. To that end, effective July 1, Melissa Orth will begin a two-year term as NBOA Board Chair. Melissa is chief financial officer at Greenhill School, in Addison, Texas, and has demonstrated exceptional leadership in her six years on the board so far, most recently chairing the Strategic Planning Task Force.
Joining Melissa as Board Officers:
- Frank Aloise, immediate past chair and chief financial officer at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, Philadelphia
- Brad Rathgeber, executive director of the Online School for Girls, Inc., Bethesda, Md.
- Sandi Pierce, assistant head of finance and operations at Cate School, Carpinteria, Calif.
On July 1 we will also welcome three new directors who are as diverse as the NBOA membership and the independent school community. They are:
- Heather Hoerle, executive director at SSATB (The Admission Organization), Princeton, N.J.
- Nishant Mehta, head of school at The Children's School, Atlanta
- Donna Pacchioni, chief financial officer at Hawken School, Gates Mills, Ohio
For me, one benefit of working with the NBOA Board is that most members work with boards themselves. Not only do they understand the importance of differentiating between board governance and staff responsibilities, but they strive to improve their governance each year. That's why we invest in ongoing professional development for the NBOA Board, including taking time at each meeting to read an article or discuss a case study that helps us reflect on our role as a governing body. (NAIS is a great source of governance case studies; Board Source is another helpful resource.) This commitment has helped the NBOA Board do the most meaningful work that only a board can do: not just oversight, but generative work that elevates the association and the service we provide to members.
For example:
At the spring NBOA Board of Directors meeting, our generative discussion focused on NBOA's service to the most experienced members of our profession. We all acknowledged that NBOA has been quite successful at supporting the work of newer professionals and day-to-day business operations. But how do we support the strategic work and the partnership with the head of school that are essential to the work of today's business officer and needed by every independent school?
We began this generative discussion in the NBOA Board of Directors online community on NBOA Connect. Numerous ideas emerged, distilled into five top priorities on which we will focus in the year ahead:
- Enterprise risk management (especially human resources)
- Financial model/sustainability
- Leadership and management training
- Head of school/business officer (and trustee) partnership
- Competitive environment for independent schools
We are taking action already. Regarding enterprise risk management (ERM), for instance, the July/August Net Assets focuses on risk management, with a terrific feature on ERM. Keep an eye on your mailbox, as your issue should be arriving any day now. Also, the 2015 NBOA Business Office Survey includes a focus section on your school's governance practices. .
Thanks for letting me provide an inside view of the NBOA Board of Directors. I welcome thoughts on your school's approach to board governance, and the resulting challenges (and opportunities) that affect your work.
