Title: Chief Financial Officer
School: Golda Och Academy, West Orange, New Jersey
Years in current position: 12
Years in an independent school business office: 12
Superpower: Enhancing affordability — “She has served at the forefront of the efforts to work with community funders to develop a model middle class affordability program and new innovative financial aid initiatives.”
Soft touch: Goes out of her way to help fellow business officers. For example, she recently shared much of what she learned from the school’s endowment campaign with another school that wanted to develop a similar program; her assistance helped the school meet its fundraising goal.
Other duties as assigned: Development partner — created the multi-year financial aid model that provided the impetus for a $15 million ask to the school’s lead donor to rename the school to Golda Och Academy.
After school: Participates in a leadership development program at the Jewish Federation, which involves travel to Israel and Europe to extend her studies. “In a school that prides itself on professional development, she is a true model and her desire to be a life-long learner is clear to see.”
See a full list of the 2017 recipients and read more about the Will J. Hancock Unsung Hero Award. NetAssets.org will post additional profiles of Unsung Heroes over the summer and into the fall — check in to learn more about other recipients.