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The Will J. Hancock Unsung Hero Award is given to business officers who have made extraordinary contributions to their schools and exemplify exceptional integrity, knowledge and motivation. At the end of each school year, new Unsung Heroes receive their award from their head of school, often at a significant school occasion such as a board meeting or an all-school ceremony. What makes these Unsung Heroes so special? The highlights below come straight from their colleagues' nominations.
See a full list of the 2019 recipients. Stay tuned to NetAssets.org for additional profiles.
Title: Associate Head of School for Operations
School: River Oaks Baptist School, Houston, Texas
Years in position: 11
Years in an independent school business office: 22
Superpower: Strategic thinker. Mayhew led the school through a capital campaign that grew the endowment from $5M to $32M while concurrently managing an $80M middle school construction project. “He takes it upon himself to evaluate, research and propose better, more efficient and innovative ways to improve programs and systems while preserving the integrity of the school’s operations.”
Multitasker: Mayhew manages myriad daily operations, from campus security, food services and construction financing to implementing an auto-pay option for families. “With all the work added to his plate over the last two years, he never drops the ball. He manages multiple projects at once with ease.”
Master manager: “His sense of urgency turns information, reports and presentations around quickly, so we meet the many deadlines required for such a significant project. He keeps committees on track for deadlines and all the protocols that need to fall into place to make this happen.” At the same time, “he will push back if we try to take a short cut or take the easy way… He is not afraid to tell the leadership team to slow down and be thoughtful.”
Cool head, warm heart: As associate head of school, Mayhew has taken on many human resources responsibilities. Whether he is explaining the school’s disability or FMLA policy or walking a staff member through maternity/paternity leave, Mayhew “handles each person with care and concern.”
Outside the business office: Mayhew “works hard, but not at the expense of family or community. He never misses his daughters’ recitals, sports games, school-related events and supports their Girl Scouts activities. He is an active member of Chapelwood United Methodist Church, runs the Houston Marathon each year and participates in the MS150,” an endurance bike ride that raises money to end multiple sclerosis.
See a full list of the 2019 recipients and read more about the Will J. Hancock Unsung Hero Award. NetAssets.org will post additional profiles of Unsung Heroes throughout the fall — check in to learn more about other recipients.
