CEO Notebook
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Culture
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Human Resources
For more than 15 years I've been thinking about the role of the CFO, especially as it relates to educational institutions, vis-à-vis my professional positions at NBOA and NACUBO. Is it just me or is the CFO gettin
2 min read
Without shame or apology I admit that I'm a change addict. I firmly believe that any organization, program or resource can be made better. "No status quo," in fact, is a mantra I developed with my friend and colleague Gr
3 min read
CEO Notebook
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Boards and Trustees
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Leadership
Last year during the NBOA Business Officer Institute, a business officer approached me and said, "My head of school does not want me to attend trustee meetings." My stunned response: "That's a problem." I would conjectur
2 min read
Awesome, simply awesome. Days after the 2015 NBOA Annual Meeting, I'm still feeling the energy of the 1,000-plus independent school leaders who joined us in Boston, and especially the hundreds who heard "Excellence by De
2 min read
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Cash Management
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Culture
A California independent school teaches real-world business and investing skills through a hands-on business curriculum.
9 min read
CEO Notebook
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Cash Management
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Leadership
One of my favorite programs during the NBOA Annual Meeting is the NBOA Awards Lunch. The only national recognition program of its kind, this wonderful event doesn't just recognize individual achievement in independent sc
3 min read
CEO Notebook
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Boards and Trustees
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Planning
I was recently asked to share the biggest change I’ve observed in the business officer profession since 2010, when I became NBOA’s chief executive. My immediate thought was how your role has been elevated wel
2 min read
From the archives: Aging head of school population hastens search timelines, inspires more thoughtful transitions.
15 min read
I've always enjoyed end-of-the-year lists of the top songs, most fascinating people and major news events that will be forever associated with the last 12 months. For my final CEO Notebook of the year, I've decided to re
3 min read
One of the compelling ideas to come out of NBOA's Spectrum Project Report is that leadership, plain and simple, quite often makes the difference between a high-performing independent school and all others. The report, wh
3 min read
Here's a litmus test on online and blended learning in independent schools: Do you consider technology a tool that brings individuals together or keeps them apart?
2 min read
CEO Notebook
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Culture
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Risk Management
Sometimes our busiest times are also our best times for breaking out of routines. This is apparent to me now, as I (like all of you) merge into the jam-packed agenda of the new school year. Two weeks ago, while speaking
2 min read
I have been surprisingly moved by the loss of Robin Williams. While my personal favorite performance was the Genie in Aladdin, I was most inspired by his 1989 role in Dead Poets Society. His character, English teacher Jo
2 min read
CEO Notebook
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Culture
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Risk Management
Last month I attended the NACUBO Annual Meeting in Seattle. It was a coming home of sorts, as I worked for the association for nearly a decade before joining NBOA. Besides re-connecting with former colleagues and friends
3 min read
It takes a village ... you can’t go it alone ... swim with a buddy ... the list goes on and on. If we know we are stronger as a group than individually, why do we so often insist on keeping key information in the hands o
2 min read
"Only the head of school and the business officer leave school each night knowing the good, the bad and the ugly of what went on that day."
3 min read
CEO Notebook
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Boards and Trustees
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Communication
I’ve been reading a lot of articles, blogs and social media posts to help identify information for NBOA’s own social networks—information that I think will resonate with our membership. Sometimes I come
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Each year, as part of our ongoing professional development, the NBOA staff selects a book to read and discuss “book club” style. The book can be about association management, education, business or some other
2 min read
As I discuss the future of independent schools with thought-leaders and colleagues across the country, we often look to higher education—particularly small, independent, liberal arts colleges—to see what less
2 min read
CEO Notebook
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Communication
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Culture
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Professional Development
Between sessions at the 2014 NBOA Annual Meeting two weeks ago, I was stopped time and time again by attendees who thought Amanda Ripley’s Monday Opening Keynote was outstanding. Punctuating these hallway conversations w
2 min read
