2025 Business Officer Institute

Diane Havlinek is in her sixth year at Presbyterian School in Houston as the chief finance and operations officer and in the second decade of her career in independent schools. She received bachelor's and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Cornell University and spent five years in oil and gas. To expand her professional horizons, she pursued an MBA with a concentration in finance, operations and nonprofit business from Yale University. Upon graduation, Havlinek returned to Houston and oil and gas for another five years before moving into nonprofit work at Rice University and then on to independent schools. She spent five years working internationally for independent schools in Canada and England, during which time she traveled extensively, before returning to Houston in 2012. Havlinek has worked in finance and operations at two Houston area independent schools. Her favorite part of the job is fixing processes and systems that don't work or are inefficient. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, with the goals of never visiting the same place twice and visiting more destinations off the beaten path. She recently visited both poles, in Antarctica and the Arctic Circle.

Whitney Johnson joined Colorado Academy in Denver, Colorado, as the chief operating and financial officer in summer 2022 after working at two other independent schools. She has extensive experience in all aspects of independent school business, including human resources, accounting, budgeting, finance, facility operations, risk management and employment law. Johnson most recently held the post of CFO at the Ensworth School in Nashville, Tennessee, and before that she was director of finance and human resources at the Hockaday School in Dallas. Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Central Arkansas and a master’s degree in accountancy from the University of Arkansas. She holds both CPA and Society of Human Resource Management Certified Professional credentials. She enjoys international travel and cuisine, community service, hiking, soccer and theater.

Raj Mallawaaratchy is the CFO at Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, South Carolina, where he leads the school’s finance, IT, facilities, and auxiliary services. With a strong background in both the corporate and educational sectors, Mallawaaratchy has a proven track record in financial management and strategic planning. Prior to his role at Porter-Gaud, Raj served as the director of finance at the Blake School in Minnesota for four years and at the Academy of Holy Angels in New Jersey for four years. Before joining the independent school community, he worked for nearly two decades in high-level finance roles in the corporate world. Mallawaaratchy holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Iowa State University.

Tonya Rayment’s passion for independent schools began during her own student days at an independent school in Englewood, Colorado. Her love for these vibrant communities deepened during her time working at a small college in Old Lyme, Connecticut. After gaining valuable experience in the insurance industry, Rayment felt called to return to the world of independent schools. She joined Rectory School in 2011 as controller and became chief financial officer a year later, a role in which she has been instrumental in shaping the school’s financial strategy and success. Rayment attended the University of Denver and then moved to eastern Connecticut, where she earned additional degrees and embraced diverse professional experiences, from public accounting and higher education to green energy and insurance. Rayment is the proud mother of three adult children and her home is now filled with joy from her four beloved dogs and a charismatic parrot. A passionate reader, she finds happiness in gardening, traveling with family and friends, and visiting her cherished Colorado roots whenever she can.

Lisa Turchan is the Chief Financial Officer for The Buckley School and has been a member of NBOA for 19 years and currently serves on its Board of Directors as the Board Secretary and Chair of Governance Committee.  She is a Certified Public Accountant and University of Michigan Business School graduate with Public Accounting experience at Deloitte.  She spent nearly two decades in senior management roles at Twenty-First Century Fox, being involved in its exponential growth.  Her experience enabled her to get involved in the not-for-profit world and working for The Buckley School since 2004.  Turchan was integral is obtaining the school’s new Conditional Use Permit, despite heavy community opposition, building out its $100M campus enhancement plan, growing the school’s enrollment levels, fortifying the school’s financial position by increasing net assets from $16M to $100M and creating a long-term financial vision for the school.