Net Assets Podcast

Net Assets PodcastNBOA’s Net Assets podcast delves into today’s most pressing issues in independent school business and operations. Episodes are inspired by popular articles in Net Assets magazine and feature school leaders that appear in the latest issue. In each thought-provoking exchange, host Jeff Shields, NBOA president and CEO, teases out the human stories behind the printed story. Chief financial and operational officers alongside other leaders of school business share what inspires and challenges them as well as their approaches to problem solving and innovation.

For more Net Assets content, see our digital news site.

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  • Human Resources

  • Labor Law

  • Salary

Episode 6: Retaining Staff in a Tight Labor Market, with CFO Jerry Walker

Jerry Walker, associate head of school for finance and operations at Kent Denver School, shares his school’s strategies for retaining staff talent with podcast host NBOA President and CEO Jeff Shields.
  • Change Management

  • Culture

  • Leadership

Episode 5: Tapping Workplace Creativity, with Keynote Speaker Kyle Scheele

NBOA President and CEO Jeff Shields discusses with 2025 NBOA Annual Meeting keynote speaker Kyle Scheele the process behind some of his outlandish projects and about being creative in the workplace.
  • Change Management

  • Software

  • Technology

Episode 4: Transforming School Business Through Tech Choices, with CIO Nathan Gault

A Stevenson School, the school’s data operations team is turning technology on its head. CIO Nathan Gault shares his journey from Yale to higher education software and now to the independent school world, where he’s driving business transformation.
  • Crisis Management

  • Culture

  • Leadership

Episode 3: Beyond Statements: Leading with Authentic Dialogue, with Head of School Kalyan Balaven

By devoting resources proactively to community conversation following the events of October 7, the Dunn School avoided spending reactively on crisis and reputational management.
  • Facilities

  • Leadership

  • Risk Management

Episode 2: Growing Campus, Navigating Community, with CFO Deana Paradis

When Louisville Collegiate School was offered a once-in-a-generation opportunity to expand its campus within a tight urban landscape, school leaders rejoiced. CFO Deana Paradis shares how the business leader played an important role managing change.
  • Change Management

  • Enrollment

  • Leadership

Episode 1: The Teamwork Behind a Turnaround, with Head of School Anne-Marie Kee and CFO Tim Rutherford

Episode 1 highlights the head of school-business officer partnership behind a remarkable enrollment turnaround at Lakefield College School, a day/boarding school in Lakefield, Ontario. Head of School Anne-Marie Kee and CFO and Tim Rutherford are guests.

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About the Host

Jeffrey Shields, FASAE, CAE

Jeff Shields

Jeff Shields, FASAE, CAE, has served as president and CEO of NBOA since March 2010. NBOA is the premier national association serving the needs of business officers and business operations staff at independent schools in areas including accounting, finance, tax, risk management, human resources and facilities.  The association has grown from 23 founding member schools in 1998 to over 1,300 U.S. member schools, plus member schools in Mexico, Canada and 25 other countries around the globe during its 25-year history. Today, NBOA provides nearly 1,600 member schools, business partners, associations and other organizations with a full range of live events, webinars, online courses, publications, web resources, original research, volunteer leadership opportunities, among other services to its growing membership.

Shields is a sought-after speaker delivering keynotes and educational sessions to numerous independent school audiences that include business officers and business operations staff, heads of school, trustees and other school leaders on the state, regional and national levels.

Prior to his current role, Shields was employed by the National Association of College and University Business Officers for 10 years. At the time of his departure, he served as the organization’s senior vice president and chief planning officer. He began his career in association management as the assistant director for leadership training at the National Association of Home Builders.

His current board service includes serving as a director for AMHIC, a healthcare consortium for educational associations in Washington, DC, as well as a trustee for the Enrollment Management Association. Previous board service includes serving as a director for the American Society of Association Executives, as a director for One Schoolhouse, an innovative online school offering supplemental education to independent schools, and as trustee for Georgetown Day School in Washington, DC.

An active member of the American Society of Association Executives, Shields has been recognized as an ASAE Fellow (FASAE) and has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation. He holds a BA from Shippensburg University and an MA from The Ohio State University.

He resides in DC and is the proud father of his 17-year-old daughter Samantha.

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