It is with great pleasure that we announce the 2008 recipients of the Will J. Hancock Unsung Hero Award. Each one received the award at a ceremony at their school presented to them by their Head of School:
Brian Chang's value and worth to Kamehameha Schools - Kapalama can best be measured by the lives of children he has saved because of his compassion, understanding, and patience. Our mission is to serve Hawaiian children and youth, many of whom come from a culture of poverty. Every year there are families in need who do not know how to ask for assistance and they end up in Brian's office—some in panic and others without hope. He is their advocate—speaking on their behalf in discussions with the financial aid office, guiding them through the process and when necessary, forgiving whatever is due. He knows these families very well and advocates without eroding their dignity and self-esteem. And he does all of this off the radar screen.
Few know this part of Brian. What they know is a skilled business officer who understands the complexities in overseeing an annual operating budget of $66 million. They see a professional who demands good stewardship, leverages resources effectively, and routinely makes things work. His is a "can do" attitude. He has been with me for twenty years—I would not have been able to lead without him.
I know Will Hancock personally and I cannot think of one more aligned with Will's values and principles than Brian Chang. Receiving the Will J. Hancock Award would be a great honor for Brian and would continue to strengthen the esteem and reputation of this important NBOA honor.
– Michael Chun, Head of School
Often, in speeches I make, I refer to Dick as someone who, from a business officer’s position, has done as much as anyone in the country to change the lives of children and the histories of their families.
To list a few of his groundbreaking accomplishments, Dick:
- Used bond financing (with a bond from the Long Term Credit Bank of Japan!) to build our West Campus in 1983.
- Established the first bond rating for an independent school in 1989 (an A from Moody’s, followed by an A from Standard & Poor’s).
- Convinced our board to form the High Desert Investment Corporation, a for-profit entity charged with the development and sale of 981 acres of gifted land. This revolutionary step (along with all of the governance and tax work associated with it) altered our school forever as our endowment benefited from all the profit steps in land development rather than just the proceeds of selling the land.
Dick has also been part of a team that has set the Academy on its decades-long commitment to the greater community. He assisted in the creation of the Albuquerque Academy Educational Foundation, which supports professional development, curriculum development, and sustainability initiatives at the other ISAS independent schools in New Mexico. To date, over $1,000,000 has been disbursed from this foundation to our sister schools.
Rarely (actually never) have I seen such contribution with such absence of ego. I can think of no one in my professional life who has had more of an impact on the lives of others.
– Andrew T. Watson, Head of School
Tom is a veteran business officer who is well respected in his school, as well as the local and national organizations to which be belongs. He deserves this recognition and much more.
– Joseph Q. Guccione, Chief Financial Officer, The Winsor School
Wow! Rebecca Upham blew me away last evening at our end of year trustee meeting when she delivered the news of my receipt of the Hancock award. To say that I was delighted and surprised would be a huge understatement. I have known Will for so many years, and to be mentioned in the same sentence with him is a tremendous feeling.
I truly feel that the honor is better bestowed upon my terrific business office staff. Trust me when I say that they prop me up, cover my assets, and generally make me look much better than I deserve, so I am sharing this award with them, with my thanks.
– Thom Greenlaw
Paula is truly extraordinary. She was all set to retire, and yet made the decision to join our start-up school; now she's in charge of the $28 million dollar renovation of the original Levi-Strauss factory into the permanent home for our school. She's tireless, hilarious, tenacious, and bone-deep committed to translating our school's values—simplicity, silent reflection, peaceful problem-solving, integrity, service—into each and every aspect of the business office's operation.
Paula understands how to create a healthy tension around the school's finances—some risk, but not too much, some fiscal conservatism, and some well-researched gambles. She watches every penny, and then gives me the thumbs up to blow the budget on a kayaking trip for our tired faculty. What's not to love about a business manager who “gets” the importance of a good splurge for a happy and well-loved faculty.
I could go on. But suffice it to say that Paula has created the San Francisco Friends School out of work and wisdom. You can't beat that combination.
– Cathy Hunter, Head of School
I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this recognition than Bill Hodgetts. In my 22 years as a head of independent schools, he is far and away the finest business officer I have worked with. His professionalism is of the highest order, his integrity is unmatched, and his commitment to our school and the broader professional community of business officers is exemplary and unparalleled. In addition, his earlier training in psychology gives him exceptional people skills that allows for outstanding morale among those who work with him—especially with the administrative team and our faculty. Bill is my most valuable colleague and I truly share the leadership of Garrison Forest School with him in full partnership. Our school has been truly blessed to have Bill as such an important part of our community for nearly 20 years.
– Peter O'Neill, Head of School
Bill has been very consistent, over many years, in his support of his own school and all of his peer schools. He provides solid, practical advice and information. He knows the impact of business officer decisions on all aspects of independent schools, which helps him to tailor his advice for particular institutions. He has given his time and expertise to many organizations that support independent education. Show me someone better—I would love to meet that person!
– Larry Johnston, Vice President of Finance & Administration, McDonogh School
Pam was the founding business officer of a start-up school. Through her keen sense of managing money after only 5 years, the school had enough in its reserves to move to a permanent site and to renovate the building, a $1.3 million project. During this time she served as the only person on staff managing all the finances, doing all the HR work, supervising all the financial aid (over a third of our students receive this help), and overseeing 3 major construction projects. I can't imagine that there is a finance director anywhere in the country that works harder than Pam. Through her efforts, the lives of many, many girls have been impacted. Perhaps her greatest quality is her passion to make the lives of teachers as easy as possible. She relentlessly spends time without complaint helping the faculty to fill out their forms and has especially made Family Medical Leaves really work for our teachers.
Pam is held in high regard by our Finance Committee as well. She is analytical, clear-thinking, and able to present excellent reports to the Board.
I am absolutely delighted to honor someone of Pam's talents and commitment.
– Ann Clarke, Head of School
Ann is truly the unsung hero of our school.
Over the past ten years, as enrollment has grown exponentially, I have seen Ann (who first became involved at our school as a volunteer) take a small, one-person office, staffed only with a part-time accountant, to an office of three employees. She serves not only as MSD’s Business Manager but also as Director of Personnel, Co-Administrator of Financial Aid, and Supervisor of the Director of Facilities. She has overseen the creation of all of the financial procedures and guidelines for the business office, always seeking out best practices. With the help of the board of trustees finance committee and the board treasurer she saw us successfully through the process of the issuance of tax exempt bonds for a capital improvement project to build a library (she had many dreams about just what that library should look like!) and she is the school’s watchdog for the resulting bond requirements. For the past several years, she has been highly commended by our auditors at the yearly audit. Last year, when we decided to build our first toddler classroom, Ann was so excited by the prospect of having two-year olds on campus she supervised even the smallest details of the project, designing the perfect playground, and hand-picking animal knobs for the children’s cubbies!
Ann arrives at school at the crack of dawn each day and works tirelessly for the benefit of MSD. She is respected by parents, the board, and the staff, and she is my right hand.
– Stephanie Pax Flanigan, Head of School
Linda has quietly, proactively continued to support our mission by articulating important issues (for example, our Drew in Africa program) and needs to our Board in succinct, positive narratives that ultimately assure feasibility as they support me in my role as Head. These efforts are truly “above and beyond” any DFO's call to duty.
– Sam Cuddeback, Head of School
I have known Linda for nearly 15 years and I am fortunate to be able to say that she has been a mentor, a colleague, and a friend during that time. She gives of her time generously, to both individuals and organizations. Linda has been an ISBOA Board member and currently serves on the NBOA Board.
While the foregoing is commendable, I believe that LInda's personal bravery, devotion to her profession, and generosity of spirit are the keys to her nomination. She willingly listens to her colleagues and responds thoughtfully and knowledgeably to all questions posed. She appreciates the importance of educating the next wave of business office professionals. Linda also "walks the walk" in that she actively participates in professional development activities.
I respect Linda enormously and I could not be more pleased to nominate her for this prestigious award.
– Wayne Taylor, Business Manager, The Branson School
Bob has served Charlotte Latin since 1970, and has been our excellent business manager since 1978. He has been a leader in the field for many years, holding officer positions in regional organizations in North Carolina and in the Southeast. A true gentleman, Bob is respected by all who know him.
– Fletcher Gregory, Assistant Headmaster/Director of Finance
Bob is an outstanding leader in his school, community, state, and at the national level. He is organized, thoughtful, innovative, unfailingly polite, and always directing the credit to others. I'm not in his school so I don't know the day-to-day details of his work, but I do know that he has been very active in developing wellness and disease management programs for his faculty, as well as expanding the variety of benefit options. He is always ready to help with NCAIS programs, help the Association evaluate things (such as health plan proposals) and chairs the NCAIS conference for Business Officers about every 5 years (and makes presentations in the other years). I also know that he has served on numerous regional and national boards. He's dedicated to his family and active in his church. I'm pleased to recommend him for this award.
– Gordon Bingham, Executive Director, North Carolina Association of Independent Schools
Jim has been a very significant leader in the New England region, through his work with both the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE) and the Association of Business Officers of Preparatory Schools (ABOPS). He has supported various sub-committees of AISNE, perhaps most notably the new business officer meetings and several summer national programs. He has also been the lifeblood of Middlesex as it has transitioned over the past 25 years. From coach to dorm parent to teacher, Jim has done it all and will be sorely missed when he retires. His strength and wisdom have touched many lives.
Jim has also mentored innumerable business officers during his 25+ year career. He has always been the man to call if you needed something done—everything from supporting the Business Dinner for the National Association of Independent Schools to taking the simplest question from a “newbie.”
In the many different organizations in which he has served, Jim has been willing to do anything and everything asked of him. He has chaired committees, organized events, and made excellent presentations. He is thorough and thoughtful in his assessment of problems and is always there for a colleague. His quiet demeanor may keep him from much recognition in various groups, but a more dedicated school man there has never been—one who would give you his shirt off his back.
– Bobbi Whiting, Director of Finance and Operations, Shore Country Day School
Mike has been Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Head of School at Sidwell Friends for nearly seven years. Nearly 5,000 visitors have come to our school to see the extraordinary work Mike did in putting the first Platinum LEED Middle School in the world in place. In that creative effort, it was compelling to watch the school’s senior business officer relate so effectively to a school's faculty and to play such key role in quite literally reforming a school's entire curriculum. Mike has made "green" a tour-de-force in the SFS community, persuading not only trustees and fellow administrators but students and faculty alike to be unequivocally committed to environmental stewardship as a core value of our educational program. His intellect is profound, his financial and management insights exceptional and his interpersonal skills border on extraordinary. This is a man who walks his talk and models what he lives.
This year marks my forty-eighth in education, and I have never worked with a CFO of Mike's capacity and substance. Virtually every day he teaches me something new. He has had the same impact on a number of his other colleagues, at least six of whom have gone on to become heads at other independent schools.
I wish Mike could be replicated dozens of times over for many of the other organizations that I serve as a trustee. He gets it that schools are not run by the slice but by the gestalt. He is, I believe, a virtual model for what a 21st century chief school business officer ought to be.
– Bruce B. Stewart, Head of School
Dean has served as Tower School's business manager over the past nine years. The description of the Will Hancock award almost seems to have been written specifically to describe his performance. Dean has made huge contributions to Tower. He has coordinated and improved all of our financial activities. He has (almost single-handedly) served as the school's project superintendent during a recent building project. He works with extraordinary integrity to find the best solutions for the students at Tower. He is committed, loyal, creative, and intelligent. For the past nine years, Dean has provided a backbone of excellent management and careful planning for Tower School. Few properly appreciate his outstanding contributions. We would not be the school we are today without him.
– Peter Philip, Head of School
I have now worked with Ann Marie for five years, and I can say without qualification that she is the finest business officer I have known in 32 years in education.
First and foremost, she is an individual of the highest personal integrity who consistently adheres to exemplary standards of ethical professional conduct. Ann Marie is truthful, open, and sensitive in her dealings with all members of the community. She is mindful of the boundary that exists between her as a business professional and those who are educators, but she is absolutely committed to our school and will do anything she can to improve the experience for students, faculty, and staff.
Ann Marie manages the business operations superbly. In each of my years at Friends, our audit firm has commented that Ann Marie and our business office are in the top 2 or 3 % of all schools the firm assists in terms of thoroughness, professionalism, and adherence to accounting standards. Ann Marie also manages other areas of the school with similar professionalism and success—human resources, auxiliary programs, food service, buildings and grounds, campus security, and financial aid.
I know that I can trust Ann Marie to offer her candid and well-considered perspective on important school matters. I seek her out for counsel on the most sensitive issues that arise in our school. To have a confidante with such expertise, understanding, and discretion is so important to me in this complicated era of leading schools.
– William G. Morris, Jr., Head of School
Roseann has made countless contributions to the Village School community over the past nine years. She began her tenure here the same year that I became Head of School. We laugh that we've grown up together.
Roseann has helped to guide Village School through major construction, effectively doubling the size of our campus. As our Director of Finance and Operations, she has managed an $8.5 million dollar capital campaign, and has successfully seen us through the bond financing process. She has developed systems that ensure the stability and safety of our school, from a financial, personnel, and personal perspective. She has ensured that our growth from 250 to 290 students has not affected the quality of personal attention that our school community has come to value. Roseann has served as a mentor to others, exhibiting endless patience with and kindness for her colleagues and our students.
Roseann has earned this honor through her unflagging diligence, her devotion to our community, and her extraordinary patience in teaching us all about the business side of our school. Very few people realize the level of professionalism, knowledge and dedication that is required to succeed as she has done. She has created a mature business office with systems that will ensure a seamless transition to her successor. In short, she has offered support and solutions to everyone who has needed her, which means she has played a huge role in our school’s growth and success.
– Nora Malone, Head of School
For 35 years, John has led our entire business, accounting, and facilities/plant operations with expertise, compassion, diligence, and an exceptional commitment to mission. With an unrivaled work ethic, he has overseen growth in the school from 450 to 615 students, from 80 to 160 employees, managed over $40 million in campus improvements, and stayed ahead of the board's ever-increasing needs for effective financial management. In areas of sustainability, school safety, regulatory matters, and plant management, he has proactively created programs that have made NCCS a respected school and employer.
– Tim Bazemore, Head of School
I want to add my name to what I am sure would be a long list of people who enthusiastically endorse John for this honor. He is a one of a kind individual who has given his life to our school and asked for nothing in return. He is truly our hero.
– Bill Laverack, President, Board of Trustees
I have been blessed, in my 31 years of heading five independent schools, with a number of remarkably competent business officers. None comes close to John Ziac. He embodies the iron hand in a velvet glove for which every school yearns—a tough negotiator, a skilled diplomat, a man of complete integrity and rock-solid personal values who was by far the most popular administrator on campus, and a powerfully persuasive voice for kids and teachers within the administrative team. Anyone fortunate to have worked with him will tell you he is one of a kind.
– Nicholas Thacher, Head of School, Dedham Country Day School