President's Corner

What an awesome 2018 conference, right? I don’t know about you but I found the general sessions and education sessions very current and engaging. To those members who didn’t attend…we missed you, and you missed a great conference! I would like to say thank you for your confidence in electing me as president, and I look forward to serving you and the organization to the best of my ability in 2018-2019.

In 2015, I was new to higher education finance and looking for a place to gain knowledge, build resources, grow professionally and network with others in the field. My VP at the time suggested I take a look at CCBO. I was immediately drawn to the leadership academy and the fact that it corresponded with the annual conference was a bonus. I attended that first year and was hooked. As I recently heard someone say, “I found my people.” This was a great group of diverse professionals with all levels of experience in finance in higher education committed to driving the profession forward. This was the first conference I had attended in a long time that I didn’t look for the best location and then skip the boring sessions to have fun. The sessions were fun and I learned so much.

I knew immediately I wanted to become more involved in the organization and signed up for a committee at which time I was approached to join the board as a regional representative. I have since moved into executive team roles leading to my current term as president. I cannot say enough great things about what a thoughtful, caring, fun, and engaging group this membership community is. I have worked in companies or within organizations where there is competition among different teams, so knowledge sharing does not happen, or been ignored at larger conferences for being a smaller community college. But with this group everyone has a story, everyone is interested in sharing, and everyone understands the challenges we face on our campuses each day.

I am so excited for this upcoming year and encourage you all to reach out to others and spread the word about CCBO. It is the personal experiences and engagements that make a difference and make people want to be a part of the organization. The board is just beginning the process for setting goals for this year, so I will share those in the coming months, but membership and conference attendance is always at the front of our strategic plan as that is what drives us forward.

If you are new to CCBO, there are numerous ways to become involved, such as volunteering for a committee, or working at the annual conference; participate in a webinar; present a webinar; attend the Leadership Academy; or present at the Annual Conference. Feel free to reach out to me or any other board member for additional information.

Lastly, it is never too early to begin planning for next year (budget season is right around the corner). Mark your calendars for the 2019 Annual Conference October 26–29 in Fort Worth, TX, at the gorgeous Omni Hotel I hope to see you there!