The Net Assets Podcast from NBOA

Ann Marie Tidona is the 2026 recipient of NBOA's Ken White Distinguished Business Officer Award. She joins host and NBOA President and CEO Jeff Shields to discuss the power of data in her decision-making over the years and how data-informed projections have proven not only accurate but instrumental over time. Beginning with demographic projections many years ago and moving into all areas of financial and operational data, Tidona dives deep and shares how she finds the sweet spot of sharing just enough data with relevant stakeholders. She also discusses undergoing a major systems transition at Friends Academy, where she has served as director of finance, operations and strategic projects for 27 years. Finally Tidona shares how teaching a popular financial literacy course at Friends is one way she has connected with directly with students and prepared the next generation to take on the mantel of financial management. 

Cyber risk is now undeniably enterprise risk that impacts nearly every aspect of school operations. In this episode of the Net Assets Podcast, Bob Olsen, managing director at Hilco Global, joins NBOA President and CEO Jeff Shields to discuss why cybersecurity has become a leadership priority for independent schools. Drawing on years of experience at the intersection of cybersecurity and education, Olsen explains why the Canvas breach that affected 275 million users this past spring came as no surprise, and he offers practical, high-level guidance for school leaders looking to strengthen their risk management strategies. He also explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping the cyber threat landscape.

Weston Outlaw currently serves as CFO at Columbus Academy, a co-ed country day school in Columbus, Ohio. But his relationship with independent schools goes far back, to his own childhood, when he was educated at two beloved institutions that transformed his career trajectory and life. Outlaw talks with NBOA President and CEO Jeff Shields about his work in auxiliary programming from part-time jobs in college through business leader roles at other Midwestern independent schools, where he helped transform auxiliary programs and alternative revenue into critical levers of financial sustainability.

In this episode, Frank Aloise, chief financial officer at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia, joins NBOA President and CEO Jeff Shields to discuss leadership in independent schools, particularly during a merger. Recorded in-person at the 2026 NBOA Annual Meeting, Aloise reflects on the time and energy required to complete the merger itself, on both the business and cultural sides, as well as the remarkable outcomes of the merged school 15 years later. He also reflects on the importance of taking care of his health in this demanding but rewarding profession, the value of professional connections to advancing his school and career, and the process of modernizing an independent school business office. 

Nancy Greene, CFO and vice president for finance and operations at Pine Crest School in Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has received just about every major NBOA honor, thanks to her dedication to the schools she's served and forward thinking in the business office. It's no surprise she's at the forefront of strategic AI adoption, for which Pine Crest received the 2026 Jeffrey Shields Innovation in Independent School Business Operations award. In this episode with host NBOA President and CEO Jeff Shields, Greene explains how a school of any size can get started with thoughtful AI deployments in their business office, and how Pine Crest is hiring differently now with strategic AI in place. Greene also discusses how she has stayed ahead of the curve in many areas, including ERM and executive compensation.