Wednesday, January 16, 2019

7:30am          Registration & Breakfast | Knollwood Hall

8:15am          Opening Remarks | Linda Nelson (Ballroom B)

8:30am          Opening Session: Data Security and Cyber Risk Update: What Independent Schools Need to Know | Alex Miller, United Educators (Ballroom B)

Internet security remains a pressing challenge for all types of organizations, and particularly for independent schools. Phishing, malware, and extortion schemes continue to proliferate, increasing regulatory, liability, and reputational risk to schools everywhere. This session will look at recent trends in data security and the cyber threats educational institutions face, including class action litigation resulting from data breaches, as well as reputation damaging social media incidents. It will review new data security regulations, and provide practical advice for how schools can manage these risks.

10:00am        Break | Sponsored by TIAA | Knollwood Hall

10:15am        Breakout Sessions (select one)

                      Non-Profit Law for Finance Directors | Bob Saunders, Brooks Pierce (Ballroom B)
This presentation will provide a high-level overview of non-profit governance and tax laws, with tips for independent schools on maintaining 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.

                      Auxiliary Programs | Martin Kelly, ISM (Ballroom A)

There are many good reasons to sponsor a summer program: Revenue, vetting potential staff, as a feeder, meeting expectations, etc. There are also many risks attendant to running a summer Program, and some can differ from those present during the school year.  Differ how?
 
Most often summer programs will have different students (and hence parents), different staff, different venues, different goals, and almost always different activities.
 
This session will discuss the many ways schools have, and can “get into trouble” when running a summer program. In our hour session, we’ll take a “1,000 foot” look at exposures in the areas of: contracts, employment practices, facilities & fields, trips and travel, use of waivers, ERP, vendors, and a quick look at business continuation planning for your summer program.  At the end of the session, we’ll provide you with 3 tools to help you, and your staff,  evaluate and reflect upon your Summer Program, hopefully, allowing you to be better prepared prior to "Opening Day".

11:30am        Managing Student Threats | Elizabeth Troutman, Brooks Pierce (Ballroom B)

In this presentation, Elizabeth will discuss considerations for independent schools in managing and supporting students in the wake of Parkland and other schools shootings, provide a step-by-step guide to developing student threat assessment procedures, and identify legal issues that could be of concern to independent schools when implementing student threat assessments.

12:30pm        Lunch & Roundtables | Sponsored by FACTS Management | Ballroom B

1:15pm          Goldmine Presentations | 15 minute speed presentations (Ballroom B)

• School Security Task Force | Shana Barclay, Cape Fear Academy
• The Retirement Checklist 101 | Paul Ibsen, NCAIS Board of Directors
• Expanding your Admissions Funnel with Indexed Tuition | Russell Rabinowitz, The Duke School
• Developing a Cash and Cash Reserves Policy | Whit Brown, Cannon School

2:15pm          Introduction to Mansfield Energy Savings Program | Kayla Williams | Ballroom B

2:30pm          Break | Sponsored by The Budd Group | Knollwood Hall

2:45pm          Panel Discussion: Healthcare Options for 2019 and Beyond | Sponsored by First American Education Finance  (Ballroom B)

                      Paul Ibsen, Leonard Johnson, Mike Steen, Terry Efird, Ryan Wilcox, and David Wright

3:45pm          Breakout Sessions (select one)

Unintended Consequences: Making Financial Aid Budgets Work For Us, Not Against Us | Brian Fulmer | Ballroom A
The landscape of private-independent school enrollment has changed greatly in the last decade. While most schools are attempting to adjust to these changes, many are holding onto a series of financial, process, and cultural assumptions that subtly undermine their current systems and inadvertently limits their success in driving enrollment.  Join Rollu Executive Director, Brian Fulmer, as we consider a few seemingly minor perception and process changes that can empower your financial aid program, and in so doing, help strengthen mission appropriate enrollment for your school.

Managing the Mountains of Data with Palmer Ball, Palmer Ball Consulting | Ballroom B
The amount of data independent schools produce each year can be overwhelming, yet Heads and Business Officers want to be able to get to important information quickly.  Hear various techniques used to gather and track data over the years, including creating an annual notebook for the Head and Business Officer of important enrollment, financial and faculty salary data, as well as charts that are updated annually that show 5 – 10 years’ worth of history on everything from NAIS DASL information to medical insurance rates. See sample schedules that are prepared annually including 14 year financial aid models, cost effectiveness by division, net tuition revenue by grade, dashboards, benchmarking, financial aid analysis, etc. 

2019 Accounting Update | Tony Smith | Ballroom C
Find out the latest accounting changes that may impact your school. 

4:45pm         Break

5:45 pm        Business Officers Social & Dinner | Sponsored by Paragon Bank | Mid Pines Dining Room 

6:15pm         Dinner & Presentation:  Leading Successful Teams in a Multi-Generational Workplace | Karl Sherrill | Sponsored by Paragon Bank

Many researchers believe that for the first time in the history of generational research, five generations will be working together in the work place. This has distinct implications on how teams interact with each other and the need for new leadership models to support these groups. Explore the life experiences that shape each generation and discuss their traits as it relates to motivating a team to achieve success. Be challenged to think differently about this conversation. Hear recommendations on how to help your inter-generational teams not only get along but also appreciate the differences. Discover ways to match strengths with weaknesses and achieve new levels of success.

Thursday, January 17, 2019

7:00am         Breakfast | Knollwood Hall

8:00am         Disruption and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Implications for Independent Schools | Jefferson Burnett, NAIS (Ballroom B)

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (think AI and robotics) is seismic, creating a world of ambiguity and opportunity as it reshapes the work force, work place, and the education ecosystem. Independent schools will play an increasingly significant role in preparing future ready students, reimagining their business and education models along the way. We’ll explore the 4IR, disruptive trends, and pathways to differentiated value for our schools.

9:30am         Strategic Agility | Kathy Pearson, Ph.D., President and Founder, Enterprise Learning Solutions, Inc (Ballroom B)

Today’s business environment is no longer described as having an “ebb and flow”, but rather a permanent “whitewater” condition. This increased speed of change has caused a movement from discrete-event strategic planning to more dynamic planning – the quarterly strategy “refresh”, for example. However, many organizations struggle with the ability to stay nimble to respond to rapid market changes because of a variety of factors. This session explores the common barriers to agility, provides tools to overcome these barriers, and describes best practices in building adaptability in strategic initiatives.

10:45am        Break | New Pinnacle Consulting Group, LLC | Knollwood Hall

11:00am        Strategic Agility, continued | Kathy Pearson

12:00pm        Lunch | Ballroom A

1:15pm          Strategic Agility wrap up | Kathy Pearson

2:00pm          Trends in Independent School Law | Debra Wilson, NAIS (Ballroom B)

3:00pm          Break | Sponsored by George K. Baum | Knollwood Hall

3:15pm          Breakout Sessions (select one)

                      Outsourcing Options for Small School Business Offices | Paul Ibsen and Kerin Hughes (Ballroom A)

Looking at ways to streamline personnel expenses while getting the most bang for your buck?  Have you ever considered outsourcing select business office functions to outside experts? This is an up-and-coming trend that has the potential to provide small schools with top notch services and important legal compliance without the expense of another employee.  Join this session and hear how one NCAIS school has found the right outsourcing fit through their relationship with a local accounting firm specializing in Non-profit accounting. Gain an understanding of how this was implemented and the potential for applying this model to other facets of the business office!

                     Tapping into Attitudes, Giving Habits, and Priorities of Wealthy Donors| Dianne Chipps Bailey, US Trust & David Adams, George K. Baum (Ballroom B)

The 2018 U.S. Trust® Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy will examine the giving and volunteering trends, behaviors, attitudes, and priorities of wealthy American households. Since 2006, this study has been written and researched in partnership with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. This research series is one of the most comprehensive and longest running of its kind, and an important barometer for wealthy donors' charitable engagement and perspectives. The latest study once again offers valuable insights that help inform the strategies of nonprofit professionals, wealthy donors and charitable advisors alike.

4:30pm          Adjourn

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