By Mary Beth Rogers, ED.S., CFO, MSBO Board President, Executive Director of Business Services, Clarkston Community Schools
Following are excerpts from comments given by MSBO President Mary Beth Rogers at MSBO’s Annual Business Meeting held at the Amway Grand Plaza as part of the 2023 MSBO Annual Conference.
I am humbled and honored to be MSBO’s next Board President. Being a member of MSBO has been an invaluable part of my career and being on the MSBO Board has been the highlight of my career. About 20 years ago, I sat in the same seats as other MSBO members, listening to the MSBO Board and Board President speak on stage at the Annual Conference. I knew then that I wanted to be more involved in this organization and I wanted to become the Board President. I can’t believe the day has come.
I feel that I have been preparing myself for this moment my entire career. As I take on this role, I ask myself how can I be an effective and impactful President for the MSBO Board and our members?
How can I best serve?
The answer was clear to me. We need to Expand Our Horizons as an organization and industry. I will focus my term as president of the board on expanding our horizons.
We are moving forward from the COVID pandemic. Over the past few years, we have learned difficult lessons and the way business is done has changed. We need to evolve and expand our horizons.
A simple definition of “Expanding Horizons” is “to increase the range of one’s knowledge, understanding and/or experience.”
The benefits of expanding one’s horizons means:
- Experiencing new things.
- Learning more skills and knowledge.
- Building relationships with different people.
- Gaining a different perspective in life.
- Being more open to changes in life and being able to look at things from another point of view.
My year will be about adapting to the new normal post COVID, accepting, and embracing Generational Change and expanding and formalizing mentoring programs. The pandemic has changed the work force. Post COVID, the economy has 4 million more jobs available than workers to fill them. Schools are experiencing this pressure. We are struggling to fill all positions in our school districts.
And as experienced staff are leaving, we find it more and more difficult to fill positions. We have a new generation of business officials waiting in the wings – Generation Y & X.
How do we adapt our workplaces to attract and retain this next generation? I will focus on this question as this year’s MSBO Board President and hopefully implement strategies to assist MSBO and members in navigating this changing workplace.
I have another goal. It is a passion of mine. And that is mentoring. When I started my career and when I have made changes in my career, I would reach out to experienced business officials asking for assistance and mentoring. Everyone that has helped me through the years has been impactful to me. I believe we are at a point where this is even more crucial. I would like to explore the development of a more formalized MSBO mentoring program.
As we move forward over the next year, remember do not limit yourself. Work on Expanding Your Horizons. I know I will.
Other Articles in this Newsletter
- A Gaggle of Geese – Julie Omer
- Business Manager Academy Gears up for 2023-24
- Investing in MSBO Members Scholarship Program
- MSBO Business Manager/CPA Workshop
- MSBO Financial Statement Preparation Workshop
- MSBO Golf Outing – A Great Networking Opportunity
- MSBO Membership Renewals Coming Soon
- MSBO Update – David Martell
- Welcome New Members