By Stephanie Weese, CFO, MSBO Immediate Past President, Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services, Livingston ESA
Following are comments given by MSBO Immediate Past President Stephanie Weese at MSBO’s Annual Business Meeting held at the 2025 MSBO Annual Conference.
What a privilege this past year has been. I’ve had the chance to lead this amazing, intelligent, and kind group of board members — and I want to thank the board for your support, your collaboration, and your grace and patience as we rolled out a few new ideas.
To the MSBO staff — WOW. You’ve truly made this experience incredible, and I’m so grateful for everything you do behind the scenes to make this organization run so smoothly. And to all of you — my colleagues and friends — thank you. Your support has meant the world to me. It’s been exciting to meet so many new faces and reconnect with people I’ve known throughout my career.
I’ll be honest — running for the MSBO Board was never part of my career plan. I remember sitting in the audience, watching Board members speak, and thinking, “That’s not for me. I don’t have anything to offer at that level.”
But I’m telling you this because I know there are others out there thinking the same thing. Please hear this: you do have something to offer. Your voice, your experience, your perspective—those things matter. And putting yourself out there for a Board seat? It’s absolutely worth it.
Before my year officially comes to a close, I want to share a few things I’ve learned this year:
- Time really does fly — whether you’re having fun or not.
- The thing you think you’re not ready for — or that you believe isn’t for you — might just turn out to be the best thing you’ve ever done.
- You can lead from any seat, but when you’re in the “official” leadership role, that’s when you have the most to gain.
- Reaching out to someone with a kind word, a quick text, or a simple email can mean so much more to them than you’ll ever know.
- Be real. Stay you. We’re all human — and that’s where the connection happens.
Thank you again for the honor of serving as your President. It’s truly been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.