What does receiving the Monarch Award mean to you?
It is an honor and privilege to have been nominated to receive the Monarch award. The award is given to those school business officials that have demonstrated excellence in service to their school district, communities and profession. It is also humbling to receive this award. As by our nature, school business officials are called to demonstrate excellence in all we do. This is shown through our support of one another, the long hours of service to our school districts, and giving back to our profession through Illinois ASBO presentations or service on a PDC. Receiving this award among such dedicated peers is a thrill of a lifetime.
How has Illinois ASBO specifically played a role in your success?
Illinois ASBO has been my lifeline to being a successful school business official. There are so many Illinois ASBO members that I can contact anytime to problem solve an issue I am dealing with. I do this on a daily basis and am so grateful to have such a deep network to support me in my role. As a school business official, we always have more requests than dollars available. This can be heartbreaking at times; however, Illinois ASBO provides the network to problem-solve and develop creative ways to make these requests become a reality. I wake up every day looking forward to how I can serve my district in the best manner possible and leave every day knowing that I have left my school district in a better place than the day before. I am grateful for my Illinois ASBO colleagues that support me so I can do this. From a personal perspective, the best part of Illinois ASBO is the fact that this is where I met my future husband. :)
Why do you think it is important for the Foundation to recognize outstanding school business officials?
We all do amazing work for our districts and in most cases, with little or no recognition. It is my opinion that most school business officials do not want recognition as we do not want attention drawn to us, good or bad. However, I know how hard we all work to make a difference in public education. I know that it is important to acknowledge this work and all the great work that is going on in public education. We need to continue sharing the work we collectively do to remind ourselves about the impact we all are making in the life of a child, our communities and our world. We all make a difference every day and I stand before you to not only recognize my work in public education but to celebrate all of our school business officials for the amazing work they perform each year. It is important for the Foundation to provide these awards as a reminder and celebration of all of my colleagues for the impact we are making in public education.
The Foundation Monarch Award is one of the highest honors that Illinois ASBO bestows upon its members, and a celebration of the best school business management has to offer. The award will be presented to Susan at the Opening General Session of the 2019 Annual Conference.