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Budgets are in place, school has begun, auditors are monopolizing our time... the cycle of the school business official is well under way for the 2015-2016 school year. As we look ahead to the fall, we look for opportunities to sharpen our tools and keep up with the latest changes and best practices for school business. Many of you will be attending the NMASBO fall conference in Las Cruces in September, which will be great and full of exciting educational sessions. Let me also encourage you to consider the ASBO International Annual Meeting and Expo in Grapevine, Texas in October.
The International conference this year is at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine from October 23rd to October 26th. There is a full line-up of educational sessions available. Professional development is offered in the following formats:
Workshops and seminars are in-depth explorations of specific topics of current interest. Workshop and seminars range in time from two to eight hours. An example of a workshop is “How to Create and Deliver Dynamic Presentations.”
Discussion groups are one-hour discussions of a critical school business issue or topic. An example of a discussion group is “Developing and Implementing Internal Controls for Accounts Payable.” This is just one example of many interesting topics.
Deep Dig sessions are two-hour discussions of a critical school business issue or topic. An example of a deep dig session is “Understanding the Compliance, Financial, and Administrative Requirements of the Affordable Care Act.” These are opportunities to go deeper into an issue or topic.
Along with the many educational sessions, the conference also has two general sessions that bring exciting keynote presentations. This year’s first general session speaker is Michelle Gielan. Her presentation is entitled Catalyzing Success: Training Your Brain to Seize Opportunities.
The second general session speaker is Matt McFadyen, who will present Reaching the North Pole: Insights on Leading Teams through Challenge and Change.
Besides the outstanding professional development opportunities, the ASBO International conference provides networking occasions to learn from colleagues throughout the country and even the world. If you have never had the chance to attend an ASBO International Meeting and Expo, I would encourage you to consider going sometime. If not this year, then consider it in your plans for next year in Phoenix or 2017 in Denver.