Number of years as a school business official: 12 years (Wow, it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long!) The funny thing is I’ve only missed two NMASBO conferences: One in October 2009 when my daughter was born and the second in 2017 when I got to go on a cruise to Mexico (I did miss you all, but it was planned two years in advance for my cousin's wedding. Let’s face it, I was too cheap to lose my own money cancelling.)
Previous work experience (including locations): I never planned on working for a school district when I was younger (like most of us). I bucked bales of hay for my grandparents in Steeleville, Missouri when I was a kid (and I loved it). I worked at a Little Caesars in the biggest Kmart in the world on Guam in high School (I still think every teenager should have to work in fast food. It teaches you lots of lessons. Mine was to go to college because I didn’t want to do this the rest of my life.) At ENMU in Portales I was a workstudy in the microfilm department and I subbed in accounts payable in-between microfilm jobs. After graduating, I followed my ex-husband around. He is a band teacher and it was tough. I worked as a trainer in a call center in Las Vegas, NM. The Children’s Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas staffing the night nurses. We moved to Roswell and I worked at a bank for a year until they fired me. (Yeah, you heard that right. I got fired, but that’s another story for another time.) After my son was born, I got hired in the payroll office at ENMU-Roswell and I was hooked on school business (even though it was a small part of the process). We moved back to Portales to be a little closer to family after my son was born (both my parents live in Clovis and work for Clovis Schools). We arrived on a Wednesday, I went into Central Office for the Portales Schools on Friday to get an application and got hired Friday afternoon. I started in the payroll office (which I love) August of 2006. The comptroller position opened, so I took it. Then the business manager position opened. I walked into my Superintendent's office and said, “This might sound crazy, but I want that job." I’m really glad he listened.
Other Board or Committees served on: At ENMU, I was the treasurer for Psi Chi (the psychology fraternity). I was also President of Kappa Kappa Psi, the band fraternity.
At NMASBO, I have been on the scholarship committee since 2014. It is hard, but I love it.
Right now, I am in the Leadership Portales group in Portales. This group is great because we get to learn about all the other types of business in Portales each month. Last month was all about education so I got to give a presentation to the group about school finance in the morning session. I could have talked all day.
Up until last year, I was unable to be on a lot of committees or Boards. Most of you already know this, by I am an advocate for Relay for Life in Portales because I have been diagnosed twice with cancer. (Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma-basically on my face in front of my left ear. I have lots of scars.) The first time, in 2013, I had surgery which seemed to work. But alas, that was not the last of the cancer monster. In Sept 2015, I was diagnosed again. I had surgery again in Oct 2015. I had to wait six weeks for my incision to heal, then started 33 radiation treatments in Lubbock. I had to drive back and forth every day. I would go to work in the morning, hop in the car, and drive 1.5 hours to Lubbock every weekday and back until I couldn’t do it anymore. January 2018 is my 2-year anniversary for being cancer free. Before the Winter Conference in February, I will have had my anniversary CT scan to make sure that it is gone still. For all of you reading this, please, please, please, if you have a lump, get it checked. It saved my life. It took over a year for my immune system to heal, but it was totally worth it.
I apologize now for bumming everyone out. I am now starting to get into the swing of things again. I am in the Clovis Community Band. I am the basketball mom driving both my kids to practice every night and games on Saturday (they are 12 and 8 years old and way too smart for their own good). I have one husband, two kiddos, two dogs, two cats, two guinea pigs, and a 65 gallon fish tank. I have plants in my house that are older than my 12-year-old son and I love to garden every spring. School business is fantastic.
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