NWAIS Business Officers Conference

April 25, 26 & 27 2022

Alderbrook Resort and Spa (Union, WA)

ONLINE REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED

Please contact Jami Sheets (jsheets@nwais.org) or register on-site.

Conference Overview

We are thrilled to be back in person for the first time since 2019. Each year NWAIS hosts a dynamic conference which is an opportunity to gather with colleagues and engage with content around school finance and operations. This year we will be focused on our own sustainability as well as that of our teams and institutions.

Participants will start off the conference participating in some fun activities to reconnect with association colleagues and meet those newer to our group. NWAIS and your schools know how incredibly hard you have all worked these last two years. To help you decompress and transition to our conference experience we will start with some fun. Once we have shaken off some of the year's stress, we will reconvene for a keynote about finding our spark again, and fighting off burnout in ourselves and our teams.

Tuesday we will dive into meaty content. Together with our speakers we will explore institutional sustainability, leadership from the business office, market research and what we have learned from covid that we can apply to other areas of risk management and conclude with a session connecting the work of DEI to the business office. Wednesday morning will conclude with an extended workshop focused on legal and policy updates with a focus on human resources.

Who Should Attend?

Independent School Business Managers and Their Colleagues.

Speakers and Sessions

Conference Agenda

Monday, April 25, 2022 (reception and dinner are included)

1:00–2:00pm       Registration

2:00–2:30pm       Welcome, Introductions and Reconnecting

2:30-4:00pm        Activities and such as kayaking, hiking and lawn games

4:15-5:30pm        From Surviving to Thriving: How to Rediscover Your Spark 

5:30–6:15pm       Reception

6:15–7:30pm       Dinner

Tuesday, April 26, 2022 (breakfast, lunch, reception and dinner are included)

8:00-9:00am       Breakfast

9:00-9:15am       Welcome and Framing

9:15-10:30am     Tap Dancing on Marbles: Driving Organizational Stewardship from the Business Office

10:45-12:00am   Institutional Strategy + Economics: 15 Measures to Watch

12:00-1:30pm     Lunch

1:30-2:30pm      Breakout Sessions

• The Fundamental Principles of Crisis Leadership

• Pulling back the Curtain on Market Research

2:30-3:30pm          Wellness Break

3:30-4:30pm         DEI is the business of the Business Office

4:30-5:00pm         Brief Introductions from Exhibitors

5:00-6:00pm         Exhibitor Reception

6:00-7:00pm         Dinner

Wednesday, April 27, 2022 (Breakfast is included)

7:30-8:30am        Breakfast

8:30-12:00pm      Legal and HR Policy Update (Attend Virtually or In Person)

12:00pm              Conference Conclusion

Pricing and Registration

Registration now open for this event. It is a two-step process. Please register with NWAIS and then contact Alderbrook to arrange for accommodations.

Virtually Attend Wednesday's Legal Seminar

Only $65 for members / $95 for non-members

Many outside of the role of the Business Officer have historically attended the final day of the conference. Attendees have included Human Resource Officers, Heads of School, Trustees and others in the Business Office. You are welcome to register to attend this session in person or attend via zoom. This is the only session available for remote participation.

Legal Topics #trending in Independent Schools

Wednesday, 9:00-11:30am PACIFIC

Our dynamic world is bringing dynamic challenges to schools in our region. In this session, Jollee Patterson and Mike Porter of Miller Nash LLP's education team will address #trending and #challenging legal issues independent schools face. Section 1 will address, among other things, student issues around gender fluidity, mental health and other key topics; employment issues like teacher/faculty "boundary" issues, disability accommodations, and managing risk around retaliation and whistle-blowing; and business office issues like trends in data privacy and liability waivers and releases. The second half of the session will include group work around a hypothetical scenario: Nothing Social About It: A Facebook Fiasco.

TO RECEIVE THE REGISTRATION DISCOUNT: Your registration must be complete by the appropriate deadline.

Online registrations paid by credit card must be completed by 11:59pm on the deadline date.

Cancellation Policy

Substitutions may be made any time prior to the conference. Written cancellations received by April 19, 2022 are eligible for a refund after a $75 cancellation fee. Cancellations received after April 19, 2022 are ineligible for any refund.

Program Cancellation

In the unlikely event that NWAIS cancels a program for any reason, all pre-registered participants will receive notification via email. The cancellation will also be posted on the NWAIS website, and sent via listservs.

Schools Affiliated with NWAIS: Participants’ will have full refunds for all program fees applied to their NWAIS school accounts.

Schools Not Affiliated with NWAIS: Participants will receive a full refund for all program fees paid. NWAIS is unable to reimburse other expenses (such as travel) incurred by attendees prior to the event.

Travel and Other Expenses Incurred Before Event Cancellation

Typically, cancellations and postponements are very rare, however the pandemic has forced us to utilize these options more frequently. In the case that NWAIS needs to cancel, all registration fees will be refunded. NWAIS is however, unable to reimburse other expenses (such as travel) incurred by attendees prior to the event. NWAIS strongly recommends that attendees make travel arrangements such as airline tickets and hotel accommodations that allow for some flexibility such as rescheduling, cancellation and/or future credit.