Speaker Bios

	KEYNOTE Jeff Shields, NBOA President Jeff Shields, FASAE, CAE, has served as president and CEO of the National Business Officers Association (NBOA) since March 2010. NBOA is the premier national association serving the needs of business officers and business operations staff at independent schools in areas including accounting, finance, tax, risk management, human resources and facilities. The association has grown from 23 founding member schools in 1998 to over 1,300 U.S. member schools, plus member schools in Mexico, Canada and 25 other countries around the globe during its 25-year history. Today, NBOA provides nearly 1,600 member schools, business partners, associations and other organizations with a full range of live events, webinars, online courses, publications, web resources, original research, volunteer leadership opportunities, among other services to its growing membership. Shields is a sought-after speaker delivering keynotes and educational sessions to numerous independent school audiences that include business officers and business operations staff, heads of school, trustees and other school leaders on the state, regional and national levels. Prior to his current role, Shields was employed by the National Association of College and University Business Officers for 10 years. At the time of his departure, he served as the organization’s senior vice president and chief planning officer. He began his career in association management as the assistant director for leadership training at the National Association of Home Builders. His current board service includes serving as a director for AMHIC, a healthcare consortium for educational associations in Washington, DC, as well as a trustee for the Enrollment Management Association. Previous board service includes serving as a director for the American Society of Association Executives, as a director for One Schoolhouse, an innovative online school offering supplemental education to independent schools, and as trustee for Georgetown Day School in Washington, DC. An active member of the American Society of Association Executives, Shields has been recognized as an ASAE Fellow (FASAE) and has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation. He holds a BA from Shippensburg University and an MA from The Ohio State University. He resides in DC and is the proud father of his 17-year-old daughter Samantha.
	Stephanie Dillon, PHR, SHRM-CP Stephanie Dillon is a Catapult Employers Association HR Advisor based in Charlotte. Catapult provides employers with the confidence to navigate everyday operational challenges, making workplaces more effective and employees more successful. Managing challenging workplace issues, ensuring HR compliance and solving complicated employment situations can be demanding. For more than 60 years, we have been the go-to-resource for employers seeking practical solutions to help build engaged, well-managed and low-risk workplaces through human resources, employment law and management advice, HR consulting, training, survey data and public policy advocacy. Since 2012 Stephanie has partnered with businesses to provide subject matter expertise on Employee Relations and HR Compliance topics, including, but not limited to: EEO/Discrimination, Wage & Hour, FMLA, ADA, OSHA, Workers’ Compensation, NLRA, FCRA, Immigration, and Unemployment Benefits. She coaches business leaders on Employee Relations, Performance Management, Development, Organizational Effectiveness, and Employee Engagement. She also conducts HR projects, learning and development, as well as providing public speaking on various HR topics. Stephanie is a Charlotte, NC, native and a graduate of The University of the South in Sewanee, TN. She also has a Business Certificate from UNC Chapel Hill. She is a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and SHRM Certified Professional (CP).
	Allison Guenther, FEFNC Allison is the Vice President of External Affairs at Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, a nonprofit organization that advocates for quality educational options through parental school choice. She provides the strategic vision for activities that engage at the grassroots level, educate North Carolinians about their educational options, and empower families to have a voice in their children’s education. She provides leadership over a multi-faceted marketing campaign for North Carolina’s two scholarship programs, oversees communication and relationship-building with parents, private schools, and other stakeholders, and oversees all aspects of NC Schools Around Me, the state's only school finder website. Allison maintains a deep understanding of school choice policy, developing policy solutions that will positively impact students and families. She is a proud graduate of North Carolina State University where she earned a B.A. in public policy and a B.A. in history. She serves on the board of a private school serving students with autism. Allison and her husband live in Fayetteville with their three children.
	Damian Kavanagh, President & CEO MISBO Since July 2017, Dr. Damian Kavanagh, CAE has served as President & CEO of MISBO. Damian has over 25 years of independent school industry experience. Prior to MISBO, Damian spent seven years as a vice president with SAIS where he oversaw the accreditation and membership programs of the association. Prior to joining SAIS, he spent 15 years as a teacher, coach, and administrator at The Westminster Schools of Atlanta, GA, a nationally recognized school with deep roots in the independent school community, and the birthplace of MISBO. From there, he served as head of school of Cambridge Academy in Greenwood, SC. Damian earned both his BA and MA in Latin literature from the University of Georgia, a specialist degree and doctorate in education (educational leadership for learning) from Kennesaw State University where his research was on the alignment of independent school heads and boards to principles of governance in times of normalcy and in times of crisis, and the Certified Association Executive designation from the American Society of Association Executives. Damian is a near native of Charlottesville, VA and a graduate of Saint Anne’s‐Belfield School. Damian is a distance cycling enthusiast and is active in the sport of lacrosse and has been recognized as a coach of the year, an official of the year, and has been inducted into the Georgia Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame.
	Chris Marblo, Charlotte Prep Head of School Chris Marblo is inspired to be the Head of Charlotte Prep and is energized by the school's 50-year history and excited by its promise of future growth and development. Most recently, Chris served as the Head of the Campus School of Smith College (Pre-K-6), in Northampton, Massachusetts. He has also led The Town School in New York City and The Kent School in Chestertown, Maryland, both serving students in PreK-8. Chris was a Klingenstein Visiting Fellow at Teachers College, Columbia University, and a lecturer in the education department at Smith College. Although much of his family has now settled in the Charlotte area, Chris grew up on Long Island and in upstate New York. He received a B.A. in Literature and Human Thought from the College of St. Rose in Albany and an M.A. in English Education: Humanities from New York University. Not one to shy from the challenge of building on a school’s strengths, Chris is drawn to Prep by our clear mission, strong community, dynamic teaching, and commitment to diversity. A strategic thinker, he is especially energized by collaboration in the name of planning and rallying a school community to realize ambitious goals.
	Jennifer Osland Hillen As NBOA’s chief learning officer, Jennifer Osland Hillen, CPA, CGMA, serves as a strategic partner to the president and CEO and leads the staff team charged with delivering the association’s broad and diverse portfolio of programs, industry guidance, and resources. This work reaches members and constituents across multiple delivery channels, including many partnerships with other associations serving independent schools. Hillen serves the NBOA Board of Directors’ Governance Committee and leads the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, in addition to serving as a subject-matter expert on independent school finance, operations and governance. She also serves on the American Society of Association Executives’ Professional Development Advisory Council and has served on the teaching faculty for the Master of Education in Independent School Leadership program at Vanderbilt University’s Department of Leadership, Policy & Organizations at Peabody College of Education and Human Development. Hillen worked in assurance and advisory services for international “Big 4” public accounting firm, Ernst & Young, before joining Harpeth Hall School, where she served as a business officer for nearly a decade. She has served on the board of directors of several nonprofits, including her current role as treasurer of Renewal House, as well as past service to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, LEAD Public Schools, and WO Smith Music School. She recently served as president of the Junior League of Nashville, a 1,600-member organization of women volunteers, the 15th largest in the world. Hillen is honored to be a member of Leadership Nashville and past honoree of the Nashville ATHENA Awards and 30 Under 30. Hillen wrote and illustrated the bestselling book, “GOODNIGHT, NASHVILLE,” and gives a portion of each sale to a local nonprofit. She earned bachelor’s degrees in accounting, Spanish and business from Birmingham-Southern College and studied abroad at Oxford University in England.
	Ryan L. Wilcox \| Marsh McLennan Agency Vice President \| Employee Health & Benefits Ryan Wilcox graduated from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte in 2006 with a BA in Marketing from the Belk College of Business. Ryan joined Marsh McLennan Agency in 2008. With 16 years of employee benefits consulting experience, he delivers extensive employee benefits insight to his clients in the ever-changing world of health care. He believes that trust is the most important part of building strong relationships with clients, and he strives to exceed their expectations. Through his experience, Ryan learned how to develop and communicate clear, concise and impactful short and long-term strategies to client partners. Ryan specializes in designing and managing group medical, dental, life, disability, and voluntary benefit programs to middle market companies across North Carolina and surrounding states with a focus on consumer-driven solutions, self-funding strategies, captive solutions, and long-term data driven cost control strategies. He has specific expertise in the education industry as the Education Practice Group Leader for Marsh McLennan Agency Mid-Atlantic and serves as a Co-Leader for the Marsh McLennan Agency National Education Vertical leadership team. Ryan enjoys volunteering in his community and when away from business, loves spending time with his wife, Alicia, and their three girls: Presley (12), Camden (9), and Loey (6). He enjoys hunting, traveling, snowboarding, and playing soccer.