SPEAKER BIOS:

Amber Stockham, SPHR, earned an MBA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and brings 20 years of experience in human resources to her role at NBOA.  Prior to NBOA, Amber served as the Director of Human Resources at Miss Hall’s School. In that role, she transitioned the school’s retirement plan and oversaw the implementation of a captive health plan and robust wellness program, stabilizing costs for the school and employees, providing sustainable benefits to the community, and allowing employees to focus on educating and caring for the student body. She was a key member of the school’s Compensation, Evaluation, and Benefits Task Force and, in coordination with school counsel, represented her school in legal proceedings. Stockham’s work in residential life at Miss Hall’s School and her community volunteer work led her to a better understanding of the complexity of school life and strengthened her commitment to mission-driven human resources practices.   She has also served as a recruitment consultant for the Berkshire County (MA) District Attorney Transition Team, as finance committee chair of Captivated Health,  and as a board member of the New England Educators Insurance Association. 

Christina Lewellen is a seasoned association executive who has served industries ranging from window manufacturers to court reporters to proposal writers. She brings a data-driven framework to business planning and strategy, having earned her MBA from the Rochester Institute of Technology and the Certified Association Executive designation from the American Society of Association Executives. She was named the Executive Director of ATLIS in 2019, and serves in a variety of ways as an advocate for independent schools and their leadership teams. She and her family live in Virginia.

Matt Hedley serves OneDigital as Director of Retirement Services, primarily responsible for leading the for-profit and not-for-profit retirement plan strategies and solutions for our institutional clients.  He specializes in plan design consulting, fee benchmarking, legislative & regulatory updates and investment analysis.  Matt earned his B.B.A. in Accounting from Radford University and completed his Certified Financial Planner™ education at Old Dominion University.  Matt was recognized by the National Association of Plan Advisors as a Top Retirement Plan Advisor Under 40* and consistently speaks at conferences and events each year.

Amber Jones is a Retirement Plan Consultant with OneDigital’s Multiple Employer Plan (MEP) Consulting Team. In this role she delivers customized solutions to plan sponsors and participants and develops new client relationships in the Mid-Atlantic region. She joined OneDigital from TIAA, where she held various roles in relationship management, financial consulting, and client relationship consulting. She managed a book of approximately 50 institutional clients, primarily in the K-12 and private university and college space. Prior to TIAA, she worked at The Vanguard Group.

Scott Wilson, a 40-year leader in independent schools, joined ISM as a Consultant and Executive Coach in 2021, now serving as Department Chair for Executive Leadership. Scott previously served as President and Headmaster of Baylor School, Tennessee. Scott enjoys working with School Heads and their Trustees on all facets and challenges of school leadership. He understands the unique demands of independent school leadership and the skills necessary for navigating headship effectively—from strategic planning to the realities of working daily with the myriad constituencies of today’s complex school world. Above all, he retains his passion for independent schools and the students they serve. Scott has also served as a Director for the Georgia Independent School Association, the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools, and the Southern Association of Independent Schools. He was mentored by some of the greats in the independent school world, and he now seeks to pass along the lessons learned during his storied career. Scott earned his bachelor’s degree at The University of Georgia and a master’s degree at The University of South Carolina. Scott was a Klingenstein Fellow at Columbia University’s Teachers College.

Dallas Joseph is COO/CFO at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN.  Joseph entered the independent school sector after serving in financial leadership positions at three higher education institutions. In 2000, he joined the Baylor School as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, where he oversees accounting, dining operations, spirit store, summer programs, swim club, technology, security, transportation, and physical plant operations. Dallas is the former Vice President of Finance at Fisk University, Suomi College, and Shaw University. Joseph holds a Bachelor of Accounting Systems degree from the University of North Texas and an MBA from Campbell University.  On the national level, he has held leadership roles in the areas of finance and enrollment management and served as board chair of the National Business Officers Association and the Enrollment Management Association. He serves on numerous boards, including RockPoint Bank, Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, the Hunter Museum of American Art, and Shaw University.

Mikel Pearce is General Counsel, Breach Coach Relationship Manager at CyberClan. Mikel spent 20 years as an insurance defense and coverage lawyer and has nearly a decade of experience as a breach coach, acting on behalf of Lloyd’s syndicates as well as domestic and international insurers. Mikel is excited to leverage his experience as a breach coach to assist CyberClan in being ever more responsive to the needs of various clients and stakeholders.

Bryan Holbrook is a partner in Fisher Phillips’ Charlotte and McLean offices, where he focuses his practice on employment litigation and counseling. His practice includes representing employers in state and federal courts, as well as those with charges pending before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Justice, and parallel state agencies. With almost 600 attorneys in 41 offices across the United States and Mexico, Fisher Phillips is an international labor and employment firm providing practical business solutions for employers’ workplace legal problems. Bryan advises and counsels clients on issues surrounding wage and hour, employment discrimination and harassment, litigation, workplace safety, immigration, trade secrets and non-competes, and more.

SPONSORS:
VAIS appreciates the support of the following Sponsors for the Business Officers Institute.

Strategic Partners
The Budd Group
ConnectOne Bank
Creative with manufacturing partners: Steelcase & Smith Systems
Educators Benefit Services
Meriwether Godsey
MISBO
OneDigital
Pentegra
RCM&D
Spiral Marketing
TIAA
TowneBank
VIcom

Sponsors
Brock & Company, Inc.
Brown Edwards
CulinArt Group

Event Exhibitors
A.W.G. Dewar, Inc.
Checkwriters
CLA
CyberClan
Fisher Phillips
IMA, Education Practice
ISM, Inc.
Lynx Investment Advisory, LLC
Parrot Benefit Group
Sonny Merryman

Academic Partners
World Leadership School