Effective Financial Governance and Leadership in Independent Schools

Linda Dennison is currently the interim chief financial officer at Walnut Hill School for the Arts. She previously served as the chief financial officer for Glenelg Country School in Ellicott City, Maryland and as the director of finance and comptroller for Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachussetts. Dennison has also been the chief business officer at Indian Creek School, where she played a critical role in negotiating the sale of one campus, while creating and implementing a flexible tuition model and at Baltimore Lab School, where she helped the school spin off as an independent entity. Dennison is currently serving on the NBOA Board of Directors, and previous appointments include the board of Tabor Academy, which she chaired; board of Summit Montessori School, which she chaired; and board of the Association of College Counselors of Independent Schools. Linda is a graduate of Tabor Academy, has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Southern Maine, a master’s degree in education from Johns Hopkins University, and is a CPA. Dennison is a 2019 recipient of NBOA’s Will J. Hancock Unsung Hero Award.

Ann V. Klotz has worked in independent schools as a teacher and administrator for more than 40 years and is devoted to the intellectual, social and emotional development of children. She is the founder and president of Ann V. Klotz Consulting. Following years of teaching and administrative work at other independent schools, she began her tenure as Laurel School’s 10th head, a role which which she held 2004-2025. Among other accomplishments, Klotz founded Laurel’s Center for Research on Girls and launched the Environmental Justice Semester, both of which use the school’s resources on behalf of girls at Laurel and beyond. Klotz currently serves as chair of the board of The Heads’ Network and on the faculty for the Heads’ Network Leadership Seminar. In addition, Klotz serves on the board of One Schoolhouse, The 1911 Group and her alma mater, The Agnes Irwin School. She is a founder and editor of Well-Schooled: The Site for Educator Story Telling. Her essays have appeared in Independent School Magazine, the NAIS Independent Ideas Blog, the Huffington Post, and numerous literary journals.

Mary Kay Markunas supports NBOA's full line of professional development offerings including the NBOA Annual Meeting, Business Officer Institute, webinars and online courses, and also provides resources and support to members. A former independent school business officer, she develops and delivers programs and content related to independent school business operations, leadership and governance, and nonprofit accounting practices. Markunas joined NBOA in early 2015 after serving as the director of finance and operations at The Avery Coonley School for 12 years. While a business officer, she served on the NBOA board of directors for five years (2010-2015). Before joining the independent school community, she worked in corporate finance at a global corporation and in engineering consulting.

As NBOA’s chief learning officer, Jennifer Osland Hillen, CPA, CGMA, leads the team that delivers the association’s broad portfolio of programs, industry guidance, and resources across multiple delivery channels. She serves as a subject-matter expert on independent school finance, operations and governance, leads NBOA’s DE&I efforts, and supports the Board's Governance Committee. Hillen serves on the American Society of Association Executives’ Professional Development Advisory Council and has also served on the faculty for the M.Ed. in Independent School Leadership at Vanderbilt University. She worked at Ernst & Young before joining Harpeth Hall School, where she was a business officer for nearly a decade. Hillen has served on the boards and advisory councils of several nonprofits, including Renewal House (treasurer), the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, LEAD Public Schools, and WO Smith Music School. She is a past president of the Junior League of Nashville and a member of Leadership Nashville, and also wrote and illustrated the bestselling children’s book, “GOODNIGHT, NASHVILLE.”