The Will J. Hancock Unsung Hero Award is given to business officers who have made extraordinary contributions to their schools and exemplify exceptional integrity, knowledge and motivation. At the end of each school year, new Unsung Heroes receive their award from their head of school, often at a significant school occasion such as a board meeting or an all-school ceremony. What makes these Unsung Heroes so special? The highlights below come straight from their colleagues' nominations.
See a full list of the 2025 recipients. Stay tuned throughout the summer for additional profiles.
Title: Director of Finance and Operations
School: The Fletcher School, Charlotte, NC
Years at the School: 2
Superpower: Financial Clarity. Hausman guided the leadership team and budget managers through the development of a modernized accounting system, designed to improve the school’s ability to accurately forecast budget versus actuals. This enhanced reporting has deepened board engagement and brought greater clarity to financial sustainability efforts. In conversations with the board, “Ari expertly synthesizes financial information and asks lots of questions in order to make informed decisions on behalf of the school,” said his nominator, Head of School Tara Terry.
Modern Migrations: Hausman has “revolutionized the workings of the business office” by migrating his team to new accounting and financial aid software programs. He also led the change to a new payroll provider, significantly upgrading the school’s benefits offerings with the school’s brokers, and helped ensure our compensation package met board benchmark goals.
Supportive Guide: Ari has earned the trust of faculty and staff by leading “transparent and demystifying” conversations with faculty and staff. “He recognizes that most employees do not live and breathe the finances of the school, and so he is patient, asks for feedback and anticipates their questions.”
Adaptive Innovator: Hausman exemplifies Adam Grant’s concept of “rethinking,” according to Terry. “He is incredibly bright with great intuition, yet is also very willing to rethink his idea for a new one when the data points him in that direction.”
