Amber Stockham, SPHR, has over 20 years of experience in human resources to her role as senior director, human resources programs. At the National Business Officer Association (NBOA), Stockham designs and leads courses and workshops on topics ranging from difficult conversations and employee supervision to benefits administration. Prior to NBOA, her career spanned a variety of industries, including social services, manufacturing, and construction. She found a passion for education when she served as the director of human resources at Miss Hall’s School (MA) and was a member of the school’s compensation, evaluation, and benefits task force. She holds a master's of business administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and bachelor’s degrees in sociology and psychology from Bard College.
Mary Kay Markunas supports NBOA’s professional offerings including the NBOA Annual Meeting, Business Officer Institute, webinars, and online courses, as well as providing resources and support to members. She develops and delivers programs related to independent school business operations, leadership and governance, and nonprofit accounting practices. Markunas joined NBOA in 2015 after serving as the director of finance and operations at The Avery Coonley School (IL) for 12 years. Before joining the independent school community, she worked in corporate finance at a global corporation and in engineering consulting.
Patrick Schuermann is an expert in educator compensation. Following a career teaching, tutoring, coaching, and leading independent and public schools, he completed his doctoral dissertation at Vanderbilt University, “An Integrated Approach to Professional Development, Faculty Evaluation, and Compensation: Resources for Independent School Leaders”, which allowed him to visit independent schools across the country to explore how schools were seeking to creatively cultivate mission-aligned human capital. Following its completion in 2006, Schuermann served as the founding director of technical assistance for the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Educator Compensation Reform. In his subsequent role as the director of policy for the Center, he worked with a team to craft the U.S. policy agenda around compensation reform. Concurrently, he led a team in the development of multimedia resources to help school leaders navigate the work of compensation system innovation. In 2022, NBOA collaborated with Schuermann to serve as the lead researcher for the Mission-Anchored Compensation Strategies project – a comprehensive assessment of compensation and benefits practices used in the independent school community. supports NBOA’s professional offerings including the NBOA Annual Meeting, Business Officer Institute, webinars, and online courses, as well as providing resources and support to members. She develops and delivers programs related to independent school business operations, leadership and governance, and nonprofit accounting practices. Markunas joined NBOA in 2015 after serving as the director of finance and operations at The Avery Coonley School (IL) for 12 years. Before joining the independent school community, she worked in corporate finance at a global corporation and in engineering consulting.