From Attendee to Advocate: How ASBO Helped Me Find My Voice in School Business Leadership
For years, attending the ASBO Annual Conference and Expo was a highlight of my professional calendar. I knew the value of networking and had already experienced meaningful growth through conversations with colleagues from across the country. But in fall 2021, something shifted.
At a roundtable session at the conference that year, I met someone who would become a close friend and mentor. We hit it off immediately, and she introduced me to several committee members and ASBO staff. Her encouragement was the spark I needed to take a leap I’d long considered: applying to join a committee.
I’d always wanted to “give back” to the profession that shaped me, but I wasn’t sure I was qualified. That moment of connection changed everything. I began serving on the Editorial Advisory Committee, which helped produce content for School Business Affairs and now does the same for School Business Now. Sitting around the table brainstorming ideas felt electric — like popcorn kernels bursting one after another. Before long, the wall in the meeting room was covered in sticky notes, each one a piece of our vision for the coming year’s content.
I’d always wanted to “give back” to the profession that shaped me, but I wasn’t sure I was qualified. That moment of connection changed everything.
It was thrilling. It was affirming. And for the first time, I felt like I belonged to the association — not just as a member, but as a contributor. ASBO allowed me to make my own mark. Since that first committee meeting, I’ve reviewed Annual Conference session proposals, spoken at the Annual Conference, contributed to ASBO’s podcast, helped design multiple toolkits, and currently serve on the 2025 SFO Commission and as vice chair of the Editorial Advisory Committee.
Each experience has deepened my knowledge and broadened my network. More importantly, it’s connected me with peers who’ve poured into me — mentoring, challenging, and inspiring me to grow. I’m proud of the work we’ve done together, and I’m excited about what’s ahead.
If you have ever wondered whether you are “qualified enough” to get involved with ASBO International, let me be the one to say: You absolutely are. ASBO is full of people ready to welcome you, support you, and help you thrive. If I can do it, you can too.
Say “Yes” to Engaging and Growing with ASBO International
By Maria A. Parry, CPA, SFO
Maybe it was the pandemic, throwing everyone into this “new normal.” Maybe it was attending the ASBO Annual Conference & Expo virtually in fall 2020. Maybe it was reading Shonda Rhimes’s The Year of Yes. Maybe it was a combination of all three that motivated me to have the confidence to apply to be on ASBO International’s Editorial Advisory Committee.
While I do not have a background in journalism, I have contributed to my state publication over the years as a member of the Keypost committee and have also provided content for newsletters in the districts I have worked in. None of these opportunities, in my opinion, equates to being a member of the Editorial Advisory Committee.
When the welcome email arrived, affirming that I had been accepted as an EAC member, I did what any other seasoned veteran with degrees and experience would have done: I called my mother in a panic. Her soothing, supportive, and excited voice brought me back to clarity.
Participating in that first meeting – identifying the themes and articles for each issue of School Business Affairs for the upcoming year was an amazing collaborative effort. Even though I intended to listen, observe, and see how the committee worked, I immediately volunteered to contribute an article.
The members of the EAC are not colleagues; they are family. Your own personal cheerleaders whenever you need that booster.
The first piece — a lookback on an article published in October 1936 — took me hours to put together. I agonized over every word, punctuation mark, and footnote. When I saw it published, I felt as if someone had given me a booster shot of self-assurance. Adjustments no longer needed — I was where I needed (and wanted) to be at this point in my career.
The members of the EAC are not colleagues; they are family. Your own personal cheerleaders whenever you need that booster. The EAC opened doors for me that I would never have envisioned for myself: contributing to ASBO’s podcast, authoring more than 10 articles in the Back to Basics column, in addition to other articles, and co-authoring with fellow EAC professionals.
Being involved in something unrelated to the field of accounting has forced me to stretch my comfort zone and also expand my knowledge base in this amazing field of being a business official.
All you need to do is say “yes.”