Discovering a Sea of Knowledge: Inside MD ASBO's Spring Conference

Summary

Podcast Summary: School Business Insider – "Discovering a Sea of Knowledge: Inside MD ASBO's Spring Conference"

Introduction

In the May 20, 2025 episode of School Business Insider, host John Brucato delves into the vibrant environment of the Maryland Association of School Business Officials (MD ASBO) during their 71st annual Spring Conference, aptly themed "Discovering a Sea of Knowledge." Joining Brucato are Jeff LaPorta, Executive Director of Maryland ASBO, and Libby Hillard, a School Business Administrator and the incoming Vice President of Maryland ASBO. The episode provides an insightful behind-the-scenes look at the conference's planning, execution, and its significance to school business professionals.

Planning the Conference

Jeff LaPorta opens the discussion by highlighting the extensive effort involved in organizing such a large-scale event. Starting the planning process immediately after the fall conference in November, the team dedicates approximately six months to ensure the Spring Conference's success.

Notable Quote:

“[...] it’s a very large event, it’s very laborious to do, but extremely rewarding at the same time. [...] people like me and Libby and our board and our committee chairs are all working behind the scenes to make sure that there’s an event for them to come to that year.” – Jeff LaPorta [01:39]

The conference spans two full days, with attendance surpassing the previous year. LaPorta emphasizes the meticulous coordination required, from soliciting educational session proposals to managing a roster of over 200 exhibitors.

The Conference Theme: A Sea of Knowledge

The theme "Discovering a Sea of Knowledge" was inspired by the Arizona ASBO conference, where LaPorta witnessed an exceptional execution of the theme through decorations and interactive elements. This inspired Maryland ASBO to adopt a similar approach, encouraging exhibitors to decorate their booths accordingly.

Notable Quote:

“We decided to forego that half day session this year just so we could fit some other things in.” – Jeff LaPorta [02:49]

A creative initiative involved engaging local elementary students to design sea creature decorations for exhibitor booths, fostering community involvement and enhancing the thematic ambiance.

Notable Quote:

“We have student made decorations of sea creatures and fish and mermaids and all kinds of things like that.” – Jeff LaPorta [07:09]

Behind the Scenes: Execution and Logistics

LaPorta provides a comprehensive overview of the logistical efforts underpinning the conference. From planning educational sessions across diverse domains—finance, facilities, food safety, and more—to ensuring engaging activities like live bands and cornhole tournaments, the team strives to cater to a wide array of interests.

Notable Quote:

“A three day event takes about six months worth of planning and it really doesn’t seem like it should, but it does.” – Jeff LaPorta [08:03]

He underscores the importance of continuous improvement and innovation, noting the transition to online courses to accommodate attendees' schedules and geographic spread.

Professional Development and Personal Growth

Libby Hillard passionately discusses the critical role of professional development conferences in fostering networking, knowledge sharing, and personal growth among school business officials. She highlights how ASBO conferences break down silos, allowing professionals from various departments—finance, facilities, food service—to collaborate and learn from one another.

Notable Quote:

“The cycle of continuous improvement is what I think makes Maryland ASBO incredible.” – Libby Hillard [13:43]

Jeff adds that the conference not only facilitates professional learning but also personal development opportunities, such as leadership and integrity workshops, which are universally beneficial regardless of one's departmental focus.

Notable Quote:

“How do I set myself up for a promotion where I work, all those types of things.” – Jeff LaPorta [15:23]

Encouraging Participation and Sharing

The conversation shifts to strategies for encouraging more school business officials to participate actively, present, and share their experiences. Both LaPorta and Hillard emphasize mentorship, creating comfortable environments for presenters, and showcasing the tangible benefits of participation.

Notable Quote:

“Take a chance, get involved, take a risk. [...] This is a very welcoming organization.” – Libby Hillard [27:40]

They discuss the challenges of engaging veteran professionals and the importance of developing more advanced and in-depth sessions to meet their needs.

Notable Quote:

“Some of our sessions, you know, might be more considered 101 or 200 level. [...] People want more in-depth educational sessions.” – Jeff LaPorta [19:53]

Future Plans and Innovations

Looking ahead, LaPorta shares exciting developments aimed at enhancing accessibility and content delivery. Plans to migrate foundational courses to online platforms are underway, allowing greater flexibility for attendees. Additionally, the success of introducing live bands this year has paved the way for incorporating musical elements in future conferences.

Notable Quote:

“We are just starting to migrate those to online and on demand. So the first one that is in the works right now and being done is in the hands.” – Jeff LaPorta [26:22]

Hillard outlines her aspirations as the incoming Vice President, focusing on strengthening the integration between capital and operating budgets and fostering innovative collaborations within ASBO.

Notable Quote:

“To get that in, to get more involved, and really to take any opportunity.” – Libby Hillard [23:50]

Closing Remarks

In conclusion, both LaPorta and Hillard encourage attendees to actively participate, network, and celebrate their achievements through awards and recognitions. Their commitment to continuous improvement and community building underscores the conference's pivotal role in the professional lives of Maryland's school business officials.

Notable Quotes:

“Participate in those, apply for those awards.” – Jeff LaPorta [28:04]

“This is a very welcoming organization. It will a difference in your career and I think it can help you make a difference in your school system.” – Libby Hillard [27:40]

John Brucato wraps up the episode by commending the organizers for an outstanding conference, emphasizing the invaluable content and the strong sense of community fostered among attendees.

Conclusion

The Spring Conference of MD ASBO emerges as a cornerstone event for school business professionals, offering a blend of professional development, personal growth, and community engagement. Through meticulous planning, innovative themes, and a focus on inclusivity, Maryland ASBO continues to set a high standard for industry conferences, empowering its members to excel in their roles and drive positive change within their educational institutions.

Transcript

[John Brucato]

You're listening to ASBO International's School Business Insider. I'm your host, John Brucato. Each week on School Business Insider, I sit down with school business officials and industry experts from around the world to share their stories and explore the topics that matter most to you. Find out what it means to be a school business official and get your insider pass on all things school business. Hi, everyone, and welcome back to School Business Insider. In today's episode, we're headed to Maryland to spotlight one of the most vibrant and engaging affiliates in the ASPO family, the Maryland association of School Business Officials. Joining me are two outstanding leaders in Maryland school business community. Jeff LaPorta, executive director of Maryland ASBO, and Libby Hillard, School Business administrator and incoming Vice president of Maryland ASBO. We're going behind the scenes of Maryland ASBO's 71st annual spring conference themed Discover a Sea of Knowledge to explore what makes this professional development event such a CornerStone of Maryland's SBOs. From planning logistics to cultivating leadership pipelines, we'll discuss why Maryland ASBO's commitment to professional growth, collaboration, and community sets them apart. Welcome to podcast. I'm happy to have both of you today.

[Libby Hillard]

Thank you so much.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Great to be here, John.

[John Brucato]

Absolutely. Good to have you back on Jeff. So thanks for sitting down with me and Libby. First time on the podcast. So glad to have you as well. So, Jeff, why don't you just kick us off what's going on today and tomorrow and what has really gone into planning your event, your spring conference?

[Jeff LaPorta]

Yeah, this is anybody who has, and most of the listeners have probably all produced a major conference in their job. And it's a very large event, it's very laborious to do, but extremely rewarding at the same time. As soon as you get here and you realize, oh, this is a product of all the work that we've done. And you can see all the folks who, you know, they think about it all year long and they wait to come to it. They talk about to each other, are you going to ASBO this year? Are you going to asbo? But they don't realize that while you're, while they're saying that it's people like me and Libby and our board and our committee chairs are all working behind the scenes to make sure that there's an event for them to come to that year. So we're really glad that they're here. We do a two day, you know, two full days of an event. Most days or most years. We have a Wednesday morning session also that's a short half day session. We decided to forego that half day session this year just so we could fit some other things in. Sure, sure. But we've got two full days for the folks here, and our turnout this year is larger than last year, so we're pretty excited.

[John Brucato]

That's great. And, you know, an unintended benefit of being on the podcast. You have an opportunity to sit down today.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Yes. Yeah. You know, somebody once described being at the conference and planning the conference as looking at a duck. You'd see them just kind of floating on the top of the water and it looks just so calm, but underneath their little legs are just running and running and running. So, yeah, it's really been very nice to have the opportunity to come here and sit and talk to you, but.

[John Brucato]

Still putting you to work. Jeff. Sorry.

[Jeff LaPorta]

You know what? Let's talk for a while because I'm enjoying sitting down.

[John Brucato]

Great, Great. So, Libby, what drew you leadership in Maryland aspo. And why do you feel that these conferences are so important for school business officials to attend?

[Libby Hillard]

I started coming to conferences when I became a school business official in 2015, and the conference gives me an opportunity to meet people who are doing the same work that I'm doing, maybe with a bigger budget, maybe a smaller budget, bigger school district, people that I can talk to and learn from, and people with really high integrity and a commitment to school business. It's also allowed me to meet people from other states, other areas. It's opened my eyes to different ways of doing things. I think sometimes in government agencies, we become siloed. We hold on to information or knowledge, and being in ASBO has helped me to. Oh, well, that's a different way to look at this. Or this is a different way to look at that. I look forward to the conference every year. Jeff is being very humble. He makes Maryland ASBO great. He does a lot of work every time. It's not just managing the conference and the professional development, but looking out for all the vendors. And because of all that attention to detail, the conference is always good for me. Not just in terms of professional development, not just in terms of networking, but excellent vendors who really care about my needs. And you can tell that they're well cared for.

[John Brucato]

Absolutely. So the theme is discovering a sea of knowledge. How did that really come to be? I mean, I'm sure there's something to do with being an Ocean City, but tell me more about the theme and how it's kind of playing out and woven in throughout this conference.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Actually, it doesn't have Anything to do with Ocean City, it has something to do with Arizona. Wow. And how would you. How would you come through that? Yeah. So like Libby just said is, you know, too often we maybe live in silos and we're isolated, but when you can interact with other people and people from other states, you learn new things, you get exposed to new things. So I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Arizona ASBO conference last July. Now, Arizona in July is just, you know, a little bit hot. So. But I was, you know, I was very interested to go. So I did go. And when I saw what my colleagues were doing out there, the theme of their conference was a sea of knowledge. And boy, they just really killed it. They just did such an amazing job with the decorations. And not just the decorations. They had produced videos to go along with it to support the theme. They had the exhibitors all involved decorating their exhibit booths. I mean, really, from from A to Z, everything was based around that theme. And I just thought that there was a real lot to do with that theme. There was a lot that you could do with it. So I thought, okay, this is gonna be our theme this year. A sea of knowledge. And, you know, Arizona does a great job. I think we've done it pretty well here, too. One of the unique things that happened this year was we tell our exhibitors, we say, okay, here's our theme this year, and we want you to decorate your exhibit booth to demonstrate our theme. And whoever has the best booth will win a prize.

[John Brucato]

Oh, no, Kidd.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Well, one of the exhibitors emailed me and said, can we have a school and students from a school decorate our booth for us?

[John Brucato]

That's such a good idea.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Well, wow. What a great idea. Yeah. Let me see if I can, you know, make that happen.

[John Brucato]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Jeff LaPorta]

So I reached out to our president and the school district that he's in, and I asked, can. Can some of your students, your schools do this? And he put me in contact with the supervisor of the arts program. And it just so happened they had the whole grade. Elementary school had done this big project of designing sea creatures. So if you.

[John Brucato]

Perfect timing.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Yeah. If you look throughout the exhibit center, we have student made decorations of sea creatures and fish and mermaids and all kinds of things like that. And we delivered a whole bunch of them to the booth of the exhibitor who had originally asked for them. So it really all kind of gelled together pretty nicely.

[John Brucato]

Oh, that's great. Great timing.

[Jeff LaPorta]

And it all started in Arizona.

[John Brucato]

Yeah. Of all places. Right. So you gave us a Little bit of an overview of what goes into it in terms of planning this conference. But could you give us a little bit more detail in terms of behind the scenes? This is a huge event that you're putting on. So walk me through the steps. When does the planning start? What are you and your staff doing on a monthly basis to get ready for this? I'm really curious because I'm on the board of ASBO ny so I know there's a lot that goes into planning this and the staff does an amazing job. But why don't you enlighten our listeners a little bit on really what you and your staff are doing to really put on such a miraculous event.

[Jeff LaPorta]

So it's, you know, crazy to think that a three day event takes about six months worth of planning and it really doesn't seem like it should, but it does. So we have a one day fall conference in November and as soon as that conference is over, we'll actually start planning for this one.

[John Brucato]

Wow.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Now you know, it's a, you know, a general planning. Okay, how are we going to do, do this or that? How are we going to set up the exhibit floor which you would think stays the same year to year? For the most part it does, but we tweak, we tweak almost everything every year so that it doesn't get stale. But we do start around November. We want to get all of like, you know, listen, we've got some great educational sessions going on today. We've got about 40 of those. So we've got a solicit for people to give us their ideas for who wants to. How are we going to line them up? Do we have. Our ASBO is unique in where we have a lot of members from the facilities areas, transportation, food, nutrition, school safety. We're not just centered on finance. So we have to have some kind of professional development and sessions for those, for all of those people.

[John Brucato]

Right.

[Jeff LaPorta]

So we'll start working on those, you know, and then it's okay, well, what do we want to do different this year? The agenda has never been the same from one year to the next. So while we just came out of the lunch session with the keynote speaker, I wrote myself a little note that the time we allowed for ourself throughout this lunch was not enough time. We had to start while people were still, you know, finishing up eating, which I never like to do. But there's so much that goes in the agenda sometimes you can't avoid it. Right, right. But yeah, so, you know, somebody's gotta reach out to all of the exhibitors. We have 204 exhibitors here. Wow. We had on a waiting list waiting to get in. So someone has to reach out to those folks. They've got to give them the rules and the plans for, you know, how do you sign up? We let all of our returning exhibitors, we give them a grace period where, hey, you can come back and get your same exhibit booth. If you respond by X date, after that, we open it up to everyone. We've got a lot of new exhibitors this year and like I said, we had a pretty big waiting list. So, yeah, we start sending out notices to those folks. Then, of course, we start developing promos. What is it that we're going to do next year? We always try to be a year ahead with our keynote speaker.

[John Brucato]

I saw that in your pamphlet. You already have the keynote speaker lined up. That's great.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Yep. We have next year's keynote and she's listed in our program. We have next year's theme, although that's not in the program yet. But we've got. We've got the theme for that we're working on. This year is the first time we have a live band. If it's a success tonight, I've already got another band lined up for next year that we'll do. So it's just, you know, it's just constant thinking about what can we do to make it better. And you're probably going to ask this later. And I might be jumping the gun here a little bit, but one of the things that we do is years ago, it used to be all business like here, and it was a little bit stuffy.

[John Brucato]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Jeff LaPorta]

For the last three years, we've had a cornhole tournament here where we paired exhibitors with attendees. So that to increase engagement, we're always looking to increase the engagement with the. With the exhibitors, with attendees, because that's, you know, what they want. So we've had a cornhole tournament here for the last three years, which was tremendously successful. But, you know, we did that for a few years. So this year we're not doing it. We'll do it. We're doing something else.

[John Brucato]

That's great.

[Jeff LaPorta]

I'm always looking for something new that we can do, something that makes it fun and something that makes for a networking opportunity. Because I think when you talk to the attendees, one of the things that they love best about here is being able to catch up, network, and see people they haven't seen in maybe six months from other school systems.

[John Brucato]

That's Great. Do you usually keep it in Oceanside or you move it around the state, the conference or.

[Jeff LaPorta]

No, we're always here in Ocean City or.

[John Brucato]

Ocean Cities.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Yeah. This is our. This has been our home here for evidently over 70 years.

[John Brucato]

Wow.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Which I was not here back then, but, yeah, we've been here for, like, 70 years.

[John Brucato]

Wow, that's great.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Yeah.

[John Brucato]

So. So, Libby, you've had. We're about halfway through day one. What has really kind of resonated with you so far? Attending sessions? What has stuck out? I mean, what do you think people are missing by not being here?

[Libby Hillard]

Can I touch on something that you guys just talked about? Because what really resonates for me as someone in putting together a conference is the attention to detail. Because when Jeff is thinking about a vendor, he's thinking about how they will have the most opportunity to interact, and he's constantly improving. The cycle of continuous improvement is what I think makes Maryland ASBO incredible. And the attention to detail of looking at. We have a vendor who does a Samore party s' mores on the beach. And, you know, Jeff was like, oh, let's move that to Sunday night and piggyback it to this to that to get maximum more people. That really makes a difference. That attention to detail flows into your professional development, too. Hey, we've got schools looking at what they're doing with their phone policy. Let's make sure our vendors highlight that. Let's make sure we're talking about that. It's the board coming together and talking about all year on those particular details and thinking of new and better ways. I really like that they make it fun at ASBO to interact and get to know people. I've met some great vendors. I've met people that I do business with now in my district, but I've also met people that I've learned from for maybe what I want to do next. And that has been very meaningful. I don't think you want to miss anything at an ASBO conference.

[John Brucato]

Yeah, that's great. Well said. So, Jeff, you mentioned that Maryland is unique in the sense that you have school finance officials and facilities personnel. Do you find it difficult to coordinate and structure programming to hit all of that, or are you kind of. It's kind of just like you've been doing it long enough, you know what works, and you tweak it here and there.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Yeah, it's not really difficult. We're fortunate where many of the facilities in operation, people who are our members, are extremely active. They're probably some of the more active Folks that, who are our members. So they're always willing to, to present, do presentations for us here. And because they come in numbers, our exhibitors are very well represented in those areas of, you know, construction, management and things like that. Architects and engineering firms are here en masse. But you know, if you look at the educational sessions that we have lined up today and tomorrow, you'll see food service classes, safety and security, you know, things like that, food and nutrition classes. But, but one of the things that we noticed a few years ago is that we're able to do, and it's extremely successful, is whether you're in the finance department, the procurement department, facilities department, Everyone is interested in how do I move up the career ladder, how do I develop my personal self, my personal growth. So we make sure that in every time slot that we have an educational session, one of the options is some type of a personal growth class or a leadership class. Now I have heard the feedback from one of the classes today done by Lynn Knight, who's the vice president.

[John Brucato]

I was in that session.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of Aspen.

[John Brucato]

She did a great job.

[Jeff LaPorta]

And she did, you know, a class on integrity and leadership. Integrity. And I hear everyone is just talking about what a great session it was.

[John Brucato]

It was, it was phenomenal.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Yeah, I'm so glad to hear you say that. And again, it doesn't have anything to do with finance or facilities. It's just something that everyone is interested in, personal growth. How do I set myself up for a promotion where I work, all those types of things. So we make sure that there's one of those options in every time slot. So that if that's why folks are coming here, they've got that opportunity to go those classes.

[John Brucato]

Great, great. And so Libby, you were the incoming leadership on the board, and obviously I would assume that professional and personal development is really important to you. Why do you think it's important for someone to attend conferences like these? I mean, we were talking a little bit offline, how there's a little bit of something for everyone. Right. But why do you feel it's so important for those to take time out of their busy days, busy weeks, and attend conferences like what Marilyn Asbo's doing here.

[Libby Hillard]

Jeff actually opened my mind to this a couple years ago. He did a conference, a one day training in Annapolis on building your own career. And, and it was the first time I heard someone say out loud, but I kind of intuitively knew some school systems are not doing this for people anymore. They're not helping people to build their career. To figure out what's next, how to brand themselves. So that is a big thing that ASBO has done for me. And it's typically, if I speak on something in asbo, November I did on courageous conversations, and tomorrow I'll be doing one on how to interview, what to do, what not to do. And I agree with Jeff completely. Whether you're in facilities or finance, you need these particular. And this. This middle piece, this piece about personal development or developing yourself for the organization is the link that I think helps break down silos. It's the link where people can come together and talk and learn that by working together, we can find more innovative ways to do things. And that's really what ASBO does. It's the link for breaking down silos in education.

[John Brucato]

Yeah, that's great.

[Jeff LaPorta]

And you'll meet people in those classes from school systems that you may not have the opportunity anywhere else to meet and interact with and become friends with. And then you'll see them at the next event and the next event, and before you know it, you know, you're friends.

[John Brucato]

Right, right.

[Jeff LaPorta]

And you're, you know, you're looking forward to seeing them at the next event. And at some point, you're probably picking up the phone and calling them, too, and asking them some kind of a question, hey, what are you doing at your school district about this?

[John Brucato]

Right, right. That's one of the great things of these conferences is making those personal connections. Because we've talked a lot about this on the podcast, where the personal and professional network just grows and grows over time. And now being so involved with ASBO International, I can pick the phone up and call somebody across the States or across the world and be like, hey, what would you, you know, have you dealt with this situation before? And just having that lifeline, you know, all over the place is great. So being able to develop those relationships at conferences like these is great for the professional network.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Yeah. And actually, you and I are like, a great example of that.

[John Brucato]

Exactly. Yeah.

[Jeff LaPorta]

We met in New last year. And, you know, it's funny because I met your wife, Brady, and, you know, we had a connection because she had worked somewhere where I knew someone who worked with her. And, you know, then we just kind of all circled around you and I, and then all of a sudden, here you're coming to our conference this year, and here we are doing the podcast.

[John Brucato]

I know. That's. That's a great example. I mean, just something is simple as a dinner that, you know, we made a personal connection, and now, yeah, here we are. That's good. So how do you strike a balance when you're building out the cadre of professional development opportunities in the classes that are offered? How do you balance between hitting the needs of veteran school business officials and facilities folks versus maybe those that are just starting out in their career? How do you strike that balance to make sure that everyone is getting something?

[Jeff LaPorta]

If you were to ask me what's one of the major things that you need to improve at Maryland asbo, I think that would be it. Some of the feedback that we've heard about our educational sessions is they're not really geared towards veterans. People who've been doing it a long time and maybe are doing deeper dives into some of the issues that they have.

[John Brucato]

Sure.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Some of our sessions, you know, might be more considered 101 or 200 level. You know, we're trying to think of ways to get to that 300 and 400 level with our sessions. One of the sessions that we have today is about like a unique building construction, school building construction project that was done in Prince George's county that was very unique and very successful. And that group has come here to talk to everyone else about how they can duplicate it, which is great. And I think that's the kind of thing that people want to hear. It's not so much the basics, but. Okay. Because, you know, listen, if you're trying to cut your budget, everyone has done the same thing who's thinking outside of the box and has something unique and you know that someone out there is doing it. The difficult part is to identify who that is and then to coerce that.

[John Brucato]

Person, get them here to share their story.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Will you come here and tell everyone else about it?

[John Brucato]

Yeah.

[Jeff LaPorta]

And you know, not everyone is willing to do that. And it's kind of difficult to bring in the right people to be able to reach the veterans. But it is something that we're. We are hearing as feedback that people want more in depth educational sessions.

[John Brucato]

Yeah. And to that point, and Libby, feel free to jump on this too, but how do you feel you can encourage school business officials to get more involved and just really whether it's be vulnerable and tell their story or just offer their personal perspective on certain solutions. How do you get people to get into this role of presenting and sharing information?

[Libby Hillard]

Well, I am on the board with another Montgomery county employee and we both are constantly looking for people that will step into our shoes in asbo. So we are working with ASBO leadership to say, oh, we know three or four people in this area or in that area, let's bring them along, let's guide them along. I try to always share with people what asbo's done for me, how I've seen it help other people. And especially if people are telling me they're feeling a little stuck in their career or in their district, this is a great place to come and find people that are being positive and making changes. The personal connection and again, the attention to detail. It's not so much the mass emailing or it's being involved in your own district too, and sharing and talking and I would say reaching out to your asbo, because Jeff has dropped in virtually to some of our things. If we're trying to highlight or train something, it's been a very nice way to just highlight a solution that ASBO can offer.

[John Brucato]

That's great.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Yeah. You know, John, I also find that when I've reached out to some people and asked them, hey, you know, I heard what you did at your school system. Would you come and talk to us at the conference and do a presentation on this? And a lot of times they say, well, can I have someone do it with me? So it's not just me standing up in front of the room? Absolutely, yes. So I think making those folks feel comfortable also is a great way to entice them to come so you don't have to do it yourself. Bring someone with you. Yeah, that'd be great.

[John Brucato]

Yeah, that's a good point, because not everybody is comfortable presenting. I mean, I think in these roles, we. We probably do it more often than others in the school district. But still, staying in front of a room of all of your colleagues can be pretty intimidating. So you might be an expert on some capital construction projects, but you may not be an expert on presenting. So having somebody up there with you probably eases it up.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Yeah. And it's funny because like you said, finance folks are usually used to going to a board meeting and presenting to the board and to the public. However, somebody from the HR department, they kind of might like to just stay behind the desk and not really get out from behind the desk too much. So kind of convincing them that, hey, you've done something unique and you really should share it with everyone. That's not easy.

[John Brucato]

Right, Right. So, Libby, as an incoming vp, what are kind of your future aspirations and goals this upcoming year?

[Libby Hillard]

Coming in? One of the things I have had a career in school, business operations, and also in facilities. So one of the things I told Jeff that I'm very interested in that I think ASBO can help People is we build things on the capital budget, but we live it on the operating budget and how we can talk to each other and work together. One thing I've learned from him is just how to make ASBO more of an organization where we can tie in and see the linkages. So that's what I'm really thinking of. To get that in, to get more involved, and really to take any opportunity. I could not suggest this highly enough. Any opportunity that he suggests for me, like doing this podcast, like speaking somewhere or working with another ASBO to just deepen, deepen our organization.

[John Brucato]

That's great.

[Jeff LaPorta]

And, you know, one of the things, the interesting things that Libby brings to our board is Libby's always thinking really far ahead, and it's always positive, too. It's like, how can we make this better? What can we do that? And not just to make our association better for us, but because she believes in what we're doing. How can we make it better for the other members, too? Like, you know, how can I tell two friends, and then they tell two friends, and then they tell two friends. But, you know, there are people who will just kind of live in the moment and go, oh, well, you know, we just had a great dinner, but, boy, it would have been nice if we would have had this instead of that. Right. Libby's looking down the road going, hey, a year from now, you know, it would be great if we had accomplished X.

[John Brucato]

Right.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Which is just really great to have on the board and have that vision.

[John Brucato]

Yeah, that's awesome. So, speaking of the future, what's in store for Maryland Dasbo once this conference wraps up? What can you share that members should be excited about? As, you know, we. We go through the next half of.

[Jeff LaPorta]

2025, so two things. We still really have a focus on providing professional development for the personal growth and personal development of people. You know, a former colleague of mine that I worked with, he always says, you know, most people want to get a promotion where they work. And he and I are always working on either a workshop or some kind of a presentation that will help people set themselves up for promotions where they work, regardless of what department they're in. So we will continue to develop that platform. We are moving some of our classes. It's hard for folks not only to get out of the office now, but, you know, to travel from one part of the state to another. And, you know, Maryland is not a big state, but it does take a long time to drive from one.

[John Brucato]

I found that out yesterday. Yeah, very much so.

[Jeff LaPorta]

It takes A long time to drive around the state. So we are starting to migrate. We have a Foundations of School Business course. There's like eight courses. We are just starting to migrate those to online and on demand. So the first one that is in the works right now and being done is in the hands. Actually have a publisher right now and they're putting it together, Putting the final product together for us is our Facilities and Operations Foundations class. So that's first. We will do risk management and school safety and HR will be the next ones up in line. So again, people won't have to come to us. They can just, just point and click and you know, get the credits for and the, you know, the education that they're looking for. And then of course our conference. We're always looking to do something different. Tonight we have a live band, like I mentioned, for the first time in a long time. If that's successful, I've already got another band lined up for next year.

[John Brucato]

Great.

[Jeff LaPorta]

They're called Decade 80. And if people enjoy tonight, then next year they can come and hear music from the 80s next year.

[John Brucato]

All right, all right, as we wind down here, I have the same question for both of you. Libby, we'll start with you. For any first time attendees or those that may be interested in attending a Maryland ASBO event, what would you say to them?

[Libby Hillard]

Take a chance, get involved, take a risk. And I say this to anyone. If you need my email address, I'm on the MCPS website. Call me. I've had people call me. It's their first time. Two people. I'm making sure I'm catching up with them. If it's not me, it's gonna be someone else from asbo. This is a very welcoming organization. It will a difference in your career and I think it can help you make a difference in your school system.

[John Brucato]

Great. Jeff.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Yeah, My word to them would be participate. And you know, I've been in school business, you know, 25, maybe 30 years, something like that. The number of people that I know and the network that I've developed over those 30 years is fairly extense. And it didn't happen in year one, didn't happen in year two too. But over time it develops. And when I, in addition to that, when I say participate. Marilyn, ASBO has awards. We gave out one today for a School Finance Officer of the Year award.

[John Brucato]

That was great.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Tomorrow we'll do some more Emerging leader, you know, things like that, Best practice, those types of things. Participate in those, apply for those awards. Not a lot of people do, frankly. And more should, because more people, you know, there's great things happening in our schools every day. They just don't think so. They think it's just part of the daily routine, but it's not.

[John Brucato]

They should celebrate their successes.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Exactly. Yep. You're absolutely right, John.

[John Brucato]

Right. Well, thank you both for sitting down with me today, and congratulations on what is an amazing conference. The content is just absolutely fantastic, and you guys put on a great event, and I appreciate you for extending the offer to come out here. It's been great so far.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Yeah. Well, I'm glad that you and your colleagues from New York as well were able to come here and enjoy this and, you know, come in and see the ocean and the sunshine, but even better that you stayed inside. Hey, we're good.

[John Brucato]

We're good stewards of the profession.

[Jeff LaPorta]

You really are. Actually, you guys have been at everything, which is awesome. And I appreciate your hospitality and allowing us to come here and participate in this podcast with you today. John, thank you.

[John Brucato]

Wonderful. We'll enjoy the rest of the conference.

[Libby Hillard]

Thanks, John.

[John Brucato]

Thank you for tuning in to School Business Insider. Make sure to check back each week for your favorite topics on school business.

[Jeff LaPorta]

Sam.