Page 42 - AASBO EDGE Winter 2023

BUSINESS OFFICIAL

BY SCOTT THOMPSON
Running for the AASBO Board –

Top 10 Reasons Not To
Scott Thompson

Hoping I got your attention. One guarantee I the unique experience of running the summer
can make is if you are involved in AASBO – annual conference two years in a row. You are
you're busy. Wearing many hats, sitting in lots of typically only responsible for this conference
meetings, and covering for open positions is the once when you are president. We transitioned
life of a business official. The thought of adding when, in your tenure, you were responsible for
one more thing is just not something most of us running the conference and I ended up doing it
want to do. So, yes you could find ten reasons not twice. Even with all of this, I was able to maintain
to do this very quickly. a decent work/life balance. AASBO is only as
good as the people who get involved. Please,
Now, let me try to convince you that it is still consider running for the board this summer and
worth it. I became President of AASBO over you will never regret it.
20 years ago (it hurts to write that). I had just a
few years of being a business official under my Scott Thompson, Assistant Superintendent for Business and
belt. My twin daughters were born and I had to Support Services, Mesa Public Schools, can be reached at:
swthompson@mpsaz.org
change jobs because my boss lost an election
to Tom Horne (yep, it was
2002). With all that going
on, I would not have traded
my time on the board for
anything. The leadership
opportunities, the access
to colleagues who I would
not have interacted with
otherwise, and of course,
working closely with Chuck
Essigs were just a few of the
benefits.

In addition, AASBO staff
does an excellent job of
supporting you in the
position. For example, I had

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42 THE EDGE WINTER 2022-2023