Top honoree Public Companies - Kirby W. Stahly East Allen County Schools
What does the organization do? East Allen County Schools is a public school district that educates more than 9,000 students in the eastern half of Allen County. What is your favorite Excel function and why? Pivot tables and that it allows one to extract specific information from the data. What led you to the role of CFO at the current company? The opportunity to work for a larger public school district. I love to continually learn new things and being a CFO today, means that there are always new requirements or changes that we have to incorporate into our operations. What has been the most challenging feat during your time as CFO for the current organization and why? How did you handle that situation? Because of decreasing enrollment and reducing revenue, being involved in the process of closing schools was difficult. Through that process, I learned to listen very closely to the concerns expressed, keeping an open door and staying true to the mission of East Allen County Schools. Which has been the most rewarding part of the job and why? In knowing that what we do positively affects the education of our students. It has been an honor to attend high school graduations and see the well-deserved recognition given to the graduates. Also networking with other school business officials throughout the state and the strong willingness to share information and help each other succeed. Where do you see the organization in 10 years? I see East Allen County Schools continuing to improve and utilizing data to strengthen the instruction of our students. People talk about the glory days of East Allen County Schools and I believe that the framework has been established to make EACS the district of choice. How do you make the tough decisions when setting the budget? What is your philosophy? The bottom line is the education of our students. Our priorities (not in any specific order) are: • Data driven instruction; • Home developed curriculum that addresses Indiana standards; Page 18
• Hire, develop and retain qualified, committed and diverse staff; • Employ and further implement technology to support innovation and excellence; • Communicate and connect with parents and the community on student learning and school/community activities; and • Ensure a safe and caring learning Age: 57 Title: Assistant superintendent of administrative services Years with company: Nearly 10 years. Family: wife, Denise; daughters, Jessica and Emily Education: bachelors, Goshen College; masters, Indiana University; MBA, Indiana University - Fort Wayne Hometown: Wakarusa, Ind.
environment for students and staff. Is your life as balanced as your budget? Why or why not? I strive for my personal and professional life to be in balance and sometimes it is difficult to achieve. I believe that my personal interests, faith and family provide that needed balance when the various pressures occur. Civic involvement: EACS Educational Foundation, treasurer; Allen County Educational Partnership, finance committee member; Real Men Read volunteer; volunteer soccer coach at Huntertown and Roanoke Youth Soccer Organizations (when children played); upward soccer referee at Grace Point; and volunteer meal server at the Rescue Mission Hobbies: golfing, fishing, reading, walking the dog
CFO of the Year • October 2015 • fwbusiness.com • ©KPC Media Group Inc.