 Frank Aloise Named 2014
John Batley Award Recipient
April 30, 2014 - One of the traditional highlights of the PAISBOA Annual Meeting is the presentation of the John Batley Award, our highest honor. A former CFO of Westtown School, recipient of the Visionary Award, and the man for whom the John Batley Award was created, John’s legacy is one of selfless giving and inclusion in PAISBOA. We celebrate his character, competence, and consistency each year with the selection of the John Batley Award winner.
For 2014, the John Batley Award was presented to
Frank Aloise of Springside Chestnut Hill Academy.
Frank Aloise is truly a renaissance man. With interests that include fine wine, travel, haute cuisine, cooking and home construction, Frank has no problem filling any spare time he has. But that spare time is limited because, as CFO of Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, Frank has been involved in every aspect of the 2010 merger of the two mighty schools that co-existed side by side for over 100 years. Now SCH runs with the “big dogs” in terms of campus size and enrollment.
Ask Frank about a book, he’s probably read it. Ask him about a restaurant or a movie or a foreign country and he usually has eaten there, seen it or been there--or it’s on his list. His insatiable curiosity has led him on adventures that most of us only dream of. Frank also loves to build things and he always has a project or two in the Aloise household that he is working on. His love of cooking is legendary; a passion he got from his mother and that he has passed on to his daughters, Paige and Zoe.
To get away from the daily pressures, he will often steal away to the Adirondacks and his beloved lakeside cottage. According to his wife, Sarah, he has pretty much re-built or renovated the property - adding decks and porches with help only from his extended family. An early riser, Frank will often be found out on the lake canoeing by sunrise.
Professionally, Frank’s road to SCH took some interesting turns. Fresh out of Hobart College, he worked as a stock trader which led him to Chicago and Switzerland. But that lifestyle did not suit him and he landed in Philadelphia renovating low and middle income houses. His first Business Officer assignment was at the Haverford School, but with two daughters, he moved to Springside when the position became available. His office is tucked away in the far corner of the Springside campus, overlooking trees and a climbing wall and many of the projects that he managed during his twelve year tenure.
Frank has served on the PAISBOA Board for fifteen years, first as Chair of Business Services and later as Board Chair. His vision has led us to embark on several initiatives. Teach Philadelphia is one example of how he envisioned schools saving recruiting fees by having its own teacher recruitment site. Twenty-eight schools now take advantage of this service. He was a pioneer in the combined five-school solar project as well as a leader in PAISBOA’s wellness initiatives like Naturally Slim.
On the national level, Frank is well known for his leadership ability and as a strategic thinker. He has been a Board member of NBOA for several years and is embarking on his second year as Board Chair. He has been a long-standing member of ABOIS – Association of Business Officers of Independent Schools – whose members are the “think tank” for the profession. Frank has also found time to serve on the TIAA-Cref Advisory Board and brought the independent school perspective to the table.
But his pride in his accomplishments at SCH are most evident. Every time one visits the campus, Frank will take time to describe in detail the latest capital project or will go to cheer on the home team. He will readily admit that the merger of Springside and Chestnut Hill Academy was one of his biggest challenges, but as Mama Aloise will attest, for Frank, the bigger the project the better!
On behalf of Heads of School, Priscilla Sands and Frank Steele, his staff and colleagues, his family and friends and all PAISBOA members- Congratulations Frank, on a job well done -- and an award well deserved!
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