Inside SFS

I am thrilled to announce that The San Francisco School has hired Terri Hamer to be the Chief Financial and Operational Officer (CFOO) starting July 1, 2019. The School was fortunate to have an expansive pool of talented applicants from across the country for this position, which allowed for a rich hiring and deliberation process.

Terri, who currently resides in Philadelphia, PA, received her Bachelors of Arts in Non-Profit Management and Training from the University of Massachusetts, a Certificate in Non-Profit Management and Leadership from Boston University, and her Masters of Business Administration from Suffolk University. She comes to The San Francisco School with more than 25 years of finance and operations experience spanning both the for- and non-profit industries. She is currently the Business Manager at Greene Street Friends School, a 328 student, co-ed Quaker school in the greater Philadelphia area. In her previous position, she was the Business Manager at the United Friends School in Quakertown, PA. To round out her experience, she spent 21 years as the Assistant Financial Director for Wediko Children’s Services in Boston, MA, where she was responsible for the finance and operations of a year-round residential campus for students with emotional and behavioral challenges. These experiences have given her the chance to manage operations and budgets ranging from $1.5 million to $13 million - and everything that comes with that responsibility (i.e., audits, benefits packages, insurance coverage, and more).

In speaking with Terri and her various references, it became clear that SFS is a great match for someone with her experience and financial expertise, and she clearly shares our values of culture, community, and diversity. Each reference spoke to the fact that Terri is an incredibly positive person who is well respected by all school constituents.  She is also described as “a thoughtful partner, and a person that you want on your team because her positivity and work ethic are infectious….” While school finances and operations are her priority, she is looking forward to getting involved in various elements of the SFS community.

Terri will be joined in San Francisco by her husband, Sean, who was recently named the new Head of the Alta Vista School. A lifelong independent school parent, Terri’s daughter Nala, will be entering University High School as a freshman, and her son, Sekou, will be off to Howard University as a first-year student.

In closing, thank you to those who participated in the “day of” candidate visits. Furthermore, thank you to the Hiring Committee who devoted an extensive amount of time and energy to this process. Please join us in welcoming Terri to The San Francisco School!

The Hiring Committee:

Steve Morris, Parent, Head of School

Sofia Lopez-Ibor, Music and Spanish Teacher

Stewart Dorsey, Parent, Director of Admissions

Anton Honikman, Parent, SFS Trustee, and Finance Chair

Posted May 14, 2019