Heather Macaulay — director of accounting and reporting services for California State University, Bakersfield’s Student Affairs Office — has been selected to participate in a national leadership program.
Macaulay is one of 67 people to be picked by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) for its Emerging Leaders Program, a professional development opportunity for mid-level managers.
The goals of the program are for participants to further develop their leadership skills, examine the impact of the business office and cross-campus relationships as well as gain a better understanding of higher education’s present and future.
“I want to expand my knowledge and skills within higher education,” Macaulay said. “I hope the program provides an opportunity to improve my abilities and qualifications so that I can be a greater resource to the various departments.”
The program is part of NACUBO’s goal of strengthening and diversifying the chief business officer pipeline.
“The Emerging Leaders Program advances NACUBO’s commitment to strengthening the leadership capabilities of business officers and their teams,” said Randy Roberson, vice president of leadership development for the association. “We look forward to working with these exceptional business officers as they prepare to take on greater responsibilities at their institutions.”
During the program — which began in September and runs through April — participants will attend training sessions, complete assignments before and between sessions as well as attend group meetings.
Sessions focus on topics such as the current state of higher education, leadership styles and practices, communication and building a brand.
“We’re tapping into issues that are currently facing higher education and trying to problem-solve and discuss potential solutions,” Macaulay said. “We’re discussing each other’s successes and failures so we can bring new ideas to our campuses.”
This is the first time Macaulay has participated in a leadership program involving higher education. Although she was a bit nervous at first, she said it’s been a great experience so far.
“I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I’m excited,” she said. “It’s such a great opportunity.”
Queen E. King, associate vice president and chief accounting officer of financial services, believes the program will not only be beneficial for Macaulay but for CSUB as well.
“The NACUBO Emerging Leaders program is a great opportunity for Heather to gain additional leadership skills and learn about the higher education industry. It is also a great opportunity to display CSUB’s talent in business and finance,” she said.
Through the program, Macaulay hopes she will be able to bring innovative ideas back to campus that will allow the university to better serve students.
“I want to make sure that we’re properly serving our students and addressing their needs so that they can find success at CSUB. That’s what these conversations are about in this program,” she said. “I don’t want to just always be sitting at the table listening — I want to bring solutions and help solve complex issues.”
While academics are important, Macaulay said what’s going on in a student’s life outside of the classroom can be just as important as what’s going on inside the classroom.
“We want to make sure that our students are academically competitive and achieve success in their future careers, but we also care about their well-being and ensuring they are supported outside of the classroom as they pursue their higher education goals,” she said.
The application period for the 2023-24 cohort of the Emerging Leaders Program will open in spring 2023. To learn more about the program, visit nacubo.org/ELP.
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