Q&A WITH ROBERT GROSSI, MONARCH AWARD RECIPIENT

Q: What does being chosen to receive the Monarch Award mean to you?
A: I’ve been a part of the organization for nearly 25 years and getting an award from an organization made up of such quality individuals truly means a lot to me.

Q: What was your reaction when you first heard about the award?
A: When Mike Jacoby called to let me know I won the award, I was speechless. I didn’t expect it all. I didn’t even know that I was nominated.

Q: What was the experience of being an award winner at the Foundation Banquet like for you?
A: It was great to get the award in front of my family and cohort and friends at Illinois ASBO. It was just really exciting. Afterwards everyone was very complimentary to me. It created a great emotion, and my family enjoyed it as well. They were so impressed with the event and the organization. Overall, it was just a wonderful evening.

Q: What are your thoughts on the value of recognizing outstanding school business officials?
A: With the current economic times, school business managers are becoming so important in a school organization and with the new challenges they are working harder and harder to ensure resources are sufficient to provide student learning. Much of this work is behind closed doors. It’s important for them to be recognized for their hard work, especially by their peers, because often times this work goes unnoticed.

Q: What advice would you give to those that aspire to follow in your footsteps?
A: I think that for a business manager to be successful they truly have to recognize that everything they do impacts the bottom line of the school districts, student learning. Utilize the great resources of Illinois ASBO and its membership to learn and improve your skills. Never be too proud and think you know it all.

Q: What’s next for you in your career? Where do you go from here?
A: I'm going to continue working with school districts and do what I can to help them stay student-focused as they make major financial decisions in an effort to successfully navigate through these difficult economic times. At some point I would like to have the opportunity to be a Superintendent in school district that needs a major academic and financial turnaround. I think it would be a great challenge.

Q: Thoughts on the Illinois ASBO Foundation?
A: It’s great that a lot of the money goes to charities beyond school business officials. One of the most rewarding things about receiving an award was that money was donated to a charity in my name.

Any organization that provides funding to those in need, whether it is future business managers getting scholarships or to help organizations like the Special Olympics which the Foundation provides donations to through Awards winners – seeing that keeps us grounded to what all of this is about, to make the world a better place.

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