Progressive K-8 School Welcomes Mission-Driven Finance & Operations Leader

Live Oak School, a K-8 independent school in the heart of urban San Francisco, believes that the best learning happens when students are actively engaged in the process — thinking deeply, exploring ideas, and trying on strategies for solving problems. The school’s approach to teaching and learning is deeply rooted in progressive tradition and informed by contemporary research. Live Oak anchors its instructional program around the students as individual learners, determined to prepare them for the opportunities that will define the lives of graduates in the twenty-first century.

The finance office at Live Oak is an essential business unit, comprising three people: a director of finance, and two full-time staff positions reporting to the director: a controller and an employment resources manager. In addition, the facilities department, which is outsourced to a third-party management company, rolls up to the director of finance. At a school like Live Oak, all administrators serve both strategic and hands-on functions, and they lean into opportunities to support and engage the academic program. Live Oak is led by an outstanding, highly respected, dedicated, and mission-centered head of school, who has worked at the school since 2001 and served as its head since 2009.

Live Oak School sought a director of finance to oversee all aspects of the school’s finance and budget management, human resources, and facilities. The director is a member of the head of school’s strategy steering team and has frequent touch points with the board of directors via three standing committees. Five years ago the school nearly doubled in physical size and student enrollment. Many leaders at the school have already started to imagine further expansion via real estate acquisition, for which the director of finance would be an essential partner.

Live Oak School was thrilled to welcome AJ Viola to the position.