Managing Benilde-St. Margaret’s finances to fit both the needs of the school and its students, Ms. Natalie Ramier assumed the position of BSM’s new Chief Financial Officer at the beginning of November. Ms. Ramier looks to improve the current financial system as well as specific issues, such as resource use and affordability.

Ms. Ramier, who previously worked as an accountant and served on a board of family partnership to improve the education of at-risk students, received the position after beating out four other candidates. “It was clear that Ms. Ramier was right for us. [She has] a creative mindset and a lot of financial experience,” said Dr. Bob Tift, BSM’s president.

Due to her experience outside of the education world, Ms. Ramier can provide both educated and impartial views on the improvement of BSM’s finances. “Part of [a business background] is understanding how an organization of this size functions. I think sometimes people get so excited and passionate about BSM that having a third party viewpoint is beneficial,” said Ms. Ramier.

Ms. Ramier’s duties center on keeping BSM’s finances practical, be it in internal operations or improving students’ experiences. “As a Catholic school, one of our biggest concerns is making sure we’re affordable for families. We have to address our financial system in order to make sure we’re spending resources effectively,” said Dr. Tift.

Ms. Ramier believes the key to affordability lies in getting to know the school environment. “I think [we need to] ensure that we’re competitively priced and that we are looking at our cost structure in comparison to both public and private schools. As for fundraising, we [must] help people to understand why giving to BSM is a good cause for students,” said Ms. Ramier.

Positions such as that of the CFO in organizations like BSM grow increasingly important, especially in today’s economy. “More and more non-profits are becoming more business-like. In our economic times, it’s important to look at the resources of the organization and how they benefit all constituents: kids, communities, and staff at BSM as well,” said Ms. Ramier.

Ms. Ramier began work in BSM’s finance department one month ago and already enjoys the school workplace. “[BSM] has a really good reputation for the students and administration. I am very excited to be here,” said Ms. Ramier.