Sue Oates might see herself as "the geeky accountant person who makes sure everything works." But she's more than happy to put her expertise with numbers and organization to use for the good of St. Aloysius School.
Oates is in her third year as president of the Catholic elementary school's Home School Association. The group's name may be misleading, although it is used by all parent organizations at Catholic schools.
Oates, 44, of Stamford, took over as leader of the parents' group at the request of Principal Donald Howard and Assistant Principal Marie Crai. The association organizes social and fundraising events for the St. Aloysius community, including the annual Mercedes raffle, the Father-Daughter Dance and other social outings. In addition, Oates keeps parents in the know with blurbs in the school newspaper and updates the association's bulletin board regularly.
Oates knew she had the skills for the role after 16 years as an auditor and finance project manager with KPMG and Thomson Reuters. "I'm kind of the perfect person. It's really one big project," she said of setting up events and organizing volunteers. "My role kind of keeps it all together."
She's at the school every day, usually to pick up sons Sean, 8, and Ryan, 6, and regularly speaks with parents to make sure they're happy as well as involved. "There's always something you can do to help," Oates said. "We want to make it the best place possible. We figure everything we do complements the academics."
Oates' primary reasons for serving are her sons. "If I'm involved, I know what's going on," she said. "I know they're getting the best academics. As long as I can make the school a better place and they're happy, I'm happy."
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