Bob Haugh

Mr. Haugh had a smile on his face before we even stepped into his office on the third floor of the business building across the street. Although none of us had ever met him, we were about to learn how much he contributes to the Parker community. In this way, Mr. Haugh’s behind-the-scenes work embodies the spirit of the Parker Works project. For 15 years Mr. Haugh has worked in Parker’s business office and managed the school’s finances. He has worked on countless projects, from changing the field from natural grass to turf, to renovating the library several years later. He is knowledgeable of Parker’s history and shared with us some of his experiences around the school, along with a description of his typical day. Mr. Haugh also shared with us some of his hobbies and experiences before Parker. Mr. Haugh has contributed an immeasurable amount to Parker over the 15 years he has been the CFO.

As the CFO here at Parker, Mr. Haugh stays in the business office for the majority of his day. He often works with Dr. Frank, the principal, to decide the best way to spend money in different areas of the school. He loves the fact that he has a new task to complete every day, unlike when he was an accountant. He mentioned that the hardest task that he has faced is preparing the budget for Parker each year. He feels like there can be time pressure all throughout his job, and it especially plays a role in preparing the budget. In addition, CFOs have to be experts with computers, and the most notable item on his desk, apart from all of his folders, was his large PC. The app that he uses most often is Microsoft Excel, and he rarely uses Google Apps such as Docs and Sheets. CFOs have to be very adept with numbers. Mr. Haugh acknowledges that he does have a very busy schedule, and there are times where he does not eat lunch in order to continue his work. Other times, he will either go to the school cafeteria or order in. He loves visiting the main building and enjoys all the energy provided by the students. Mr. Haugh often works late, and he loves the spontaneous nature of his job. When we asked Mr. Haugh when the busiest time of the year was, he replied that it was around August through December, when school was starting. He also said that the least busy time of the year was in the summer, when school was out. "There’s always some bigger project that’s gonna take a little bit of time on my desk," he told us.

"Being the CFO at Parker is unique in that I get to go across the street, and the excitement and energy of the school and everything that’s going on at the school because of all the students there. That’s a lot of fun for me.

Much of the money the school uses for improvement projects comes from fundraising, endowment ("the school's saving account," Mr. Haugh described it), and tuition. Mr. Haugh must report to the finance committee regularly. Though he has the skills to be a CFO anywhere, Mr. Haugh enjoys working at a school, telling us, "Being the CFO at Parker is unique in that I get to go across the street, and the excitement and energy of the school and everything that’s going on at the school because of all the students there. That’s a lot of fun for me. You don’t usually see that at a lot of other CFO jobs.” For the fifteen years that he has worked at Parker, Mr. Haugh and his colleagues have been renovating the school. Soon after he arrived, the science wing was rebuilt, and almost a decade later, he played a large role in allocating the money to turn the field from grass to turf. He says that since he has arrived here, almost everything in the school has been remodeled.

Mr. Haugh has a very interesting background and a wealth of distinct experiences before Parker. Growing up on the southwest side of Chicago, by Midway Airport, Mr. Haugh was the eldest of five children, allowing him to take on many responsibilities. He grew up playing Little League baseball and hockey. When Mr. Haugh was in high school he took an accounting course and really enjoyed it. He then decided to study accounting in college, at Northern Illinois. Mr. Haugh applied to Illinois, Notre Dame, Louis University, Loyola University, along with Northern Illinois University (NIU), and decided to go to NIU because of their great accounting program. Once he graduated from college and became a CPA (Certified Public Accountant), he worked for a public accounting firm, becoming an expert in the field. He worked in public accounting for eight years, moving from company to company for four weeks at a time, but Mr. Haugh didn’t enjoy doing the same thing every day, even though he was doing it at different companies. “I knew early on that I couldn’t be in a situation where I kept hammering the same nail all the time,” he said. After his eight years in public accounting, he became controller at a small marketing agency. Eventually, the agency grew and he became the CFO of the company. Mr. Haugh then moved on to be CFO at Parker in April of 2004. Since then, Mr. Haugh has worked on various projects and has had the chance to experience many Parker traditions.

“Normal days are few and far between. There’s always something unusual.”

Mr. Haugh has been the CFO at Parker for 15 years, but he is is also a dedicated husband and father to two daughters, a huge Blackhawks fan, and a long time golfer. “Golf is my number one thing [to do in my free time]," he said. He golfs with his buddies, and has even gotten his wife into it. Many pictures of his family decorate his office. "I spend a lot of time with my family," Mr. Haugh said. "I have two daughters in college right now." Mr. Haugh gets to spend time with them in the summer when they come home for break. He also enjoys hanging out with friends. Mr. Haugh’s favorite Parker tradition is Class Day because he enjoys seeing all the kids’ graduations, as this is a big part of the students’ lives. If he wasn’t a Chief Financial Officer, he would like to be an airline pilot. Though he isn’t much of a traveler, and he has traveled even less since his kids went to college, he occasionally travels with his wife. Mr. Haugh’s favorite sport to watch is hockey, and he enjoys cheering on his favorite team, the Blackhawks. As interesting as Mr. Haugh’s job as CFO is, we enjoyed learning about his hobbies outside of his job.

Mr. Haugh’s comprehensive skills, engaging personality, and knowledge of Parker and his job contribute to his successful career and make him a great Chief Financial Officer. His experiences before Parker have helped him in his role today. Since 2004, Mr. Haugh has been an integral part of Parker and he helps make the school run.