Weston Outlaw will become Columbus Academy’s chief financial and operations officer on July 1, 2025, Head of School Melissa Soderberg announced today. Weston will begin this role following the June 2025 retirement of Maggie Koerner, who has admirably served as the school’s chief financial officer since 1993.
Weston will come to us from the University School of Milwaukee, where he has been the CFO since June of 2023. Prior to that, Weston was at Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he served as the director of business services as well as the director of special and summer programs. His experience at independent schools also includes stints as the assistant director for financial aid systems for the University of Indianapolis, marketing coordinator for Culver Academies in Culver, Indiana, and alumni coordinator for Sacred Heart Schools in Chicago.
“While Weston was on our campus interviewing,” wrote Melissa in a letter to the Academy community, “it became clear to those meeting with him that his energy, love of independent schools, sincerity and warmth were exceptional qualities we were looking for in a chief financial and operations officer.”
Maggie joined Columbus Academy just as the school was becoming coed a little over 30 years ago. When she was hired by former headmaster Douglas “Chip” MacKelcan, the operating budget was $7.1 million with a student enrollment of 780. Academy currently has 1,162 students with a yearly budget of $45.3 million. Maggie also serves as secretary and treasurer of the Midwest Business Managers Group, an organization comprised of CFOs from large independent schools across the Midwest region. Prior to joining the CA community, Maggie was the assistant treasurer for Worthington City Schools, an accountant for the City of Columbus Auditor’s Office and a corporate banking representative with National City Bank. She and her husband Jim have two sons who graduated from Academy: Jimmy ’11, who works for a large software company in Chicago, and Gavin ’14, who is a systems engineer in Cambridge, Ohio.
“Maggie has devoted her careful, detail-oriented leadership to the school for most of her career, and we are grateful for her stewardship and devotion to Columbus Academy,” Melissa stated. “Much of its growth and complexity has emerged while she has been managing every element of our finances.”
“Please join me in welcoming Weston to our community when he arrives next summer. And as this school year winds down, we will be thanking Maggie for her 32 years of outstanding service to the school.”