Smooth Sailing
Bill Herlong, TCS Director of Business Operations, strives to ensure that everything at TCS runs smoothly. “In my role, I am responsible for the business side of the school. That would be finance and accounting, risk management, security, facilities, contracts, and human resources to name a few. Basically, it encompasses everything from balance sheets to carpool to fixing pencil sharpeners,” he says. Always with a quick wit, Bill likes to make sure that fun is in the mix, too. The guy dressed up as Buddy the Elf at Christmas, hopping on the white crossing lines? That’s Bill.
When not at work, you will usually find Bill enjoying the outdoors. “I grew up in Leesburg, FL and am a sixth generation Floridian – four from Lake County – and my family was in the citrus and agriculture industry going back to the 19th century,” he says. “My youth was spent in, on and under lakes, swamps, the Keys, and the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. I graduated from the University of Florida in 1988, where I worked as a SCUBA instructor in the Physical Education’s Academic Diving Program. After graduation, I worked in Fort Lauderdale as a SCUBA instructor and eventually obtained my USCG Captain’s License. I worked as a captain and ran my own maritime service company for many years, but decided to leave the industry to earn my Masters of Business Administration from Georgia State University in Atlanta. In 2002, I started my own light industrial real estate development company.”
“God called me to work at TCS in July 2011 through a chance encounter with a friend,” says Bill. “I never thought I would be working at a school, but this is God’s plan and He is full of grace and mercy. I enjoy being a part of The Christ School family that is supporting our wonderful faculty who are teaching these precious children all they need to know to excel at the next level, all the while with a servant’s heart. Our administrative staff is amazing, and everyone is focused on making TCS the best it can be. I am humbled to be a part of this organization.”
“I like that we are a family of believers rowing in the same direction for the glory of God,” continues Bill. “I thoroughly enjoy seeing the children smiling and laughing in the halls. It is also awesome to see TCS students literally run into the building at morning carpool. That is strong proof of how wonderful this place is. It is weirdly melancholy when all the students leave for the summer. They are the lifeblood and purpose for us all.”
Bill and his wife, Katie, have two girls, Grace and Anna, who attend Boone High School. “Both of my girls went from the Weekday School’s 2-Day Two’s to kindergarten through 8th grade at TCS,” Bill says. “They thrived at TCS because of the faculty and staff around them. They were loved, respected and given the tools they needed to perform at the highest levels in High School. For example, I recently asked my daughter why she was not studying for her AP test. Her reply was, ‘Oh, I already know most of that stuff from TCS.’ I also know that they now have the Biblical foundation they need in a world that is changing too fast.”
Bill shares his favorite Bible verse: But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. – Proverbs 4:18