Avlas awarded Bridges to the Future scholarship

Text and photos by Steev Riccardo

WEBSTER - Ted Avlas, who serves as the Assistant to the Superintendent for Business for Webster Schools, was awarded the 2012 Bridges to the Future Scholarship last week.

The Bridges to the Future Scholarship program is sponsored by MetLife Resources to recognize and support aspiring and new school business officials who are ASBO International members, have five years or less experience in the field of school business administration, and are interested in further developing their professional network with colleagues, strengthening their skills and development.

The program awards each of 20 honorees with a $2,000 scholarship to attend the ASBO International Annual Meeting and Expo in Phoenix, AZ, October 12-15, 2012. Recipients will attend a special pre-conference workshop and networking luncheon at the Annual Meeting and have free access to the ASBO International Live Learning Center, which features more than 95 hours of professional development education from the 2012 Annual Meeting sessions.

“Long term, I would hope that the experiences through which school business officials collaborate with one another and share ideas, best practices, and solutions, utilizing state-of-the-art technologies and methods, will allow for well-informed decision making and action for years to come,” said Avlas. 

Avlas, who graduated from Bartlett High School in 1969, went on to get his Bachelors in Business from Fort Lauderdale University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  

He worked for the Webster Five Cents Savings Bank from 1980-2008, most recently as the Vice President of Branch Administration.

In 1988 Avlas was elected to the Webster School Committee and served as the chairman for nine of the ten years he was on the committee.  “I got very involved, obviously, with the school district and worked very closely with superintendents over the years and with Ed Kunkel, who was the business manager at the time.”

“When Ed (Kunkel) retired in 2008, I thought long and hard about making a career move, and after talking it over with my wife, I decided to give it a shot. I was very pleased when I got the position.”

Currently Avlas is going through a transition period under newly hired Superintendent of Schools Barbara Malkas. 

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