Board Performance: Impact of Board Development Practices

This workshop will discuss various strategies to recruit and select nonprofit board members and consider how those practices are related to board performance. It will include an overview of existing research and findings about how these practices are used in nonprofit organizations. Participants will have an opportunity to consider key characteristics of nonprofit board members and how they can be more effective at locating potential candidates.

William Brown, Ph.D.
William A. Brown is an Assistant Professor in the School of Community Resources and Development and Graduate Coordinator for Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership & Management offered through the Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management at Arizona State University .  He teaches graduate courses in Program Evaluation, and Volunteer and Human Resources in Nonprofit Organizations, and undergraduate courses in the American Humanics program – Introduction to Nonprofits and Fund raising.  He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Northeastern University with a concentration in Human Services.  He earned his Masters and Doctorate from Claremont Graduate University in Organizational Psychology.  He has worked with numerous nonprofit organizations in the direct provision of services, consulting, and board governance.  His research has focused on nonprofit governance and organizational effectiveness.  Recent research investigated the extent to which boards include different constituents in governance processes and the impact of board performance on organizational effectiveness.  He has published in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly and Nonprofit Management & Leadership.

Fiscal Responsibility and the Board

Session Description Forthcoming

Mary Jane Rynd - Executive V.P. & CFO, The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
Mary Jane Rynd is executive vice president and chief financial officer of The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, headquartered in Scottsdale , Arizona .  Prior to joining the trust, she was a partner in Rynd, Carneal & Ewing, PLLC in Phoenix from 1990-2001.  Prior to that Mary Jane was a tax partner at KPMG.  She has served nonprofit institutions in many capacities, as a C.P.A. and tax advisor and as a board member of numerous Phoenix-area nonprofit organizations.  She has also served on the boards of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco and Camelback Community Bank in Phoenix .  She currently serves on the board of the Conference of Southwest Foundations and she is a member of the Arizona Women's Forum, an affiliate of the International Women's Forum.  Mary Jane is a graduate of University of St. Thomas in Houston , Texas and holds an M.P.A. from the University of Texas at Austin .

A Case Study on Administrative Collaborations

In 2004, four nonprofit organizations in Tucson embarked on an innovative feasibility study to determine whether and, if so, how to most effectively and efficiently consolidate the core administrative functions of their agencies.  The primary objective was to reduce overhead and advance the missions of all four agencies.  They looked at finance, human resources (HR) and information technology (IT).  This workshop will let you hear directly from the Executive Directors/CEOs involved and what the steps were to determine the final outcome and the lessons learned in the end. 

Anne Maley – Executive Director, Southern Arizona Aids Foundation
Anne Maley is the Executive Director of the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation in Tucson .  SAAF is the result of a merger of three AIDS organizations in 1997.  Today, SAAF is a $4.7M organization providing comprehensive services to people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.  Anne was the Executive Director of the Shanti Foundation from 1992 until the merger.  She has 24 years experience directing nonprofits.

Patti Caldwell - President & CEO, Planned Parenthood of Southern Arizona
Patti Caldwell is the President/CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southern Arizona, serving in that role since October 2000. She has served Planned Parenthood since 1987, working as the Senior Vice President, Director of Outreach and Training, and Director of Education, and providing oversight for medical services, education & training, professional counseling, development, marketing, media and public affairs. Patti leads with a strong respect for diversity, commitment to a healthy workplace environment, and partnership with the community. Over the years Patti has received many honors, including the 2002 Award of Excellence from the Arizona Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers and in 1988 the Arizona Chapter's Social Worker of the Year award. She received the Golden Apple Award for National Education Director of Year in 1998 from the National Planned Parenthood Federation of America and in 1992 she was awarded the YWCA Woman on the Move Award. Patti received her undergraduate degree in Social Work and Women's Studies from Michigan State University, and her master's degree in social work, focused on health and mental health, from Arizona State University .

Kent Burbank - Executive Director, Wingspan
Kent Burbank is Executive Director of Wingspan, Southern Arizona 's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center .  Under his leadership, Wingspan has grown to become one of the ten largest LGBT community centers in the nation.   Kent has worked in the field of nonprofit administration and management for over 10 years.  He has a master's degree from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago .  In addition to LGBT issues, Kent has also worked in the fields of developmental disabilities, immigrant and refugee rights, mental health and HIV/AIDS services.

Bridget Riceci, M.S.W. – President & CEO, Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault
Prior to joining the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault in 1998, Bridget Riceci served in public health and advocacy positions that included Program Coordinator at the University of Arizona Rural Health Office for the Tohono O'odham Nation's Skilled Nursing Facility Project and Public Policy Director for Planned Parenthood of Southern Arizona. Ms. Riceci obtained her Masters in Social Work in 1996 from Arizona State University with a specialty in Policy, Administration and Community Practice.  Her private sector experience includes 15 years in the electronics industry where she held positions in international sales and operations.   She currently serves on The Governor's Commission to Prevent Violence Against Women and is active with the Arizona Women's Political Caucus.

Sailing into Uncharted Waters: The Board's Role in Strategic Planning

Intended  for both  board  members  and  staff leaders,  this  session  will  explore  the  dimensions  and  process  of  strategic  planning  for nonprofit  organizations.  It will  place  alternative  models  and  best  practices  in the light  of  recent  advances  in strategic  thinking:  how the concept  of ‘generative  work' (Chait et al.)  can  drive the  strategic  planning  process  and  transform the  relationship  of the board  to the organization.

Ronald  Austin Wells Ph.D. – Chairman, The Wells Group, Inc
Ronald Austin Wells Ph.D. is Chairman of The Wells Group, Inc., providing consulting services to private, family, corporate and community foundations, and nonprofit organizations.   Wells is a former trustee and past Executive Vice President of the Phelps-Stokes Fund in New York, a foundation with charter interests in Africa, education for minorities in the U.S., and American Indian affairs.  He has taught university courses in civil society, nongovernmental organizations, and the history of philanthropy, and is a member of the faculty of The Fund Raising School at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University .  His publications include The Honor of  Giving: Philanthropy in Native America ; Donor Legacy: What Is It That  History Teaches? ; numerous articles on philanthropy; and is co-editor, with Debra  Harry, of Principles and Techniques of Fund Raising for Native American Organizations and  Constituencies .  He currently serves on the board of Native Seeds/SEARCH, a Tucson-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation and distribution of agricultural seed and the role these seeds play in indigenous cultures of the American Southwest; and has served on the boards of various nonprofit organizations such as the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers, the Fulbright Association, the Connecticut Humanities Council, and others. 

Continuous Learning and Social Change Models

This workshop will introduce Public Allies' comprehensive continuous learning processes for our signature program and staff, and how they tie into the organization's theory of change and organizational strategies.  Participants will have the opportunity to look at an aspect of their own organizations and how they can begin to create an evaluation and continuous learning system for program improvement and organizational strategies.

Naomi Tannenbaum - Senior Director for Expansion, Public Allies
Naomi inherited her ethic of service from a family dedicated to community enhancement, inclusion, and political action. Naomi began her career working internationally with large agricultural and natural resource management projects in Asia and the Middle East . She attended graduate school to study cultural anthropology, and moved from the east coast to Taos, NM in 1999 to pursue her dissertation research. While in Taos, Naomi wound up starting a career in service a little closer to home, focusing on youth development and the environment. She was Director of Development and Evaluation for two years at the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps before she directed PA's program there. Naomi brings to Public Allies a wealth of project management, development, and teaching experience. She became a Continuous Learning Officer in 2002 before shifting her focus to developing new sites in 2005. Naomi currently lives in Albuquerque.

Cooperative Chemistry: A Winning Combination

This session will focus on the relationship between the Chair and the President and CEO.  We will explore the different roles and responsibilities each party has; how they have approached their roles and what characteristics they believe have made their relationship work.  This session will be particularly interesting as there recently has been a transition from one chairman to a chairwoman.  Issues related to the transition will also be discussed.  Bring your questions as we are looking for a dialogue and to share experiences with member s of the audience.

Veronica Zapata Vaughn – Board Chair, Valle del Sol, Inc. & Senior Manager of Special Markets and Community Affairs, Arizona Diamondbacks
As Senior Manager of Special Markets and Community Affairs for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Veronica is responsible for producing large-scale events that raise $300,000 annually for the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation.  She is also responsible for strategic outreach and programming targeting the ethnic consumer and other emerging markets.  Prior to working in the private sector she spent eight years in the public sector employed by the cities of Phoenix, Florence, Eloy and Casa Grande.  Veronica was recently named chair of Valle del Sol Board of Directors and one of the Business Journal's 40 under 40.  She was appointed to the Governor's Council on Health, Physical Fitness and Sports, is a founding Board Member of the Phoenix Family Museum , and has served on the board of directors for the Friends of the Phoenix Public Library, the Phoenix Indian Center and Arizona State University West Community Partnership.  She's also involved with St. Matthew's Catholic School (where her daughter, Milan Dominique attends), The Hispanic Women's Corporation Conference, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, ALS Arizona Chapter and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Luz Sarmina-Gutierrez – President & CEO, Valle del Sol Inc.
Luz Sarmina-Gutierrez is currently the President and CEO of Valle del Sol Inc., a nonprofit behavioral health and social services agency.  Currently, the agency has a staff of 150 employees.  Luz has been instrumental in the financial growth of Valle del Sol taking it from a 2 million to a 9 million-dollar budget.  Valle del Sol has developed an outstanding reputation statewide. Luz has taken advantage of her position as the visionary leader of this organization to better the local community in such areas as advocating for cultural competency at all levels of government and services.  Born in Mexico City , Luz came to the US at the age of six and grew up in the Midwest.  She has a MSW degree from ASU.  She is an active member of the community and currently serves on several high profile boards like the National Hispana Leadership Institute and formally the NCLR Affiliate Council.  She is seen as a Latino community leader with a voice of an advocate and is often looked to for advice and direction from key community leaders including our governors.  Governor Janet Napolitano recently appointed Luz to serve on the Commission for agency review of Child Protective Services and to her Latino Advisory Council.  Additionally, Luz serves on the Attorney General's Latino Advisory Justice Council.

Getting NSTEP: Strengthening your organization through strategic assessment, learning, and planning

This workshop explores the ways in which comprehensive organizational self-assessment and strategic planning programs can be utilized to strengthen and build the capacity of nonprofit organizations. Using the ASU Center for Nonprofit Leadership & Management's NSTEP Program (Nonprofit Strategic Evaluation & Planning Program) as a model, participants will learn strategies for exploring, examining, and evolving their organizations as well as gain a clearer perspective on the theories, processes, objectives, impacts, and importance of organizational assessment and development.

Kelly Campbell – Academic Associate, Center for Nonprofit Leadership & Management
Kelly Campbell is an academic associate for research and special projects with the ASU Center for Nonprofit Leadership & Management (CNLM) where she conducts research and develops and implements programs designed to strengthen and build the capacity of nonprofit organizations.  One program she has spent the last year developing is the CNLM Nonprofit Strategic Evaluation & Planning Program (NSTEP Program) which is a comprehensive program for assessing and strengthening nonprofit organizations.  Kelly is a PhD candidate in Public Administration and is writing her dissertation on the role nonprofits play in building individuals' civic capacity.  Kelly is also a faculty associate with the School of Public Affairs and the School of Community Resources and Development at ASU where she teaches courses on organizational behavior; nonprofit leadership and management; women, politics, and public policy; and public service ethics.  Her research interests include civic engagement, transformational leadership, organizational assessment, development, and capacity building and her work has been published in journals such as Administration & Society and the Journal of Public Affairs Education.  Kelly serves as Board President of the Arizona Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration and is a member of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action and the Alliance for Nonprofit Management.

Applying Effective Governance in the Boardroom: Where it Counts!

Everyone knows the central role of a board is to govern effectively. This workshop focuses on how a board must create an agenda that consistently relates back to its strategic plan and objectives. We'll discuss guidelines and practical strategies on how to create a permanent strategic agenda.

Debra Paine – Executive Director, Arts & Business Council of Greater Phoenix
Debra is the Executive Director of the Arts & Business Council of Greater Phoenix. The A&BC provides capacity building programs such as Business Volunteers for the Arts, Marketing and Management workshops and Business on Board, a governance training program for executives. Ms. Paine's career has been focused in the nonprofit world with organizations such as the Heather Farr Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation and St. Luke's Medical Center.

Debra received her certification in nonprofit management from ASU's Nonprofit Management Institute and is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP). She is currently enrolled in Valley Leadership Class XXVII.

Lifecycles of Nonprofit Organizations

Organizational development cycles apply to nonprofit capacity and organizational performance. A growing awareness exists of the relationship between capacity and the organization's ability to deliver services. Each cycle has its unique challenges for staff and board members.  They also require different talents and relationships.  This workshop will present the seven cycles and discuss the challenges of each one.

Linda Searfoss
Linda Searfoss received her undergraduate degree from NAU and her Masters degree from ASU.  She spent thirty-one years as Executive Director, and then CEO, of Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) in Phoenix.  Linda grew her agency from one of the smallest to one of the largest of the 483 BBBS agencies in the US.  Linda was chosen as one of the first five nonprofit CEO's to be a Piper Fellow by The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust in 2001. In 2003, she received a Girl Scout World Award and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America chose Linda to receive the first CEO of the year award.  Linda now provides consulting services to nonprofit organizations across the country.

Board Assessment Tools

A strong, vibrant board of directors is a clear indicator of a healthy organization. Yet even the best organizations need a periodic check-up to ensure that they are not simply surviving, but really thriving in today's nonprofit environment.  In an era of increased accountability in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, it is essential that boards possess the tools and the will to measure their impact. Condicting periodic board assessments allows organizations to prove to themselves and to their stakeholders that they are actually achieving their organizational mission and vision. This session will provide you with some tangible tools to put into your Board Assessment Toolbox.

Andrew F. Ortiz, J.D.,M.P.A. - Project Manager for Capacity Building , Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management
Andrew F. Ortiz, 36, is a native Arizonan. Andrew was born in Phoenix and has lived in Tempe for 35 years. Andrew has three degrees from Arizona State University , including a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science (1992), a Juris Doctorate of Law (1998) and a Masters in Public Administration (1999). In 1997-98, as a second-year law student, Andrew was elected Student Body President of the nation's fourth-largest university.  Andrew comes to the position of Project Manager for Capacity Building with a breadth of community and governmental affairs experience. Andrew has served as the Executive Director of the Arizona Community Action Association, as State Program Director for Kids Voting Arizona, Legislative Attache to the Arizona House Minority Leader and most recently as the Project Director of Arizona Clearing the Air within the government relations department of the American Cancer Society. Andrew has been a National Fellow with the Center for the Study of the Presidency in Washington, D.C., and has been a leader in the nonprofit sector. Andrew has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the Arizona State University  Alumni Association and College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Boards of Directors, Arizona Citizen Action Board, Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership-Arizona Board of Directors, Healthy Arizona 2010 Commission, NewTown Community Development Corporation Board, Arizona State University Los Diablos Hispanic Alumni Association Board, Coalition for Tobacco-Free Arizona Executive Board, Tempe Community Action Board of Directors  and the Board of Directors of the Tempe Boys & Girls Club as well as the National Board of the Congressional Award Foundation in Washington, D.C.

Assessing the Chief Executive   

We all know it is a key responsibility of the Board's Leadership, so why is it so hard to do effectively?  This workshop provides a review of best practice around performance management.  Additional topics covered in the workshop will include managing the barriers to a good process, understanding and engaging the stakeholders, and linking rewards to performance.  The workshop will provide participants with practical tools to take back to their organizations to enhance the Chief Executive assessment process as well as overall results.   

Linde Harned
Linde is a seasoned Human Resource professional with over 25 years experience in designing, implementing, and managing innovative employee based programs that are aligned with business objectives.  She has expertise in all areas of HR including, recruiting, benefits, pay and rewards, performance management, executive incentives and employee coaching.  Linde has effectively managed Compensation & Benefits functions in major companies in a variety of industries that include consumer products, financial services, hospitality, and commercial airlines.  Her current consulting work assists organizations, both for profit and nonprofit, in creating a competitive advantage through enhanced employee engagement.

Making Boards More Colorful

This session will provide the rationale for and recommendations of how to make non-profit Boards of Directors more diverse. It is important to include diversity on every level—ethnicity, gender, culture, age, even geography—but to avoid creating a “Tower of Babel.” Ms Meridith will provide some suggestions and lead an audience discussion of lessons learned and how to get the most from a diverse non-profit Board.

Denise P. Meridith, M.P.A., B.S.
Denise Meridith was born in Brooklyn, New York. She has a BS in wildlife biology from Cornell University (where she recently served on the Board of Trustees) and an MPA from the University of Southern California. In June, 2002, she retired from a 29-year Federal career and her then position as the Arizona State Director of the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM), where for seven years she led 600 employees in eight offices with responsibility for management of 14 million acres of public lands. Ms Meridith has always been an advocate for economic development in the Valley. She took a sabbatical from BLM to become the founding President of the Greater Phoenix in 1998. She has been practicing what she preached by serving as CEO of her business consulting firm—Denise Meridith Consultants Inc—which provides marketing, lobbying, organizational and partnership development services to businesses and municipalities—and co-founding The Leadership Consortium, a 501 (c)(3) designed to identify, recruit, develop and support leaders of color. Her many volunteer Board efforts have included serving with the Girl Scouts Arizona Pine Council, the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Arizona Tourism and Sports Authority, and the Phoenix Judicial Selection Board, among others. Ms Meridith also chaired the Parks and Recreation Subcommittee of the 2001 Phoenix Bond campaign and is vice-Chair of the Human Services subcommittee of the 2006 Bond effort. She is also a regular columnist for the Phoenix Business Journal and other publications. Her autobiography Thoughts While Chillin': Autobiography of a Black Public Servant was published in 2005.