12 Steps to a Successful Search: Part 3 of 3

New Louisiana foundation launches first CEO search

The devastation from Hurricanes Katrina & Rita force all of us to find new ways to address the pervasive poverty and collective dysfunction that made the storms' impact so much worse that it might have been. The newly formed Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation, chaired by Louisiana native and former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa James Joseph, has been charged "to help transform the disaster that hit the state into unprecedented opportunity."

BoardWalk Consulting is honored to have been asked to support a search committee of influential Louisianans, led by the Ford Foundation's Linetta Gilbert, in the urgent effort to identify a permanent head of an organization at the center of the most impactful public-private initiative ever attempted in this country.

The search committee has just met for the first time, and a summary of the leadership profile should be available within a few days. If you or a leader you respect can combine a love of Louisiana and its people with a commitment to community-building in the broadest sense and a record of philanthropic leadership, we encourage you to get in touch with us.

Abundant Forests Alliance selects first President

A new alliance established by major players in the wood and paper products industry has selected its first president. Rod Lowman, president of the American Plastics Council, has been chosen by the board of the Abundant Forests Alliance as the first head of the new organization. BoardWalk Consulting was privileged to represent AFA in its CEO search.

Rod joined the American Plastics Council in 1988 as head of governmental affairs; after several other promotions, he was named president in 2001. In large part because of his leadership, APC is widely regarded as the largest and most effective of the plastics industry trade associations. A native Southerner, Rod holds a BS degree in engineering from the University of South Carolina and an MBA from Lamar University of Beaumont, Texas.

The Abundant Forests Alliance was formed in 2005 to help protect the delicate balance between supplying the products people need and giving the forest environment what it needs to flourish. AFA is based in the greater Washington, D.C. metro area.

BoardWalk welcomes AID Atlanta's Kim Anderson to our consulting team...

For the past five years, Kim Anderson has led the largest AIDS service organization in the Southeast. We are thrilled to announce that Kim will become the newest member of BoardWalk Consulting's professional team in January 2006.

A native of New Jersey, Kim has been an active leader in nonprofits and foundations ever since receiving her law degree from Columbia University in 1984. In addition to two stints at the leading law firm of Alston & Bird, Kim served as the first General Counsel of the Grady Health System, Georgia's largest public hospital, and as legal counsel for the Atlanta Housing Authority.

Kim's experience, perspective and wisdom will add several new dimensions to BoardWalk's capabilities. We are excited by her appointment and hope you will have an early opportunity to work with her.

...and LaDawna Reynolds, our new admin manager

Also new to BoardWalk since the last newsletter is Senior Administrative Manager LaDawna Reynolds. A native of Michigan, LaDawna holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Michigan and an Masters of Public Administration from Kennesaw State University.

Prior to joining BoardWalk, LaDawna spent five years with Teach For America, the national teaching corps of outstanding recent college graduates. After teaching second grade for three years, she joined TFA's Atlanta management team as Director of Operations. In addition to overseeing finance, human resources and operations, she helped coordinate the classroom schedules and communications needs for TFA's 160+ teachers in the Atlanta Public Schools.

LaDawna succeeds Liza Hare, BoardWalk's administrative manager for the past three years and an integral part of our client services team. Since Liza remarried 18 months ago, she and her husband have commuted between her home in Georgia and his in California. Alas for us, they recently decided to establish permanent roots in southern California. Liza will be much missed by her friends and colleagues in Atlanta and by our clients across the country. Note: We will pay $100 to the first person who sends us a picture of Liza on a surfboard!

Which five social innovators over age 60 should receive the $100,000 Purpose Prize?

Contrary to common assumption, social innovators are not necessarily people in their 20s or 30s. For years, Civic Ventures has been following the efforts of people over the age of 60 who have demonstrated remarkable creativity and entrepreneurialism. With the first of the baby boomers reaching 60 next year, the opportunity (and need) for harnessing this pioneering spirit for positive social transformation is unparalleled.

The Purpose Prize will challenge this perception by investing significantly in carefully screened social innovators over the age of 60. Rather than a lifetime achievement award, The Prize is intended as a down payment on what these innovators will do next to transform their communities and our nation.

Sign up for The Business of Growth, AMA's first West Coast conference on Nonprofit Marketing

Southern California weather, best-of-class practitioners in marketing and state-of-the-art tools should make a winning combination for a compelling conference next February on nonprofit marketing.

Entitled The Business of Growth: Mission, Message and Measures, the conference will bring together peers and best thinkers on growth issues critical to your nonprofit. Sponsored jointly by the American Marketing Association and the AMA Foundation, the conference will be of special interest to board members, EDs and any other nonprofit leader interested in the link between an organization's mission, its marketing and its impact.

Please join us in San Diego from February 20 through 22, 2006. Full disclosure: BoardWalk's Sam Pettway has the privilege of chairing the conference planning committee.