smorgasBoard: CEOs on board dynamics, "Wit & Wisdom" from philanthropic leaders, 5 new CEO searches and 3 new placements

In this issue:

Changing board dynamics

"Wit & Wisdom"

Trey Csar heads JPEF

Brian Crockett to lead VMI Foundation

Sandra Mullins to head CCCG

New CEO assignments

All active assignments

smorgasBoard - bits and bites about nonprofit boards and leadership

May 31, 2009

CEOs on the changing dynamics of board engagement
Wit & Wisdom, a wonderful new book on philanthropic leadership
Recent placements on the BoardWalk:
- President, Jacksonville Public Education Foundation
- CEO, VMI Foundation
- ED, Care and Counseling Center of GA
New executive search assignments: America's Charities, Hospice of Chattanooga, Samaritan House of Atlanta and Soulsville Foundation.

CEOs on

The changing dynamics
of board engagement

"Board members fall in love with the mission, but they do not know how to channel their involvement."

In our continuing peer-to-peer conversations with nonprofit leaders, our May Breakfast on the BoardWalk invited a small group of CEOs to exchange ideas on the changing dynamics of board engagement. In scope, scale and mission, our guests had little in common other than their commitment to excellence, and their tenure in the CEO role ranged from a few months to over two decades.

For all participants, however, "the boardroom dialogue is changing."

Click here for more on the changing dynamics of board engagement>>

A remarkable new book by our friend
Mark Constantine:

Wit and Wisdom:
Unleashing the Philanthropic Imagination

In our website, we regularly feature "books and other readings we wouldn't be without." Our friend Mark Constantine has just added a wonderful study to the trove we track there.

Wit and Wisdom: Unleashing the Philanthropic Imagination is a provocative study of the stories and impact of a handful of today's most important practitioners of philanthropy, almost all of whom have a strong connection to the American South (and most of whom we at BoardWalk are privileged to call friends).

Armed with a love of narrative and a respect for the quest for racial, economic and social equity, Mark allows ten compelling leaders the opportunity to share their wit and wisdom with the rest of us.

Click here to download the full book or individual chapters at no charge; in mid June, hard copies of Wit & Wisdom will be available for from Amazon.com and Lulu.com a small charge.

Recent placements on the BoardWalk
... announced since our last smorgasBoard:

Frank "Trey" Csar
President
Jacksonville Public Education Fund
Jacksonville, FL

The Jacksonville Public Education Fund has named former journalist and teacher Trey Csar as President.

An alumnus of both Teach for America and KIPP, Trey will employ his record of excellence in academia, education and community-building as he embraces the exciting challenges framed by JPEF's champions and stakeholders.

Trey is a graduate of the University of Florida, with a bachelor's degree in journalism and business administration, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, from which . he has a master's in public policy.

The Jacksonville Public Education Fund is an outgrowth of the Jacksonville Community Foundation's 10-year initiative, "Quality Education for All," which seeks to impact public education in the largest county in the contiguous 48 states by improving the performance of all public school students, with particular attention to closing dramatic achievement gaps evident between certain groups of students. With new funding and leadership, JPEF is leveraging the good work of Jacksonville's Alliance for World Class Education.

Read more on Trey Csar and the Jacksonville Public Education Fund here.

Brian Crockett
CEO
VMI Foundation
Lexington, VA

The VMI Foundation has recently announced the appointment of Brian Crockett as CEO. Currently the Vice President for Development at the West Point Association of Graduates, Brian becomes the first non-alumnus of VMI ever to lead the Foundation.

Before becoming the VP of Development at West Point in 2007, Brian spent 11 years in increasingly senior development roles at Rutgers University and its Foundation. He spent his early career in sales and marketing with Xerox and Digital Equipment Corporation. Brian holds a BS degree from Rutgers, which he attended on a full football scholarship.

Sandra Mullins

Executive Director

Care and Counseling Center of Georgia
Atlanta, GA

An innovative leader in ministry, counseling, training, management and fundraising for over 25 years, Sandra Mullins has just been named Executive Director of The Care and Counseling Center of Georgia, a nonprofit ecumenical organization offering counseling, pastoral care and education to individuals, couples, families and organizations across the state.

Sandye is the founding Executive Director of RRISA (Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta), where she leads a multilingual, multicultural staff that provides an entry into the American culture and continued services for hundreds of refugees each year, where she practices "empowerment as a universal language."

She holds a Master of Divinity from Emory University and a B.A. in English Education from Capital University.

New assignments since our last smorgasBoard:

May has been exceptionally busy for us and our clients. In all, we confirmed five CEO searches this month, a welcome indication that the recession's grip may be loosening. Below are brief summaries of four of the new searches; full write-ups on these and the fifth CEO search will be available within the next few weeks: