Boards are stewards of the future.
I help boards work productively and collegially to provide strategic oversight. My governance work focuses on increasing board engagement, enhancing the strategic work of the board, board/CEO partnership, and leadership transitions. I engage boards in a deeper understanding of roles and responsibilities, strategic and generative thinking, practical ways to maximize board meetings, and addressing culture and dynamics in the boardroom.
My governance coaching and facilitation services are designed to assist a Board to achieve specific goals at a particular time in its governance journey. I take a coaching approach as I guide an organization through what can be challenging governance issues. I challenge a Board to use its collective strengths to think expansively and clearly about the organization’s future. I ask probing questions and use engaging activities to bring the Board’s best ideas to the surface.
Informed by three decades of experience serving on non-profit, hospital, and association boards, I provide board members and executive leaders with practical tips and insights to govern their organizations effectively. Although oversight, compliance, and policy are important, ultimately a board’s effectiveness stems from the culture it creates and the conversations it holds to fulfill the organization’s mission.
Benefits of governance development
- Strategic alignment
- Effective Board/CEO partnership
- Optimal board member contribution
- Role clarity
- Healthy board culture
Governance development services
- Board retreat design and facilitation
- Governance assessment, debriefing and development planning
- Governance coaching for Board Chair and CEO to optimize the partnership
- Board Chair and CEO Performance Evaluation processes
- Customized training to optimize performance of board members (roles, responsibilities, competencies, effective meetings, structuring the high-performance board with best practices)
- On-boarding programs for new trustees
- Board and CEO succession planning and transition management
- Facilitation to resolve conflicts.
Sample client engagements
- Coached Board Chair to successfully transition to governance leadership role. Facilitated set of agreements between Board Chair & CEO to create platform for effective partnership.
- Partnered with COO to redesign governance structure & implement recommendations for a state hospital association.
- Coached CEO & Board Chair in community hospital to manage governance challenges after unwinding a merger.
- Designed on-demand education program to prepare nurses for board service.
- Designed and delivered governance education curriculum for multiple clients.
To request a complimentary introductory session, please contact me.
What people are saying about their experiences and results:
Kimberly McNally has been a wonderful thought leader and resource for the Maryland Hospital Association through our 18-month governance review including interviewing key stakeholders, developing frameworks for our governance committee, providing a through report of recommendations, assisting with bylaws changes, and supporting our implementation efforts. Additionally, she has provided thought leadership in governance, health care associations, change management, and leadership. We have also engaged her to support our search committee through the executive search process. I cannot recommend Kimberly enough. She is a valued colleague and partner in our work.
Meghan McClelland
COOI engaged Kimberly to facilitate portions of our Board of Directors Retreats related to Governance and Strategic Planning. Prior to both events, Kimberly was very accessible and mindful about tailoring her training to specifically address the needs of the Board, to achieve the most successful educational outcomes. Kimberly’s insight and intellect stimulated participation of Board members, who left with tangible tools and techniques to immediately implement during their board meetings. There would be no hesitation in recommending Kimberly to any organization who is seeking an experienced professional to engage their employees or Boards. I have every confidence that others will be as pleased with their desired outcomes and having the pleasure to have worked with Kimberly.
Tom Jensen
CEOKimberly has been a regular resource to Northwest Kidney Centers (NKC) for a number of years, and for good reason. Most importantly, she drives results that are immediate and tangible, and does so with a consistent sense of professionalism and courtesy. Our own Board of Trustees had recently seen the exit of our CEO of over 20 years, and I was concerned that our board needed to prepare itself with some new communication skills and a heads up on what to expect during the exit of an executive leader with such a long tenure, and the transition between an interim CEO and a new CEO. We brought in Kimberly, who immediately was able to assess the situation, develop a game plan, and work with our Retreat Planning Committee to deliver a successful retreat that was well executed and very positively received. I recently joked with Kimberly that our first board meeting since that retreat was a night-and-day experience, having leveraged much of what Kimberly brought to the table. Future board leaders who have a need to review their board communication strategies should turn to Kimberly for her knowledgeable support and overall wisdom in this space. I highly recommend Kimberly!
Richard Bloch
Board ChairKimberly is an absolutely outstanding retreat facilitator, board trainer and professional coach. I and my organization have sought her services in all three areas in recent years, and each time she’s delivered terrific results at a reasonable price and by consistently demonstrating a genuine, wonderful personality. We also recommended her this year as a substitute board trainer when the customary trainer for our national association had to “bow out” for family reasons less than a month before the national conference. She so impressed them at the national conference that she’s being considered now for regular engagements! She’s a gem–you’ll be happy you chose to work with her, whether as facilitator, trainer or coach!
Bruce Gray
CEOKimberly created a safe and dynamic learning environment for board chair/CEO pairs to address challenges faced by their partnership. Drawing from her knowledge and experience, she used her warm personality and humor to generate lively discussions about roles, communication, and leadership. When participants were asked what would make the session more effective, participants said “nothing — leave it as is with this same trainer.
Betsy Veith, MPH
Director of Governance SupportKimberly has worked with AWPHD and its members on many occasions. She delivers a first-in-class experience that comes from her deep experiences, personal connection and ability to understand the journey of those in the room. She is trusted by our members and Kimberly is always my first call.
Matthew Ellsworth
Executive DirectorI recently had the pleasure of working with Kimberly to facilitate our annual board retreat. Working with her was a smooth process – she quickly understood our needs, tailored material for the group and delivered it in an effective way. Her content was informative and actionable. The board members were engaged and all agreed on the effectiveness of the day. I’ve already suggested Kimberly as a retreat facilitator to other organizations!
Jennifer Weiss Wilkerson
VP and Chief Strategy OfficerI really enjoyed working with Kimberly. I hired her Spring 2018 to customize training for my leadership team and community health center board of directors. I was impressed with her proposal that included a planning schedule as well as a proposed agenda for both groups. Participants in the leadership training shared spontaneously how much they appreciated Kimberly’s training style and the opportunity to deepen their leadership skills. When I asked Kimberly to follow up with meeting evaluation she responded quickly, gathering additional feedback, which was very positive.
Kimberly also provided training for our consumer majority board, the Community Health Council. This group is much smaller with a wider range of skills and sophistication when compared with the leaders training. I was impressed with Kimberly’s calm demeanor and patience. She is very attentive to the energy in the room and can modify her presentation if the group requires it. This group of 10 directors all praised Kimberly and shared that they felt it was a valuable experience.
Training over 50 managers in one day was of tremendous value to my organization and helped assure a consistent message that emphasized *our* organization’s priorities, I could not have accomplished this by sending those individuals to out of town conferences. I am happy that I made the decision to personalize the training for both groups and working with Kimberly was a positive experience.
Kimberly also provided training for our consumer majority board, the Community Health Council. This group is much smaller with a wider range of skills and sophistication when compared with the leaders training. I was impressed with Kimberly’s calm demeanor and patience. She is very attentive to the energy in the room and can modify her presentation if the group requires it. This group of 10 directors all praised Kimberly and shared that they felt it was a valuable experience.
Training over 50 managers in one day was of tremendous value to my organization and helped assure a consistent message that emphasized *our* organization’s priorities, I could not have accomplished this by sending those individuals to out of town conferences. I am happy that I made the decision to personalize the training for both groups and working with Kimberly was a positive experience.
Vanetta Abdellatif, MPH
CEOKimberly facilitated a Board retreat to assist our commissioners in a self-evaluation process and development of an action plan. The process received high praise from the Board and management. Kimberly provided key interactions with all involved and provided guidance to a value-based plan. Her knowledge and professionalism served us well.
Gregg Davidson, FACHE
CEOKimberly presented on high-performance governance at our annual board member retreat in May of this year. She did outstanding. She spent a considerable amount of time preparing by attending one board and one committee meeting in addition to meeting with us several times to tailor the content of the presentation. The result was a presentation that addressed our needs and then some. We had many board members comment how relatable the content was to their workplace and other boards they serve on. I find it quite incredible that she was able to deliver a presentation that was applicable across many industries. Additionally, we had concrete key takeaways that we were able to implement right away to strengthen our organization’s governance practices. Kimberly has many areas of expertise; and I highly recommend her to anyone looking for expert advice in any of these areas.
