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:
Meghan McClelland
COOTom Jensen
CEORichard Bloch
Board ChairBruce Gray
CEOBetsy Veith, MPH
Director of Governance SupportMatthew Ellsworth
Executive DirectorJennifer Weiss Wilkerson
VP and Chief Strategy OfficerKimberly 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.