February 1-2, 2008  -  Santa Fe, NM

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Led by Maureen K. Robinson, an authority on nonprofit leadership and the author of Nonprofit Boards that Work

Get on board for one of the best professional development opportunities available to museum executives! The CEOs and Governance Seminar will help you focus on one of the biggest challenges a CEO faces—working effectively with the board. Guided by a well-known and engaging expert on leadership and governance, the program explores best practices in governance and offers ample opportunity for participants to formulate ideas, test solutions against personal experience, and learn how others approach common challenges. This seminar offers a unique experience that fosters peer-to-peer exchange of ideas, facilitated small group discussions, and interactive exercises in which to develop personal and professional strategies for success.

As the museum’s chief executive officer, you need to deploy every asset available to you, particularly the board.

• How do you increase your board’s effectiveness and build a working relationship that is mutually satisfying and productive? 
• Are you leading this all important relationship, or merely making the best of it?
• What are the essential components for maximizing your board's performance?

The CEOs and Governance seminar is designed to help you:

• Hone your leadership technique and abilities
• Focus on the skills and knowledge you need to develop a highly effective relationship with your governing board
• Explore ways to build the board’s capacity to partner in the critical areas of planning and fund raising
• Build your network of colleagues interested in sharing ideas, solutions and experience geared to your job as a museum CEO

Who Should Attend
Attendance is open to those who are current museum CEOs or Executive Directors with less than 7 years in the position or in need of additional direction on increasing board effectiveness.

Seminar Agenda
The program will be held in Santa Fe, NM, February 1-2, 2008, at the Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza, 100 Sandoval Street, Santa Fe, NM, 87501-2131. The program will be held from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. each day.

Part 1: Defining a Leadership Role
Most CEOs hold their positions because they planned for and sought the role of leader. But few CEOs envision the kind of director they want to be (other than successful) and instead let the daily nature of the job drive their performance. Part 1 analyzes the essential elements of the CEO’s role and the factors that influence how the job is done. It looks at the structural issues that are often determinant: the museum’s corporate form; the historical context a director must grapple with; practical realities, such as budget and staff size; and the important concept of authority—who had it, who has it, and who thinks they have it.

Part 2: Building a High-Functioning Board and High-Functioning Relationship with the Board
The CEO’s relationship with the board is critical to his/her professional success. Part 2 takes that relationship apart and shows CEOs how to develop a mutually rewarding partnership with the trustees. It describes the essential components for building a high-functioning board, including: the board meeting, the use and abuse of information, the board’s composition and orientation, the CEO’s relationship with the board chair, and the importance of strategic leadership development, board assessment, and succession planning for the chair.

Part 3: Good When It Counts—Building a Planning and Fund Raising Partnership
While a good board enhances the CEO’s capacity to lead effectively, its true value is often measured by its ability to take part in planning and by its willingness to fund raise. These two critical and time consuming tasks are among the most challenging assignments for a board. For CEOs, the fund raising board is a cherished hope, one that is regularly dashed. Part 3 takes a candid look at the risks and rewards to the CEO of engaging the board effectively as a partner in setting a course or uncovering resources. This session moves beyond clichés to a pragmatic assessment of what it takes to build both capacity and performance.

Part 4: Truth and Consequences —Evaluation, Compensation and Contracts
Part 4 pulls the focus back on the CEO with a closer examination of the CEO evaluation process and ways to use it to build performance and goodwill. This part of the agenda provides participants with an overview of compensation issues and a discussion of the protections and common provisions of employment contracts.

At the close of the program, participants have the opportunity to reflect on the workshop, review whether the issues that brought participants to the table have been addressed, and create an action plan.

Evening Reception
An evening reception will be held on Friday, February 1 from 5:30 -7:30 p.m. at the Museum of International Folk Art on Museum Hill in Santa Fe. We are grateful to the museum for hosting us. Transportation will be provided.

About the Program Leader
Maureen K. Robinson is a highly regarded speaker, writer and consultant on the leadership and governance of the nonprofit sector. She is the author of Nonprofit Boards that Work: The End of One-Size-Fits-All Governance and The Chief Executive’s Role in Developing the Nonprofit Board, and writes a regular column for Contributions magazine.

Robinson founded the education program of the National Center for Nonprofit Boards (now BoardSource) and during her eight-year tenure created programs that influenced and shaped the practice of governance nationally and internationally. Among recent and challenging assignments, she served as an expert witness on governance in the Barnes Foundation’s successful petition to strengthen the independence and capacity of its board, and worked with a city history museum facing bankruptcy to restructure its finances, management, and governance.

Before You Arrive
In early January, registrants will receive a confirmation letter that will include a complete set of instructions and directions concerning the program and the conference site. The package also will include preliminary assignments or readings. Participants are encouraged to bring samples of related material— job descriptions, performance evaluation instruments, board assessment tools, board recruitment grids, employment contracts— that might be helpful to other participants.

Registration
Attendance is open to those who are current museum CEOs or Executive Directors with less than 7 years in the position or in need of additional direction on increasing board effectiveness.

Register online or complete the registration form and fax it to AAM Professional Education at (202) 289-6578. Or mail it with full payment to AAM Professional Education, 1575 Eye St. N.W., Suite 400, Washington, DC 20005-1105. Registration closes on Thursday, January 10, 2008. Registration is $325 for AAM Members and $375 for Non-members. Registration includes participation in seminar sessions, handout materials, evening receptions, lunch on Friday and daily breaks. Requests for refunds must be received in writing by January 10. No refunds will be given after that date.

What Past Participants Have Said About the Program
“It was the most useful workshop I’ve ever attended…everyone faced the same challenges, wanted to improve their own performance as well as their board’s, and fix problems, not just complain about them.”

“This seminar proved to be highly valuable in terms of knowledge gained as well as connections [made] with peers. A ‘must’ for new CEOs!”

“I benefited enormously from the information and the manner of presentation. Maureen Robinson was outstanding.”

Hotel
Our host hotel is the Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza, 100 Sandoval Street, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87501-2131, which is offering a special rate of $139 per night (single/double occupancy, plus applicable taxes). For reservations, please call (800) 336-3676. Mention the AAM seminar to receive the special rate. Reservations must be made by Thursday, January 10, 2008; after that date reservations will be handled on a space-and-rate available basis.

Travel
Association Travel Concepts (ATC), AAM’s official travel agency, can help with your travel plans. It guarantees the lowest airfare available for all airlines at the time of booking. When making reservations with ATC, identify yourself as a participant in the “CEOs and Governance” seminar. For reservations, call (800) 278-1140, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. (EST).

Questions
Or special needs? Contact AAM’s Professional Education Program staff at (202) 289-9114.