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State Educational Agency

The Organization

This 125 year-old institution is a State Educational Agency with an annual operating budget of just over $10 million dollars. It employs 120 full and part-time staff, operates regional facilities and delivers programming state-wide. Additionally, the organization grants over $16 million dollars annually to other nonprofit organizations across the state.

The Transition

The Executive Director for over 20 years announced her retirement. This well-respected leader had shepherded the organization through a variety of significant and positive changes throughout her tenure. However, it would be an understatement to say there was a momentous amount of change anticipated in the future!

The economic climate was uncertain, and the selection of a site for a new headquarters building and program space were consuming the Board. New or redefined relationships with the government officials at the local, state and regional levels, as well as new inroads into the donor community and other key constituencies would be required to address the challenges and opportunities of the future.

Before proceeding with a search for a new CEO, the Board and staff addressed the following questions:

  • What are the most critical opportunities and challenges that we are facing?
  • How will the Board measure its effectiveness in assisting our organization through this leadership transition?
  • What are the Board’s expectations regarding the pace of leadership transition with regard to the needed organizational changes?
  • Will our staff work differently a year from now and how might their job responsibilities change?
  • Comparing today to a year from now, how might the Board work differently? Will Board and staff working relationships change?
  • How do you quantify the job of the CEO over the next three, six, twelve and twenty-four months?
  • Who is responsible for internal communication (staff, volunteer, Board)? What information regarding the search and leadership transition processes will be shared and on what schedule?
  • Who is responsible for external communications (donor, shareholders, collaborative partners, elected officials)? What information regarding the search and transition processes will be shared and on what schedule?

The Outcome

Using the responses to these questions and other institutional information, a CEO position description was developed in concert with a plan for identifying the most qualified candidates. Armed with specific questions, tailored to their needs, the Search Committee quickly reached a decision. The new CEO was hired, and leadership transition coaching was provided to smooth the transition. At 120 days after the new chief executive’s employment, selected Board members and all staff direct reports were interviewed to determine how the organization, as a whole, had changed and the reactions of constituencies to those changes.

After two years in this position, the CEO has transformed the vision for this organization and changed its core operations. Ground was recently broken for the new facility which will open in approximately two years.