2023 NYN BoardCon

For most nonprofits, fiscal, operational and most other responsibility is enacted through a collaborative effort that involves its Board of Directors, the Executive Director and a senior officer. For a board to successfully use its function, it must be fully informed and fully engaged with the organization’s operations. Ultimately, the board is responsible for the governance of an organization, and the board will not be able to fulfill its obligations without proper information. On February 28, 2023, NYN Media hosted Nonprofit BoardCon, a full-day event dedicated to the collaboration of board and staff.

9:00 AM	Breakfast and Registration
9:15 AM	Welcome and Opening Remarks By Emcee, Courtney Bryan, Executive Director, Center for Justice Innovation
9:20 AM	Board Responsibilities & Training 101 One of the central challenges that far too many boards struggle with is understanding board member roles and responsibilities and how to fulfill them. While boards are doing well with the more basic board responsibilities — understanding the organization’s purpose and mission and providing financial oversight, they struggle most with the more implied, vague responsibilities, including fundraising, advocacy, and community-building and outreach. What is most important is for board members to have a strong understanding of all of their roles and responsibilities. Gary Bagley, Adjunct Associate Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University in the City of New York (moderator) Karin Kunstler Goldman, Deputy Chief, NY Attorney General’s Charities Bureau William McManus, Capell Barnett Matalon & Schoenfeld Marnie Berk, Director of Pro Bono Programs, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest
10:05 AM	Essential Financial Tools and Fiduciary Responsibilities for the Board One of the primary fiduciary responsibilities of any board member is to maintain the financial integrity of the organization they serve. They act as trustees of the organization’s assets and must use due diligence and oversight to ensure that the nonprofit is well-managed and that its financial status remains secure. Through effective financial oversight, the board assures the public-at-large that all resources and benefits received are used to support the nonprofit’s mission. Amy West, Chief Financial Officer, AHRC NYC (moderator) Maurice Segall, Director, NY and Fairfield County, CT Program, Pro Bono Partnership Shanna Gumaer, Chief Operating Officer, Project Morry Jacqueline Tiso, CEO, JMT Consulting Lindsay Ornstein, Co-Founder, Open Impact Real Estate Thomas Kelly, Senior Manager, PFK O'Connor Davies
10:50 AM	Refreshment Break
11:10 AM	Deepening Board Engagement and Influence Serving on a board is about more than just showing up. Engaging board members requires good communication, ongoing support, and helping to put your mission in action. An impactful board should be a year-round process with continuous activities with clear goals and strategy. It is important to learn what motivates board members to make the most of their roles and deepen their lasting commitment to the organization. What are the best practices to support engagement and promote leadership development. Michelle Yanche, Executive Director, Good Shepherd Services (Moderator) Katrina Dudley, Board of Directors, The Children’s Village Brian Sackstein, Audit Partner and Nonprofit Industry Team, Armanino, LLP Mica Willis, Customer Success Manager, Instil
11:55 AM	Best practices for the recruitment and retention of millennial board leaders Every generation brings a somewhat different essence to a group. People from the baby boomer generation and older can learn much from more recent generations such as Gen Z and millennials and vice versa. How can your board leverage the talent and imagination that are inherent in the Gen Z and millennial populations? Alice Wong, Chief of Staff, Chinese-American Planning Council, Inc.(moderator) Miguel Guadalupe, Vice President of Donor and Community Relations, Bowery Residents' Committee & Board Member and Vice-Chair of External Affairs, National Puerto Rican Day Parade Inc. Nick Brasse, Chief of Staff, Volunteers of America - Greater New York Mark Dungan, VP of Employee Benefits, USI Insurance Services
12:40 PM	Lunch
1:35 PM	Succession and Transition Planning: Finance, Operations and Strategy Change at the decision-making level requires the board to provide strong leadership and direction as it contemplates what the organization needs from its next leader. Successfully managing the departure of an executive and the recruitment, hiring, and installation of a new executive is a complicated process that typically requires months of work in addition to a reword of financial planning and operational strategies. This also applies to merger activity for nonprofits where often the most successful have a pre-organized succession plan for top leadership. Jenn Krueger, Director of IT, United Women in Faith (moderator) Ron Abad, Chief Executive Officer, Community Housing Innovations, Inc. Rinku Bhattacharya, Chief Financial Officer, Lutheran Social Services of New York Corinna Creedon, Managing Director, FORVIS Eleanor "Ellie" Hume, Director, Your Part-Time Controller, LLC David Harris, Interim Executive Solutions Joseph McCoy, Divisional Head Commercial Loans – Hudson Valley, Valley National Bank
2:20 PM	Enhancing the Executive Director/Board Partnership While Delivering Mission The dynamics of the board-executive partnership has a strong effect on the health and sustainability of an organization. Board members and executives have different roles, and the balance of power helps them to achieve the mission of the organization. The relationship between the board and the executives requires recognizing and appreciating each other’s position within the organization. When both teams are working together like this it maximizes the impact of the nonprofit. Marcel Braithwaite, Director of Community Engagement, The Police Athletic League (moderator) Nancy D. Miller, Executive Director/CEO, VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired Lew Zuchman, Executive Director, SCAN-Harbor, Inc
3:05 PM	Refreshment Break
3:20 PM	Diversity and Inclusion in the Boardroom Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) play important roles in the nonprofit boardroom. The incorporation of diversity, equity, and inclusion with board leadership is essential across assessment, recruitment, and retention – and beyond. It is important to engage the board in training and conversations around the value of practicing diversity, equity, and inclusion. It also becomes necessary to evaluate board recruitment strategies and processes, such as by proactively seeking out new networks to include individuals outside of your immediate circles. Jeremy Christopher Kohomban, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Children's Village (moderator) Keith Little, Former CEO, SCO Family of Services Arva R. Rice, President & CEO, New York Urban League Malynda Rascoe, Former NAACP Board Member David Pearson, Extensis HR
4:05 PM	Streamlining Processes to Effectively run your Nonprofit Board Successful organizations use many different tracks of strategy in creating an optimal board. Key to this process is developing a focused, purposeful strategy that incorporates systems, resource allocation, data management, finances, and more. This panel will explain how efficient operations and processes can enhance your nonprofit’s administrative efficiency, streamline functions, and create operational stability for establishing a sustainable board. Christopher Mainor, Director of IT, Urban Pathways (moderator) Dr. Darlene Williams, President & Chief Executive Officer, Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow (OBT) Garri Rivkin, Executive Director, The City Tutors
4:50 PM	Sessions Conclude

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