8:00 AM

Breakfast and Registration

8:30 AM

Welcome and Opening Remarks By Emcee David Greenfield, Chief Executive Officer, Met Council

8:35 AM

Board Responsibilities & Training 101

One of the fundamental challenges that far too many board members and boards have is that they don’t have a strong understanding of their roles and responsibilities. And how has the important changes that have taken place during the pandemic change the roles of nonprofit boards and executives. This lack of understanding of what is or isn’t a part of the board’s necessary roles can lead to a whole host of dysfunctions, such as micromanagement, rogue decision-making, lack of engagement, and more. Learn the do’s and don’ts of being on a board.

• Marcella McKoy, Human Resources Professional and Chairperson of the Culture Committee, Graham Windham (moderator)
• Kate Krug, Executive Vice President, Nontraditional Employment for Women
• Nancy Miller, Executive Director/CEO, VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired
• John Eusanio, Partner & Not-for-Profit Practice Leader, Citrin Cooperman
• Roberta Katz, Nonprofit Finance Consultant, Roberta Katz Consulting

9:25 AM

Essential Financial Tools and Documents for the Staff and Board

Nonprofit boards need up-to-date financial information to make informed decisions. 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. Some of the following are important strategies to jumpstart financial oversight capacity: have an active finance committee, provide financial policies document, support the auditing team if needed, review financial statements, and financial training for board members.

• Amy West, Executive Vice President And Chief Financial Officer, AHRC NYC (moderator)
• Irene Branche, Chief Development and Evaluation Officer, The Hope Program
• Jim Norton, CPA, Senior Manager, Accounting Technology Services, GRF CPA's & Advisors
• Eleanor "Ellie" Hume, Director, Your Part-Time Controller, LLC
• Keith Mulvihill, Vice President – Nonprofit Organizations, Lockton Companies, LLC
• Wanda Matos Taveras, Vice President, Director of Non-Profit Services, Ponce Bank

10:15 AM

Refreshment Break

10:30 AM

Introductory Video By Rebecca Sanborn, President, Sanborn Corporate Training Solutions, LLC

Diversity and Inclusion in the Boardroom

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) play important roles in the nonprofit boardroom. The integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion with board leadership can look like many different practices across assessment, recruitment, and retention – and beyond. It is essential 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.

• Jennifer Jones Austin, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (moderator)
• John Harrison, Chief Executive Officer, Community Mediation Services, Inc.
• James E. Mann, Board of Directors The Children's Village
• Surjit Chana, Chairman of the Board, Care for the Homeless

11:20 AM

Creating an Engaged Board while Recruiting and Retaining Multi-Generational Board Leaders

An engaged board is a forward-thinking and cooperative team that works together to put its expertise to use. Engaged board members feel motivated to work between their scheduled meetings, collaborate to overcome challenges, and develop creative plans to fulfill their mission. What’s more is that today’s nonprofit organizations often have members from at least three generations competing for influence and attention. What is the best way to come together and keep all age groups interested and engaged? What is the best way to motivate them to do everything in their power to reach and even exceed the nonprofit’s objectives.

• Judy Levine, Executive Director, Cause Effective (moderator)
• Stanley Capela, Corporate Compliance Officer. HeartShare Human Services of New York
• Miguel Guadalupe, Director of Donor and Community Engagement, BRC
• Scott Short, CEO, RiseBoro Community Partnership
• H. Aldervan Daly, Executive Vice President, Institutional Advancement, Rising Ground

12:10 PM

Lunch

1:10 PM

Board Governance and Liability

Board members have a financial responsibility to drive the organization towards a sustainable future by adopting sound, ethical, and legal governance and financial management policies, as well as by making sure the nonprofit has enough resources to advance its mission. Board members also play very important roles providing guidance to nonprofits by contributing to the organization’s culture and diversity initiatives, strategic focus, effectiveness, and financial sustainability, as well as serving as ambassadors and advocates. Beyond fulfilling legal duties, board members are extremely important resources for the organization.

• Michelle Yanche , Executive Director of Good Shepherd Services (moderator)
• Karin Kunstler Goldman, Deputy Bureau Chief, New York State Attorney General's Charities Bureau
• Wayne Ho, President & CEO, Chinese-American Planning Council, Inc.
• Sharon Cody, Nonprofit Market Manager, Labyrinth, Inc and Harbor Compliance
• David Samuels, Partner, Perlman & Perlman

2:00 PM

Accounting, Finance & Auditing: How Board Members and Nonprofit Executives work together

The long-term success of a nonprofit depends heavily on the board of directors. These are the people who establish the mission, set goals, hire executives, and ultimately are responsible for the financial stability of the organization. As part of its fiduciary responsibilities to the nonprofit, the board is responsible for oversight of the nonprofit’s accounting functions and the performance of the independent auditor if one is hired. How can you set up your board for success in terms of financial oversight and proper auditing functions?

• Jeremy Christopher Kohomban, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Children's Village (moderator)
• Adam M. Doyno, FoundingExecutive Director, CUNY School of Public Health Foundation
• Alexander Buchholz, Partner, PKF O'Connor Davies LLP
• Hope Goldstein, Partner‑in‑Charge, Nonprofit, Government & Healthcare Group, Marks Paneth LLP
• Michael Lamberg, National Sales Director, Lamb Insurance

2:50 PM

Refreshment Break

3:05 PM

Succession, Transition and Mergers Planning: Finance, Operations and Strategy

Change at the executive level — whether planned or sudden — 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.

• Allison J. Nickerson, CEO, LiveOn NY (moderator)
• Lew Zuchman, Executive Director, SCAN-Harbor
• Jenn Krueger, Strategic Project Manager, United Methodist Women
• David Harris, Managing Partner, Interim Executive Solutions
• Jill Krumholz, Managing Partner, Real HR Solutions

3:55 PM

The Partnership Between your Board and your Staff: Maximizing Time to Increase Impact

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 get the work of the organization done. 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.

• Sharmila Rao Thakkar, Executive Director, Staten Island Not For Profit Association (moderator)
• Jan Fisher, Executive Director, Nonprofit Westchester
• Maurice K. Segall, Director, New York and Fairfield County, CT, Program, Pro Bono Partnership
• Rabbi Josh Joseph, Ed.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Orthodox Union

4:45 PM

Sessions Conclude