Why Others Are Attending

This will be my third year attending the BoardSource Leadership Forum. The Forum has proven to be the core of my annual professional development. The quality of the sessions, relevance of the content, and the networking opportunities are unparalleled. My governance work with Smart Start's network of 77 nonprofit organizations across the state of North Carolina has been substantively enhanced by my learnings from the Forum and from the multitude of BoardSource resources.
Lynette Aytch, Psy.D.
Director, Organizational Development Department
North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc.

I appreciate that this forum brings research, best practices, and field experts together with real people who are doing serious and challenging work in real communities that are struggling with how to best govern their organizations and provide crucial services. As a program officer who funds both nationally and at a local level, this is one of the few conferences that impacts all of the funding that I do. I can take away new ideas for grantmaking at a national level, but also grantmaking in our local community of Flint, Michigan.
Kimberly Roberson
Program Officer
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

This will be my fifth BoardSource Leadership Forum. This is my major annual continuing education activity. I hone my skills and gain new ideas that I put to use in the consulting that I do and the boards I serve on. I also enjoy seeing and reconnecting with the people I have met over the years. I have taken advantage of more intensive presessions, and often find ideas to help build my professional library.
Bob Schorr
President
Twenty-First Insight Strategic Consultants, Inc.

I look forward to the opportunity to exchange ideas, share best practices, and network with people around the country who are committed to strengthening nonprofit boards. I always leave the BoardSource Leadership Forum feeling energized and inspired.
Elizabeth Swanson
Director, Governance
Girl Scouts of the USA

I am attending the Leadership Forum as it provides an opportunity to keep our work on the cutting edge. Part of the Center's work focuses on strengthening the rural health care infrastructure in West Virginia by improving the leadership capabilities of boards of directors of health care organizations. Boards bring a wealth of resources to our hospitals, community health centers, and other health care organizations. Unfortunately, many times board members leave their skills and talents at the door. It is not that they want to do so, as board members want to make a difference in their communities. However, once they enter the boardroom many times they too often spend much of their time listening to reports and acting on routine issues month after month.

With all of the changes occurring in the health care environment, CEOs of health care organizations need to access the leadership capacity of their board members especially if they are to meet future challenges or else risk being left behind. Thus, the Center's work is focused on coaching health care organizations on how to unleash the potential that sits around their board table. Many times this involves changing the way in which board work is conducted. The Leadership Forum sponsored by BoardSource provides an opportunity to become familiar with best practices in governance and to keep abreast of what is on the horizon. It is also a great opportunity to network with governance experts from around the country who also have a wealth of knowledge and experience. Beyond attendance at the Forum, our partnership with BoardSource throughout the year also brings great value to our work.
Sharon L. Lansdale
President/CEO
Center for Rural Health Development, Inc. -- Hurricane, WV