New candid conversation workshops for CEOs well-received
| From left: Leslie Newman, Children & Families First; Molly Greenman, Family & Children's Service; Nyla Woods, Family Services of Greater Houston |
Each year, networking is cited as one of the greatest strengths of the Alliance for Children and Families’ National Conference. In 2009, the Alliance sought to capture the rich, informal learning that often occurs behind the scenes in a new series of workshops design specifically for CEOs and board members.
The Alliance National Conference Planning Committee chose five critical issues in nonprofit human services to be discussed during the new candid conversations workshop track: engaging the board in state-level public policy, closing programs with integrity, maintaining the board-CEO relationship, opportunities for growth, and funding.
Each discussion was facilitated by Elizabeth Carey, senior vice president and COO at the Alliance.
Judy Bell, president and CEO of Alliance member The Wellspring Alliance for Families, Monroe, La., attended all five candid conversations. As compared to a traditional presentation, she says the structure of the candid conversation workshops allowed the group to drive the discussion so that all questions and angles were addressed completely.
“Many of our current strategies were affirmed, and that is as good as getting new ideas sometimes,” Bell says. “Having our board chair present was also very helpful. I would recommend that CEOs bring their board chairs to these types of workshops.”
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