The National Trust for Historic Preservation announces its first Better Boards® for Historic Sites at the Inn at Woodlake in Kohler, Wisconsin from November 6-8, 2008. This two-day, invitational program is designed specifically to meet the needs of organizations operating non-profit historic sites, including historic house museums. Through case studies, role-playing exercises, and small group activities, participating organizations will strengthen the skills and strategies available to board and staff leaders and enhance the network of historic site leaders by engaging them in constructive solutions to the challenges common to organizational management and governance. Highlights include identifying and recruiting new board members, leadership development and succession planning, how to use board committees effectively, appropriate roles for boards and staff, and the board’s role in evaluating its own performance and the performance of its staff. Each participant will receive a notebook of materials that will support and extend their Better Boards learning experience after they return home.
Esther Hall will be the lead trainer for this Better Boards workshop. She is a nationally recognized trainer and organizational development consultant based in Raleigh, North Carolina whose sessions at the Preservation Conference attract standing-room only crowds. Esther is currently a non-profit executive director with extensive board experience and has worked with the National Trust since 1991, when she led the first volunteer management session for Preservation Leadership Training.
Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis and only six groups will be accepted. Participating organizations must enroll their site director and a minimum of five board members. Registration is $500 for each Site. The participant fee is $350 each for sharing a double room; $500 for a single room. Deadline for registration is Friday, September 12, 2008. More details and a registration form are available on-line and from Alison Hinchman at the Center for Preservation Leadership at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
This workshop is made possible through the generous support of the Charles Evans Hughes Memorial Foundation.
