Andrea Bazan-Manson on
"Building Strong Foundations:
The First 100 Days"
--our continuing series on leadership transitions

Because we are party to so many such transitions in our work with nonprofit leaders, we are excited to launch a new feature, Building Strong Foundations: The First 100 Days. Each month or so, we will ask leaders we work with to speak to their own transitions: How they got started, who they turned to, what they might have done differently, what they learned about themselves in the process.

For our second installment, we interviewed Andrea Bazan-Manson (pictured above), whom we had the privilege of recruiting as the new Executive Director of The Triangle Community Foundation, based in Durham, NC. Until then, Andrea had been the founder, Executive Director and chief lobbyist of El Pueblo, a statewide advocacy organization committed to strengthening the Latino community in North Carolina.

DEADLINE APPROACHING!
Applications for BoardWalk's Governance Fellowships at Harvard due August 11th

Last month BoardWalk announced the call for candidates for our third annual fellowships to Harvard Business School's program for nonprofit board members. This year, we are offering up to six spots for this compelling course, which previous recipients have called "transformational."

Our selection criteria are straightforward, and we require just a simple email as a preliminary application. Initial indications of interest are due to us by Friday, August 11.

A summary of the GNE program and the fellowship application process are available via the link below. If your nonprofit could profit from a seasoned board member's participation in this dynamic seminar, please let us hear from you by August 11.

Federal Reserve's Bobbie McCrackin named BoardWalk's BoardChampion of the Month

We are pleased to announce the selection of Bobbie McCrackin, Vice Chair of the Board of Consumer Credit Counseling Service, as our BoardChampion^SM for July 2006.

The folks at Consumer Credit Counseling Service describe Bobbie McCrackin as their “unsung hero,” a fitting tribute for this quiet force for governance excellence in what is widely regarded as an exceptionally effective nonprofit.

As her colleagues at CCCS told BoardWalk, “We appreciate Bobbie’s consistent, thoughtful advocacy work on our behalf; the way she sets the standard for our board members by always coming to committee and board meetings completely prepared; all the tough questions she asks, particularly during strategic discussions; and, the way she extends herself to new and potential board members...."

After an extensive search by BoardWalk Consulting, the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership (ANDP) announced earlier this month that John OCallaghan, formerly Fannie Maes Director of Public Affairs for the Southeast Region, will join the organization as president and chief executive officer. John will succeed Hattie B. Dorsey, ANDP's highly regarded founder and CEO, effective July 31, 2006.

Since 1994, John helped create and lead the Fannie Mae's housing and community development outreach network for an 11-state region. In this role, he worked with lenders, real estate professionals, homebuilders, elected officials and community leaders to identify and solve community housing needs.

Regional Atlanta Civic League selects Karen Webster Parks as its first CEO

The Regional Atlanta Civic League has named former Fulton County Commissioner Karen Webster Parks, a native Atlantan highly experienced in business, government and civic affairs, as the new organization's first chief executive officer. Webster Parks's career includes eight years as Corporate Vice President at Beers Skanska, the largest commercial constriuction company in the Southeast, four years as service on the Fulton County Commission (two as vice chair), and over two decades of leadership roles with an eclectic group of nonprofit, charitable and civic endeavors.

Formed in early 2006 by the merger of three nonprofits with a distinguished history (Research Atlanta, the Regional Leadership Forum and the Atlanta Metro Group), RACL engages metro residents in finding regional solutions to some of the area's most challenging issues. BoardWalk Consulting is pleased to have helped RACL's search committee identify and attract such a compelling leader for such a promising organization.

Genocide Intervention Network, Washington, DC
Search mandate: Chief of Staff
Status: Search just launched; write-up pending.

Atlanta Track Club
Search mandate: Executive Director
Status: Search just launched; write-up pending.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta
Search mandate: Vice President of Development and Marketing
Status: Search just launched; write-up pending.

Alabama Historical Commission, Montgomery, AL
Search Mandate: Executive Director
Status: Prospects being developed; inquiries welcomed. (view Leadership Profile)

Habitat for Humanity International, Atlanta & Americus, GA
Search Mandate: Senior Vice President, US & Canada Operations
Status: Client is interviewing candidates or is scheduled to do so. (view Leadership Profile)

Search Mandate: Vice President of Organizational Learning
Status: Client is interviewing candidates or is scheduled to do so. (view Leadership Profile)

Harvest Foundation, Martinsville, VA
Search mandate: Executive Director
Status: Prospects being developed; inquiries welcomed.
(view Leadership Profile)

Literacy Action, Atlanta
Search Mandate: President
Status: Prospects being developed; inquiries welcomed. (view Leadership Profile)

Obici Healthcare Foundation, Suffolk, VA
Search Mandate: Chief Executive Officer
Status: Prospects being developed; inquiries welcomed. (view Leadership Profile)

Robert Pattillo Enterprises, Atlanta
Search Mandate: Chief Financial Officer
Status: Prospects being developed; inquiries welcomed. (view Leadership Profile)

Southern Education Foundation, Atlanta
Search mandate: Senior Program Officer
Status: Formal offer extended & accepted; announcement pending. (view Leadership Profile)