Inspiring the Chief Executive Officer’s First 100 Days
June 2023
By Henry Stoever, AGB President and CEO
As a new chief executive begins their tenure, their first 100 days are crucial to launching a process of listening to and engaging with their new community, establishing their leadership priorities and expectations, building an effective team, and shaping their vision for the institution, foundation, or system’s future.
A governing board has an important role to play in supporting its chief executive officer’s success in these first 100 days and beyond.
The governing board must nurture, empower, and champion the new chief executive officer, helping to set the tone for the executive’s growth and authority in a new role.
Why it matters: According to the American Council on Education’s 2023 American College President Survey, the average presidential tenure fell from 8.5 years in 2006 to 5.9 years in 2022. Further, 55 percent of presidents are expected to step down within the next five years. Presidential transitions can be difficult, and the governing board must work hard to help ease and streamline the process with as little friction as possible.
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Meet our president and CEO.
Henry Stoever
AGB President and CEO
Henry is focused on establishing college, university and foundation board members as indispensable, strategic partners with institutions to fulfill their unique commitments to society, advance student success and well-being, and enhance institutional vitality. He brings to AGB a deep understanding of the importance of citizen governance and a wealth of experience in building on the strengths of a member-focused organization.
Read Henry’s full bio
As AGB’s president and CEO, Henry is responsible for the leadership and operations of the AGB enterprise spanning AGB and AGB Search serving more than 1,300 boards, and representing more than 40,000 individual trustees, across more than 2,000 member institutions, systems, and foundations. Prior to joining AGB, Henry spent nearly 10 years at the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) – the largest association of corporate directors in the United States. Prior to NACD, Henry spent five years at Brazos Higher Education Service Corporation as SVP StudentLoans.com. He has also held several marketing leadership positions for CoStar Group, Inc., Sprint-Nextel Corporation, LexisNexis Group Inc., and Kraft Foods, Inc. Henry also served for five years in the United States Marine Corps, resigning at the rank of captain.
In addition to his service as a trustee for the United States Naval Academy Foundation’s Academic and Scholarship Programs board, Henry is a member of the board of directors for the Boulder Crest Retreat for Wounded Warriors, and previously held positions on the board of directors of the Chesapeake Bayhawks and Bethesda Lacrosse. He was also a visiting professor at American University’s Kogod School of Business from 2010 to 2014.
Henry holds a BS in economics from the United States Naval Academy and an MBA in marketing and strategy from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.