2025 Board Professionals Conference: Schedule

Regular board assessments are fundamental to high-performing, strategic boards. Join this session to hear how your board may benefit from a board assessment and how you would go about arranging such an exercise. Review how both a university and a foundation board, with the help of AGB Consulting, developed an event that provided deep insights into their board’s performance, impact, and areas for growth. Learn step by step how to develop an assessment day agenda and schedule, as well as prepare for an in-depth exercise with your board. We will review how to pre-plan, schedule the day, create breakout groups, and perform related tasks to get the most from your efforts. The assessment activity uncovers strengths and opportunities for board development and brings your board together to work as a team.

Speakers:
Lisa Cousino-Hoersten, executive assistant to the president and board liaison, University of Toledo Foundation
Anne Fenton, associate vice chancellor & deputy secretary of the board of trustees, City University of New York

Join us for a conversation about changes in Washington, DC, and how those federal policies and decisions impact higher education and our boardrooms. This session will focus on key federal actions that are having the greatest impact on the higher education sector.

Moderator:
Katie Herschede, VP, chief of staff, Widener University

Speakers:
Guilherme Costa, vice president, general counsel, and secretary of the corporation, Bentley University
Alex Nock, principal, Penn Hill Group
Sarah Spreitzer, vice president and chief of staff, American Council on Education (ACE)

As one of the highest-stakes initiatives for a college or university, a presidential search and transition is ideally a partnership among an institution’s board, search committee, board professional, and executive search consultants. This session will explore best practices in forging a successful partnership, including roles and responsibilities that maximize positive outcomes during a change in leadership. Highly experienced consultants and a board professional who has supported a recent presidential search will discuss approaches to planning for and conducting the search, as well as setting the stage for a productive and inclusive transition process. Ample time will be reserved for participants’ comments and questions.

Speakers:
Roderick (Rod) McDavis, managing principal & CEO, AGB Search
Amy Newcombe, executive vice president for board affairs and university strategy, Seton Hall University
Melissa K. Trotta, associate managing principal & senior vice president for client development, AGB Search

Come hear from board professionals who have served through the good and bad times for a total of 50 years! Mistakes BPs make, and those by the leaders we serve, often yield the most valuable lessons throughout the course of a career. Learn how to add these experiences to your toolkit and have them strengthen your skill set rather than undermine it.

Speakers:
Heather Fehn, vice president and chief of staff, The College of New Jersey
Steve Frieder, senior advisor to the President and Corporate Secretary, Marquette University

This insightful session will explore how the West Virginia University Foundation empowered its board of directors to create a meaningful and sustainable culture statement and tenets for its members. A strong culture not only reflects the organization’s values and mission but also serves as a guiding framework for decision-making and behavior at the board level. Attendees will leave with actionable insights, templates, and a clear roadmap to develop a culture that aligns with their institution’s mission, fostering a positive and productive board environment.

Speaker:
Jessica Burns, board administrator, executive to CEO, West Virginia University Foundation

Whether you have been in your position for six months, six years, or sixteen years, it is never too early or too late to pay attention to your own growth and development as a professional. Take this time to engage with a seasoned professional and leave the conference with strategies to enhance the value you provide to your board and institution.

Speaker:
Heather Fehn, vice president, chief of staff, and secretary to the board, The College of New Jersey

As noted in AGB’s Assessing Board Performance (Bobowick and Schwartz, 2018), assessment of board-wide performance is good governance and best practice. Another essential element of good governance is conducting individual board member self-assessments. These confidential self-assessments provide board members an opportunity to reflect on their own performance and experiences while serving on the board. The self-assessment experience can identify strategies for board members to improve their individual performance and to achieve a sense of fulfillment from their board service—positively impacting their board’s overall performance and advancing their institution’s mission. This Best Practice Mini Session will provide a deep dive on individual board member self-assessments and provide attendees with actionable tools, techniques, and resources for immediate use and customization.

Speaker:
Matthew Paskin, executive assistant to the president and board liaison, University of Alaska Foundation

Learn from Lehigh University’s implementation of an emeriti and former trustee engagement program that eliminated the participation of emeriti trustees in board meetings and transitioned to an event and communication program. The new approach allows emeriti and former trustees to feel connected with the university and current board, as well as informed of happenings at the university. This program seeks to ensure emeriti trustees feel “special” or different from former trustees, with certain “perks” and events only available to them. The audience will learn to keep emeriti and former trustees engaged while keeping them from influencing (or thinking they should influence) the day-to-day decision-making.

Speaker:
Elsa Collins, director, trustee nominations and stewardship, Lehigh University

The term “shared governance” is used throughout higher education and is an essential tenet for a college or university to use if it wishes to be transparent and effective across all areas of the institution. But what is shared governance? Hear from two board professionals about what shared governance means at their public institution and their private institution. Walk away feeling more confident in understanding the critical tenet of higher education.

Speakers:
Amelia Arnold, executive assistant to the president and board administrator, Saint Louis University
Char Reed, vice president and university secretary, Kent State University

Join two board professionals with decades (we won’t say how many) of minutes between them for an exploration of archiving. Beyond principles and philosophies of records preservation, this session will address areas for consideration in the archiving process and offer tips for more efficient preparation plus insights that could revise your approach to producing documents that will exist in perpetuity. Participants will be encouraged to share their questions and their own discoveries on the road to archiving literacy.

Speakers:
Steve W. Frieder, senior advisor to the president and corporate secretary, Marquette University
Lorrie Kyle, executive director, Office of the President, Rollins College

Philanthropy is a critical component of institutions’ budgets, contributing to long-term financial sustainability, supporting centers of excellence, and enabling student access and success. Board leadership, with the support of and in strategic partnership with the board professional, is essential to fostering a robust culture of philanthropy. This session will explore governance practices supporting boards’ philanthropic leadership and engage participants in a discussion about the ways they help to create a board culture conducive to effective fundraising and stewardship.

Speakers:
David Bass, executive director of philanthropic governance, AGB
Lynnette Heard, consultant and senior fellow, AGB
Matt White, vice president for advancement, Utah State University

Key leader departures or chronic turnover among cabinet members can disrupt an institution’s ability to navigate crises effectively. Without formalized crisis management processes, reliance on informal practices or individual relationships can leave campuses vulnerable when key leaders depart. To ensure stability and readiness, institutions must establish clear, repeatable protocols that outlast any one team, team member, or leader.

This session will emphasize the importance of institutionalizing crisis management frameworks to maintain operational continuity during ongoing leadership changes. By focusing on sustainable structures rather than individuals or personalities, colleges and universities can remain resilient in the face of turnover and unexpected challenges.

In this session, we will share strategies and best practices to help you:

• Assess your institution’s preparedness for managing crises amid leadership transitions
• Develop robust processes that ensure continuity regardless of team composition
• Define the board’s role in fostering a culture of stability and resilience through formalized protocols

Moderator:
Simon Barker, managing partner, Blue Moon Consulting Group

Speakers:
Robin Kaler, associate chancellor, strategic communications, and interim chief of staff, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Michael Poterala, vice president and general counsel, Wayne State University
Jen Rettig, partner, Blue Moon Consulting Group

Join us for an engaging session where we will explore innovative artificial intelligence (AI) tools that enhance board operations. We will demonstrate practical applications of AI in board governance, sharing tips and tricks from our own experiences. The session will also include an interactive Q&A, allowing attendees to share insights and ask questions. This session is designed to provide actionable takeaways and foster a collaborative learning environment. (This session description was generated by Microsoft Copilot.)

Speakers:
Joshua Cameron, executive liaison officer, Western University of Health Sciences
Edward Cullinane, special assistant to the president, governance, Babson College

Consequential boards rely on the knowledge and expertise of their board professional to operate effectively and achieve excellence. Successful, strategic governing boards are more engaged than ever before, and that level of engagement requires greater leadership and support from board professionals. This member-exclusive certificate program offers a deep dive for board professionals who want to take the next step to enrich their own learning and growth, and support their institution, system, or foundation board to achieve its goals. Creating this program is part of an intentional AGB effort to elevate the board professional role and demonstrate how crucial it is to exemplify consequential board governance. Individuals enrolled in the program and those who have received their certificate will share how they have leveraged the experience to expand their leadership abilities. The session will provide a brief program overview and the opportunity to network with others. Specific lessons will be highlighted and discussed to show the relevance of the content during these uncertain times. Engage with esteemed colleagues who helped to build the Board Professional Certificate Program and discover your leadership potential.

Facilitators:
Lynnette Heard, chair of the Board Professional Task Force, consultant, and ambassador to the Board Professionals Council, AGB
Audrey Young, senior director, membership experience, AGB

Panelists:
Sheyonn Baker, executive assistant to the present and secretary for board of trustees, Hollins University
Kristen Coffey, program manager, board operations, University of Maryland College Park Foundation
Amanda Gordon, senior board relations specialist, University of Colorado System Office
Scott Olson, chief of staff and board secretary, Utah State University

Artificial intelligence (AI) offers higher education institutions powerful tools to address critical challenges, yet for many boards and leadership teams, it remains complex and uncertain. This session will define AI, distinguish it from other technologies, and explore its applications, with an emphasis on machine learning (ML).

Speakers will delve into AI’s capabilities, such as identifying students most likely to complete their degrees, pinpointing key intervention opportunities, and modeling enrollment strategies. By exploring AI’s potential to reshape institutional decision-making, attendees will gain valuable insights to help their boards navigate this rapidly evolving frontier. This deeper understanding will enable board professionals to assist in refining board policies and adapting oversight frameworks to effectively incorporate emerging technologies.

As AI evolves from a feature embedded in tools to becoming ubiquitous across operations, this session will stress the strategic role boards play in this transition. Through a dynamic discussion, attendees will explore the interplay between board governance, reporting capabilities, data privacy regulations, and organizational behavior. The session is designed to equip board professionals with the insights needed to critically assess technology adoption and its long-term implications for the future of higher education.

Speakers:
Rachel Crosbie, vice president of operations and strategy, Fundmetric
Mark Hobbs, CEO, Fundmetric
Tina Holloway, director of board technology services, University of Texas System

Do you often wonder how to measure your value and the outcomes of your work? Are you looking for ways to advocate for yourself? During this session, we will delve into effective strategies for measuring your value, tracking outcomes, and preparing for performance evaluations. Learn to quantify your impact, harness the potential of data and benchmarking, and gain the tools to advocate for yourself throughout the year. Elevate your role, enhance your contributions, and navigate the path to professional success with confidence!

Speaker:
Edward Cullinane, special assistant to the president, governance, Babson College