Sept 2024: Board Chair Newsletter

Reflection, governance, and relationship

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Rev. Nancy Claire Pittman, Ph.D., is retiring as president of Phillips Theological Seminary. She has had a long career as a minister and educator, and she worked through the ranks before she was named president – professor, director, dean and vice president.Having worked in a variety of roles, she brings a rich perspective to theological education, and in a new podcast,she discusses her career, particularly what she wished she had known before she assumed the office of president.Nancy discusses how she would have liked to have known more about governance and shared governance. Another thing to note is how warmly she speaks of her board and her relationship with board members.I so appreciate her willingness to discuss this and share with others the lessons she has learned. We all learn when leaders are transparent and willing to share, and she hit on topics that we regularly hear about.Of all of the questions we receive at the In Trust Center, those two areas – shared governance and the president-board relationship – are among the most common, and I think that’s because of how those things affect the entire work of a theological school. Nancy’s conversation on our podcast is well worth a listen, and I’d encourage you to do so and reflect on what you wish you would have known coming into the work.We have plenty of resources to help you think through shared governance and the relationship between the president and the board. These could be used for your ongoing board training. Here are a few:

• Dr. Rebekah Burch Basinger, an expert on governance, provides a great overview of shared governance in this webinar.
• As well, Mai-Anh Le Tran, Ph.D., offers a short and insightful reflection on the power of shared governance that’s worth sharing.
• David Gyertson, Ph.D., is no stranger to the president’s office or the board room – he has served as both a president and board member. He provides a thoughtful overview of the relationship between the president and board here.

I hope you’ll consider using these for your board education as you do your work. We have a number of other curated resources we’d be happy to share with you. You can reach our Resource Consulting team via email here. With gratitude for all you do in theological education, Amy KardashPresident