Community Foundation of Northern Nevada Leadership for Today and Tomorrow

Pictured above: Community Foundation of Northern Nevada Board in 2019 

  Community Foundation leadership, evident in our work with donors and stewardship of gifts and grants, is publicly recognized in critical community initiatives such as Caregiver Support, Preventing Scams, and our "envelope-pushing" work in Affordable Housing.  What sometimes is not as evident is the genuine leadership by Board and Staff members behind the scenes that motivate and move the work.

Community Foundation leadership adapts and evolves each year.

Staff, board members, and the structures in which we operate and communicate adapt to fit our current work and future needs. Our focus is on creating an organization that will meet our mission of connecting people who care with causes that matter. This simple mission statement is the basis of complex organizational leadership. Staff and board work in partnership through nine committees. Each committee is led by a trustee chair,  who works closely with a staff liaison.  The committees are made up of a combination of trustees and advisory board members, and each meets four to nine times a year.  The entire group, 45 board members, and 11 staff, meet quarterly. Major decisions about goals and objectives are determined as one team. After 23 years, we are still developing and will continue evolving and changing every year. To ensure that we do so and have the leadership required to meet Northern Nevada's needs, we rely on the Board Nominating Committee.  The Nominating Committee comprises the current Chair, Vice-Chair, and three members selected by the Board of Trustees. They anticipate the Community Foundation needs and identify the skill sets, resources, connections we will look for in new board members. They ask for nominations from staff and the board. We have a comprehensive multi-year orientation process, so those who join the Board now will be our key leaders five to eight years in the future.

This week the Nominating Committee selected 10 people to invite to join the Board out of 36 nominations submitted.

Making the right choices is critical. As our board and staff's size grows, they have become more reflective and inclusive of the region we serve.  We are preparing for leadership challenges that will come with increased size and capacity and higher expectations. We aim to use our resources, connections, and expertise, both directly and by collaborating with others, to help bring transformational improvements to people's lives in Northern Nevada.

Our hope and intentions are that leadership recruitment, engagement, and management process will ensure strong leadership today and tomorrow.

It is a great honor to witness the outstanding leadership of both our board and staff.  I encourage you to consider getting involved.  We constantly need new ideas and people with energy, connections, and resources. Give me a call to discuss what you can bring to the Community Foundation leadership team. Chris Askin, President/CEO 775-333-5499 Connecting people who care with causes that matter