2017 CEO & Trustee Retreat

The Council on Foundations hosted its second annual CEO & Trustee Retreat, in partnership with BoardSource. This dynamic learning event took place December 5-6, 2017 in Miami, Florida. The CEO & Trustee Retreat was designed to help energize foundation executives through leadership development, exposure to stimulating intellectual activities, and an opportunity to re-charge personally through networking and peer learning with colleagues. The CEO & Trustee Retreat brought together foundation CEOs and members of their respective Boards for a unique chance to engage in challenging dialogues that will strengthen their relationship and boost organizational success. Facilitators were experts on board governance as well as leading practitioners in philanthropy — including Gloria Johnson-Cusack, Chairman of the Board of Firelight Foundation and Anne Wallestad, President and CEO of BoardSource.

Building on conversations from the 2015 Winter Retreat for CEOs, this year’s retreat convened with the following objectives:

• Discuss barriers to successful executive relationships and equip participants with tangible strategies they can implement within their organizations.
• Cultivating a strategic partnership between the Board and the CEO with defined roles and responsibilities.
• How to successfully build a diverse board room, and discuss how the varied strengths of each demographic can be used to boost overall organizational success.
• Increasing knowledge around the political climate within which Foundations are operating.