Chicago Booth Magazine A Passion for Board Service

During the keynote at On Board 2018 in Chicago, Martin Nesbitt, ’89, chairman of the Obama Foundation and co-CEO of the Vistria Group, LLC, shared his experiences serving on a nonprofit board and working to achieve the balance between mission and management. Making an impact is central to any nonprofit’s mission, and it’s often what draws people to nonprofit board service. But of equal importance, Nesbitt said, are the management team and strategy behind the organization.

Mary Lou Gorno, ’76, (center) managing director of Ingenuity International, LLC, participated in an On Board panel discussion on “Keys to Evolving Your Board: Driving Long-Term Success,” where she fielded questions related to adjusting the structure of a board based on the changing needs of an organization. Gorno (center) was joined on the panel by Andreason Brown, Tim Dugan ’90, and moderator Caroline Grossman, '03.

Before you join a nonprofit board, you should think about what social issues you care about, what skills you can bring to the table, and what diligence questions to ask before joining, according to Gayle Haller, ’87, senior vice president of arts and culture at National Executive Service Corps. She led a session on the topic at On Board Chicago called “Getting On Board: Finding and Joining the ‘Right’ Board.”

Serving on a nonprofit board of directors can be a great way to bridge a career gap or facilitate a transition into a new role while applying the business skills you gained at Chicago Booth. At On Board, a panel of alumni shared how board service has helped them facilitate a career transition or advancement.