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Board Development Consulting for Effective Governance

LRI helps boards of directors, city councils, and other governing bodies develop clear governance systems that clarify their role - and that of management. These board governance systems help ensure the smooth coordination and integration of activities in public agencies, private and public corporations, and non-profits.

In a typical board development project, we work closely with the governing body to assess the current form of governance. We then help the governing body define its appropriate role in the organization, the purpose of the board, roles and functions of committees, ethical codes of conduct, and the delegation of authority to management.

Armed with sound understanding of the board's role, effective board training systems, and expert board consulting, boards can then focus their energy on achieving the results they want to achieve, leaving staff with clear room to implement what it needs to get done.

The result: better communication and performance.

View our tool: The Five Habits of High-Performing Boards

Board Governance Case Studies

• Board Development Case Study - We work with many publicly elected boards, helping them gain clarity about their governance role so that they can manage decisions well. A good example is the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. A focal point of our work is defining in writing the SMUD Board's role.


• Board Governance Case Study - For this large non-profit organization, we tackled two important questions: What are the ways in which our advocacy efforts need to expand, and how can we develop our Board of Directors? Through a new governance structure with clearly defined roles, the organization was able to expand and improve performance.

Board Governance Experience

One of the specialties of Leading Resources Inc. (“LRI”) is developing strong governance systems and high-performing boards of directors. We work with boards of corporations, public agencies, not-for-profits, and cooperatives. Our consultants help board members understand the evolution of high-performing boards and assess what steps they need to take to become a more effective board. Each board is unique – and LRI tailors its work to help boards become more effective within the context of their organization’s history, legal framework, and strategic focus.

Here is a sample list of clients (unless otherwise noted, the board is self-perpetuating):

• American Electronics Association
• American Public Television Association (member elected)
• Bickmore Risk Services
• California Board of Equalization (citizen elected)
• California Earthquake Authority (governor appointed)
• California Institute of Mental Health
• California Integrated Waste Management Board (governor/legislature-appointed)
• California State Employees Association (member elected)
• California Urban Forests Council
• Escape Technology
• Florin Road Partnership (member elected)
• Government Financial Strategies
• HLA Group
• KCET
• Los Angeles Museum of Natural History (locally appointed)
• Lower Colorado River Authority (governor-appointed)
• The M.I.N.D. Institute
• Otis College of Art and Design
• Park Cattle Company
• The Point Institute
• Sacramento Ballet
• Sacramento Health Care Decisions (locally appointed)
• Sacramento Municipal Utility District (citizen elected)
• Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op (member elected)
• Sacramento Regional Technology Alliance
• SAFE Credit Union (member elected)
• Teichert Foundation
• Truckee-Tahoe Airport
• YWCA of Los Angeles
• Service Employees Union (Local 1000)

Board Governance Tools