Board liaisons direct directors and staff toward good governance

Credit union leaders have become increasingly aware of the importance of good governance and have made an effort to ensure that their credit unions are adopting cutting-edge governance and leadership practices. From assessing the effectiveness of their boards and governance systems to updating their governance frameworks, policies and procedures to improving their board structures, committees and charters, good governance is taking center stage.

These efforts—along with the steady workload of supporting a credit union board—require strong leadership from the board chair, CEO and a governance committee, but also from an often-overlooked and under-appreciated staff person—the board liaison. At a minimum, today’s board liaisons help to organize and disseminate meeting materials, plan and support the execution of board meetings and retreats, take minutes, and generally help keep things organized and on track so that the board can do its work.

But more and more, the board liaison’s role is being expanded and now is considered by many a management position that has been tasked to actively support—and improve—the board’s work. In its expanded role, board liaisons also ask a fundamental question regarding good governance: How can the credit union’s board and governance become even more effective?

 

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