By Nannette Shor
JCFR Immediate Past President
Chair, Governance Task Force
Good governance of an organization matters. It requires the right board members, leadership and accountability, and careful mixing of candid discussions, transparent practices, and governance policies.
The Jewish Community Federation of Richmond is committed to good governance practices and as a result has formed an ad-hoc committee to examine, update and modernize our organization’s governance structures and operating procedures as we aspire to continuously improve the Board’s work as fiduciaries of JCFR.
We began this work with the belief that JCFR’S current governance structure and practices are strong. We also noted that JCFR’s strategy, organizational structure and leadership team had all changed significantly since the last governance review many years ago.
Therefore, we anticipated, and found, that certain updates and improvements were possible.
The Task force is focusing their work on
- Enhancing and updating JCFR’S governance structure and practices;
- Provide for ongoing flexibility and improved transparency with respect to governance matters;
- Ensure our governance practices help us attract and engage new and diverse talent to our work, and create a Board that better reflects the rich diversity and experience of our Greater Richmond community; and
- Maximize the individual and collective contributions of our extraordinary Board members by engaging every member both inside and outside the Board room throughout their time of service.
I am honored to be serving as chair of the committee alongside an outstanding group of JCFR Board Members including President Ellen Renee Adams, President-Elect Amy Nisenson, Phyllis Ellenbogen, Brian Greene, Charley Scherr, Lynn Schwartz, Clare Sisisky and our CEO Daniel Staffenberg.
We have already met four times and expect the process will take several months to complete. Upon completion of the initial updates, the committee is committed to revisit not only the by-laws, but to remain focused looking aligning our governance and volunteer structures to maximize our effectiveness for the community.
Our goal is to create a more active, engaged, and energetic board who will be focused on taking JCFR into the next 10 years. We aim to be more inclusive and better reflect a more modern way of operating.
Sandy Davis, from our professional team, is providing outstanding guidance and support for the process.
I look forward to sharing more about the process as it evolves.
Nannette Shor
Immediate Past President
Chair Governance Task Force
