Dear colleagues:

Summer marks the end of one academic year and the beginning of another. As we celebrate the accomplishments of our institutions and our students with the pomp and ceremony of graduation, and as we immerse ourselves in planning and budgeting for the year ahead, I would like to reflect briefly on the achievements of this first year of the Board Professionals Leadership Group and tell you about our plans for the future.

This second edition of our newsletter brings you word of the recent Workshop for Board Professionals, insights into the career paths of peers, an invitation to help promote green campuses, and resources for one of our most important responsibilities—the orientation of new trustees. The newsletter itself marks a significant accomplishment for the Marketing and Membership Committee and represents an important first step in fulfilling its mandate to improve communication with, bring valuable information to, and encourage greater involvement of board professionals.

The Professional Development Committee brought you two Webinars on trustee Web sites and another on the new IRS Form 990. We received very positive feedback from the many participants in these pilot sessions, and we are offering another on board education on August 8. Don't miss it! Please check the AGB Web site in the coming months for new topics to be offered over the next year.

The Program Committee celebrated record attendance and rave reviews for the Workshop for Board Professionals, April 11-13, in Boston. Thank you to those who attended. Planning is already underway for the 2009 workshop, to be held April 17-19 in San Diego; we look forward to seeing even more of you then.

Members of the Leadership Group and its committees will convene at Bowdoin College in July. At this gathering, hosted by immediate past chair Richard Mersereau, we will begin planning for the year ahead, including the detailed agenda for the annual workshop, future professional development initiatives, and communication strategies to serve you better. Learn more about the Leadership Group and its members. Our goal is to work with AGB to promote professional development and educational programs for board professionals in support of our institutions' governing boards.

Best wishes for an enjoyable summer.

Louis Charpentier
Chair, Board Professionals Leadership Group
Secretary of the Governing Council, University of Toronto

Comments? We would like to hear from you. E-mail the editor at merrills@agb.org.

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