University Employees Learn the Role of the Board in Local Nonprofits

Sixty Syracuse University employees filled the fourth floor of the Nancy Cantor Warehouse on April 16 to attend a free seminar on developing leadership skills to benefit Syracuse-area nonprofit organizations. Hosted by Syracuse University and Business Volunteers Unlimited, the Role of the Board Seminar was an important step in creating an eventual Syracuse University employee-to-board matching system, housed in the Office of Community Engagement.

“The Role of the Board Seminar was an opportunity for Syracuse University to provide our faculty and staff with the skill set they need to be effective board members for our nonprofit community,” says Bea González, vice president for community engagement and special assistant to the Chancellor. “Our nonprofit community is looking for a diverse, talented pool of board members, and we are providing the skills to University employees to fill that need.”

Attendees of the seminar learned about trends in the nonprofit sector, nonprofit governance and legal and fiduciary responsibilities of nonprofit board members. Gabe Nuget, partner at Barclay Damon LLP; Mike Milar, chief executive officer of Catholic Charities; and González closed out the day with a panel discussion on the work of a nonprofit board.

“The information provided at the workshop gave me greater insight into the myriad of benefits that serving my community through board work will provide,” says Paula MacDonald, associate director in the Office of Human Resources. “In addition, valuable material was presented to better prepare me to understand the expectations for being an effective board member and strategies to ensure I am able to meet those expectations. I am looking forward to applying this learning as I explore local board representation in the community.”

Faculty and staff interested in learning more about the Role of the Board and future opportunities may the Syracuse University Office of Community Engagement at oceed@syr.edu.