The revelations that hammered the Fiesta Bowl point to a recurring problem not only among non-profit boards but corporate governing bodies as well: The need for board members to understand their roles, expectations and fiduciary responsibilities.
The apparent lack of control and oversight by board members that permeates the entire volatile and highly disappointing situation should stand as a lesson not only to those individuals currently sitting on boards but for those who aspire to board positions at every level.
One principle drilled home to me through the Arts and Business Council’s Business on Board program, which trains professionals for non-profit board service, is that agreeing to serve on a non-profit board, no matter what size, requires a commitment to accountability.
Perhaps the new executive director and his or her new board of directors, which I assume will be an outcome of this situation, would be well served to enroll in the Business on Board program themselves.
At the very least, they’d probably have a much better of idea of what it means to be a board member, whether or not there’s a football game attached to it.
