Town Hall Meeting Governance Strategic Planning The Executive Search

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Town Hall Meeting GovernanceStrategic
PlanningThe Executive Search
Tim Grove Michael McPhaden
Carol Finn AGU President AGU President
Elect AGU General Secretary
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Looking to the Future

• 18 months ago the Council established the FFTF to
  advise on how to strengthen AGUs ability to
  achieve its strategic plan
• We assembled a diverse panel of 16 members
  staff and asked
• How will AGU need to change the way it does
  business in the future in order to remain a
  pre-eminent scientific society?

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Sources for Our Recommendations

• We created or used many data sources
• Previous task force work about governance
• Advice and recommendations of Committee on
  Statutes and Bylaws (Ongoing)
• Findings of 60 telephone interviews (Fall 08)
• FFTF Meeting (Oct 08)
• Council Self-Evaluation of Governance
  Effectiveness (Dec 08)
• Leadership Forum Dialogue in San Francisco (Dec
  08)
• Guided Group Discussions with Member Segments
  (Dec 08)
• FFTF Meeting (Feb 09)
• Program Assessment of a subset of AGU programs
  (Apr 09)
• Meeting of the Statutes and Bylaws Committee
  (April 09)
• Input Session with the Council in Toronto (May
  09)

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The Results

• We developed recommendations for
• Changes to our governance structure and processes
  to provide more focused responsibility and
  effectiveness in AGU matters of 1) business and
  2) the science
• Changes to our strategic planning processes to be
  more inclusive and focused on the longer term
• Strategic Principles to act as a clear guide for
  how we operate as an organization
• A process for regular program assessment that
  will enable us to make realistic and up to date
  business decisions in an informed, open and
  transparent way
• Input to the ERC about the roles,
  responsibilities and capacities needed from our
  next Executive Director

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Approved Governance Recommendations

• A separate Board of Directors elected by the
  membership is responsible for all business of the
  Union.
• A Council of Section, Focus Group and Committee
  leaders to focus on matters of science and
  related activities at the Union level.

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16 Member Board

• Union President and President-Elect
• General International Secretaries
• 6 members elected by Union membership and
  representative of broad areas of science
• Up to 2 members named by President confirmed by
  Board to balance skills other demographics
• Vice Chair of Council elected by the Council is
  voting ex-officio member
• Executive Director is non-voting ex-officio
  member
• Past President is voting ex-officio member
• Development Committee Chair is voting ex officio
  member

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New Council Composition

• Officers of the Union, Immediate Past President
  and other Board members are non-voting
  participants in Council
• President-Elect will serve as Council Chair and
  will vote only in the case of a tie
• Section Presidents Presidents-Elect
• Focus Group Presidents Presidents-Elects (for
  those Focus Groups choosing to elect officers
  rather than have them appointed all are members
  first two year term while Council determined
  appropriate approaches)
• Key Committee Chairs
• Other Representative Voices such as Early
  Career, Student and Non-US, as determined by the
  Council

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Where We Are Now

• Elections for New Council and Board are underway
• New structures take effect July 1, 2010
• Work group drafts policies, process models and
  options for communications alignment for Board
  and Council between now and Spring
• New leadership teams assemble in DC in June for
  orientation to new roles, discussion of draft
  concepts and discussion of new strategic plan

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What this Means for AGUs Future

• The Board will focus on AGU and a balanced
  partnership with the new Executive Director.
• The Council will focus more completely on the
  Science related activities -- the areas of
  greatest interest to Sections Focus Groups.
• Legal and fiduciary liability will be restricted
  to a smaller number of leaders, as will
  governance time.
• Inclusion of Focus Groups on the Council will
  correct inequities many perceive in the current
  system.
• Inclusion of committee chairs on the Council will
  facilitate much needed integration of planning
  and implementation.
• Removal of concern about size of the Council
  opens exciting possibilities for growth in the
  science structure. The science structure will be
  established by the Council.

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AGU Strategic Planning
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Whats different in this new approach?

• A 5-10 year look into the future
• All concerned stakeholders represented in
  considering areas of focus
• Budget linked to priorities

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First Future Search Summit Held in October

• Purpose
• To create a vision for AGUs future within a
  vibrant worldwide Earth and space science
  community
• Create a shared understanding across stakeholder
  groups of the environment within which AGU will
  be operating
• Focus AGUs energy towards those opportunities
  that will deliver the greatest value to members
  and the science
• Create a strategic framework for practical action
  over the next 5-10 years to achieve AGUs vision
  of future
• Launch a planning process that is both
  transparent and inclusive

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More About Future Search

• WHO Nearly 60 Participants (8 groups of 8)
• AGU Leaders
• Officers, Staff, Section, Focus Group and
  Committee leaders
• AGU Member Stakeholders
• Past Leaders, Donors, Students and Early Career,
  Non-US
• Settings Industry, Government, Academia, NGOs
• External Partners Thought Leaders (some
  members)
• Collaborating Organizations
• Government, Policy Makers, Media, Private Sector

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Next Steps

• Planning Taskforce Created
• WHO Cross section of members representing
  perspectives of
• Sections, Focus Groups, Committees, Non-US,
  early career and Staff
• WHAT Meeting in February to draft more detailed
  plan from input of the Forum and the Council
• Translating Plan into Action
• Staff and Committee will link that work to budget
  and detailed action plans in the spring with
  final product going to Council for approval
  target timeframe Spring 2010

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Mind Map Our Future Environment
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Preliminary Goals

• Partnerships and Coalitions Goal
• AGU advances its mission by helping the worldwide
  community of Earth and space scientists achieve
  its objectives. 
• Commitment to Excellence Goal
• AGU is intellectually rigorous, scientifically
  sound, socially relevant, engaged, transparent,
  financially sustainable, and responsive to change
  in the context of agreed strategy. 
• Communications Goal
• AGU is a nexus of communication strategies
  covering inreach, outreach, policy and education.
• AGU Branding Goal
• AGU is recognized as the authoritative source of
  Earth and space science information.
• Talent Pool Goal
• AGU is a diverse and inclusive organization that
  uses its position to help build the global talent
  pool in Earth and space science 
• Societal Needs Goal
• AGU will welcome and grow expertise that expands
  and revolutionizes global systems knowledge in
  service to society

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Search for a New Executive Director

• AGU has only had 2 executive directors in the
  past 59 years
• In general, track record of permanent Executives
  following long tenured execs is poor
• Opted for new approach -- hiring an interim
  Executive Director to install new policies and
  approaches, modernize operations in preparation
  for a new permanent ED

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The Search Process

• Executive Review Committee hired Isaacson Miller
  to conduct the search process
• Highly respected firm
• Great experience in the world of science and not
  for profit societies
• Recruiting process now underway

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Desired Candidate Characteristics

• Exceptional intellectual vision
• Scientific grounding
• Proven leader who listens well and communicates
  persuasively
• Embraces the pressing scientific work of AGU
  passionately
• Demonstrated ability to lead an organizational
  transformation effort
• Serves as a key spokesperson for AGU
• Enhances AGUs capabilities to collaboratively
  influence the field, policy making, and public
  understanding and support

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Nomination Process

• Send resumes and cover letters in confidence
  electronically to
• Jane Gruenebaum, Vice President, Isaacson, Miller
• 3934_at_imsearch.com
• Interviews are expected to occur
• February - March 2010