197. Bridget Lee, Founder & ED of ALL Chicago, on Effective Governance, Board Training, and Empowered Communities

What does it take to turn passionate community advocates into effective board members? And how can associations and nonprofits better prepare volunteer leaders to govern instead of manage?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Bridget Lee, Founder and Executive Director of the Academy for Local Leadership (ALL Chicago). Bridget discusses:

How Chicago is transitioning from a mayor-appointed school board to a fully elected 21-member board.ALL Chicago’s three pillars: Prepared Leaders, Empowered Communities, and Effective Governance.How ALL Chicago trains aspiring school board members to understand the responsibilities and complexities of governance. The important distinction between governance and management. Board members should focus on ensuring that systems solve problems rather than stepping in to solve individual problems themselves.How ALL Chicago makes its fellowship accessible by offering the program for free and paying participants a stipend. ALL Chicago’s Governance Compass Framework, which focuses on setting direction, protecting community values, holding the system accountable for student learning, being transparent, and governing collectively.Bridget’s larger vision that effective governance can lead to effective government—and that electing leaders is only the beginning. Success comes when leaders make things better for the communities they serve.

References:

ALL Chicago WebsiteThe Governance Compass FrameworkALL Chicago on LinkedIn