Beyond the Founder: Preparing Your Board for What's Next

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Beyond the Founder: Preparing Your Board for What's Next

Thursday, December 3, 2026 (10:00 AM - 11:00 AM) (EST)

Description

This is a practical workshop on founder and executive transitions for nonprofit boards.

Learn to spot over-dependence on a single leader, distinguish succession planning from transition planning, and build a realistic roadmap for leadership continuity — including a board-ready readiness checklist. You'll leave this training with a framework for recognizing transition risk and a practical tool to assess your own board's readiness

Who should attend: Board members, executive directors, and senior nonprofit staff

Goals / Learning Outcomes:

Recognize the signs of founder dependence
Distinguish succession planning from transition planning
Reframe transition as stewardship, not crisis
Assess organizational readiness
Build a transition roadmap
Define the founder's post-transition role
Leave with a board-ready tool

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Barbra Kavanaugh brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in the legal, public, and nonprofit sectors. A graduate of SUNY Buffalo Law School with a BS in Communication from Seton Hall University, she began her career as a legal services attorney in Buffalo, New York, representing low-income clients in housing, family law, consumer rights, and public benefits matters.

Barbra later served on the Buffalo City Council and as Assistant Attorney General for the State of New York, leading the Buffalo Regional Office. After moving to Washington, D.C., she became Executive Director of the Employment Justice Center and co-founded the DC Interim Executive Network.

Over the past decade, Barbra has served in multiple interim Executive Director and COO roles for nonprofits, associations, foundations, and international NGOs. Known for her steady leadership during times of change, she helps organizations strengthen operations and prepare for long-term success. As a Partner at Interim Executive Solutions, she recruits, places, and supports experienced interim nonprofit executives.