Education Session 4B – Doug Marsh 
Nuts and Bolts - Effectively Engaging Boards

In this information-packed session we will discuss ways to effectively engage your board members for the agenda and board packets to action requests and reports. 

> Agenda—building, form, format, function, structure, use of Consent Calendar, amending, executive session

> Action Request—formalizing action requests…good practices for advancing issues; emergency action

> Reports to the board

> Policy manual—content, organization, updating, distribution, how to build

> Board packets—contents, timing of distribution, distribution; confidentiality

> Board manuals—contents

About Doug Marsh
A consultant since 1986, Doug has worked with business leaders in 21 states and six countries to address governance, planning and operations issues as well as to direct executive search engagements for business organizations. Doug gained valuable experience during nearly 20 years on the front lines of organization management. As CEO, he directed successful turnarounds for chambers of commerce in New Haven, CT, and Marion, IN. During his tenure in New Haven the chamber he put together Connecticut’s first regional public/private partnership for economic development.

He held key staff positions in economic development and government affairs with chambers in Cleveland and Cincinnati, respectively. From 1977-82 he managed the U.S. Chamber 's relationships with state and metro chambers, and advised chamber executives, elected leaders, and dozens of search committees. There he also served as one of six members of the Testimony Review Team, and participated in issue-advocacy coalitions. In addition, he contributed to numerous publications on chamber and association management.

His extensive career has exposed him to the inner workings of more than 300 membership-based business organizations, including more than 100 local chambers for which he conducted accreditation evaluations on behalf of the U.S. Chamber. He was a faculty member for the Institute for Organization Management for eight years, teaching strategic planning, community analysis, planning for goal accomplishment, government relations, and small business programming.

Recently Doug concluded eight years as chairman of the oversight body of the 16-town, $70 million-in-revenues, $535 million-in-assets regional water authority based in New Haven. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Greater New Haven Leadership Center (which he helped to establish some 20 years ago) and is a director of the Branford Land Trust. He previously served as president of the Connecticut Chamber of Commerce Executives and as vice president of Indiana Commerce Executives Association.

He earned a B.S. with honors in Urban Planning and Regional Development from Ball State University, and is a graduate of both the Institute for Organization Management and the selective-admission Academy for Organization Management. He has taken graduate level coursework in business and in urban studies.

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