The Governance Handoff, Board Leadership During Executive Transitions
Your Executive Director will leave. Is your board ready, or will they panic?
A 2-hour intensive retreat with Christal Cherry (The Board Pro) and Naomi Hattaway (Leaving Well) for nonprofit boards who refuse to treat leadership transitions like organizational emergencies.
Registration Fee: $150
April 20, 2026, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM
Grant Park Coffeehouse
Limited to 12 participants
THE PROBLEM
Most nonprofit boards operate as if their current leader will be there forever. Then someone announces their departure—and chaos ensues.
Board members scramble. The board chair reluctantly agrees to step in as interim ED. Funders start asking questions. Staff morale plummets. Six months later, you're still searching for a replacement while your mission suffers.
This doesn't have to be your story.
What You'll Learn
Hour 1: The Reality of Leadership Transitions
Naomi Hattaway
What makes a "hard to follow" executive—and why founder departures, long-tenured leaders, and beloved visionaries require different succession strategies
Why current board members should NOT serve as interim EDs (even though everyone suggests it)—and what to do instead
Knowledge transfer protocols that protect institutional memory before your ED walks out the door
Hour 2: Board Governance During Uncertainty
Christal Cherry
Your board's actual governance role during transitions—spoiler: it's not running programs or micromanaging staff
Avoiding "succession performance"—when boards look busy but accomplish nothing substantive
Communication strategies with funders, partners, and staff that maintain confidence
Maintaining board engagement when things feels uncertain and the future is unclear
You'll Leave With
Transition governance checklist
Key partner communication templates
Clear understanding of board vs. staff roles during transitions
Confidence to navigate your specific situation
Who Should Attend
Board chairs navigating current or anticipated transitions
Governance committee members
Executive Directors/CEOs planning departures
Board members who know their organization isn't prepared for inevitable leadership change
Any nonprofit leader tired of pretending their current ED will be there forever
ABOUT YOUR FACILITATORS
Christal Cherry and Naomi Hattaway:
The Partnership Your Board Actually Needs
Most board consultants help you govern better. Most succession planners help you prepare for departures. We do both—because together we cover the gamut of your organizational resilience at the board level.
Christal supports the building of boards that don't just sit at the table—they show up engaged, equipped, and unafraid of hard conversations. She creates the psychological safety and governance structures that high-functioning boards need.
Naomi tells you the truth nobody wants to hear: People Leave™. Then she helps you stop treating inevitable transitions like organizational emergencies. She specializes in succession planning that's proactive, not panic-driven, and interim leadership that actually stabilizes rather than creates more chaos.
Together, we address the gap that often sinks nonprofits: boards that are great at holding structured meetings, but terrible at transition planning and nominations, or organizations with solid succession plans that their boards don't understand or won't implement.
We've both lived nonprofit life—as staffers and board members alike. We've raised the money, navigated the conflict, and managed the departures. We bring empathy without ego, accountability without judgment, and strategies that stick because they're grounded in what actually works when leadership changes.
Complementary Expertise
Christal (The Board Pro)
Board dynamics, governance best practices, recruitment, conflict resolution, fundraising strategy, creating engaged board cultures
Naomi (Leaving Well)
Succession planning, leadership transitions, interim leadership, exit strategies, distinguishing board vs. staff roles in transition planning
Frequently Asked Questions
Can multiple people from our board attend?
Yes! We encourage board chairs to bring governance committee members or other key board leaders.
Minimum Enrollment Policy.
This board experience requires a minimum of 6 registered participants to proceed. If we do not meet minimum enrollment by April 6, 2026, we will notify all registered participants and issue full refunds within 5 business days. Maximum capacity is 12 participants to ensure meaningful engagement and personalized attention.
What's your refund policy?
If we don't meet our 6-participant minimum by April 6, 2026, all registrants receive full refunds. Otherwise, registration is non-refundable but transferable to another person from your organization.
My ED isn't leaving anytime soon. Should I still attend?
Yes. The best time to plan for transitions is before you need to. Boards that wait until announcement day are already behind.
Do you offer this board experience for individual organizations?
Yes. Contact us about private board training for your board. Email: naomi@8thandhome.com or hello@theboardpro.com for more information.