Chief executives of Independent Sector members share closed-door, in-depth, peer-to-peer exchanges on issues relevant to running their organizations. CEO Track sessions occur each year as part of the IS Conference. 

Register for the CEO Track

IS Annual Conference | R-EVOLUTIONARY TIMES |Oct. 30 – Nov 1, 2011 | Chicago, IL   

This truly is a meeting of the minds - the sharpest, most powerful minds in our sector today.  

2011 CEO Track sessions

Sunday, October 30, 2011

4:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Diana Aviv and Friends
IS president and CEO Diana Aviv will engage in a conversation that centers on the current state of philanthropy and nonprofits and the major trends that will affect their future. Jeff Bradach, co-founder and managing partner, The Bridgespan Group, and Melissa Berman, president and CEO, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, will be part of the conversation.

A CEO Guide to Surviving Half-Truths and Gotcha Politics
Print, broadcast, and social media can be effective tools in communicating mission and promoting causes but have also been used in recent times for spreading misinformation or in “gotcha politics” or video stings on nonprofits engaged in public policy efforts. What are the new 21st Century challenges facing nonprofit organizations in their work? How can the sector protect itself and effectively respond to increased scrutiny? Melissa Bradley, CEO, Tides, and Bob Edgar, president and CEO, Common Cause, will lead this session. Roberto Suro, professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, will moderate.    

Monday, October 31, 2011

10:15 – 11:45 a.m.

CEO Summit:  Revealing the Financial Security/Success Matrix*
Join Roger Ferguson, president and CEO of TIAA-CREF, as he shares the latest results of a collaborative TIAA-CREF Institute and Independent Sector study examining the issue of financial and retirement security among employees of the nonprofit and philanthropic sector and its effect on the lifecycle of leadership. Lorie A. Slutsky, president of The New York Community Trust, will moderate.

*For the first time this year, CEOs from non-member organizations are also welcome.

2:30 – 4:00 p.m.

Defining Effective 21st Century Nonprofit Boards
What are the important characteristics and skills required of boards to be effective in good governance given the challenges ffecting nonprofits in the 21st Century? Do changing times require engaging younger and more diverse leaders and oes changing composition and structure affect CEO board relations? Join a dynamic conversation with Neil J. Nicoll, president and CEO, YMCA of the USA, and Linda Crompton, president and CEO, Board Source. Mariam C. Noland, president, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, will moderate. 

Managing Through the Interruption Age for More Effective Leadership
Email, iPhones, BlackBerries, and Twitter combined with back to back meetings make it difficult for CEOs to balance the demands of delivering fast results and having the time for reflection, strategic thinking, and relationship building. The session will present the effects of information overload on leadership and productivity and how CEOs can best manage data and information for themselves and their organization. Steve Davis will share results from a McKinsey study and will be joined by Tessie Guillermo, president and CEO, ZeroDivide, and Rey Ramsey, president and CEO, TechNet.  

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

9:00 – 10:30 a.m.

A Conversation with the 2011 Gardner Leadership Awardee: Bill Drayton
Bill Drayton will talk about redefining the skills he perceives people must possess in order to contribute effectively in solving the world’s most pressing social problems. Alberto Ibargüen, president and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will moderate.

Recent CEO Track speakers and moderators

Foundations
Ellen Alberding, President, The Joyce Foundation
Stephen Heintz, President, Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Edward P. Henry, President and CEO, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Jo Ann Jenkins, President, AARP Foundation
Ralph Smith, Executive Vice President, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Kelvin Taketa, President and CEO, Hawai'i Community Foundation
Paula Van Ness, Chief Operating Officer, Peter G. Peterson Foundation

Nonprofits
Diana Aviv, President and CEO, Independent Sector
Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO, Americans for the Arts
Janet Murguía, President and CEO, National Council of La Raza
Wendy Puriefoy, President, Public Education Network
Rev. Larry Snyder, President, Catholic Charities USA
James L. Weinberg, Founder and CEO, Commongood Careers

Other
Lucy Bernholz, Founder and president, Blueprint Research and Design, Inc.
Nolen V. Bivens, Brigadier General (ret.), U.S. Army
Mark Carey, Partner, Enterprise Risk Services, Deloitte LLP
Strick Walker, Client Strategy Lead, IDEO    

The CEO Track is where leaders from nonprofits and foundations can have candid discussions and receive valuable feedback and insight that you can't get at any other conference. It's great for new CEOs and just as important for established leaders to have these unguarded peer-to-peer conversations. - Ralph B. Everett, president and CEO, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies