Welcome to Centerboard Governance
Consultants and Practitioners in
Policy Governance since 1997
About Us
Larry Hermen, Consultant
- Larry served as Executive Director for 20 years in two county mental health organizations in Southwest Michigan, where a board member introduced him to John Carver’s first book on Policy Governance in 1992. The board attempted to gain the features of the model without assistance from a consultant. In 1996 he was among six consultants who were trained by John and Miriam Carver in a two-year project in Battle Creek Michigan, underwritten by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The training was an early edition of the “Governance Academy”.
- In 1997 he formed Centerboard Associates, a consulting firm that specialized in Policy Governance implementation and the provision of project teams for strategic planning, grant writing, marketing, web design, and fund development planning. He is also skilled in organizational assessment, organizational restructuring, and strategic planning facilitation.
- Mr. Hermen is a graduate of the Policy Governance® Academy (2001). In 2002 he launched and directed the Policy Governance Network in Southwest Michigan, a non-profit providing support for the more than one dozen boards actively practicing the model. Mr. Hermen was a presenter for the early annual IPGA conferences in 2001, 2002, 2003. He coordinated a 10-year celebration of model practice in Kalamazoo Michigan in 2005 with the involvement of John Carver as speaker. Four boards sponsored the event in addition to a generous grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
- As a former hospital trustee and Chairperson of the Board at Three Rivers Health, governance has been a familiar challenge and provides Larry with a unique board member perspective for large healthcare organizations. Three Rivers Health began its practice of Policy Governance in 2000. He currently serves on the LifeCare Ambulance board in Battle Creek, which has been practicing Policy Governance since 1998.
- Mr. Hermen has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Psychology from Western Michigan University.
About Centerboard
Centerboard Associates was founded by Larry Hermen in 1996 as a firm providing guidance and direction to non-profits and community organizations in Michigan. Centerboard Governance represents one of the specialities that was developed in response to boards looking for a practical model of governing.This concentration developed as a natural quest by the owner, Larry Hermen, to meet the needs of boards and CEOs to clarify their roles while enhancing the real job of boards to create accountable governance.
Mr. Hermen's experience both as a CEO in community mental health organizations, and in board leadership positions in healthcare, continues to drive this focus.
Other specialty areas developed by Centerboard Associates include: strategic planning, consolidation and merger facilitation, and management consultation.
Our mission: Accountable Governance
The practice of Policy Governance by non-profit and community boards throughout the world continues to be the single most respected model for organizations seeking excellence and accountability. CEOs who work for board that practice Policy Governance value its straightforward design and enabling culture in a board relationship.
For 20 years Larry Hermen has introduced this approach, facilitated its careful implementation, and coached the ongoing practice for dozens of boards of all sizes and structures. He is a graduate of the Policy Governance Academy (2001) and currently serves on the Lifecare Ambulance (Battle Creek, MI) board of directors.
Policy Governance Consulting
Why Engaging a Consultant Will Fast Track the Practice
Boards that have engaged Larry for model implementation receive a complete array of supporting services. This begins with board education on the principles of the model with examples, facilitation and modeling of policy creation skills during the “Policy Blitz Writing” session, and on-site or online coaching for the first four board meetings to support behavior change. Larry is then available at no cost for phone consultation to CEOs and Chairpersons for the following 12-months.
Processes and Consulting Options: ·
- Electronic and “Go-to Meeting” conference calls and education sessions ·
- Face-to-Face and phone consulting for CEOs and Board Chairpersons
- Policy Governance trainings on model introduction,
- Ends development, Monitoring, and Linkage to the Ownership features of Policy Governance ·
- Board “Tune-Up” Sessions for assessment and assurance of model consistency ·
- Bylaws review and recommendation for alignment with new policies ·
- Development of Advisory Councils for ongoing Linkage connections
Who Practices Policy Governance?
Schools, healthcare organizations, faith-based organizations, YMCAs, national associations, and even small non-profits with a single employee.
Recent engagements include model implementation and coaching for the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP Washington D.C.), Community Action (Battle Creek, MI), and Child and Family Services of Southwest Michigan (Benton Harbor, MI). The NARP engagement was uniquely complex due to their representative structure that has a 120-member Council of Members electing a 14- member board of directors. Significant work prepared the board to plan for ongoing Linkage activities to assure improved communications, connections, and transparency.
Call for a complete list with references.
For More Information
If your board is curious about the advantages possible with the practice of Policy Governance, contact Larry Hermen at 269.273.6308.
Policy Governance is a Service Mark of John Carver.