Board Academy

Nonprofits play a critical role in the well-being of our community and at the helm of every nonprofit is a governing board. Effective board leadership ensures nonprofits can better achieve their mission.

Program Overview

TIME/DATES:

2026 details coming soon!

LOCATION:

Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region
4455 W. Lawrence St., Appleton

APPLICATION INFORMATION:

Board Academy is in the process of being reimagined for 2026 and beyond. Stay tuned for more details about this training program! Looking for more immediate board training? Contact us at hschaefer@npleadershipfv.org!

Participants

Participants possess a desire to be effective social leaders who are willing to actively engage in issues impacting the community. This program is suited for:

Seasoned board members looking to revitalize and strengthen their competencies in nonprofit board service.
Current board leaders: board chair, vice chair, treasurer, secretary, or any incoming leaders.

We welcome more than one board member serving the same nonprofit to participate in the cohort, but we may limit to 2 members per board based on enrollment numbers.

*Read more from past participants here. Past graduates are listed below.

Cost

Leadership Fox Cities Alumni Association Member: $500

Leadership Institute Alumni & Current Cohort nonprofit board members: $500

All other participants in our service area: $750

Because of NPLI’s generous donors, we’re able to subsidize the full cost of this program, so participants pay only the above fees.

Participants outside our service area: $1,000 These will only be considered if we have available space.

Graduates

2024

Tai Adesina
Life Growth Network

Megan Biese
Bubolz Nature Preserve, United Way Emerging Leaders

Stephen Chagdes
Solutions Recovery

Ingrid Christianson
Altrusa International

Tonya Dedering
Nonprofit Leadership Initiative

Kyle Galloway
Heckrodt Wetland Reserve

Jonathan Pitzen
SOAR Fox Cities

Sabrina Robins, Ph.D.
African Heritage Inc., Fox Cities United Way, YMCA Corporate Board

Ariela Rosa
Fox Valley Literacy, Appleton Housing Authority, Leadership Fox Cities

Zeb Rutter
Building for Kids

Mike Sandercock
Nonprofit Leadership Initiative

Deb Schmidt
Foundations for Living

Sarah Schneider
Appleton Downtown Inc., Broken Wheel Riding Club, The Family Radio, Leaven, Fox Valley Jail Ministries

Ritu Tannan
IndUS of Fox Valley

Mary Voss
Mission Myeloma

Karen Zemple
Foundations for LIving

2023

Murali Balakrishnan
Exploring nonprofit board opportunities

Eric Breiland
Trout Museum of Art, 922 Ministries, Brigade Air

Kim Craddock
Fox Valley Veterans Council; Beaming LLC

Cainan Davenport
People of Progression

Sheri Fetting
Appleton A Better Chance, Inc.

Kelly Hanink
Apple Valley Food Pantry

Sandy Hupfer
Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra

John Koehler
Fox Valley Veterans Council, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 351, & Others

Holly Kowalski
Xavier Board of Trustees, The Trout Museum of Art

Jodie Larsen
Faith Lutheran Church, Oshkosh Area Community Foundation

Robin Madson
Foundations for Living- Waupaca

Adriana McCleer
Casa Hispana, Imagine Fox Cities

Jennifer McIntosh
Fox Valley Humane Association and Winagamie Golf Course

Lindsay Roake
Northeast Wisconsin Chinese Association

Bill Skarie
Heckrodt Wetland Reserve

Brenda Smongeski
First English Lutheran Church

Rand Swenson
Foundations for Living- Waupaca

Fanni Xie
Northeast Wisconsin Chinese Association

Jen Zenzick
Girls on the Run Northeast Wisconsin

2022

Sridevi Yadlapati Buddi
Serving IndUS of Fox Valley, Rotary District 6220, ZikSA

James Frederick Green
Serving Fox Valley Literacy

Rachel Hansen
Serving Oshkosh Area Community Pantry

Jean Haznar
Serving WisconSibs

Andrew Konkel
Serving Heckrodt Wetland Reserve

Joe Martin
Serving Monarch Society Fox River Valley, Inc.

Kelly Mischler
Working with United Way Fox Cities

Paula Morgen
Serving advisory boards for Imagine Fox Cities, STAR, Basic Needs Giving Partnership

Jonny Richard
Serving Leadership Fox Cities Alumni Association

Shelly Rohde
Serving Big Brothers Big Sister East Central Wisconsin

Tiffany Schuette
Serving Girls on the Run of Northeast Wisconsin

Heather Sorebo
Serving SOAR Fox Cities

Mike Truyman
Serving Community Benefit Tree

Terri Wirth
Serving Fox Valley Literacy

2021

Lauri Asbury
Serving Samaritan Counseling Center of the Fox Valley, Neenah Joint School District, and Neenah Arts Council

Amanda Chavez
Serving Appleton Bilingual School Governance Board, Building for Kids, Casa Hispana, and Citizen Review Panel

Tim Cody
Serving Fox Valley Veterans Council, Inc.

Lindsey Croasdale
Serving Jake’s Diapers

Kris Ferber
Serving Heckrodt Wetland Reserve and Nature Center

Michelle Frisbie
Serving Fox Valley Chapter of Hearing Loss Association of America

Craig Gagnon
Serving Heckrodt Wetland Reserve and Nature Center, Fox Valley Literacy

Craig Cloudemans
Serving Fox Cities Marathon, United Way Fox Cities Emerging Leaders committee, Girls on the Run, Institute of Management Accountants Winnebagoland

Theresa Hannah
Serving Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship planned giving committee and audit committee, Fox Valley Literacy

David Kuchenbecker
Serving Paper Industry International Hall of Fame and Paper Discovery Center

Kristin Manney
Serving Samaritan Counseling Center of the Fox Valley

Laura McCormick
Serving SOAR Fox Cities, Outagamie County Department of Health and Human Services

Katie Phalin
Serving Samaritan Counseling Center of the Fox Valley

Shonna Prickette
Serving Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Wisconsin

Brian Rhodes
Serving Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Wisconsin

Wendy Steward
Serving Volunteer Fox Cities

Jim Strong
Serving Fox Valley Veterans Council, Inc.

Jen Van Elzen
Serving Makaroff Youth Ballet

Walter Zerrenner
Serving BEAMING, Inc, Fox Valley Memory Project, Fox Valley Veterans Council

“Thank you, Nonprofit Leadership Initiative, for co-hosting the first ever Board Academy workshop for nonprofit board members. It was so energizing to have the opportunity to learn from the experts and to be together with other board members to collaborate and share experiences. The connections I’ve made and the leadership strategies I’ve learned will help me to be a more effective board member, thus promoting more successful agencies and greater positive impact on our community. Thank you for the awesome opportunity, I’d do it again in a heartbeat!”

LAURI ASBURY
Board member and 2021 Board Academy graduate
Samaritan Counseling of the Fox Valley

Session 1: Board Roles & Responsibilities

Determine mission and purpose: It is the board’s responsibility to create and review a statement of mission and purpose that articulates the organization’s goals, means, and primary constituents served.
Select the chief executive: Boards must reach consensus on the chief executive’s responsibilities and undertake a prudent search to find the most qualified individual for the leadership position.
Support and evaluate the chief executive: The board ensures the chief executive has moral and professional support needed to further the goals of the organization.

Session 2: Governance as Leadership

Ensure effective planning: Boards must actively participate in an overall planning process and assist in implementing and monitoring the plan goals.
Monitor and strengthen programs and services: The board’s responsibility is to determine which programs are consistent with the organization’s mission and monitor their effectiveness.
Build a competent board: All boards have a responsibility to articulate prerequisites for candidates, orient new members, and periodically and comprehensively evaluate their own performance.

Session 3: Fundraising

Enhance the organization’s public standing: The board should clearly articulate the organization’s mission, accomplishments, and goals to the public and garner support from the community through advocacy.

Session 4: Fiscal Strategy

Every board member is also a financial leader of the organization. This session will equip you with the knowledge to fulfill this role. We’ll discuss how to read and analyze nonprofit financial statements to assess the financial health of the organization, how much it truly costs to deliver impact and how to approach the delicate balance between mission and money.

Session 5: Ethics and Legal

Board members have duties of care, loyalty and obedience. What does this mean in the context of the organization you serve? This session will explore how boards can ensure legal and ethical integrity through attention to organizational risk, compliance processes and culture.

Session 6: Executive Director Panel & Action Planning

A Q&A with local executive directors: What are their greatest needs from you as a board member? (We will not include executive directors from any of the participants’ organizations.)
Session wrap-up and action step planning

RELATED RESOURCES

Thank you to our major investors:

An anonymous fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region also provided grant funding.
Major investors have pledged $25,000 or more in support through financial or in-kind contributions.