Dear Fellow Owners:

As part of the IPGA Board’s ongoing responsibility to inform and link with the ownership of the Association, we are writing to you, our owners, to bring you up to speed on several items since our last communication at the IPGA Annual Conference in July.  At the 2010 AGM, it was clear that members wanted to be kept informed about our progress, any major changes in the organization and, most importantly, evidence that IPGA is achieving its Ends.

Changes to Board and Management Structure

This term the IPGA Board is truly international with a variety of perspectives. Your current Board consists of the following members (with offices noted where appropriate):

• Jim Hyatt (Vice CGO), US
• John Bruce (Secretary), UK
• Karl Sommers, US
• Bill Harper, US
• Jurrian van der Straaten, NL (but currently living and working in Thailand)
• Eric Craymer (CGO), US

As you know from prior communications, the Association ended its contract with Sharon Boesen and Tiber Creek last fall. Sue Radwan, who was a board member at the beginning of this election cycle and the Immediate Past Chair of the Board, volunteered to continue playing the role of interim volunteer CEO. Sue and the Board deliberated about how to address a volunteer CEO who was also on the Board. While the Policy Governance model does not prohibit this configuration, the situation presents certain dilemmas. As a result of this concern, Sue offered her resignation from the Board on September 9, 2010. The Board respectfully, and with great thanks for services rendered past and future, accepted her resignation.

We anticipate there will be at least two open Board seats this year. It is not too early to begin to consider how you could make a difference in the future of the IPGA. If you have any interest in submitting your name for the 2011 elections, please contact John D. Bruce at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The election will be held at our annual conference in June, with terms to begin July 1. You must be a full member of IPGA (our Bylaws require you to be a Policy Governance® Academy Graduate among other things) to serve on the Board.

Ends Production and Revisions

Since Sue assumed the role of interim CEO, she has been busy interpreting and acting on the Ends Policies. During the Annual General Meeting preceding the 2010 Conference, as is our usual custom, we conducted an ownership linkage exercise. During that activity, the sentiment we heard was that everyone continues to believe in the Association’s Ends but is anxious to see that they are being produced.

At this stage Sue’s plans are still being implemented but the Board believes the next scheduled Ends monitoring in July will show Ends production, not just promise. Perhaps you have noticed new IPGA branded activities, such as the Future Scan Webinar Series and the Consulting Forum in Kansas City. These actions are a promising part of Sue’s plan for achieving our Ends. While we can still show little evidence in the way of actual Ends production, the Board believes we are on track.

Based on your feedback from the 2010 AGM and feedback from the Authoritative Source, the Board took another long look at the IPGA’s Ends Policies. We still believe that the Ends need to be both aspirational and doable. In this spirit, we have made one adjustment since July 2010 and the Ends Policies now state (with change in italics):

IPGA Ends Policies

1.0 Those who desire to govern well connect with Policy Governance resources at a justifiable cost for IPGA.

1.1 Increasing numbers acquire knowledge and skills to effectively execute and promote the model.
1.2 They learn from others with similar interests.
1.3 They critically assess whether any governance practice or advice is modelconsistent.

Financial Status

A full set of reports will be sent out prior to the annual meeting but we would like to share that things have improved. At this point in time we have over $9,000 positive cash balance. As IPGA moves forward into another Conference season it is expected that things will get even better. The Association is slowly overcoming its financial challenges.

We hope to see you all in Calgary at the 8th Annual Conference “The Art and Craft of Good Governance” on June 23-25, 2011! Please look in your email in box for the announcement for opening registration sometime in February. It promises to be a phenomenal experience in an incredible locale.

To a successful and Ends productive year!

Sincerely,
Eric Craymer, CGO,
On behalf of the IPGA Board of Directors

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