In 2011, the Center for Nonprofit Advancement created the Board Leadership Award to recognize and spotlight outstanding leadership from nonprofit Boards of Directors in the Greater Washington area. This award distinguishes those Boards that go above and beyond recommended standards and fundamentals to bring new levels of leadership to their role, resulting in positive changes and notable successes for their organizations. To win the award, all candidates must go through an extensive selection process that includes nominations, interviews, and final site visits.
Honored to be the first charter school and workforce education organization to receive this award, the Carlos Rosario School has shown that strong mission-driven governance is critical in public education. The collective leadership of the School’s Board is so strong in part because of an intentional strategy around recruitment. Board composition factors include centering the lived experiences of those in the communities we exist to serve as well as functional experience in key areas of importance, including: nonprofit governance, law, education, community relations, government, and student/alumni representation.
Commenting on the award, Board Chair, Robbie Dean, shared his appreciation for many others in the School community: “Serving on the school’s board since 2022 and most recently as Chair this year, I have had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the profound impact of our national model for adult career and technical education. Our success is a testament to the collective leadership of our board, management, faculty, and students that sustain our thriving organization capable of serving more than 2,000 immigrant adult learners annually.”
As part of the process, the School was asked to share some advice it might give to other organizations striving for excellence in board leadership and the top-line was this: “Our strongest advice is that effective board governance needs to be nurtured over time– through intentional development of relationships and holding a high standard for governance. Excellence requires putting systems in place, holding yourselves accountable to them, and being honest about what’s working and what isn’t.”
To read more about the award and selection process, check out this page on the Center for Nonprofit Advancement website. Read the School’s blog responses on the Center’s website here.
