The Leadership Team is at the top and deals with everything that is functioning below them. Here is where the President actually has a voice in the discussions and can contribute his or her opinions, something the President cannot do during the Board of Director meeting itself. The leadership team can collectively offer its recommendations to the Board.

A secondary layer of governance consists of the Director Liaison who sits on the Executive Committee and supervises a collection of like kind task groups, working with Committee chairs and vice-chairs. The Director Liaison becomes the point person at the Board for presenting the committees perspective when issues come before the Board -- a direct pipeline to what the committee is doing, thus eliminating the need for the Board to do committee work. Clearly the Director Liaison plays an important role, also working with staff liaison to help committees complete their objectives from the Strategic or Business Plan.