When an executive leader announces their departure from an arts organization, one of the Board of Directors’ most senior responsibilities is activated: seeking and naming a replacement. This is also one of the most fraught areas of tension between board and staff at arts organizations, and rightfully so. Is there any other topic about which we all have so many opinions?

Depending on the organization, board members are generally recruited for their expertise in areas (legal, political, civic connections, finance, etc.) that complement the skills and knowledge of the professional staff at the nonprofit, and not for experience in running an arts organization. We are seeing some welcome changes these days with more recruitment to boards from among arts colleagues and practitioners, but even so board leadership is most likely to be committed volunteers from non-arts professions. So, when the moment arrives to select a new executive leader – the much-needed bridge between the volunteer board and the arts professionals on staff – there has historically been a lack of balance in who has a voice in that selection. While the traditional business mantra of “you don’t get to hire your own boss” is still sometimes uttered (generating cringes on my face!) when we work with clients on search committee composition, more and more organizations are willing to mix it up and invite staff members to the committee table, from where a recommendation for hire is sent to the board for final approval.

One of the ways we’ve helped board leaders get their arms around including staff on the search committee is to look at the search process as something that can yield more than a new leader. It can be part of serving other company goals around equity, transparency, trust, and growth. And with the time and resources that are invested in an executive search, isn’t that an exciting prospect?

If you find yourself debating this issue as a search is launching at your organization, you might find it helpful to frame your view by sharing these advantages to changing up the traditional search committee, enriching the search.

Expertise. Hiring the new executive leader means finding someone capable of running a complex professional organization, with specialized experience and knowledge. While the board has acquired some understanding of these areas through their connection to the organization, having staff members on the committee brings a knowledge base into the deliberations that board members just don’t have (nor should be expected to have). In the case of a dual leadership model organization, having the leadership partner on the committee is invaluable, for both their knowledge base and for assessing the potential for a successful partnership. Adding another staff member or two who represent expertise in specific areas the position will oversee, and/or who have a reliably realistic sense of the company’s needs and opportunities, can also add real value.

Equity. While most arts organizations have embraced goals around DEI, progress varies from one company to another, so each will need to assess where they are in their own journey as they launch a search. For many organizations, diversity at the board level is still a challenge, so expanding the committee to staff and beyond – to frequent community partners, to respected colleagues from your field, to closely affiliated artists – will be one way to bring representation to the committee that more accurately reflects the community you serve. Representation in race and identity, in economic status, in gender, in generations.

Education. Here’s where some of the additional benefits of a search will show up! With a committee composed of board, staff, and other key stakeholders, bringing different nuances in knowledge about the organization and the field to the room, the conversations in committee sessions as well as with candidates will be richer and more revealing, and new understandings and appreciations can emerge. Board members will gain more insight into the daily functions of the company; staff members will learn more about why board members care so much about the organization and have given so much of their time and energy to the company. This is exciting foundational work for building more trust and more transparency.

Evolution. In the arts, we’ve been developing goals and strategies in our DEI plans for years, working to become anti-racist organizations that disrupt oppression and inequities. Actions around those goals are harder to achieve than creating the goals, we all know. Change takes time; it’s fraught and anxiety-raising, even among those who are authentically engaged. New leadership joining the organization can be a pivotal moment in furthering those goals; creating a search committee to lead a process that models inclusion through representation is an important marker in an organization’s evolution.

Egad! It’s not about a 20-person committee! Expanding representation doesn’t mean creating a committee that becomes unwieldy in terms of getting the job done. A search committee of eight to ten members can achieve meaningful representation and variety of viewpoints, and board members can and should be a significant portion of the group, particularly if you have been successful in building a more diverse board (again, in race, identity, gender, generation, professions, etc.).

An equitable and inclusive search process begins with the committee formation; they can lead a well-designed process that will offer many more ways in which to “walk the talk” around open communication, inclusion, and collaboration. I’m looking forward to all of us finding ways to challenge and innovate in the leadership transitions ahead!

Cynthia Fuhrman is the Vice President, Executive Search of Tom O’Connor Consulting Group. TOCG is a NYC-based consultancy for arts and cultural institutions and leaders, offering two complementary services: organizational strategy and executive search. Cynthia has over 35 years working in regional theater around the U.S., most recently as the Managing Director of Portland Center Stage, one of the nation’s largest regional theatres. She is a Board Member of Theatre Communications Group, and played a national role in arts advocacy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.