Getting to Know Your AAMFT Governance: An Introduction

Many members may well recognize the leadership role of the AAMFT Board of Directors, but fewer may actually be aware of the specific function and activities of the board. Broadly speaking, the primary domain of the board is governance, while operation of the association is the domain of the staff. The board has one single employee, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). All staff report to the CEO and the CEO alone is accountable to the board. Each year, the board approves an annual work plan, informed by the Strategic Plan, detailing the work goals of the year. It is the responsibility of the staff to accomplish the expectations of the work plan and not the role of the board to directly manage how the plan is accomplished.

The role of the board is qualitatively different from that of the staff. Guided by policy and procedures, the board governs the association. The work of the board occurs directly through four scheduled board meetings per year that generally are in person at least twice a year and by videoconference for the rest. Like many other elements of the association, the board conducts its work through the association network. In a given year, the board approves a work plan and the CEO provides scheduled CEO Reports of association work and staff activity. The board reviews and engages the CEO reports, as well as prepares for board meetings through review of prepared and often exhaustive board books, which include an agenda, multiple reports, committee and task force activity, and other board ready material for consideration and action.

In addition to preparing for and engaging in board meetings, board members serve on various committees, councils and task forces. The Executive Committee, for example, includes the president, president-elect, secretary and treasurer. The Executive Committee is responsible for financial oversight, evaluation and compensation of the CEO and for responding to matters on behalf the board that require board attention more quickly than quarterly meetings of the board allow. Other members might serve on the Performance Evaluation Committee (PEC) responsible for assuring the board is self-governing itself properly or the Awards Committee charged to manage and select association awards.

Two members of the board serve on the Election Council. The Component Evaluation Committee (CEC), responsible for evaluating interest and geographic networks, includes two members of the board. Still other board members may be charged to participate in a committee or task force to investigate a question relevant to a board consideration and to prepare board ready recommendations.

The role of the board ranges from decision making to providing consultation to simply being informed dependent upon the activity at hand. For example, board members are decision makers on matters such as strategic planning and direction, budget management, policy and ethical compliance. Board members are involved with other matters such as leadership development, association culture, financial strategy, and board assessment. On matters such as specific strategic transactions and organization operations, board members are simply informed of such activity and have no direct role.

Ideally, board members assume their roles not as representatives for a particular constituency, but as representatives of AAMFT and work to the best of their ability to engage and vote on behalf of the best interest of the association. They endeavor to think and act generatively and strategically, rather than managerially.

The work of the board can be quite engaging and variable, but like other elements of the association, the Board endeavors always to act in the best interest of the association.

AAMFT Governance Structure

AAMFT’s budget and staff size place it among the smaller midsize associations. The AAMFT Board of Directors has one staff member (CEO) who manages the day to day operations and staff. The CEO is evaluated based on perceived effectiveness of gains made toward the overall strategic plan. While board members may disagree with the strategies used by the CEO, as long as the CEO is using “reasonable interpretations” toward the execution of the strategic plan, the CEO is usually perceived as engaging in strategies that are acceptable.

By having one employee who oversees operations, the board is free to attend to its corporate obligations such as duty of care, loyalty and obedience. In addition to this broad oversight, the board is also able to move its conversation from operations and management to strategy and generativity.

Generally, there are four types of governance boards: Management, policy, strategic, and generative. A management board will focus on day to day operations. A policy board will work within a general framework of policies with a separation of policies related to board activities and staff or operations. A strategic board will primarily focus on matters of strategic importance while staff focuses on management and policies. Finally, a generative board will have a very proactive agenda focusing on what “might happen” and key drivers for association success, as well as barriers or threats. Using the Approved Supervision program as an example, here are four comments that highlight the differences between boards.

Management Board  “Let’s have all Approved Supervisors be eligible to teach the Fundamentals course.”

Policy Board  “What are the policies for Approved Supervisors to become trainers for the Fundamentals course?”

Strategic Board  “How do we make sure that those taking the Fundamentals course are receiving very high-quality instruction?”

Generative Board  “What global influences need consideration in developing the overall Approved Supervision program?”

In this example, the AAMFT Board would orient its discussion around global influences; staff would be focused on management, policy and strategic matters.

The president presides over meetings with a strong orientation toward remaining generative. If board discussions or deliberations begin to wander into management, policy and operations, the president dutifully guides the Board back to a more generative discussion. By remaining generative, the AAMFT Board of Directors is always looking forward, being proactive and generating discussions that help to position AAMFT for key drivers of success for years to come.