CEO/Trustee Dinner

Thursday, November 5 at 6 p.m.

Leading In a Time of Uncertainty and Change

Minnesota’s nonprofit sector is undergoing pivotal changes, including economic retrenchment, weakening state support and a shifting focus of several key Minnesota foundations - factors contributing to a transformation in the way we do our work. Executive Directors/CEO’s and Trustees face tensions and uncertainties, challenging them to navigate the unknown and find ways to turn adversity into opportunity.

At the CEO/Trustee Dinner, Susan Gross, co-founder of Management Assistance Group and author of Seven Turning Points: Leading Through Pivotal Transitions in Organizational Life, will share with nonprofit and foundation leaders her perspectives on the changes we now face, what we should think about in order to successfully navigate these changes, and what new possibilities might open up. Susan will give us a meta-level look at transitions that need to be made by our sector as a whole and address the question, “How can Minnesota nonprofit organizations and foundations work together in these turbulent times to make sure that vital social needs are met and critical public interests are served?

You will leave the CEO/Trustee Dinner with a new perspective on our transforming sector, ideas to help guide your organization and the sector forward, and inspiration to explore new directions your organization might take in the future.

Featured Speaker: Susan Gross, founding director and senior consultant, Management Assistance Group

Susan Gross is a nationally recognized expert committed to helping national, state and local social justice organizations become structurally, strategically and organizationally stronger. Over her 30-year career, she has worked with hundreds of organizations, first as a social activist and then as a consultant. With a keen understanding of the complex issues that affect the performance of nonprofit organizations, Susan co-founded Management Assistance Group in 1980, serving as Executive Director 1980-2005.

Her book, Seven Turning Points: Leading Through Pivotal Transitions in Organizational Life, was published in April 2009 by the Fieldstone Alliance. In the book, Susan discusses pivotal points in nonprofit life when an organization must make broad, fundamental changes in the way it’s structured, managed and led, in order to move to a new level of effectiveness, impact and staying power.

Attend the CEO/Trustee dinner and be inspired by Susan’s experience and insights into societal and organizational change, and bring a unique framework of thinking as you consider the direction of your organization into the future.