The Board Chair's Dilemma Case Analysis

Case Analysis for Week Three of SOWK 718
The Board Chair’s Dilemma

Introduction El Dormitorio, a nonprofit organization, co-founded by executive director Nancy Burns, strives to empower the homeless Latino community in downtown Pacific City. Peter Marks, attorney and former board president, has agreed to chair the evening's meeting as a favor to Ted Guillen, current board president. Ted chose not to attend due to a conflict of interest involving an agenda item. Carrie, the agency’s previous volunteer coordinator, interrupted the meeting with a group of volunteers supporting her planned protest a few minutes after the meeting began.This leaves Peter, the protagonist, feeling ambivalent and flustered as he evaluates how to effectively resolve
He served on the board for five years and recently stepped down as board president just four months earlier. Peter has extensive experience as a litigation lawyer doing pro bono work representing refugees from El Salvador and Guatemala in political asylum cases. Peter’s expertise and passion for the mission of the organization motivated him to research nonprofit law and the duties of board members following his acceptance of board president. Over the years, Peter contributed greatly to the development and growth of El Dotorimo. He exemplified strong leadership, created new staff positions, trained board members, engaged in multiple fundraiser opportunities, and formalied multiple procedures and policies. Peter is diligent, tactful, and diplomatic when acting under pressure and models appropriate behavior during his interactions with others. In addition, he has developed a strong relationship with Nancy and gives much of El Dormitorio’s success to her direct influence and leadership. The combination of Peter’s knowledge, experience, and dedication contributes to his success and competence of serving as interim board
First, Peter must display the ability to keep individuals and the situation calm and under control. He would need to clarify the procedures of the board meeting and explicitly define expectations for sharing concerns and addressing issues as a productive board team. Advantages include an opportunity for both positions to represent their concerns and the possibility of preserving a beneficial staff position. Disadvantages of allowing Carrie and the volunteers to immediately state their concerns include the failure to address the uncomfortable environment of the room and the risk of board members viewing Peter’s leadership skills deficient and