Join us for a virtual Lunch + Learn, where we’ll dig into current best practices in board governance and what they mean for your work.

Governance Best Practices

Strong governance requires more than good intentions—it calls for clearly defined roles, disciplined decision-making, and alignment between mission and strategy. This session will help board and staff leaders identify gaps, leverage strengths, and plan for the leadership needed to support strategy, fundraising, and governance to meet and exceed today’s challenges. The discussion will provide a framework for lean but effective boards, including key governance policies and strategies, and will outline actionable best practices for oversight, delegation, meeting cadence, advisor engagement, and policy development—ensuring committees are equipped to govern with clarity, accountability, and purpose.

Panelists

Karyn Lyman

Karyn is a Vice President and Client Advisor in the Philadelphia office of Bernstein Private Wealth Management. Her practice focuses primarily on advising and supporting the nonprofit and philanthropic communities as well as charitable families and individuals through values-aligned asset management, education, advice, and thought leadership. Karyn joined the firm in 2023 after 24 years a nonprofit manager and chief fundraiser, spanning institutional giving, major giving, membership and planned giving programs, with organizations including the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, Philadelphia Outward Bound School, Theatre Horizon, Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers, PlayPenn, Lantern Theater Company, and Theatre Development Fund. Karyn’s lived experience resonates with the community she works with as she deeply understands the challenges and opportunities facing the sector. Karyn holds a BA, cum laude, from Barnard College, and an MFA in theater management from Yale University School of Drama. She is a member of the development committee of Share Food Program. She lives in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia with her husband and two children.

Elizabeth (Liz) Thompson

Liz is the founder and director of LeadLab, a professional development initiative for creative leaders that fosters experiential learning through cross-sector and intergenerational exchange. She contributes her expertise as a member of the development committee at Allens Lane Art Center and the programs committee at DiasporaDNA Story Center. Previously, she led creative sector engagement at the Arts + Business Council (formerly a Council of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia), where she worked across artistic disciplines and industries to support leadership development, alumni engagement, and program operations. Liz holds a BA in Art History from Western Washington University and an MA in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Pennsylvania.