University of San Diego Hosts Fourth Annual Institute for Nonprofit Governance

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 7, 2008 – Nonprofit board accountability and governance is a topic that has received widespread media attention over the years. From large to small organizations, nonprofit leaders have come under fire for what they have and have not done behind board room doors.

The objective of the University of San Diego Fourth Annual Institute for Nonprofit Governance conference is to equip new and experienced board members with the right tools to advance their organization’s mission and goals. The two-day event, hosted by the university’s Nonprofit Leadership and Management Program and Caster Family Center for Nonprofit Research, will be held on Jan. 11-12, 2008 at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice on the USD campus.

Keynote speakers include Michael Pinto and David O. Renz. Pinto has been a leader in efforts to preserve land for public benefit for the past 30 years. He is the founder and chairman of the board of the Laguna Beach Education Endowment and Capital Fund, as well as founder and president of the Laguna Canyon Foundation. Renz has provided leadership for several national initiatives, including the founding of the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council and The Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers. He is one of most well-respected modern-day thinkers on nonprofit governance. He is the director of the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Noted San Diego nonprofit leader and philanthropist, Darlene Shiley, will deliver the opening remarks.

"I believe leadership is about knowing when to push forward and when to hold back,” said Shiley, chair of USD’s Board of Trustees.“But, always, it is about being firm in your commitment to and passion for the cause you are supporting. If you, as a leader, do not believe in what you are doing, you will not be able to lead the way for others."

Pat Libby, Director of the Nonprofit Leadership and Management at the university said “the most wonderful thing about this conference is that it provides a place for nonprofit leaders to come together, learn from each other and from some of the most remarkable experts in the nation.”

Conference participants can expect to dialogue with other nonprofit leaders, attend expert seminars, gain new business resources and hear stories from prominent nonprofit leaders.

Topics covered will include membership considerations, fundraising, board basics, finance and the public trust, and strategic thinking and planning, among others.

For more information, please contact the Nonprofit Leadership and Management Program at (619) 260-7742 or go to www.sandiego.edu/nonprofit/events.

About the University of San Diego

The University of San Diego is a Catholic institution of higher learning chartered in 1949; the school enrolls approximately 7,500 students and is known for its commitment to teaching, the liberal arts, the formation of values and community service. The inauguration of the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies brings the university’s total number of schools and colleges to six. Other academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences and the schools of Business Administration, Law, Leadership and Education Sciences, and Nursing and Health Science.

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About the University of San Diego

Strengthened by the Catholic intellectual tradition, we confront humanity’s challenges by fostering peace, working for justice and leading with love. With more than 8,000 students from 75 countries and 44 states, USD is the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of top 100 universities in the United States. USD’s eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the Knauss School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. In 2021, USD was named a “Laudato Si’ University” by the Vatican with a seven-year commitment to address humanity’s urgent challenges by working together to take care of our common home.