A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Today, I could not be more proud. Proud to work alongside what I can now call our award-winning board of directors.
From our board, to our staff, to everything that we do, we strive for excellence—we believe it is a critical ingredient for an exceptional nonprofit, and today I can share an amazing affirmation of this belief. I am so honored to announce ISPU’s board of directors is this year’s recipient of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement’s Board Leadership Award.
This award spotlights outstanding leadership from nonprofit boards of directors, acknowledging the critical role that boards play in building and sustaining successful organizations. It recognizes that a good board ensures their organization is well-led, well-supported, and responsive to the people and communities it serves. ISPU’s board is all that and more.
Working closely with ISPU’s board of directors and witnessing their commitment to our mission and all those we serve is a truly gratifying part of my job. I am so excited that these incredible leaders have received this well-deserved recognition. They lead with integrity, serve with passion, and govern with excellence.
ISPU impressed the Selection Committee from the beginning: the intentionality that was evident across the different stages of the Award process was clearly an ingrained practice in all aspects of their board governance.
Being selected as a winner for this award is a huge honor for ISPU and our board, and a wonderful acknowledgement of the time, attention, and effort that we have invested in building a diverse, accountable, committed, and well-run board. As a nonprofit that has grown from a grassroots passion project to a pillar organization with nine staff and national reach, we serve as a resource for research and best practices, and an institutional model for organizations with similar histories.
Over the years, the ISPU board has counted 16 additional members to those currently serving. This award would not have been possible without their successive contributions. Each board member paved the way for the next, strengthening the board immensely along the way. We share this award with all those who have come before.
I hope you will join me in thanking ISPU’s board members, past and present, for their service and congratulating them on this incredible achievement. As an executive director, I am so thankful to have these incredible individuals as partners. Dynamic and engaged boards are critical for truly healthy and thriving organizations, and we are proud of the investment that ISPU and its board members have made in getting this right.
Meira Neggaz
Executive Director
Institute for Social Policy and Understanding