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A leader for the future: the inside scoop on NRPA's new executive director - NRPA Perspectives

Parks & Recreation, April, 2003 by David Lose

It's with great pleasure that I welcome our new executive director, John Thorner. John has more than 20 years' experience in association management, and has consistently increased membership and endowments of the organizations he's led, which include the Optical Society of America and the Air and Waste Management Association. He's not only led associations, but also served on the boards of numerous others, notably the American Institute of Physics and the American Association of Engineering Societies. He's an attorney who also holds a master's degree in journalism, and has worked at the National Labor Relations Board and as a reporter for the Associated Press, The Washington Post, Legal Times and The Atlanta Constitution. Clearly, his credentials are impeccable, and highly suited to the position.

But equally importantly, John's way of presenting himself during the interview process was truly impressive to the Search Committee. As you know, we carefully checked the references of each of the finalists, and John's business associates had the highest praise for him. Throughout the interview process, we were impressed by his forthrightness, management philosophy and creative approach to problem-solving.

Now that the Search Committee's work has reached a successful conclusion, the Transition Committee is in full swing to help John become acclimated to his new role here at NRPA. There are some things that all of us can do to help in this process. First, we need to avoid the temptation to press particular agendas and new programs for awhile. As you all know, NRPA is just beginning to emerge from financial difficulties that threatened our organization's well-being and effectiveness. For now, we need to allow John to run NRPA's current programs and initiatives without adding further, potentially costly projects.

Also, we need to be conscious that NRPA's staff is smaller than it used to be, at least until we regain our financial footing. This means that many staff members are doubling up on duties, taking responsibility for more tasks than they have before. This is another reason why we should avoid rushing into new projects or initiatives during the executive director transition. Again, John's strengths include strong financial management skills and membership growth, and I'm confident that he'll lead us to an era of renewed financial strength.

The Transition Committee is meeting weekly with John to help him become oriented to NRPA's culture, organization, operating structure and constituency. At the same time, John is using his experience to form an assessment of NRPA operations, and suggest possible improvements. John and the committee are working together to formulate goals and a work plan for the first three months, as well as the first six months. They're also identifying potential obstacles to a successful transition, and finding ways to overcome them.

Once again, I'd like to thank the Screening Committee, the Search Committee and now the Transition Committee for their tireless efforts in finding, hiring and installing a high-quality leader for NRPA. Their efforts have been exemplary--and once you meet John Thorner, our new executive director, I'm sure you'll agree.