In 2005, the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) created the Center for Trustee Initiatives, a focused effort to help GNYHA hospital and continuing care members achieve diversity on their governing boards. As an institutional part of GNYHA, the Center creates a pipeline of candidates by reaching out to professional associations, investment firms, civic and business organizations, and then vetting candidates to assess both interest and fitness in serving as board members. As of June 2008, the Center has been responsible for the placement of more than two dozen exceptional candidates—entrepreneurs, senior executives, and civic leaders—on its member hospital and continuing care facility governing boards.

In addition to continued trustee recruitment and matching for GNYHA member institutions, the Center’s future plans include raising awareness of the importance of board diversity at the regional and national levels, as well as promoting the Center’s matching model as a tool for hospital and continuing care associations nationwide.

A Unique Partnership
What makes GNYHA’s Center for Trustee Initiatives unique is its trustee matching process. Far from simply pulling a trustee from a pre-approved candidate pool, the Center spends months consulting with hospital and continuing care facility chief executive officers and their governing boards to determine what the institution is seeking in a new trustee. The Center becomes a true strategic partner, working closely to identify candidates that mesh with the facility’s culture and who will support its future goals. Once a successful appointment is made, the Center provides support to the new trustee as she or he takes on the responsibilities of board membership.

Good Governance Requires Education
The Center continues its support for member boards by offering a variety of educational and governance resources and leadership opportunities to support both current and new trustees to increase their effectiveness as board members. These opportunities include educational forums, trustee orientation, and refresher programs, and generate awareness of the importance of cultural competency and diversity.

What Does Board 'Diversity' Mean?
When first launched, the Center focused on the changing demographics of patient populations — helping members expand their boards to include racially and ethnically diverse leaders at the governing board level.

As the Center evolved, so has its mission. The Center has expanded its vision beyond candidates from underrepresented racial and ethnic communities, functioning now as a trustee clearinghouse to address representation gaps in gender and religious affiliation, as well in professions and industries.

In this sense, the Center has become a key partner in the strategic planning process, helping our member facilities connect with candidates that will strengthen relationships with surrounding communities as well as augment the board’s professional skills (whether in finance or capital construction) with respect to long term projects and goals.

Leaders In Leadership
Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA), founded in 1904, is a one-of-a-kind trade association comprising nearly 250 hospitals and continuing care facilities, both voluntary and public, in the metropolitan New York area and throughout the State, as well as New Jersey, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

A veteran of the greater New York health care community, Ms. Mary E. Medina is leading GNYHA’s unparalleled initiative as founding Executive Director of the Center for Trustee Initiatives. In April 2007, Ms. Medina was named as one of the Top 25 Women in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine for her efforts in diversifying boards of trustees.

If you are interested in volunteering or would like further information, please contact Ms. Mary E. Medina, M.S.W., J.D., Executive Director, at (212) 258-5350 or via e-mail at medina@gnyha.org.