I know of one case where the directors of two different institutions were
on each others boards.  Also I know of a situation where two staff members
(in addition to the director) of an institution were also voting members of
their own board!  I'm sure the "perversions of trusteeship" could make a
long and interesting list.  But, frankly, I don't think the "Board of
Trustees" model of management is always the best anyway.  Trustees often do
not understand their role and boundaries, and can become a divisive element
in an institution.  Therefore, I vote for getting the very best people to
serve -- the ones who bring knowledge informed by experience and who
understand what their role is -- and for worrying less about appearances.

Stephen Nowlin
http://www.artcenter.edu/exhibit/williamson.html

>A hypothetical question.
>
>What about museums which have museum staffers from other places as
>trustees; ie., a director, educator, or curator, etc. of one museum who
>serves on the board of another.  I see it as a positive example of resource
>sharing, but are there pitfalls, potential conflicts of interest, or other
>legal ramifications?  My guess is no, but I'd like a bit of feedback.
>
>What's the feeling out there?
>
>TIA,
>HBC
>
>*****************************************
>Henry B. Crawford        Curator of History
>[log in to unmask]     Museum of Texas Tech University
>806/742-2442           Box 43191
>FAX 742-1136             Lubbock, TX  79409-3191
>               WEBSITE: http://www.ttu.edu/~museum
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