Dear Laura,

I can only say that this a major conflict of interest. Can you only start to
imagine how this person will undoubtedly influence the board to make decisions
he/she would like to be made? Not to mention the issue of raises: will he/she
leave the room when he/she is considered as an employee and his/her
salary/performance is discussed? Even if he/she did, there is still a distinct
possibility for preliminary political groundwork which will ensure that the
board's decision will be favorable. How about firing an employee? How about
firing the director (technically, the curator's superior)? Will the curator have
a say in that? If so, the curator is actually more influential than the director,
which makes no sense.

In a more theoritical sense, the board's job is to supervise the director, whom
in turn supervises all other employees. The board's functions are to implement
policies, to allocate and raise funds, to do some p.r. on behalf of the museum
and to exercise a general surveillance on spending. The director's job is to
implement the board's policies, to reach the long-term goals set by the boards
and to ensure the museum's professional functions. The curator's job is to
exercise one of those functions. Confuse jobs and you'll end up with a lot of
chiefs in the place...

All in all, something to avoid at all cost.

Hervé Gagnon, Ph.D.

Laura Bajuk a écrit:

> Does anyone know of a case where a paid curator+ED [or other employee] can
> also run for and sit on the board of directors of his employing institution -
> as a peer?
>
> I welcome your reference to such institutions which allow[ed] this practice,
> and the pro or con to such action.
>
> MANY thanks for your help... Laura