Introducing the Board Development Task Force: Strengthening Governance Programming Consistency Across Chapters

Committees & Task Forces

14 May 2025

PDA has launched a new Board Development Task Force to help chapters strengthen and expand programs that give members real-world governance experience.

While several chapters—including San Francisco, Carolinas, and Chicago—have piloted their own board development programs in recent years, approaches varied and lacked shared standards. The task force was formed to bring consistency, providing all chapters with guidelines to deliver impactful programming that aligns with PDA’s educational mission.

“This task force grew out of the success we had in San Francisco with our Governance Lab program,” shares San Francisco Chapter President and Task Force Chair, Stephen Sellick, who helped lead that local initiative. “We saw other chapters tackling similar efforts in different ways, and it became clear that PDA could benefit from creating common standards and resources to support chapters nationwide.”

Launched in January 2025, the task force includes members from across the country with expertise in family business governance, advisory boards, operational leadership, and more. Their charge is to develop guidelines for:

Partnering with private companies on governance programming,
Defining volunteer member participation criteria, and
Recommending content that supports PDA’s nonprofit educational mission.

The group aims to have draft guidelines ready for review later this year at PRISM 2025, with plans to present recommendations to PDA leadership by year’s end.

The task force also sees opportunities to partner with PDA’s certification and communications committees to ensure alignment and member engagement. “These programs not only help members build their governance skills, but they also provide substantive, resume-worthy experiences that can help open doors to future board service,” Sellick adds.

By establishing consistent standards and supporting chapters in program delivery, the Board Development Task Force is helping PDA members and private companies engage in meaningful governance learning across the country.