The House of Governance: Strengthening Board Leadership Through Seven Core Domains

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Title: The House of Governance: Strengthening Board Leadership Through Seven Core Domains
Instructor: Jim Thompson, CAE, IOM

Effective governance rarely breaks because leaders lack commitment. It breaks because organizations lack a shared framework for understanding how governance actually works. This session introduces the House of Governance, a practical model built around seven core domains that shape how boards make decisions, partner with executive leadership, and steward mission and strategy.

Participants will explore the most common governance breakdowns: from boards drifting into operations to unclear decision authority and weak leadership continuity. And they will learn how to diagnose and strengthen their organization’s governance practices.

Through guided teaching, real-world examples and interactive discussion, attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of where governance most often succeeds or fails and how to strengthen board leadership in ways that improve strategy, accountability and organizational impact.

The session concludes with audience Q&A and a short knowledge check required for CAE credit.

Learning Objectives

After the session, participants will be able to:

  1. Identify the seven core domains of the House of Governance and explain how each contributes to effective board leadership.
  2. Differentiate between strategic governance responsibilities and operational management roles within an association.
  3. Recognize common governance failure points and apply practical approaches to strengthen board-executive partnership, decision authority and leadership continuity.
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Description

Jim Thompson, CAE, IOM is President & CEO of Tying It Together Consulting, where he advises mission driven
associations and nonprofits on governance, strategy, membership and organizational effectiveness. With more
than two decades of executive experience across local, state and national organizations, Jim specializes in helping boards and leadership teams clarify roles, strengthen governance systems and align strategic priorities with operational execution.

His background includes serving as CEO and senior executive for multiple national associations, where he led governance modernization initiatives, supported strategic planning and structural realignment and advanced member value through improved education, engagement and organizational performance. Jim also has extensive experience in association management company (AMC) environments, giving him a broad perspective on governance models, board–staff relationships and scalable operational design.

A Certified Association Executive (CAE) and IOM graduate, Jim is recognized for translating complex organizational challenges into practical, systemsbased solutions that improve decisionmaking, accountability and longterm sustainability. His work emphasizes mission alignment, effective volunteer leadership and governance practices that support innovation and strategic clarity.

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