The Alumni Association of a prestigious, R1 public university found themselves in a precarious situation when their Board of Trustees determined the relatively new CEO was not working out. Key relationships with alumni and donors were being stressed, several employees had left or were planning to leave, and the CEO’s leadership style was not conducive to success for the association. After only being in charge for several months in the high-profile position, the CEO needed to be replaced.
BMCG was engaged by outside counsel to provide strategic guidance to the Board, coordinate with university leadership, and develop internal and external messaging, specifically aimed at helping the association right the ship and retain the confidence of employees, alumni and donors.
Actions / Recommendations:
BMCG worked with the trustee leadership team on the best strategic approach to negotiating a settlement for the ousted CEO. This included scenario planning to identify reputational and legal risks and creating a situation where the CEO was allowed some input into announcing the departure and agreed not to disparage the association.
Developed scripts for the leader team for key interactions with the outgoing CEO, internal employees, other Trustees, key alums/donors and held prep sessions for leaders to prepare them as they announced the news. This was particularly important for the incoming interim CEO, who needed to show a steady hand but also appear empathetic for those aligned with the former CEO.
Developed messaging for internal and external audiences, including for media, as well as talking points for frontline staff.
Created a detailed, hour-by-hour rollout plan that guided key actions on the day the announcement was made.
Results:
The announcement was received with little disruption to the association, and the outgoing CEO was able to preserve their reputation. Employees, though anxious about the change, quickly heard from key leaders, helping them maintain confidence in the association. Trustees were able to show key alumni and donors that the association was still on the right path and worthy of support. The announcement saw little media/social media coverage due to a strong announcement plan that minimized reputational risk.
