NAD Board Announces CEO Search

Submitted by Bobbie Beth.Scoggins [1] on Mon, 08/17/2009 - 17:38

The Board of Directors of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) announces that it has begun search efforts for a successor to Chief Executive Officer Nancy J. Bloch, in preparation for her departure on March 31, 2011. Appointed in 1992 as the first female director, Bloch also serves as ex officio member of the Board.

“The Board accepts Nancy J. Bloch’s decision with immeasurable appreciation for her leadership and impact on both the organization and our community,” said NAD President Bobbie Beth Scoggins. “We will sorely miss her passion and wisdom when the time comes for her departure. Her collaborative style and extraordinary network of relationships has advanced our mission and positioned the NAD on so many fronts. Thanks to her leadership, we are fiscally solvent amid these turbulent economic times and looking to the many opportunities that lay ahead. With her foresight, we look forward to a seamless CEO search and transition process.”

“I'm honored to have had the opportunity to lead the NAD for nearly two decades. It has been an incredible journey, and I am proud of our dedicated staff and the many partnerships that we have built, as well as the many whose hearts of gold have sustained our work,” said Bloch. “It is an opportune time for me to step down, and with this advance notice, we can all be assured of a thorough search and ultimately, a smooth changeover to the next person who will lead the NAD into the next phase of its growth. When it comes time for my departure, I shall remain committed to supporting the NAD and all who are involved in furthering its mission.”

An internal succession planning committee has been formed by the Board of Directors to facilitate the search effort, which includes the formation of a CEO Search Committee (CSC) by the fall of 2009. The CSC will be charged with all aspects of a search to identify persons to be considered by the Board of Directors for the next CEO of the organization. The Board of Directors and the CSC are committed to taking steps to guarantee that the search for the next CEO of the NAD is fair and transparent.

Pertinent information concerning the CEO search will be posted at www.nad.org/ceosearch [2] as the process unfolds. This webpage will include links to the charge from the Board of Directors to the CSC, the timeline for the search, the CSC roster, public announcements, frequently asked questions and the responses, and notices of upcoming public meetings. The CSC, once formed, will welcome comments from membership and the community. Appropriate emails, and their responses, sent to the CSC will be added to the frequently asked questions section on a periodic basis.

“There is only one Nancy J. Bloch, so she is irreplaceable,” said Scoggins. “We look forward to the wisdom of the CEO Search Committee in recommending to the Board of Directors the most qualified candidates who have similar leadership, wisdom and passion from which we can choose a leader to take the torch and carry on the organizational change process that the NAD has already begun.”

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) was established in 1880 by deaf leaders who believed in the right of the American deaf community to use sign language, to congregate on issues important to them, and to have its interests represented at the national level. These beliefs remain true to this day, with American Sign Language as a core value. As a nonprofit federation, the mission of the NAD is to preserve, protect, and promote the civil, human, and linguistic rights of deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States of America. The advocacy scope of the NAD is broad, covering the breadth of a lifetime and impacting future generations in the areas of early intervention, education, employment, health care, technology, telecommunications, youth leadership, and more.