This certainly came out of left field. Apparently, the SLA Board decided at its Fall meeting to change the title of its Executive Director to CEO. The explanation from present president Pam Rollo relied heavily on Peter Drucker (who’s no longer alive to explain how his philosophy fits with this SLA change) and says essentially this is a “done deal.” I’m not sure how to respond to this because I don’t think I fully understand the implications, but I am definitely expecting some fireworks next week at the SLA Leadership Summit in Houston.

SLA President Pam Rollo’s message re the change:

“As many of us prepare to travel to Houston next week for SLAs 2006
Leadership Summit, I wanted to communicate a change in the Associations
organization that I believe will have some very positive and
far-reaching impacts over time. In keeping with the philosophy of the
late Peter Drucker, it is possible to identify and prepare for the
future that has already happened. In other words, sometimes we as an
association, and as a profession, must take steps to make official what
has already been occurring. So it is that the Association Office
Operations Committee (AOOC) believes the time has come to change the title of the top staff position from executive director to Chief Executive Officer, or CEO.

Historically, the executive director has been responsible for the day to
day leadership and management of the Association. It requires oversight
of staff, liaison with the SLA Board of Directors and unit leadership,
and relationship-building with key industry and profession stakeholders.
In recent years, the role played by our Associations leader has
evolved, with that person investing more time to public policy
development, international and public relations, business development,
fundraising, and other strategically important initiatives that are
important to a global nonprofit organization. The executive directors
role as external communicator and collaborator with the professions
stakeholders has evolved substantially. This role requires increasing
interaction and engagement with the top leaders of corporations,
universities, government agencies, and other associations.

In recent years, leadership structures in associations have evolved to
align more appropriately with the core audiences served by them. In
particular, associations with a strategic focus on the global business,
government, and academic communities have altered their language so as
to reflect the language used in those communities.

The challenge, whether real or perceived, is that the title of
executive director can cause misperceptions and confusion, according
to a survey of association executives back in 1998. The confusion can
prove more difficult when engaging CEOs in the for-profit and nonprofit
sectors. The title of executive director is unclear. Surveys show
that many people, including volunteer leaders, the public, legislators,
reporters, vendors and others are unable to interpret the role or status
of a person with the title of executive director.

As the Associations staff works to establish relationships with
organizations around the world, the initial impression must be
universally understood. Using common, widely-accepted nomenclature is
essential to opening doors and gaining access to thought leaders and
decision-makers around the globe. Having a CEO as the top executive for
SLA means that doors may often open more easily for us. A CEO gets and
sets the vision for the organization. When others know that the CEO of
the Special Libraries Association is available, they intuitively know
they have the attention of the person who leads the organizations
vision.

In reviewing a considerable body of important work on corporate
leadership, we looked again to Peter Drucker for timeless advice and
counsel. Drucker had turned his attention to nonprofit organizations as
a result of his own involvement in volunteer professional and community
activities. In all of his writings on nonprofit and what corporations
can learn from nonprofit, he consistently refers to the top staff
official of a nonprofit organization as a CEO.

So, at our September 2005 meeting, SLAs Association Office Operations
Committee (AOOC) approved the change in title for the Associations top
staff person. The title of executive director was changed to Chief
Executive Officer (CEO), pending announcement to the SLA Board of
Directors. I informed the Board of this action during our October 2005
meeting, with the action taking effect in January 2006.”

Comments, anybody?