I 501(c) You - The Podcast for NonProfit Board Members
Jul 7, 2026 · 25 min · 12 segments
In this episode of I 501(c) You, we sit down with Devaney “Dev” Iglesias, Director of External Affairs for FPL and an experienced nonprofit board chair, to talk about what makes nonprofit boards truly…
Dev IglesiasGuestMichael CorleyHostReedHostAnd in your mind, what makes for an effective nonprofit board? What are the characteristics of an effective nonprofit board?
I think oftentimes what happens in some of these boardrooms is it's a lot of rinse and repeat.
And I have found myself in situations in some of these boards where the board has gotten comfortable and I end up coming in when we've gotten a little too comfortable and something happens and there's a shakeup.
And I think that's what I have learned in my board leadership and what I think makes a good board is making sure that you're putting goalposts in front of your board.
What is the goal for that year, for the next three years? And the Sarasota EDC is a really good example.
When I came on as chair, I wanted something to work towards, not just let's get back before a county commission and, you know, regain their trust and earn that contract, but it was...
What is our plan? What is the next three years look like? And I found out that, you know, the EDC had never really fully had a strategic plan.
And that was really such an exciting thing for the whole year to have a board that's really focused on what is our strategic engagement.
And it was something we were able to talk about every board meeting that kept everyone connected.
And then my second year, it was an operations task force and really looking at a contract that had not been updated in over 20 years.
Again, going back to that, you get comfortable, things are working well, and you don't realize that maybe it's time for some change, whether that be in governance, in your bylaws, you contracts that you may have, there's always something that you can update.
And that ends up being a really good board is when you have them working towards a goal of some kind and not just get comfortable.
And in your mind, what makes for an effective nonprofit board? What are the characteristics of an effective nonprofit board?
I think oftentimes what happens in some of these boardrooms is it's a lot of rinse and repeat.
And I have found myself in situations in some of these boards where the board has gotten comfortable and I end up coming in when we've gotten a little too comfortable and something happens and there's a shakeup.
And I think that's what I have learned in my board leadership and what I think makes a good board is making sure that you're putting goalposts in front of your board.
What is the goal for that year, for the next three years? And the Sarasota EDC is a really good example.
When I came on as chair, I wanted something to work towards, not just let's get back before a county commission and, you know, regain their trust and earn that contract, but it was...
What is our plan? What is the next three years look like? And I found out that, you know, the EDC had never really fully had a strategic plan.
And that was really such an exciting thing for the whole year to have a board that's really focused on what is our strategic engagement.
And it was something we were able to talk about every board meeting that kept everyone connected.
And then my second year, it was an operations task force and really looking at a contract that had not been updated in over 20 years.
Again, going back to that, you get comfortable, things are working well, and you don't realize that maybe it's time for some change, whether that be in governance, in your bylaws, you contracts that you may have, there's always something that you can update.
And that ends up being a really good board is when you have them working towards a goal of some kind and not just get comfortable.
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