A Trusty Board

01 Dec 2000

A Trusty Board

Re: Leo Mullin (MBA 1967); Jamie Houghton (MBA 1962)

Topics: Governance-Governing and Advisory Boards Competency and Skills-Experience and Expertise Education-Schools, Libraries, Museums

What makes a good board member? "The three w's," jokes Carter Brown, "work, wealth, and wisdom." Brown, who reported to a board during his two decades at the National Gallery and who is a longtime trustee of numerous organizations, is well aware of the intricate relationship between a museum and its board. "There needs to be a sense of the difference between the fiduciary responsibility of the board and the managerial responsibility of the paid staff," he says.

While the role of MBAs as museum managers has expanded in recent years, there is a long history of HBS graduates putting their leadership skills to work as trustees. In fact, each of the people interviewed for this article works with a board member (or several) who is an HBS graduate. Witness John McCarter's answer to how he ended up at the Field Museum: "Two words: Leo Mullin." Mullin (MBA 1967), the former chairman of the Field's board, worked with McCarter on numerous civic projects when McCarter was at Booz-Allen and later recruited him to run the Field. Similarly, the Smithsonian's Bob Fri joined the natural history museum at the request of board chairman Howard H. ("Terry") Williams (MBA 1959). At the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, Marshall M. Holleb (MBA 1939) is a founding member, and at the Met, James R. Houghton (MBA 1962) is chairman.

Those interviewed had nothing but praise for the contributions of their boards. At the Met, for example, Deborah Winshel believes her board plays an ideal role. "It's just the right balance," she says. "Members of the board are very involved in policy, and they have a breadth of experience and wisdom that is so valuable when governing an institution of this size." Concludes Winshel, "While they don't feel the need to get involved in the day-to-day running of the museum, they are involved in every aspect of the Met."

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