Dr. Timothy Purnell, executive director and CEO of the New Jersey School Boards Association, was joined by Gwen Thornton, director of field services at the Association on the May 8 episode of “The Boardroom,” which is a regular podcast hosted by Purnell.
During the podcast, Thornton, who served as a board member for 10 years in Somerset County, highlighted the extensive work her department does in helping board members throughout the state promote good governance.
She covered topics such as goal setting, how to make meetings more effective, ways to engage stakeholders and the community and more.
On the topic of goal setting Thornton said, “Setting those goals up front for the year helps your entire staff as well as your community – your parents – to know what your focus is and what your goal is at the end of the day … I think you can pull goals if you have a strategic plan in place – you can pull your annual goals right from that. If you don’t, it is even more important to have those conversations as a full board with community input with your administration to identify what we need to focus on.” She added, “You can have a goal, but a goal without a plan is nothing but a wish.”
The Boardroom is a live Q&A session between Purnell, his guest and members. Listeners are encouraged to call in and ask questions. You can participate in the show by calling 609-278-5292. The podcast is livestreamed via NJSBA’s YouTube, Facebook, X, and Instagram pages. You can also listen to the archived shows on the social pages above or on Spotify.
About the Program “The Boardroom” is similar to a live radio talk show. The show airs live but is also available to listen to and watch later online, or to download to mobile devices.
Listeners only need a computer or smartphone with internet access. The link to the live episode will be shared via NJSBA’s social media pages on the day of the show at the episode’s scheduled time. Follow us on these platforms to never miss a live episode.