#board-governance

#board-governance

Suda says that her "for cause" termination was issued "without valid basis," alleging that she was dismissed while negotiating the terms of her departure because she refused to sign an agreement with PhAM that would not only "would allow the Museum's officers and agents to disparage [her], while [she] would be prohibited from discussing her departure publicly or defend[ing] her reputation," but also only afford her six months of severance pay versus the two years promised in her five-year contract.

Suda's lawsuit, filed Monday (10 November) in Pennsylvania state court, alleges that she was fired after clashing with "a small, corrupt faction" of the board of trustees who "formed an executive committee that actively worked to undermine Suda by attempting to sway staff, poison board relations and sabotage" the museum's pursuit of its mission. The lawsuit was first reported by The New York Times.

"CEOs often hesitate to bring [succession] up to the board. They don't want to lose their standing, and so we end up at a standstill," Bargmann said.

Today's business landscape is evolving faster than ever. Shifting regulatory expectations, heightened demands for transparency, economic volatility, and intensifying global competition are all contributing to unprecedented complexity and pressure in the boardroom. Breakthroughs in technology-especially AI-are helping organizations and the people within them expand what they can achieve, but not without hurdles to overcome. With no playbook for this era, boards must rise to the challenge to navigate uncertainty and chart a path for the future in real time.

Some experiences in life simply can't be prepared for. You can imagine how you might feel and what you might do, but you can never actually know how you will respond in a situation until it happens. Falling in love, becoming a parent, and facing one's mortality all fit into this category. In the workplace, your first interview, first day on the job, and the first time you're given the responsibility of managing others fall into this category.

It took about four board meetings before we were able to land on what we wanted to do concretely.