New CEO of Academy of Natural Sciences expert at money and management
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010
The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia has announced its new president and CEO, and he's not a scientist.
George Gephart worked for decades as an investment manager and is currently the chairman of Main Line Health System. It's apparent he'll focus on fundraising.
Most leaders of non-profits have a background in the field. The president of the Curtis Institute of Music is a violinist…the head of the Art Museum is an art historian. The previous CEO of the Academy of Natural Sciences is a zoologist who left to run an environmental research center in Massachusetts. George Gephart comes from the world of money and management.
Although not commonplace, recruiting leaderships from the business world is increasing, says Laura Otten at La Salle University's Nonprofit Center. Otten says an outside perspective on organizational management can be advantageous.
Otten:
If that person is coming in with an arrogance that says the business world knows everything and the non-profit knows nothing, it's a recipe for disaster. If that person comes in saying there are things the business world does better, things the non-profit world does better, bringing that different perspective while embracing what the non-prof does well is very advantageous.
The new CEO starts at the Academy of Natural Sciences in August. He says he will leverage the institution's upcoming bicentennial celebration to engage more corporate and philanthropic donations.
In the mid sixties I had the honor of being assistant to the president of the Academy, John Bodine. He was a lawyer, businessman, and lover of history and nature. What a wonderful man! Knowledge of the discipline is not the key to success in leading a nonprofit or a college: respect for and love of the discipline are. Here's to George Gephart and may he raise lots of money and lots of love of natural history during his tenure.