General Information
Promotional Video
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Instructor Bio
With 30 years of experience as a senior executive in the financial services industry, Lisa brings a wealth of practical knowledge to her role with the OnBoard Fellowship Program. Lisa’s private sector experience has informed her deep governance knowledge and financial stewardship insights, which along with strategic planning and risk management acumen, are critical components for effective board service. As a former instructor for the Ivey School of Business at The University of Western Ontario, Lisa has also taught and built educational programs for universities internationally.
Lisa is currently acting Director of the Johnston Centre for Corporate Governance Innovation at the Rotman School of Management. The Johnston Centre’s mission is to lead and sponsor research, data availability and events to pave the way for new governance thinking that enhances value creation and protection, benefiting Canadian firms and society. In addition to serving on several not-for profit boards, Lisa combines practical governance insight with academic expertise to prepare future leaders for impactful board service in this sector. She brings a unique passion for governance and experiential learning to the classroom.
Target Audience
Students who are interested in the practices of good governance, their challenges, and innovative ways to address them will enjoy the course. Also, students who value the non-profit sector and would like to work on a substantive project with real world recommendations/outcomes, with support from both a not-for-profit board member and advisor, will enjoy the course.
Format
Classroom sessions will be set up once a month across both terms. The course will be offered in-person, with some sessions scheduled online to accommodate guest speakers, etc.
Course Mission
- Develop a rich understanding of the non-profit sector, its practices, people, and processes.
- Understand the role and importance of boards in shaping the activities of non-profit organizations.
- Analyze the designs for and processes of ‘good’ governance.
- Create a shared community of knowledge between the non-profit boards and the Rotman School.
Course Scope
The course matches talented second-year MBA candidates with Ontario-based non-profit boards (and charities) for eight-month fellowships. Fellows support the boards, their committees and management by working on governance projects or strategic projects of interest to the board. Rotman OnBoard provides an innovative way for resource-constrained organizations to access valuable business skills in accounting, consulting, finance, marketing, HR, and other functional areas from some of Canada’s top MBA talent.
The key goal of the program is to develop students’ governance knowledge and leadership skills while they contribute their time and talent to non-profit organizations. It also allows students from three programs – MBA, JDMBA, and JD – to come together during our class sessions to learn from one another.
Evaluation and Grade Breakdown
| Component | Due Date | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Final Project Scope (post discussion with faculty advisor and board/management mentor) | End of October 2025 | 25% |
| Interim Report (post discussion with faculty advisor and board/management mentor) | Mid – January 2025 | 20% |
| Final Deliverable (including client feedback) | End of March 2025 | 45% |
| Classroom Participation (Quality of classroom contribution) | Sept – April 2025 Sessions | 10% |
Required Resources
Most of the resources will be materials readily available from the University of Toronto library system.