Charity Village®NewsWeek: Cover Story-The right people at the right time: Considering dual leadership in the nonprofit sector

Charity Village®NewsWeek: Cover Story: "With today’s hectic pace, how often have you wished there was two of you so you could be in two places at the same time? That’s just one of the benefits cited by Tanya Sather of the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion (BACI) of her position as co-executive director with Richard Faucher. Both were managers with BACI prior to teaming up as co-executive directors four years ago, after the previous executive director submitted his resignation. As the former ED transitioned out of his role, various staff members took on additional responsibilities but none felt ready to singularly take on the leadership role. The exiting executive director recommended BACI research alternative leadership models. Sather approached her colleague Faucher because she knew his values and work ethic and felt there was a good fit. Together they submitted a proposal to the board outlining what a co-executive director model could look like. The board responded positively to the idea. Sather is now the executive director who takes care of HR and administration, while Faucher oversees direct services. Yet, if one person is not around, the other person can make a decision in that area. “The benefits are endless,” says Sather. “Literally, we can be in two places at once. There is always someone here - we have built in holiday coverage.”"