To save costs and reduce the number of meetings, the ONS Board combined the traditional January and March meetings into a late-February meeting. It served as my final in-person board meeting, a bittersweet moment filled with reflection on ONS’s past, present, and future.
Strategic Planning
We started our meeting with a primary and vital function of any governance board: strategic planning. And, before we propelled forward into exciting territory—visioning the next three years of ONS’s work in light of our current and future healthcare landscapes—we took a look back at all of ONS’s strategic plans and the trends of the times. We’ve come so far as a professional organization, and it was clear to see that past strategic work paved the way for advancing excellence in quality cancer care. The new strategic plan will continue to go through refining processes and vetting, with final approval by the new 2018–2019 Board to guide our organization from 2019–2021.
Other Business
Our remaining topics included financial discussions (a primary responsibility of any governing board), review of our membership, approving new chapters, completing the annual performance review of the ONS chief executive officer who reports directly to the Board, and meeting with the ONS Leadership Development Committee (LDC) to clarify the LDC’s charter to guide strategic leadership development in the organization. It was a whirlwind of governance, and at each step we revisited our history to help us cruise forward, with the pedal to the metal. Buckle up, ONS, we’re well on our way and shifting into the next gear.