This publication, titled Toward Meaningful, Valuable, Equitable Governance, emerged from a series of convenings GEO hosted throughout 2024 and 2025, bringing together CEOs and board chairs to explore how philanthropic governance can better align with organizational missions and values. Open Horizon’s co-founder, Lisa Cohen, and Executive Director, D’Lynn Jacobs, participated in these conversations, contributing insights from our own governance journey.

The publication highlights Open Horizon’s approach to building trust and mutual accountability between board and staff leadership. Specifically, it features our use of co-coaching as a tool for navigating the complexities of shared leadership across differences of race and privilege. As the publication notes, Lisa and D’Lynn “engage in quarterly coaching sessions with a skilled coach who specializes in working with Black women leading in white spaces. Attending to the not-unexpected challenges of shared leadership (between board and staff leaders) has smoothed the way for hard conversations and clarification of a shared vision.”

This work reflects Open Horizon’s commitment to practicing the values we espouse—centering equity, building authentic relationships, and creating structures that support rather than hinder our mission.

Toward Meaningful, Valuable, Equitable Governance offers practical guidance for philanthropic organizations seeking to transform their governance practices. Drawing on real-world examples from foundations across the country, it explores how boards can be more meaningful (aligned with mission and purpose), valuable (strengthening the organization), and equitable (inclusive and power-aware).

The publication identifies nine key themes for effective governance, including:

• Devoting time and energy to building relationships and trust
• Ensuring boards reflect and engage the communities they serve
• Building accountability within trusting relationships
• Focusing on the best and highest use of the board
• Choosing transparency as a default

We’re honored to be included among the innovative organizations featured in this important resource, and we hope it will inspire more foundations to examine and evolve their governance practices.

You can read the full publication here.