Chapter Leadership Intensive 2024

Every incoming chapter officer across the Greater Boston chapter's three cities, Boston, Providence, and Manchester, gathered at the Boston Chapter House for the 2024 Chapter Leadership Intensive. The townhouse's second-floor room, with its tall windows overlooking Beacon Street, held a smaller group than a hotel ballroom would, which is by design: the intensive runs as a working session, not a conference.

Chapter Chair Elena Marsh, CEO of the Society of Historic Mill Towns, opened the day with an overview of the chapter — its rotating roundtable schedule across three cities, and what's changed since the last group of officers took over. Dominic Ferrante, NANA's board vice chair and deputy executive director at the National Council of Building Officials, led a session on running an effective roundtable: how to keep a two-hour meeting from turning into an hour of announcements.

The middle of the day covered budgeting for an all-volunteer chapter — most Greater Boston member organizations run lean, and the chapter's own operating budget depends on modest sponsorship and no paid staff. Attendees worked through a sample chapter budget together, flagging where costs tend to run over.

Elena Marsh returned in the afternoon for a session on recruiting and keeping volunteers, drawing on lessons from the chapter's own committee turnover. The day closed with action planning: each incoming officer left with three commitments for their first ninety days.

The Boston Chapter House is a short walk from Boston Common and reachable by the Green Line. Lunch was provided; the intensive is free for incoming officers.

The intensive is built for officers who are new to the role this year, not returning veterans — the agenda assumes no prior exposure to the chapter's budget or committee structure. Committee chairs from Boston, Providence, and Manchester attend together so the group can compare notes across all three cities the chapter serves.