Bill Charney is widely recognized as one of North America’s foremost authorities on board leadership and Policy Governance.  Bill’s primary focus is working with and helping individual boards clarify their expectations, roles and accountability to proactively establish performance standards for the organizations they lead.

A popular speaker and highly skilled consultant, Bill is a valuable resource for nonprofits, governmental agencies, corporations, and cooperatives of all sizes.  Whether he is presenting a general session for a large convention, leading a two-hour seminar, or helping an individual board evaluate and improve its effectiveness, Bill has the ability to engage his audience while teaching. His unique perspective on effective board leadership has been shared at convention workshops throughout the United States, Scotland, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden, Holland and Singapore.

Since earning an MBA in Organization Management at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Bill has served on numerous boards, ranging from a small association with no employees to an international trade association, both of which he chaired.  Bill also has seen boards from the “CEO perspective.”  Bill founded and served nine years as the highly successful initial CEO of a prestigious Denver nonprofit (the Cherry Creek Arts Festival). His leadership tenure as CEO brought the nonprofit organization international acclaim as one of the most highly regarded arts festivals in the country, and for its pioneering volunteer management, environmental and corporate partnership programs.

Tom joined Charney Associates as a Consulting Associate in 2018 and was named Senior Consultant in 2021. Tom brings extensive experience with successful nonprofit, faith-based, arts, and trade and membership organizations, primarily as a board member and chairperson with a significant understanding of management and fiduciary responsibilities. Tom draws on his knowledge and insights to provide governance training to boards wishing to clarify roles, expectations and accountability for their organizations. In June 2019, Tom received his Policy Governance® Proficiency certification from Govern for Impact (formerly the International Policy Governance Association) and has been designated as a Governance Systems Professional (GSP).

Prior to joining Charney Associates, Tom practiced law for thirty years with two highly-regarded corporate law firms in Denver, concentrating his practice on commercial finance transactions and enforcement of creditors’ rights. Tom chaired the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association, a professional community that helps distressed and healthy businesses navigate planned transitions and off-plan events, and throughout his career has maintained a peer rating for the highest level of professional excellence from his legal colleagues.

Tom earned a B.A. in English (with a Business minor) from the University of Notre Dame and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. Tom is a 1996 graduate of the Denver Community Leadership Forum, a year-long program sponsored by the University of Colorado at Denver to foster relationships and collaboration among leaders from public, private and nonprofit enterprises. In August 2016, Tom received the City and County of Denver’s Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer Award for outstanding volunteer commitment and service.