Governance

Under the visionary leadership of our immediate past President, Michael Benjamin, we undertook a complete restructure of the synagogue's governance.  A committee ably lead by Adele Fleet Bacow made recommendations that were adopted by the Board of Trustees in the spring of 2007 that significantly changed the way Temple Emanuel is governed.

Now in its fourth year of operation, our new governance structure enables us to address the needs of the congregation in a streamlined and effective way. We reduced the size of our governing board from over 140 people, to 36.  We are governed by a Board of Directors of 36 lay leaders, including 10 Officers and 26 Elected Directors who are responsible for the control and management of the affairs of the synagogue. A  Board of Trustees provides both wisdom and advice to the Directors and also provides a stepping stone for increased involvement in lay leadership.

Members of each Board agree to be bound by a Brit which is a Covenant of Responsibilities that defines expectations for lay leadership.  In addition, Directors participate in ongoing Leadership Education And Development, along with the synagogue's senior professionals which has proven to greatly enhance our ability to work together effectively to serve our congregation.

Another innovation of our new governance structure is our Presidents Assembly, composed of all past Presidents of the synagogue and chaired by the current President. It represents history and knowledge of past practices and decisions and lends its advice and counsel to the current lay and ritual leadership of the Temple.