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Role of the Chair

  • Policy Name: Role of the Chair
  • Policy Types: Governance Process
  • Number: GP-04
  • Date Approved: October 20, 2025
  • Date Amended: 
  • Date Last Reviewed: 

The Oakland Community College Board Chair who is the Chief Governance Officer, a specially empowered member of the Board, assures the integrity of the Board’s process.

  1. The assigned result of the Board Chair/CGO’s job is that the Board behaves consistently with its own rules and those legitimately imposed upon it from outside the organization.

    1.1. Meeting discussion content will include only those issues that, according to Board policy, clearly belong to the Board to decide or monitor.

    1.2. Information that is neither for monitoring performance nor for Board decisions will be avoided or minimized and always noted as such.

    1.3. Deliberation will be timely, fair, orderly and thorough, but also efficient and kept to the point.

    1.4. The Board’s Vice Chair will be sufficiently informed of Board issues and processes to provide continuity in the event of planned or unexpected Board Chair/CGO absences.

  2. The authority of the Board Chair/CGO consists in making decisions that fall within topics covered by Board policies on Governance Process and Board-CEO Delegation, with the exception of (a) employment, discipline or termination of a CEO; evaluation of CEO performance, determination of CEO compensation or changing the conditions of employment of a CEO and (b) instances where the Board specifically delegates portions of this authority to others. The Chair is authorized to use any reasonable interpretation of the provisions in these policies.

    2.1. The Board Chair/CGO is empowered to chair Board meetings with all the commonly accepted power of that position, such as ruling and recognizing.

    2.2. The Board Chair may call emergency and special meetings.

    2.3. The Board Chair has no authority to make decisions about policies created by the Board within Ends and Executive Limitations policy areas. Therefore, the Chair has no authority to supervise or direct the CEO.

    2.4. The Board Chair/CGO may represent the Board to outside parties in announcing board-stated positions and in stating Chair’s decisions and interpretations within the area delegated to the Board Chair/CGO.

         2.4.1. The Board Chair/CGO will represent the Board at College published events.

    2.5. The Chair may delegate this authority but remains accountable for its use.