Download Executive Service Corps of Cincinnati (ESCC)

Succession Planning for Sustained Capacity
Preparation and discussion of the importance of planning for leadership transitions as large numbers of baby
boomers retire or move to encore careers. As you consider this type of capacity building for your nonprofit
partners, reflect on how this retirement surge might affect your organization over the next decade.
This session is a moderated panel discussion with interactive audience participation on Succession Planning and
the three timelines: Emergency Action, Planned Change and Strategic Development. ESCC presenters will lead
the audience through self-assessment and case study examples.
Presenter information
Executive Service Corps of Cincinnati (a nonprofit consulting, coaching and leadership development nonprofit)
Executive Service Corps of Cincinnati (ESCC) is a nonprofit organization that provides effective, high-quality,
affordable consulting, coaching and leadership development services to nonprofits in the Greater Cincinnati
region. We assist nonprofits and community leaders to attain their community goals. ESCC’s services focus on
strategic planning, nonprofit board development, business and operations improvement and leadership
development. ESCC’s workforce is comprised of over 100 active and retired professionals sharing their
successful career experience and skills without financial compensation. In the 20 years since ESCC’s founding
in Cincinnati, we have helped strengthen more than 550 nonprofits.
Panel Moderator: Robert Schrage, Chief Executive Officer, ESCC
Robert Schrage is Chief Executive Officer of Executive Service Corps of Cincinnati,
joining ESCC May 2015. Previously, he served as Assistant Director for the Northern
Kentucky Area Development District, where he worked for 27 years. Most recently
Schrage was Director of Administration for Transitions, Inc. a 150 employee substance
abuse treatment nonprofit; and served as Executive Director of the Rabbit Hash Historic
Society. In addition he was a professor in the Master of Public Administration Program at
Northern Kentucky University. Schrage is very active in local history circles and has
served on many Board and volunteer positions related to preservation of local history.
He currently is President of the Cincinnatus Association and active in the Northern
Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. In 2013 he won the Luke Dober Award for his lobbying efforts on behalf of
Substance Abuse Treatment in the region. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from
Northern Kentucky University and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Cincinnati.
Panel Presenters:
Carol Sparks, ESCC Consultant, Trainer and Coach
Carol is a human resources specialist. She retired from Federated Department Stores as
Operating Vice President, Employee Relations, after having spent her entire working
career there. She continues to serve as a consultant to the company while devoting time to
volunteer projects.
Having attended the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory Of Music, Carol is
especially committed to the arts. She has served on the boards of the Kentucky
Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Choral Society. She has also volunteered with the
Fine Arts Fund and served on the HR Committee of the United Way and has recently
provided human resource consulting services to the Cincinnati World Piano Competition and Concert:Nova.
Tony Cipollone, ESCC Consultant, Trainer and Coach
Tony is an experienced business consultant and training professional focused on
optimizing individual and organizational performance. He is currently President of
Performance Improvement Consulting and also is an adjunct professor at Thomas More
College’s TAP M.B.A. program. Tony previously held training and human resource
management positions at corporations across many industries.
Tony was the ESCC project manager for the Cancer Support Community’s search for a
development director, and has also headed up staff assessments and CEO search for
Wesley Community Services. Tony has served as a leadership coach in ESCC’s
leadership development programs. He has also lead ESCC projects on HR, compensation
studies and organizational assessments. Tony earned a Ph.D., Philosophy, DePaul
University and M.A, B.A., Philosophy, Athenaeum of Ohio.
PhD
Craig Kowalski, Vice President, Consulting Services, ESCC
As well as an ESCC volunteer consultant, trainer and coach, Craig is ESCC’s Vice
President, Consulting Services. Prior to joining the ESCC management team in 2010,
Craig was Principal, Owner, and Project Manager of ENTRAN, a planning and
engineering infrastructure consulting firm practicing in six states. He is a certified urban
planner with over 30 years in project management, transportation and environmental
planning and civil engineering consulting and business development.
Craig frequently leads or assists with strategic planning and board development projects.
In addition, he is a presenter in ESCC’s leadership institutes and regularly teaches
ESCC’s internal workshops on strategic thinking, project management and organizational assessment. He is
also currently a board member of the Executive Service Corps’ national board, ESC-US. Craig earned a B.S.
degree in Urban Planning and Design from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Art, Architecture
and Planning (DAAP).