Meet Our Board--David Feingold

David Feingold is a new addition to the Thrive Asheville board of directors. After his retirement from Blue Ridge Public Radio, where he served as CEO, David has focused on a range of volunteer activities. He currently serves on the RiverLink board and is an advisor to the non-profit investigative news organization Asheville Watchdog. Recently, David completed his second term on the ArtsAVL board. A graduate of Leadership Asheville ’34, he was a co-founder of the Leadership Asheville Executive Director Roundtable. David has worked in both domestic and international journalism, including senior management roles at CNN, Reuters, and Nebraska Public Media.

We talked to David about Thrive’s Strategic Planning, and here is what he had to say:

Q: What part of Thrive's strategic planning process are you most excited about as a new board member?

DF: As a relatively new organization this is a critical and timely opportunity for Thrive to look back on its founding principles and to adjust the initial strategic vision to fit our community’s most pressing issues. And as a new board member it’s an extremely valuable listening and learning opportunity where I can add my perspective and experience to the conversation.

Q:What do you consider to be the key elements of a successful strategic planning process?

DF: A strategic plan should directly guide the projects and programs of the organization. It should not be a stretch to go beyond the philosophical to the concrete and measurable.  It should be a living, flexible document that can directly inform the work of the organization and be clear and understandable throughout the community.

Q: How will strategic planning support Thrive's sustainability and mission as we move into the future?

DF: A successful strategic plan will help communicate to supporters and the broader community the value of Thrive and be the foundation for a strong case statement for established and new funders alike. And it will guide the staff and board to make informed decisions on the allocation of resources to meet key goals.