The Krasnow Advisory Board

Next week is the Spring meeting of the Krasnow Advisory Board, a unique group of distinguished volunteers from around the country who volunteer their time to give me advice on the strategic direction of the Institute. The Krasnow Advisory Board is somewhat different from a typical governance board for a stand-alone institute in that its responsibility is not fiduciary (those responsibilities ultimately reside with the George Mason University Board of Visitors). Rather, the Advisory Board plays a key role in positioning the Institute vis a vis the external world, particularly the world of decision makers and external stake-holders. This is also a distinct role from the Krasnow Scientific Advisory Board, which I will discuss in a later blog entry.

At next week’s meeting our Advisory Board will have a great opportunity to get updates on the construction and the MRI installation as well as plans for the two new PI’s who will be coming on board over the summer (more about them later also). I’ll get advice from the Board in three main areas: first, how do we build a long term endowment for the Institute that can serve as a resource for the new scientific hires that are now coming down the road. Second, how do we adjust to macro-changes in the government R&D funding environment. Finally, I’ll ask the Board to commence a discussion on Phase III of the Krasnow Institute–which will further expand our space by another 12,500 square feet.

Jim