Introducing Our New Member of the Scrum Alliance Board of Directors

As a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization, Scrum Alliance has supported the agile movement as the only member-driven nonprofit certifying body in the agile space. As a trade association, we were founded and funded by the community for the community, a privilege we take seriously. Our organization is governed by a Board of Directors, who is tasked with guiding the organization towards a sustainable future by advising on strategy, ensuring legal and financial best practices, and advancing the mission of the organization.

Who Makes up the Board of Directors?

The Scrum Alliance Board of Directors has a minimum of nine members. Of these, at least five are recommended by a subcommittee on the board, voted on by the full board and known as Board Elected Directors. Three are elected by members of Scrum Alliance like you and referred to as Scrum Certified Members or SCM. One member is the current Chief Executive Officer of the organization.

In building the composition of the Board of Directors, it’s important to have members with a variety of backgrounds and skill sets, including legal, financial, business, leadership, and communication. When new members join the board, their skills and attributes are evaluated on a board skills matrix, which can include categories such as demographic information, previous experience serving on a board, industry, areas of expertise, governance competencies, and more. This gives more insight into how the new board member can contribute to the board. It’s important for the board to have a diverse array of experiences, skills, and backgrounds in order to bring multiple worldviews to the table when discussing strategic objectives.

How the Board of Directors Contributes to the Mission

The Board of Directors develops and sets the strategic direction of the organization, all while keeping the mission and vision as their North Star. They provide advice and feedback to the Executive team in order to approve the strategic plan and budget for the organization. As part of this, they are also there to help foster ethical and responsible decision-making by management and the Executive team. They are also responsible for approving any changes to the governance documents for the organization. 

The board also works with the Chief Operating Officer and accounting team to maintain audit and accounting practices to ensure that the organization is in good financial health. To do this, they make sure that the correct policies and procedures are in place for financial and non-financial risks and reporting.

Meet the New Member of the Board

We are excited to welcome a new member to the Board of Directors, Marc Brown. Brown is joining our board as a Board Elected Director, bringing an impressive background in Human Resources and organizational culture with him.

Marc Brown, Board Elected Director

Senior Professional Human Resources, Vice President of Human Resources

Prior to leading HR and Operations at Cyngn, a publicly traded Autonomous Industrial Vehicle company, Marc served as Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at education technology services company ZOVIO. Before that he led HR, Corporate Communications, and Facilities at Provide Commerce and served in multiple HR and operational leadership roles at PETCO, Encore Capital Group, UnitedHealthcare and Honeywell. Marc received his bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and his master’s from American University.

With over 30 years in HR, Marc continues to raise the performance of organizations in transition through People, Process, and Technology across multiple industries.

On What Being a Board Member Means & His Goals

“Serving on the Board of Scrum Alliance is first and foremost about accountability to fulfilling our mission, oversight and providing strategic counsel. Having worked across multiple industries, means bringing the perspective of a largely untapped market - non IT or Engineering functions. How much more effective could Marketing, Communications, HR and other corporate functions be if they embraced a scrum approach to the way they worked?"

How to Get Involved

Every year, Scrum Alliance holds a Scrum Certified Member election, where active members of Scrum Alliance can nominate and elect a board member to act as their voice and advocate for the interests of the community. We encourage all of our members to nominate a candidate, as well as vote in the election. 

The nomination period for our Scrum Certified Member election is currently open. Any Scrum Certified Member (SCM) in good standing may petition the Nominating Committee with a nomination. You are free to nominate another member or nominate yourself. 

Nominations are being accepted now through 25 June 2023. Please use the link below to learn more about the role and to submit your nomination.

Nominate a Candidate