A conversation with Liz Hinds, President, Resident Council
Liz Hinds
President, Resident Council
Terwilliger Plaza, a single-site nonprofit Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), stands apart from other communities for its representative self-governance through a resident-Member majority Board of Directors governing structure.
In the State of Oregon, for CCRC’s there is a requirement that there be one resident representative to the Board. However, while these representatives have a voice they do not have the capacity to vote. Whereas, at Terwilliger Plaza since its founding in the 1960’s, resident-Members on the Board have both voice and vote. While nonprofits are by definition self-governing, Terwilliger Plaza’s representative self-governance board structure is a distinguishing element.
In addition to their majority on the board, Terwilliger Plaza residents also have another robust and dynamic system to engage the input and perspectives from within the community – led by resident-Members.
This platform is the Resident Council, described by council president, Liz Hinds, as “the voice of the membership.” Organized by its own set of bylaws distinct from Terwilliger Plaza’s bylaws, the council has in its current structure 17 Floor Representatives, which will soon transition to the title of Council Representatives.
These individuals, each responsible for specific floors hold what is known as floor meetings to hear directly from resident-Members and to convey updates on matters of significance to their homes, their life, and their community. As Liz conveys, “structurally, these floor meetings are a vehicle for communication – a way for resident-Members to communicate with each other, the administration, and the Board. We encourage a back-and-forth dialogue, offering a platform for floor members to tell their representatives what they are thinking.”
The Resident Council meets once a month, at which time they hear reports from the administration and the board, as well as committee reports. Each meeting is attended by either Ryan Miller, Terwilliger’s President and CEO, or Andi Fitzgerald, the Chief Operating Officer, or both. As well if there is an item on the agenda specific to a particular department within Terwilliger Plaza, a department head may also join the meeting.
The Resident Council also receives funding from Terwilliger Plaza for the many resident-Member led committees, and they may be on the agenda as well to offer reports or request for funding. Some of these committees include Artworks, Disaster/Emergency, Diversity, Employee Appreciation Reception, Faith Exploration, Green Team, Inquiring Mind, IT Users Group, Library, Meditation, Movie, Friday Night Music, Plaza Players, Saturday Forum, Tour Committee, Veteran’s Lunch or Woodworks.
“While as a council we are a small body, we represent everyone. The Resident Council meetings are open to the entire community,” says Liz. After each representative speaks, there is an opportunity for anyone to have the floor to bring up a topic, ask a question or offer a suggestion.
The Resident Council plays an important role in the ongoing effectiveness of the representative self-governance board structure at Terwilliger Plaza. This participatory communication structure that the Resident Council provides its membership is the layer beneath that engages and represents the full community. The president of the Resident Council, as an ex officio member of the Board of Directors serves as a conduit to the board representing the collective membership.
“The representative self-governance approach at Terwilliger Plaza is like democracy,” says Liz. “You have to continually work at it, provide the opportunities for engagement and support open discussions so that you have an informed voice in the community in which you live. This is what we strive to accomplish within Resident Council.”