The Kindezi Schools Board of Directors
Minutes
SY 26-27 Governance Committee Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday September 24, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Committee Members Present
O. Cassanova (remote), R. Cagle (remote), R. Wardlow (remote)
Committee Members Absent
None
Guests Present
N. Wright (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
R. Wardlow called a meeting of the Governance Committee of The Kindezi Schools Board of Directors to order on Thursday Sep 24, 2026 at 9:04 AM.
C.
Approve Minutes
R. Cagle made a motion to approve the minutes from SY 26-27 Governance Committee Meeting on 08-27-26.
O. Cassanova seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED to approve the motion.
II. Committee Updates
A.
Committee Assignments
- Rob to update the MOU draft involving Morehouse and Dr. Gunn to incorporate feedback regarding an escape clause, fundraising, legal review for public-facing activities, background screening requirements, and phasing distinctions.
- Leadership staff (including Erica or other chiefs) to lead the effort in identifying differences between the current employee handbook and existing board-approved policies (specifically board response timeframes and policy exclusions) and formulate alignment recommendations. Rebecca raised an observation that the language in the handbook doesn't feel like how we would want staff to experience Kindezi.
- Rob to explore the United Way website platform to determine if it can assist with board matching efforts.
- Rob to research potential locations, spaces, and logistics for an annual board recruitment event to cultivate a healthy candidate pipeline.
- Nakeshia to keep the team updated on Seven's background check clearance from Atlanta Public Schools.
- Rob to partner with Dr. Gunn ahead of the next meeting to gather thoughts and draft a one-page framework clarifying executive-level versus board-level decision authority.
B.
Review of annual goals
- Expand the board composition from the current total of 8 members to a primary target of 10 members, with a stretch goal of 13 members. Priority recruitment fields include:
- Talent and Human Resources
- Legal
- Marketing
- Finance
- Technology
- Annual Recruitment Event Strategy: Host an annual board-raising recruitment event in early 2027 to avoid holiday scheduling congestion. Nakeshia suggested to invite attendees as a follow-up touch point to Youth as Changemakers academic course event in February showcase actual academic courses.
- Align the employee handbook tone and expectations with the organization's core values of love. Final approval of the handbook is deferred pending staff-led reconciliation of discrepancies between the handbook and board-approved policies.
III. Other Business
A.
Next Steps
- Nakeshia to contact Shannon to discuss technical issues where video conference settings forced manual approval of participants instead of allowing automatic entry.
- Seven's onboarding process is currently awaiting background check clearance from Atlanta Public Schools before finalizing calendar additions and email account setup.
- Rob noted ongoing work by Dr. Gun to develop an AI governance framework. There is no immediate action required from the board until Dr. Gun presents a ready draft for elevation and review.
IV. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 9:24 AM.
Respectfully Submitted,
N. Wright