Victor Aspengren has succeeded Mary Boettcher as the chair of the NCEO's board of directors as of today. Mary had been the chair of the NCEO's board of directors since 2019; as the chief steward of the organization's mission to help employee ownership thrive, Mary says, " I am grateful for the opportunity to have served as chair of this extraordinary organization for the past three years. What a tumultuous time period for any organization, and none displayed more strength, determination, and agility than the NCEO. NCEO staff continues to deliver outstanding critical educational resources and research to support our employee ownership community and their passion to serve and grow employee ownership is ever-present. I look forward to continuing to serve as immediate past chair on the board of directors for the next two years!"

The NCEO's new chair, Victor Aspengren, is the only person in the NCEO's history to serve as board chair twice. His prior term ended in 2012, and he says, "I welcome the second chance to serve the NCEO as board chair.  With their never-ending quest for continued innovation, it will be starting new again! I look forward to finding ways to keep employee ownership in the national conversation." Victor has worked in many roles in employee ownership at both advisory firms and inside companies, and he currently serves on the boards of multiple ESOP companies.

This transition means that Mary will step into the role of immediate past chair of the board, replacing Judy Kornfeld. This will be the first time in 12 years that Judy will not be on the NCEO's board, and she has seen the organization through major changes.

The NCEO and the employee ownership community owe Judy, Mary, and Victor a huge debt of gratitude.

Today marks a change in the NCEO's governance, and it is a change that I believe ensures the incredible positive feedback loops of collaboration and partnership among the NCEO board, staff, membership, and our allied organizations.