Surveying the efforts of NIB and associated agency employees during the coronavirus pandemic, new Board Chair Paul M. Healy, Ph.D., is inspired. “I am very proud that NIB and its associated agencies have been part of a team to support our nation during the pandemic,” he says. “That speaks volumes for the organization, its integrity, and sense of purpose.”
The New Zealand native – who earned accounting and finance degrees from Victoria University of Wellington, and a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester in New York – has been associated with NIB for nearly 15 years. He first joined the board in 2005 after a colleague at Harvard Business School (HBS) recommended he look into the organization. With his strong background in finance, auditing, and ethics, it was a perfect fit.
Healy soon took on the role of treasurer and chaired the NIB board of directors audit and ethics committee. When the time came to find a new CEO, he was appointed to the committee which, after a nationwide search, selected Kevin Lynch to become the organization’s next leader in August 2008.
In 2010, Healy stepped down to deal with pressing work and family matters. “I didn’t feel I could give NIB the attention it deserved,” he explains. But he never lost interest in the organization and its work and was delighted to accept an invitation to rejoin the board in 2017, when he had more time to devote.
“I have always found NIB to be a well-run organization, with strong financial controls and oversight,” says Healy, who also is impressed with the effectiveness of Lynch as leader and how he has positioned the organization to develop new business areas.
The pandemic response shows both NIB and its associated agencies are ready for those new areas of business. he says. Headquarters staff were “incredibly effective” at transitioning to remote work and finding new ways to accomplish their jobs while continuing to offer training programs for people who are blind and support the associated agencies.
As for NIB associated agencies, he commends their ability to make workplace adjustments and support employees “who have proven themselves to be incredibly brave as front line workers producing essential products and providing needed services.”
The James R. Williston Professor of Business Administration at HBS, Dr. Healy’s interests include financial analysis, white collar crime, governance, mergers and acquisitions, and business ethics. He has received numerous honors for his research and served as chair of doctoral programs, chair of the Accounting and Management Unit, and senior associate dean for both research and faculty development at HBS. He teaches Master of Business Administration and executive education courses on accounting, financial analysis, corporate boards, and ethical leadership.