With guest board role, emerging leaders step into boardroom

You don’t need decades climbing the ladder or a corner office to earn a seat at the boardroom table at TSP, Inc.

With its guest board member position, the architecture, engineering, planning, and interior design firm offers a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between the technical and business sides of the firm.

It allows team members from diverse backgrounds to gain a deeper understanding of leadership responsibilities and strategic decision-making.

The yearlong, nonvoting position also opens the door for team members to share their own unique perspectives.

Carly Nord, an electrical engineer who has been with TSP for 12 years, recently completed her term as the guest board member.

She was seeking new ways to contribute, increase her understanding of the leadership team’s responsibilities, and provide constructive feedback.

“I was particularly interested in sharing my perspective, given my diverse experience working on projects across our entire firm footprint—from Rapid City to Wisconsin—and across a wide range of delivery methods, including design-bid-build, Construction Manager at Risk, and design for handoff to owner-designated contractors, as well as direct work with contractors,” she said.

“My project background spans healthcare, education, public facilities, and office buildings.”

Nord found the experience enlightening, and especially eye-opening was witnessing the level of thought that goes into the board’s decision-making.

She gained understanding from departments she does not interact with daily, such as technology, human resources, and business development.

Nord also valued the perspective of TSP’s current external board members, Mike Grigsby and Sara Steever.

“I had heard about our outside board members and thought it would be a great opportunity to connect with them and learn from their insights,” she said.

TSP’s guest board position dates to 2013, when the firm’s current CEO, Jared Nesje, served as a nonvoting member.

The process was less formal back then and involved board discussions about potential candidates and the choice of someone whom board members believed showed leadership potential.

A formal process, open to all TSP team members, was adopted in 2020. It requires applicants to submit a written statement describing what they can contribute to the TSP Board of Directors and what they hope to learn.

Each year, Nesje and the Board of Directors review all the applications and make an appointment, which is announced at TSP’s annual meeting in the spring.

One advantage of the application process is that it helps identify team members who might have otherwise been overlooked.

Architectural Graduate Autumn Kayl is TSP’s current guest board member, a role she pursued out of a strong desire to better understand the business side of architecture and engineering.

“I wanted to know more about the business end of what makes our firm so great,” she said. “And I thought it would be a great learning experience.”

The opportunity to gain insight into the firm’s operational direction and decision-making also aligns closely with her professional goals.

“Currently, I do not fully understand the behind-the-scenes business strategy portion of architecture,” Kayl said. “This helps me gain those practice management hours that I need to become licensed as an architect – but even better because I am not just reading about it in a book.”

While the guest board member role focuses on listening and learning, Kayl looks forward to contributing her own meaningful insights.

“I believe it is a great environment and a team where I will have plenty of opportunities to learn, but I also feel that my opinions are both valued and heard,” she said.

“I see myself offering perspective that is shaped more by the mindset of the younger generation with less work experience – potentially bringing a different viewpoint compared to others.”

Although only one person serves as guest board member each year, its existence is one way TSP values growth opportunities and is committed to investing in team member development in a tangible way.

The role allows team members to contribute to firm-level discussions and learn beyond their day-to-day responsibilities.

It also provides exposure to executive decision-making, helps build confidence in leadership settings, and supports the development of strategic communication skills.

Von Petersen, principal and office leader at TSP in Rochester, Minnesota, is grateful for his time as a guest board member, which coincided with discussions on several important organizational decisions.

The experience strengthened his strategic thinking skills and deepened his appreciation for long-range planning – topics not generally covered in the classroom.

“It was something I genuinely enjoyed—despite some tough, even emotional conversations along the way,” he said.

The guest board position, Petersen said, exemplifies a commitment to transparency and reflects the firm’s core values.

“At the heart of it all, our approach has always been human-centric, not purely business-centric,” he said.

“It is about our people first and foremost.”