Nancy Murphy

Founder and President, CSR Communications

Nancy’s spent her career saying what others are afraid to – and learning to say it in ways that others will listen. As founder and president of CSR Communications, she teaches leaders how to influence and persuade others so they can realize their vision for change faster, with less frustration and resistance.

Nancy’s previous experience includes more than a decade in consulting firms, leading APCO Worldwide’s corporate responsibility practice and then heading the D.C. office for Portland-based Metropolitan Group. Nancy served as executive vice president and senior advisor for social innovation at Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and led international grantmaking for the Steve and Jean Case Foundation.
Her extensive board service includes 11 years with global NGO, Pact, including six years as board chair; five years with Taproot Foundation, including three as board chair; National Youth Leadership Council, Atlas Corps and Interfaith Center for Peace (at The Ohio State University). Nancy’s an active member of BoardSource and has delivered training for their members.

Nancy holds a master’s degree in public affairs from University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School, a master’s in health communication from Boston University, and a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from University of Dayton.

Contributions

Board Chair Peer Network: Communication Tools to Improve Meetings and Navigate Uncomfortable Conversations

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Nancy Murphy, Ann Maddox Utterback

Meeting planning and facilitation are a significant responsibility of the board chair. Do your meetings feel more difficult than they should? Are you avoiding uncomfortable conversations for fear of conflict or straining family connections? Does your board sometimes struggle with making decisions? If so, this conversation is for you. These experiences often result from communication challenges. Learn from JF Maddox… Read More
Voices from the Field

Meeting Makeovers: Time to Reflect and Review

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Nancy Murphy

In this new series, Meeting Makeovers, board development expert and founder of CSR Communications, Nancy Murphy, highlights a different meeting challenge each quarter and offers a makeover solution. See the first blog post here. Problem Area: Failing to “look in the mirror.” Makeover Solution: Institute a regular meeting evaluation using a consistent format. For many boards, the end of a meeting… Read More
Voices from the Field

Do Your Board Meetings Need a Makeover?

Posted on December 3, 2020 by Nancy Murphy, Ann Maddox Utterback

In this new series, Meeting Makeovers, board development expert and founder of CSR Communications, Nancy Murphy, highlights a different meeting challenge each quarter and offers a makeover solution. Read the second blog in the series here. This first installment, co-written with Ann Maddox Utterback, board chair of the JF Maddox Foundation, addresses the problem of “hand-me-down” meeting culture. Problem Area:… Read More