Constructing a Foundation for Executive Transition
At NAWIC, an interim executive empowers improvements and readies the team.
At the National Association of Women in Construction, Interim Executive Director Velma Hart, placed by Vetted Solutions, encountered an association in transition and opportunities for foundational improvements before the new executive director came on board. While NAWIC worked with Vetted on the executive search, Hart, an ASAE Fellow and Certified Association Executive, focused on enhanced productivity, effective business practices, and goal clarity.
From February 2025 through the NAWIC annual meeting in August 2025, Hart and the team constructed a stable foundation for the successor executive director to build upon. Results included improved and diversified revenue, enhanced partnerships, and better business acumen.
Effective interim executives share a skillset that includes a well-tuned ability to assess the situation and quickly form plans.
Observation Before Action
Effective interim executives share a skillset that includes a well-tuned ability to assess the situation and quickly form plans. According to Hart, observation comes first, closely followed by prioritizing what’s important. In the case of NAWIC, she could quickly see the need to address certain systems issues, but she also had to consider the limitations of a relatively short-tenured staff, so engaging the team in shared problem-solving, establishing trust, and helping build the leadership confidence of the managers were essential to exacting positive changes.
Her observations shaped the focus on three things:
Enhancing productivity. Working with a human resources consultant, Hart encouraged staff to consider their ideal roles—where they could most effectively contribute—and she reinforced positive thinking. She also established staff leadership layers, giving managers greater responsibility, and accountability, for outcomes. According to Hart, this approach supported leadership development and empowerment, which were essential prerequisites to greater productivity.
Improving business practices. A primary objective was focusing staff’s thinking on effective business practices. This work included, for example, engaging them in establishing a regular payment system for vendor invoices and staff expense reimbursements. Once the staff achieved that quick win, they eagerly sought more, and Hart guided them to a vital one: deliberately and consistently using data in decision making.
Making goals clear. It sounds simple, but ensuring goal clarity is particularly important during a transitional period. Hart made sure staff understood clearly what the priorities were and that they received clear direction from her.
Aligning the best interim with an organization’s needs and situation goes beyond background.
Ensuring Compatibility
Hart points out that Vetted Solutions does an excellent job of assessing the needs of an organization so that the leaders choose the right person. In her case, she brought a background that includes finance, human resources, operations, marketing and communication, and prior experience with a construction association. However, aligning the best interim with an organization’s needs and situation goes beyond background. Hart says her style of blending expertise with good humor gave the board the confidence that she was the person to help them bridge the transition to a new CEO.
“A benefit of an interim,” she says, “is that an interim is always a proven quantity. They have expertise, they are experienced, and they have been tested. The question is about cultural fit and how effectively their observation skills are before they leap to change.”
