ISK was established in 1976 by the governments of the USA and Canada. It is governed by a 7-member Board of Governors and a 9-member Board of Directors. Three members of the Board of Directors are appointed by the sponsoring missions, four are elected, and two are appointed by the board itself. All seven members of the Board of Governors are appointed. Four members currently represent the US Embassy and three members represent the Canadian High Commission.
The Board of Governors (BoG) consists of seven appointees from the two sponsoring missions. The role of the BoG is fiduciary oversight at the highest level, including approvals of the Long-Term Financial Plan, annual budgets, composition of the Board of Directors, and any major capital expenditure such as a construction project.
The Board of Directors (BoD) consists of nine members:
- Two elected parents
- Two Board of Director parent-appointed positions
- Two Board of Directors general appointed positions
- Three members appointed by the U.S. and Canadian Missions in Kenya
Board-appointed members do not have to be parents of ISK, but will have some other long- standing connection to the school, such as being an alumnus of ISK.
In general, ISK’s Board of Directors has four major responsibilities:
- Strategic Planning: the Board is responsible for establishing, evaluating and reviewing the strategic direction of ISK.
- Financial Planning: the Board has a responsibility for fiduciary oversight including risk management, and preparing and monitoring the annual budget.
- Formulation and approval of school policy (assisted in this task by the Director and School Administration).
- Hiring, evaluating, developing and supporting the Director.
Personnel decisions, as well as the daily management of the school, are delegated to the Director, his/her leadership team, faculty, and staff. In short, the Board of Directors is not involved in operational matters, which are delegated exclusively to the Director.
The Board of Directors fulfills its responsibilities and achieves its annual goals through committees. Two standing committees are the Finance Committee and the Governance Committee. Each year, additional ad hoc committees, such as the Facilities Committee, are convened to address specific tasks or goals, and may involve a variety of stakeholders.
