Bob Clothier

Founder and Principal of Clothier Governance Consulting, Bob Clothier is an experienced advisor on governance practices for independent schools and nonprofit organizations. His work spans a wide array of topics, including board roles, responsibilities and fiduciary duties; board/head of school dynamics; trustee recruitment, orientation and evaluation; board and board committee goals, meetings, decisionmaking, and self-evaluation; committee structures, responsibilities and operations; board officer selection, responsibilities and evaluation; and leadership evaluation and succession planning. He also advises on strategic planning and enterprise risk management.

Bob designs customized governance assessments and workshops that include review of institutional documents, leadership interviews, and interactive sessions tailored to each client. He also supports the revision of bylaws and governance documents to align with best practices.

His school clients include The Haverford School, The Shipley School, The Agnes Irwin School, Hyde School, Overbrook School for the Blind, and Chester Charter Scholars Academy. He has also worked with nonprofits such as Philabundance, The Rock School for Dance, Merion Cricket Club, and Radnor Hunt Club.

For ten years, Bob was as Vice President and General Counsel at Ursinus College, where he was the College’s first in-house counsel and primary advisor to the Board of Trustees and its key committees. Previously, he was a partner at Saul Ewing LLP, where he represented institutions of higher education. He also served on the Board of Directors for the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA).

Bob brings decades of independent school governance experience, including service on The Haverford School’s Board of Trustees, where he chaired the Trusteeship Committee for 10 years. He is a graduate of The Haverford School, Princeton University, and the University of Chicago Law School.