Cipoletti Gets a ‘Thumps Up’

The leadership and direction of American Numismatic Association Executive Director Chris Cipoletti is strongly supported by the ANA staff, according to the results of an independent performance evaluation commissioned by the ANA board of governors.

"This board, like the past two boards that hired Chris as executive director and evaluated his performance, is very pleased with Chris? performance,? said ANA President William H. Horton Jr. ?He has followed the direction set by this and prior boards in elevating and moving the association forward and advancing the ANA?s mission and vision.?

The evaluation of Cipoletti?s job performance and leadership skills was conducted by Personal Management Systems.
Barry Stuppler, ANA vice president, said PMS interviewed 12 ANA employees, some who were on a list of about 20 people selected by a board-appointed committee, and others picked at random. The identities of those selected were not released to Cipoletti, and the information provided by employees did not identify them to the board or Cipoletti.

?Employees were also able to use a blind e-mail drop in case there was information they weren?t comfortable providing in an interview setting, or wanted to provide additional information after thinking it over,? Stuppler said.

Cipoletti received a rating of 2.93 out of a scale of 0-4 from those assessing his skill in leading an organization. In the area of addressing organizational challenges, Cipoletti was rated with an average of 1.58; in this category, ratings of 2.50 and lower reflect positive results.

During the interviews, staff members said that they trust Cipoletti and believe he has strong business acumen; communication with staff is good and staff clearly sees the vision and mission of the ANA advancing in a positive manner.

Staff members believe that Cipoletti has a great vision and ideas, but felt that the speed with which he attempts to implement changes at times leads to unattainable time frames established.

Horton said accomplishments under Cipoletti?s leadership include increasing ANA net assets by 21.5 percent; increasing educational programs; expanding museum programs and exhibits; developing strategic partnerships with industry leaders; beginning newsstand distribution of Numismatist magazine; substantially growing museum attendance; and opening dialog for the opportunity to have museums and libraries on both coasts of the United States.

Stuppler said the evaluation results are a good start to the new year.
?I think it?s going to be an exciting year for the ANA,? he said. ?It?s an election year and we?re looking forward to getting numismatists to run who care about the association. There should also be some exciting news to be announced at the Charlotte (spring ANA) show.?