Board officers leave, terms of service end, and without effective preparation, those departures can put an organization into crisis. The preparation for these vacancies begins long before those vacancies occur. Having an intentional, smooth, and well-thought-out transition plan will help trustees whether the challenges of leadership change and prepare the next group of leaders to succeed. Dr. Vicki Niebrugge is the Chair of the Board of Trustees for Western Seminary and has worked with succession planning in numerous non-profit and for-profit organizations.