In January 2001 Asian Neighborhood Design (AND) was in the midst of change. AND, a San Francisco-based nonprofit housing and community development organization was experiencing challenges in meeting all the expansion commitments of its manufacturing business. Furthermore, during AND's rapid growth over the previous three years, the organization's financial accounting systems had not kept pace with the growth of the businesses. Yet, when longtime executive director Maurice Lim Miller resigned at the end of 2000, the Board believed that he had successfully stabilized the manufacturing business as well as brought AND's financial accounting and reporting under control. AND's new interim director, Richard Scott, had a strong business background focused in real estate as well as experience in nonprofit governance. Yet, AND presented a unique challenge. How would Scott ascertain AND's true state of affairs, and could he lead the organization through its transformation? Further, would Scott's primary career in the for-profit world help him in taking a fresh look at a nonprofit, or would it lead to decisions that were not consistent with how nonprofits typically address challenges?
