Hospitals and health systems trust their board of directors to provide direction and oversight to the organization, but who does the same for the board? As watchdogs of the board, the board development committee is responsible for developing the board’s knowledge and effectiveness, and ensuring that the board monitors its own perfor¬mance. In January 2009, the Davis Health System/Davis Memorial Hospital board became the first in West Virginia to earn the West Virginia Hospital Association board certification. In this interview Mark Doak, president and CEO, and Brenda Smith, board liaison, share how their board attained this certification through the diligence of their active board development committee.