It is the board that selects, supports, and terminates when necessary, the school leader. It is the board that ensures that the school is operationally and financially viable. It is the board that partners with the school leader to define academic excellence and then holds the bar high insisting that the school delivers. An authorizer's success in creating quality public schools hinges upon knowing who you are giving the charter to, making sure that they are prepared to govern effectively, and ultimately holding them accountable for the performance of the school. Therefore, successful authorizing must place a great deal of stock in vetting, probing, and orienting the founding board. This Issue Brief identifies some of the key characteristics and qualities of effective charter school founding boards and offers concrete suggestions about how the charter school authorizing process can set boards up for success from the very beginning. Boards that get it right from the outset are likely to deliver on the academic promises outlined in their charters. Boards that start out on the wrong foot are almost certain not to deliver the academic excellence their students deserve. (Contains 2 endnotes.)