During this season when a good number of boards seat new members and their officers, I have been thinking about the length of term for the Chair and concluded that two-year terms for a nonprofit board chair makes a lot of sense: for the Chair and for the board.
For one thing, a two year term provides time for a Chair to get really familiar with their role (assuming they might not have served as Vice Chair as a way to learn the ropes). The first year is often a time when a board chair learns the ropes and any hopes they had for pursuing a particular agenda may be limited in lieu of the demands of just being chair. So, year one: learning and gaining a clear "presence" among the members. Year two, be recognized as leader and have the space for leaving a legacy (especially after having completed four years of service).
At the same time having a Chair in place for two years provides the Governance Committee with the time for identifying and developing the next Chair while ensuring that there is one clear leader and leadership style in place.
Of course all of this says nothing about the too many nonprofits (in my opinion) where the same board Chair has been in place for more that 2 years and there's no end in sight. Good news for culture and stability; not-so-good news for providing opportunity for other board members; moving along not-so-great leaders; and often-times, not providing the space for innovation, creativity and change to better achieve mission.