Podcasts about nacd

Feeling overwhelmed by the world of investing? You're not alone! Today, we take a dive deep into demystifying financial planning and wealth building with Julianne Averill, an extraordinary CFO, investor, and board advisor. Julianne shares her journey from a music major to a financial powerhouse, revealing accessible strategies for everyone—from those starting with a small windfall to seasoned professionals looking to diversify their portfolios. Get ready to learn practical tips on automation, risk management, and how to confidently step into your investment power, no matter your experience level. This week's episode 167 of How Women Inspire Podcast is about automation, venture capital, and wealth building! This episode was created in partnership with the Nasdaq Foundation. Together, we are working to educate, inspire, and engage women from diverse backgrounds on venture investing and entrepreneurship. Did you know that only 2% of venture funding goes to women-led companies? Together, we are working to show that women are the new face of venture investing.In this episode of How Women Inspire Podcast, Julianne Averill is sharing the importance of setting long-term investment plans  and actionable steps you can take right now to simplify your investing journey. Julianne Averill is a healthcare AI executive, strategic CFO, and board leader with 20+ years of experience scaling digital health and biopharma companies, driving billions in capital raises and M&A. She advises boards and investors on strategy, leveraging her expertise in digital transformation, CPA, SHRM-CP, GenAI, and board certification (NACD.DC). Currently, she is Audit Committee Chair for CureSearch, Operating Advisor to How Women Invest, and Managing Director at Danforth Advisors, leading growth in the SF/West Coast market and serving as interim CFO for late-stage companies, advising on IPOs and capital markets transactions. Her prior leadership roles include finance and strategy at global institutions and venture-backed companies across banking, techbio, and health tech.Some of the talking points Julie and Julianne go over in this episode include:Julianne's definition of success in investing and investment journey.Automating your investments for your busy life.Starting small and other advice for beginner investors.Setting up and dividing your investment “buckets” based on your income.Remember, you have what it takes to start making knowledgable investments for your future, and you don't need a lot of money to get started!Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me!  And don't forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!Learn more about How Women Inspire at https://www.howwomenlead.com/podcast CONNECT WITH JULIANNE AVERILL:LinkedInCONNECT WITH JULIE CASTRO ABRAMS:LinkedIn - JulieHow Women LeadHow Women InvestHow Women GiveInstagram - HWLLinkedIn - HWLFacebook - HWL

On this episode of The Founder's Sandbox, Brenda speaks with Dr. Keith Dorsey – Keith is joining to announce the launch of his book on May 6, 2025 “The Boardroom Journey Practical Guidance for Women to Secure a Seat at the Table”. Dr. Keith D. Dorsey is an internationally recognized governance expert and NACD Directorship 100™ honoree who equips senior leaders with proven strategies to secure and excel in board roles. With over 25 years of corporate leadership experience and active board service spanning private, municipal, university, and nonprofit sectors, he delivers engaging presentations that blend research-based insights with actionable guidance. Dr. Dorsey speaks on corporate governance, board effectiveness, and strategic leadership, helping organizations build stronger boards and executives navigate their path to the boardroom. His book, The Boardroom Journey, offers practical guidance for expanding boardroom impact and success. Read more about Keith's experience. You can find out more about Keith and his upcoming book at:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-keith-d-dorsey-798a2681/ https://www.boardroomjourney.com/book       Transcript:  00:04 Hi, I'm pleased to announce something very special to me, a new subscription-based service through Next Act Advisors that allows members exclusive access to personal industry insights and bespoke 00:32 corporate governance knowledge. This comes in the form of blogs, personal book recommendations, and early access to the founder's sandbox podcast episodes before they released to the public. If you want more white glove information on building your startup with information like what was in today's episode, sign up with the link in the show notes to enjoy being a special member of Next Act Advisors. 01:01 As a thank you to Founders Sandbox listeners, you can use code SANDBOX25 at checkout to enjoy 25 % off your membership costs. Thank you. 01:20 So welcome back to the Founder's Sandbox.  I am Brenda McCabe, your host and this monthly podcast.  We're now in our third season  and my podcast, the Founder's Sandbox, reaches entrepreneurs, business owners with guests. And these guests  teach us about building resilient, scalable and purpose-driven enterprises,  all with great corporate governance. My mission is simple. 01:49 with this podcast as I really want to assist through my content and my guests, those entrepreneurs and business owners and building the scalable, well-governed and resilient businesses.  And  I like to have in my  guests, corporate directors, primarily to speak about their own experience sitting on corporate boards and building with great corporate governance.  I like to think that we can use the 02:16 power of the private enterprise, be it small, medium, or large, to create change for a better world. And we do some of the storytelling in a fictitious sandbox on the founders or the corporate directors' origin story. I am absolutely delighted that this month I have Dr. Keith Dorsey as my guest. So welcome, Keith. It's great to be here. Thank you, Brenda. Thank you so much. 02:45 While you check many boxes, you're joining today because you have authored a book. It has a launch date of May 6, 2025, so just around the corner. And the title of your book is The Boardroom Journey, Practical Guidance for Women to Secure a Seat at the Table. So kudos to you. Thank you. For, wow, you're a busy person. We'll get to that later. 03:13 you know, where did you find the time and the courage to  publish a book, launch it  in today's  environment? And we'll get to those questions later. So for my guest, Dr. Keith  Dorsey and I go back  many years,  actually prior to you being a doctor, right?  You check many boxes  as a guest. You are a seasoned board member, executive advisor, 03:44 informal coach,  and researcher. I love that.  And it was in preparing your doctoral dissertation that you discovered that, I'm going to quote here, I was reading a compelling study on the effects of gender diversity on corporate governance.  And you basically repurposed your original dissertation to provide actionable guidance  on increasing boardroom diversity. 04:14 And when you switched your dissertation, that topic that you had to defend, otherwise you wouldn't be a doctor today, right?  Was the idea for the book that is launching on May 6th. So again, welcome to the podcast and thank you for joining me.  So we chose as a, my guests know, we chose a title because I at Next Act Advisors am about building purpose, purpose driven companies.  The title 04:43 that Keith and I came up with is, you know, bridging gaps for better governance. So Keith,  share with us kind of your origin story. Go back all the way, although I'm gonna encourage my listeners to purchase your book, but go back to your origin story.  You nailed it in like one page in the book, but tell us where your origins and what was your, not only your boardroom journey, but your journey to where you are today. 05:12 Thank you. I often tell people, Brenda, that this is my third chapter. You know, the first chapter was the US military. actually enlisted in the military in between my junior year of high school that summer and my senior year of high school. I knew before I started my first day of my senior year of high school when I was leaving for basic training in the Air Force. so my first 05:38 chapter was the Air Force for a number of years. was stationed  in Florida, the Republic of Panama, and the United Kingdom  for a number of years. And then I got impatient and decided I wanted to get out. I had a successful early career in the Air Force.  And I said, if I can be this successful in the US Air Force, which is like a large corporation,  imagine what I can do  in an actual corporation. 06:05 I set out on this journey to  explore sales. And that led me to my  second chapter, which was corporate America. And I worked for almost 30 years in corporate America,  primarily  as a turnaround specialist in the area of sales. I would take over the toughest sales  organizations within these large companies and really  lift the hood up  and figure out 06:35 were they having a people product or process problem within the organization and then begin to tweak the areas. And I worked for two large companies, Fortune 500 or Fortune 1000 for almost 17 years and then a Fortune 500 for almost 12 years. And I was just a strategic growth expert. I turn around teams and I would also start teams within the organization. 07:04 to  come up with ways for double digit growth and oftentimes triple digit growth.  And so that's what I did for almost 30 years. And then in January of 2019, I entered my third chapter, which was supposed to be  semi-retirement in this portfolio career.  unfortunately, I failed miserably at retirement and what I've been doing for the past six years in this  almost seven years and this 07:33 portfolio environment as executive advisory work. I also  started serving on boards in which today I served on five boards, two private,  one  municipality, one university, and one nonprofit. And then  I  decided to go back to school to get my doctorate. And so I went back to  school at the University of Southern California and 08:01 pursued my doctorate in organizational change and leadership. all my research was in  the,  you know, at this point,  at that point, all my research  was in the lack of gender and ethnic diversity on corporate boards.  And so-  So, and that's fascinating that you chose your doctoral kind of dissertation and then focus around organizational- 08:31 strategy, right? Yes. Was that based at all  on your 30 years of sales strategy? Were there any analogs? I wonder. There was.  Part of what I would do whenever I would take over a situation that required  me to turn it around,  like I said before, was to really look at the organization.  To look at  many components of the organization, people, product, processes. 09:00 artifacts that are going on, the subcultures, the cultures. And  so I've always been fascinated about it.  And I did things innately and I wanted to learn the science behind  many of the things that I innately did.  And after  really diving into research and studies around organizational change and leadership,  I wish I would have known many of those things that I figured out the science behind back when I was. 09:28 and an actual executive doing it. But nevertheless, by  learning it now and using that in my governance roles, I still have the opportunity to put the science  behind  what I'm doing  as a board member.  And I tell people, whether it's as a board member or my researcher or my writing roles that I have today, that I'm bilingual.  I speak business. 09:56 And I speak academia.  And boardroom lingo, right? Which combines a bit of the two.  I like how you use the word science. You know,  we were chatting  before actually  getting on  air today.  We've known each other primarily because we're both members of the National Association of Group Directors, right?  And  I've been a member since, I don't know,  2016. 10:26 I don't know how long you've been a member,  I, your book is truly a kind of a North star. wish I would have had it when  I began my board journey. I actually started my board journey while in Europe and I got onto public board and I went, Holy cow, I better get trained  and went to the local equivalent  of the NACD in Spain called Instituto de Consejeros Administradores, ICA. 10:56 So for my listeners, I do want to do a shout out  if you are intentional and want to learn more about  what the journey is to getting on  first or subsequent boards.  The  book that Keith has authored is launching on the sixth.  And there is a third section.  And specifically, it's around your capital that you need to 11:25 kind of package. It's called commitment capital. It's trademarked. We're going to get into that but it's truly unique because I've read a lot of board books over my 12, 13 years and I have not seen anything as unique as this. So shout out to you. Thank you. Okay. I wanted to also, you know, ask you what made you 11:53 decide to turn that dissertation into a book? What was the, because writing a book is not for the faint of heart. So it was not on my bucket list. So what happened? You know, this is kind of inspirational for me. You know, what made you go, all right, I've got to get a book out there. Well, I, this has been a serendipitous journey, you know, just even going to  get my doctorate was something that I kind of stumbled into. 12:23 I was dealing with a tiny bit of imposter syndrome  and in dealing with that,  I  assigned something to myself to get rid of my  imposter syndrome. And I said, it's hard to get into  a doctorate program. I just want to see what I, if I can even get in. And so in Keith Dorsey fashion, I probably went a little overboard and I applied to seven different universities and eight different doctoral programs.  And 12:53 But I didn't realize in filling out all those applications,  which was crazy,  was that I needed  a lot of former executives that I worked with and other CEOs and,  like I said, other executives to serve as a reference for me. So I collected 15 people that  I would use for all those applications,  two or three at a time.  And they wrote. 13:22 I guess great things about me because I got into all seven universities, all eight programs, but I really just wanted to boost my ego. I didn't really want to go back to get my doctorate. I needed to solve  for my little bit of imposter syndrome that I was dealing with. And, but when I did enough for were 15 accountability partners saying, which one are you getting in?  Which one are you going to choose? I wrote you a great reference. hope you choose the one that I wrote the reference for. 13:52 And I said, oh no, now what? I gotta get in. Now I really have to do it.  have to get my doctorate. So I really didn't have a strong enough why  to do this to begin with.  But what made me, once I got in and  I chose this problem of practice, which was my second problem of practice. My first was  around shareholder primacy on corporate boards.  And  I stumbled into 14:21 this problem of practice, which was around the lack of gender and ethnic diversity on corporate boards. But I ended up going down this path of corporate board diversity. And I just told you this wonderful story and forgot your question. But you know what made you decide to publish a book? So as I was going through this program, 14:50 and right beginning all this research and I really got into my research probably a little too much  and I was sitting with my dissertation chair and she said, Keith, there's something you need to know. I said, what's that? She said, a good dissertation is a done dissertation. And my friend, you have way too much research out there and you've written so much, you have to narrow your focus. 15:19 And I said, give me some examples. She said, you know, pick an industry, pick an ethnicity group, pick a gender, do something. You have to narrow this down.  And I really pushed back a lot. And one of the sayings at the University of Southern California  in this program, organizational change and leadership doctoral program was trust the process. And so she said, Keith, I know you're pushing back. I know you believe in all this research you  uncovered. 15:49 but you have to trust the process. You have to narrow it down.  I said, okay, if I narrow it down, what do I do with all this research over here  and all this research over there? She said, write a book. And that's how I ended up getting to this point where I actually wrote a book  with all this rich research before my dissertation.  And then I successfully completed my dissertation. had all this information. 16:17 And I did something most people wouldn't do immediately after getting my doctorate. I dove into more research studies. You're kidding. interviewed formally and informally  hundreds of women directors  who have made  that career shift into corporate,  into being an independent director.  And I got so much rich, even more information on their barriers, their enablers, their career. 16:47 and how they were  able to make that shift and  successfully get on corporate boards. And many of these women have been on boards for decades.  that's  how I ended up where I am today with this rich data.  And  I would ask you  to describe the four characters  that are in your book. 17:14 and their names and where were they in the career, right? I wanted to share. I wanted to take a unique approach,  know, any books out there and many  board readiness programs out there that will share  a lot of theory with you a lot of information that is rich that we need to know if you're going to be a student of your profession.  As you mentioned before, I highly recommend  everyone interested in being a board director  to 17:43 go to some sort of board readiness organization and get your education  and then get your certification if you can as well.  And so in  really diving into  all the  women that have successfully made this transition and  the hundreds of interviews, informal and both  formal interviews that I conducted,  I started to see themes. 18:12 in their career at certain ages and certain sections of their careers. And I took a lot of that data and I created these four fictitious women that I would use and talk about as a part of a case study and examples so that when you read a chapter and all this theory and all this information, you could then listen to how they took the information from that chapter and executed on it. And so 18:42 The four women that I created, the first one is Lauren. She's 25 and she's a brand new manager in a corporation. She's actually  been with the corporation for three years as a sales executive and got promoted into our very first sales management position, entry level sales management position. That's Lauren.  Then I have Denise, who is a brand new senior manager in a firm. 19:10 And then I have Michelle who, and Denise is 40 and a brand new senior manager. And then I have Michelle who's a 55 year old executive in a fortune 500 corporation. And, and she has said that she wants to retire in the next three to five years. And then lastly, I have Sharon who is a 62 year old CEO of 19:39 her family business and it's a set. She's the second generation of the family business. She's been the CEO for the past 12 years and she's going to turn the business over to her much younger brother and who will take over as the CEO. All four women said at some point they're going to want to serve on a private or a public corporate board. So what should the 25, 40 year old, 55 year old and 62 year old 20:08 do  at this point of their career  to best prepare themselves for board service? How should a 25-year-old really execute her career? And instead of taking, like many of us have done,  a promotion for the sake of a promotion because they want me and because it pays more,  instead of just doing that but really looking at 20:34 beginning with the end in mind. I ultimately want to be an independent director.  So how should I orchestrate my career? How should the 40 year old make a few more tweaks before she  is at that level where she wants to serve as an independent director?  And then this person who is actually thinking about retiring in the next three to five years,  what tweaks? 20:58 Should she make over the next three to five years the be most attractive and most prepared and known  in the industry to be an independent  director? And lastly, someone who has served on her own board as an executive director and CEO for the past 12 years, but never has been an independent director.  What are the things she should be doing right before she turns the business over? 21:27 to  really show up perfectly as an independent director versus an executive director moving forward.  Thank you.  While the characters are women  and the book  has a tagline,  what is that again?  The  guidance?  The guidance for women to secure a seat at the table by no means is this a book that solely can be read by women. 21:56 I think it speaks to the other gender.  And what I found really unique is that you  had characters at different times  and  moments and section moments and their careers and how to really be intentional.  My favorite chapter, I will tell you, is chapter three. Why?  Find your why. That's the name of the chapter. 22:24 Yes. And it is in alignment with the work I do with  business owners and founders. It's like, what is your North Star? Oftentimes they created the business, they're purpose driven, but articulating the why, you know, why did you go out and, you know, work these hours and put your, you know,  re-mortgage your house  to build this business. Finding that chapter, you know, find your why. And then you're probably the research you did with the over a hundred interviews. 22:54 You ideated this, but I'd love to for you to share. And I think it's very important of all your chapters. This is for me. I think if I were an aspiring  director, independent director, this would be the one that most resonates with me. Find your way. Tell me a bit more about that chapter.  It did for me, Brenda, as well for two reasons. One, because of the research that I uncovered and  the qualitative interviews that I conducted. 23:22 I found out that those that were successful  at making that transition from being an executive or a high-powered government official  to  actually being a board member,  they did find their why. And I also,  you know, in this chapter, this third chapter that I'm in,  I became a managing partner and a practice leader of CEO and board services at a global executive search firm. 23:50 And I would have  meetings with many executives who will actually say, Keith, I want to serve on corporate boards. And I will ask them why. And they really couldn't answer.  And I would ask them specific questions about what type of board, private or public.  And  they would say, Keith, I don't care. Just get me on a paid board.  And that's not going to work. And it doesn't work. 24:16 And so I  dedicated a whole chapter to finding your why,  because  as aspiring board members  or board members seeking their second or third board,  and they kind of found their first board because someone tapped them on the shoulders  and said, we want you,  but they don't know how to replicate getting on their next board because no one's tapping them on their shoulders right now.  I found that by  getting people to reflect  on 24:46 Number one, what brings them joy? What brings them joy in this world? Life's too short. And when you're interviewing for a board role, when you're interviewing for something that brings you joy versus the person who is equally as qualified as interviewing against you for that role, when you show up for something that brings you joy, you light up the room. 25:16 And that energy, that person interviewing you picks up on it and you end up having this banter  and they understand that, you know, this seems to be more important to this person versus that executive.  You all are exceptional executives. Your CVs are outstanding, but sometimes just the fact that you're interviewing some for something that brings you joy could be the differentiator. The other thing is the reflect  on 25:44 on your why and when you are successful, understanding why you're successful. When you do fail and you feel miserable, understanding why you failed and why you felt miserable. And by spending that time reflecting on that, you'll begin to figure out your secret sauce. You'll begin to figure out your superpowers.  You'll begin to figure out 26:10 the value that you actually bring to organizations because you uncover  when you are successful, why you're successful, and when you fail, why you fail, and when you feel miserable, why you feel miserable.  Most people don't take the time to reflect. And then as executives, we have conducted  many  of these vision, mission, and value exercises for our companies. We've met them, we've written them. 26:38 And we've done all these things for our companies, but how often do we actually bring that home and transfer those skills to figure out our own personal vision, mission, and values? And when you take the time to do that in this find your why period of time, you can begin  to figure that out and run  every single situation through those funnels. And that will help you  really find your sweet spot. 27:08 And then you're only interviewing in areas where you can truly bring value.  And so that's why I wrote this section. Wow. It sounds like a lot of work. All right. So your book, think, almost it's a guidebook.  So again, we have the four characters. You can pick up the book and read chapters that don't need to be read from the  sequencer order.  Talk to me. 27:36 I think was really unique about  commitment capital. There are five types you've identified.  And I never read or thought of a concept like this  when kind of packaging my board credentials or others. Speak to me about the commitment capital. Thanks. You don't mind, Brenna. I'll touch briefly on the other four, you know, and then I'll spend more time on commitment capital. But 28:01 The two capitals that you typically hear about when you go through any board readiness program,  as  one is human capital and that talks about your education, your expertise,  your experience throughout  your career. That's the human capital side of things. And then you'll, we talk often about the social capital. That's your network, the people you know  that,  and boards are interested in your human capital and your social capital. 28:29 The social capital side,  they want your contacts. They want your connections. They want your help with the M &A  and finding funding and different things like that, finding the right talent.  Your social capital is a big part of it. And your social capital can help you get on a board as well.  But those are the two that you often hear about. The other three that I wrote about,  one is director capital. 28:58 You don't hear much about that one. And that's similar to human capital. All these skills that you accumulated in education, you accumulated throughout your career that helped you along your career. Director capital is more narrow.  And what are the experiences and education like board readiness training that you need specifically to become a director? And so that's director capital. 29:25 Then I dove into cultural capital, which you don't hear much about. And cultural capital really looks at  from the back when you were five years old in  elementary school, middle school, high school, college,  and the experiences and the people you were surrounded by that you mirrored, you emulated, and the obstacles that you innately had to overcome back in those early years. 29:54 that you called upon either innately or on purpose intentionally  throughout your career to get you through some rough times  through your education period and through your career.  People that can  call back and understand their cultural capital can use that to get on boards.  That's cultural capital. And then the fifth capital was the missing link.  And that's about commitment. 30:21 the ability to do the things you need to do in order to get something done  and  call upon that. And I can give you an example.  I have two different groups  of  women  and directors and  executives that  have  very similar outstanding CVs. 30:44 And they  all have gone through a board readiness program and they all have completed some sort of certification. This group found their way on corporate boards. This group have been  really trying to get on boards for up to five years to no avail. But when you look at them on paper, education experience and success wise, they look similar. 31:11 And the missing ingredient that I found via research  was  those who got on boards did something differently than those who didn't. And the majority of the ones who haven't found their way on boards, when they completed their programs, they were proud of themselves. They took copious notes throughout the program. And they said, done. Let those board positions begin to come my direction. 31:39 And those who actually ended up getting on boards,  who also took copious notes, they were  studious throughout the process, but then they went back home and they executed. They started to make trade-offs in their lives and they started to do things differently.  Some of them gave up TV on Wednesday nights and they no longer watch the three Chicago shows. 32:03 You know,  traded that in so they could begin to do things differently and find the time to do that reflection work  and find the time to network differently and find the time. And so they started to hold themselves accountable via their commitment capital to get things done. To this date, I still have people that will say, Keith, I want to get on a private or a public board. 32:32 And I would look at their background and I said, you know what you really need right now? You really need to serve on a nonprofit board to get some human capital experience while surrounding yourself with some incredible social capital that will see you in action. And they said, Keith, I don't have time for a nonprofit board. Now, the NACD says the average board member, independent director, spends 250 hours a year on each board. 33:01 You're telling me you want me  to  help you find a private or public board  and you don't have time to serve on a nonprofit. Let me tell you, you don't have time to be on a for-profit board and you need to find your commitment capital to make the necessary trade-offs so you do have the times to dot your I's and cross your T's. That's what commitment capital is all about. And that was the missing ingredient.  I love it. So you coin it the missing link. 33:31 the analog with business owners and founders is grit. Yes.  Right. Thunder, but I get I get it. So I, I encourage those that are aspiring  for a  first or subsequent board positions to take a look at that. Now, I'm going to ask a question that  potentially has  in the current climate. And again, this is April of 34:01 2025.  There's been  a lot of backlash in our current administration to remove anything  with the acronym DEI, diversity, equity, inclusion,  remove it from  position, hiring, anything that actually is receiving federal funding.  I'm curious, you also have in your book coined  a term called 34:30 optimal diversity. while I think you had this  term  in all the research, right, in your original writing of this book, could optimal diversity be that analog to the downfall of DEI? I think so. And unfortunately, what's going on in today's society,  mostly in the US, but even  several other places in the world, 34:59 is that organizations, in my opinion, have confused the confused.  And they are saying we need to move away from diversity  and move towards meritocracy. And that we need to get away from checking the box  and move to bringing merit back. And the unfortunate part is diversity, equity, and 35:28 has always  had merit  as the  prerequisite.  It's never been about checking the box or just bringing in an unqualified individual  so that we can  look  from an observable diversity standpoint differently.  It's really been about  one, the  prerequisite and the  table stakes. 35:58 is merit.  And then two, to be able to fish in different ponds, to bring in different people.  So ultimately, we can have that cognitive diversity or diversity of thought brought into the room.  And unfortunately, because of this reason for bringing parody  and  make certain that  your boards and your C suites and your companies 36:26 resembled the stakeholders that you were going after for all obvious reasons.  Unfortunately,  the message has gotten lost as to why we want to do this.  And it's really about mitigating risk, disruption,  finding blue oceans,  and you mitigate your risk by having a representation of that diversity of thought to protect your business and to understand all the stakeholders that you're trying to serve. 36:56 And, the prerequisite was always merit. And so I share with people that meritocracy and diversity truly can and does coexist, do coexist.  And so optimal diversity is the combination  of observable or demographic diversity coupled with diversity of thought is optimal diversity. And that applies to every human being. 37:26 when they begin to reflect and to peel back their cultural, human,  social, all those capitals I mentioned before, they can begin to present themselves in such a way that they can  demonstrate their optimal diversity.  As a managing partner  and a practice leader, a CEO in board services, I will spend time with executives one-on-one from all walks of life and coach them. 37:55 And I remember when I typically would sit down with a white male executive during this period of time,  and I would tell them my story and what my background was on  and my research around my doctorate. They will start off because they're now interviewing with  a  search professional that can help them get on boards. And they will start to interview off like this.  And then as I begin to tell them my background and my research, 38:23 they would end up like this and angry. And then I would talk to them about optimal diversity and they would start to loosen up and then they go right back to this. And I remember in one of my conversations with a Fortune 500 executive, a white male, and I talked to him about optimal diversity and he said, wait a second. He said, Keith, I grew up on a farm and I went to this sort of school and he jumped out of the car. 38:53 like that. he said, I do bring diversity to the table. And I said, yes, you do. But I've never had to present myself that way before. And what you just did was you taught me to reach into myself and figure out how I differentiate myself from any other type of executive. And I never had to do that before. And that's optimal diversity. 39:20 Absolutely. So if you heard it here on the founder sandbox, optional diversity refers to ensuring that observable demographic diversity is coupled with diversity of thought. And meritocracy and diversity are not opposing  aims, but instead are symbiotic and share a common goal. So thank you, Keith, for developing the concept of optimal diversity.  And I must read. 39:50 coming out on May 6.  I would like you to have  your time on air to provide my listeners with how they may contact you because not only are you launching your book  on May 6,  the boardroom journey.  I do believe you have one on one coaching  as well as you do  speaking opportunities. 40:19 Keith, how's it best to contact you? Well, you can find me  on my website, is boardroomjourney.com. Okay.  And my email is keith at boardroomjourney.com. You can also find me on LinkedIn under Dr. Keith D. Dorsey. And so  those are,  you know, several different ways you could find me. And when you go to boardroomjourney.com, 40:47 I'm really attacking this  approach  of making certain that we take board governance very seriously  and helping to equip individuals at various stages of their career to be best prepared for board service.  I  want  everyone, as I mentioned before, to go through some sort of board readiness program with the many different type of board readiness programs out there. 41:16 But then once you've done that, I focus on three areas.  One is with, I'm sorry, Brenda, you want to ask me a question? No, that's okay, one.  One is with  the boards themselves. I'm gonna challenge via their consulting offerings,  challenge boards to really take a look at their board members they have today.  And really,  many boards will have skilled matrices. 41:42 Yes. And so they will look at the skills matrix and maybe highlight 12 different functional skills. And then they want to outline their board members and how they rate those different skills. And then they stop there. And I consider the skills matrix to be the top 10 % of a iceberg. OK. And that's the part you can see. The bottom 90 % below the surface is around their competencies. 42:12 And in our consulting,  I challenge boards to actually measure the  competencies  of their board members as well.  And those are the things below the surface, their behavioral traits and things like that, because you wanna have the right mix  of independent directors on your board.  And then  look at where they have a redundancy  of experiences in their  functional areas, skill sets, as well as competencies. 42:41 and think about their strategy moving forward and where do they have gaps?  And so that's one half of what, you know, Boardroom Journey does. The other part  is with individuals.  And what I have uncovered is that many people will go through a program, but they don't execute, as I mentioned before, a commitment capital.  So one of the offerings we have is you get an accountability partner.  And with the... 43:10 the accountability side of things,  the accountability partner will meet up with you and have 30 minute one-on-ones with you,  almost unlimited one-on-ones throughout the year,  the numbers so high. But you cannot get the next meeting with your accountability partner until you have proven you've done the things that we talked about in the prior meeting. And so that's an offering.  And then the other offering, 43:40 is six months  of one-on-one coaching, two times  for one hour each time, twice a month.  And that one-on-one coaching is taking a lot of the principles and action items from the book, The Boardroom Journey.  And instead of doing it in asynchronous sort of fashion, we're going through it together one-on-one  to make certain that you begin to do the things 44:06 differently to get different results. The saying is successful people do what unsuccessful people don't do. And the goal there with the one-on-one coaching is to have you do the things that you need to do in order to get to where you would like to go. And so that's what the boardroom journey as a company and a practice actually does for individuals. Thank you for sharing that. This will be in the show notes, And I'm very excited to. 44:35 provide some exposure and my listeners, particularly those that are considering  your own boardroom journey. I'm going to switch gears back to the founder sandbox. I am  passionate about  resilience,  purpose-driven and scalable growth. And I love to do a round the round with my guests and what does that meaning of resilience mean to you? Each of my guests has a different... 45:04 Yeah. So please. me, resilience comes down to when you truly have a true north and you believe in your true north, having the intestinal fortitude to do things that you need to do in order to get it done  and  not giving up right when you're at that point where things can actually turn around. That's to me what resilience is about. But you first got to know your true north. 45:33 have the intestinal fortitude, encourage  to stick with it until you hit them. Thank you. How about purpose driven? The title of your episode is purpose, Yes.  Bridging gaps for better governance. But beyond that, what is purpose driven? What has made you be so purposeful? That's a great question, Brenda. I would have to say 46:00 right back to that true north, know, finding your why and  really spending the time to think about where are there  unmet needs  in the marketplace.  And, you know, I've worked with some incredible organizations and sometimes we  are too insular and we come up with some great things. 46:25 that we created that we think the market should be interested in.  And the market says, you know what, that was cute, but no. And so  I feel when you start with from the client's perspective and you uncover where there are unmet needs, then and only then can you truly be purposeful  in meeting those unmet needs. And that feels good here  and you're solving something that's needed in the 46:55 I get  it. You heard it here. Q. Dorsey's definition of purposefulness. Scalable. So I think that what you have done here  by publishing what was originally your dissertation and then building  consulting a practice around is actually scalable. What's scalable for you?  You know, something  that can have a process. 47:24 Okay, repeatable process around it.  I've watched businesses  succeed and then fail because they built something  that was needed for in the marketplace, but they allowed themselves  to  get off the beaten track because they're trying to be all things for everybody.  And  for me, 47:52 when a business is truly scalable, they found something, they met an unmet need  and they know their sweet spot and they stay in their sweet spot.  Now, do they disrupt themselves  to stay ahead on the bell shaped curve? Absolutely.  But they build something that has a repeatable process and they can keep their margins down because they're not just being there for everybody. To me, that's what scalable is all about. Find in their sweet spot and execute it. 48:22 Excellent. 48:25 Fantastic. question. Did you have fun in the sandbox today, Keith? I actually did. The problem here, Brenda, is I just enjoy having conversations with you. so  we did that via podcast. We did what we normally do,  but via podcast.  That's  excellent. So I had a blast. Thank you. And what about you? I always have fun.  I love the fact that my guests 48:55 can tell their stories.  They're very authentic. You're very authentic.  You live your purpose.  actually, that's why  my guests come to me, right? And say, is  the podcast right now, a growing channel.  And I do have a large fellowship now. You can also follow me on YouTube.  to my guests, I hope you enjoyed this month's. 49:24 podcast. Actually, this month is a lot I published a lot about corporate governance the month of April. So if you like this episode with Dr. Keith Dorsey, sign up for the monthly release  of this podcast, the founder sandbox where my guests are founders, business owners, corporate board directors, authors.  And you'll learn about how to build strong governance for resilient, scalable and purpose driven companies to make profits for good. 49:54 So thank you for joining me again, Keith. It was a pleasure. Thank you.  

Think CMOs don't belong in the boardroom? Think again. Today's top marketers are stepping beyond the C-suite, bringing strategic insight, customer obsession, and data-driven decision-making to board-level conversations. But how do you actually make that leap? In this episode of Renegade Marketers Unite, Drew Neisser sits down with three marketing leaders who've done just that: Denise Vu Broady (Collibra), Peter Finter (KX), and Katrina Klier (Sage Strategy Group). They share how they earned board seats—and how you can too. In this episode: How Denise mapped her board journey five years in advance  Why Peter leads with risk and strategy to earn trust at the top  What Katrina looks for in a board-ready résumé (hint: it's not brand metrics) Plus:  Why nonprofit and advisory roles are the best launchpads  When to invest in certifications like NACD and PDA   How to talk board ambitions with your CEO (without raising red flags)  Why CMOs are more board-ready than they realize Whether you're just curious or actively pursuing a seat, this episode is your inside track to the boardroom.  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

In this episode of The Ethics Experts, Nick welcomes Avril Ussery Sisk. Avril Ussery Sisk, NACD.DC, serves as Chair of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Capital Area Chapter Advisory Board, and is on the Advisory Boards of MABLE Software and Athena Alliance. She recently served on the board of a privately held information technology company where she supported strategic public-private partnerships and the government relations strategy to drive significant revenue and ultimately a transaction. An attorney with more than 30 years of professional and community leadership, Avril has a strong record of innovation in large and mid-size government, business, and nonprofit organizations as well as consulting experience in both Japan and the United States. https://www.linkedin.com/in/avril-ussery-sisk/

(0:00) Intro(1:15) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel(2:02) Start of interview(2:48) Jorge's origin story(6:03) His executive career in Silicon Valley (including computer and semiconductor industries)(9:00) On his board experience (he has served in ~20 boards)(11:32) Distinctions between serving on different types of boards (public/private/non-profits/etc). On non-profits: "the board is really there for what they call the 3 W's: wisdom, work, or wealth."(12:55) On startup governance.(19:24) On the backlash on ESG/DEI and his book Differences that Make a Difference (2019). "I think the companies that embarked on DEI programs for the sake of checking a box or purely for the sake of compliance are the ones that need to change or got in trouble."(28:49) Differences between CEO coaching and board membership. "Most engineers need to get way better at EQ. When you get into leadership, it's a lot more about influence than being right."(31:26) On founder-led companies and governance.(37:00) On the impact of AI on business and boards. *Reference to E162 with Nora Denzel on NACD's BRC on tech in the boardroom.(44:30) On trend of AI companies incorporating as PBCs.(46:55) Books that have greatly influenced his life:Good to great by Jim Collins (2001)Crossing the Chasm, by Geoffrey Moore (1991)The Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz (2014)Philosophy: Buddhism(48:42) His mentors: parents, Russell Redenbaugh, and his karate instructor.(51:44) Quotes that he thinks of often or lives his life by. (52:37) An unusual habit or an absurd thing that he loves. Sports examples and analogies with business world.(54:38) On the impact of work from home. "Trust has gone from imperative to imperiled"(58:00) The living person he most admires: Reed Hastings. *Reference to Netflix board case studyJorge Titinger is the founder and CEO of Titinger Consulting, a boutique consulting firm focused on strategy development, the cultural aspects of M&A, corporate transformations and leadership coaching. You can follow Evan on social media at:X: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

(0:00) Intro.(1:47) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel(2:34) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episode with Nora (E74 from Oct 2022)(3:42) About the 2024 NACD Blue Ribbon Commission on Technology Leadership in the Boardroom: Driving Trust and Value(7:29) On the evolving role of the board overseeing technology and cybersecurity(10:41) On the surge of AI technology and its underlying infrastructure(13:15) The role of trust in the age of AI(17:22) How to think about ROI in technology from the boardroom(20:12) Board composition and technology expertise(27:19) Recommendations or takeaways from the BRC Report.(31:00) On AI regulation "It's really important to self-regulate"(34:13) Technology strategy and board committee structures(38:38) Tech aptitude in directors: 1) digital outsiders, 2) digital immigrants, 3) digital early adopters and 4) digital natives(41:52) On board education "needs to be more like Call of Duty" "directors should be learn-it-all's, not know-it-all's"(43:25) Best practices for board evaluations "you can only operate at the speed of trust" "the chair sets the tone"(46:42) On "Zero-based agenda setting"(49:14) Priority items for boards in 2025: talent in the boardroom/company, and having "THE meeting to govern Tech/AI"(52:02) On being "courageously optimistic" and how to address AI doomsayers(56:22) Nora's Top 6 Recommendations for Board Members to Become more Familiar with AINora Denzel is a Silicon Valley technology executive. She serves as the Lead Independent Director and Chair of the NomGov Committee at AMD. She also serves on the Gen Digital (NASDAQ: GEN), SUSE S.A. and NACD boards. You can follow Evan on social media at:X: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

Jorge Titinger is a seasoned executive and board member with over 35 years of experience in the high-tech industry, focusing on strategy, corporate transformations, and leadership development. As the founder and CEO of Titinger Consulting, Jorge provides strategic advisory services, guiding companies through complex M&A processes, digital transformations, and cultural alignment initiatives. His expertise is sought after by organizations ranging from multi-billion-dollar corporations to innovative startups. Jorge has an impressive track record of board service across public, private, and non-profit sectors. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board at Axcelis (NASDAQ: ACLS), where he also chairs the Compensation Committee and was a member of the Audit Committee. In addition, he is an independent board member at FormFactor (NASDAQ: FORM) and Ichor Systems (NASDAQ: ICHR), leading key committees including Nominating & Governance, Compensation, and Cyber Security & AI. He has been recognized for his Board service as one of the NACD 100 in 2023 and 2024. His past board experience includes roles at CalAmp, COHU, HTGC, Xcerra, SGI, Verigy, Electroglas, and Thermawave, where he has played pivotal roles in governance, strategic planning, and corporate oversight. Jorge's contributions to board governance are well-recognized, particularly his leadership in Compensation/Human Capital, Nominating and Governance, and Cyber Security committees. Jorge's board involvement extends beyond the corporate realm into the non-profit sector, where he has served on the boards of the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley, the Stanford Children's Hospital, Innovate Public Schools, Nashville Entrepreneur Center, and Valor Academy. His commitment to community service is further reflected in his role as Chairman of the Board at the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley, where he led initiatives to improve the lives of the Hispanic community in Silicon Valley. Jorge's executive leadership experience includes his tenure as President, CEO, and Director of Silicon Graphics (SGI) and Verigy Inc., where he successfully led turnarounds that culminated in high-value acquisitions. His strategic leadership has been instrumental in driving operational excellence, fostering innovation, and building high-performing teams. An award-winning author, Jorge co-wrote "Differences that Make a Difference" with Pedro Espinoza, capturing insights from over 100 top executives on the positive impact of diversity and inclusion on business success. His expertise in DEI, innovation, and corporate strategy makes him a sought-after speaker and thought leader in these areas. Jorge holds a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Engineering Management and Business, all from Stanford University. A former accomplished athlete, Jorge captained both the Stanford Varsity soccer team and the USA national indoor soccer team. He remains passionate about education, leadership, and contributing to the success of businesses and communities.

Nora Denzel and David Kenny, former executives and current leaders of the boards of AMD and Best Buy, respectively, join Sat Dayal, Managing Director of Technology at Edelman, for a conversation on how boards can establish and develop tech oversight. The pair co-chaired the NACD's 2024 Blue Ribbon Commission on the topic. Nora and David discuss … Continue reading "Board Leaders on How to Strengthen Technology Oversight"

What are the Governance Trends for year ahead? In this special episode, we bring you the highlights from the Future Boards Forum (held in December 2024), where I was joined by a panel of governance geeks to explore the biggest trends shaping board governance for the next 12 months. It's a bit of a longer episode (and sorry about the sound quality), but stick with it and you'll hear insights on emerging challenges, innovative solutions, and the evolving role of boards in navigating an uncertain world. Topics include: The intersection of AI and governance Fostering stakeholder trust Building resilient board cultures. Tune in to hear from Erin Essenmacher (former Head of Strategy at the NACD), Lisa Coletta (MD of The Governance Collective) and my old mate Matt Fullbrook (the one trying to redefine corporate governance). Links Join Future Directors for FREE Follow and Connect with Paul (LinkedIn)

LIZ HUEBNER Liz currently serves on the boards of REI and Curology where she chairs the audit committee(s).  She is a past board member and audit committee chair for three companies that are disrupting their respective industries:  Blue Apron, Jumia Technologies and Boom Supersonic.  She brings many years of executive finance experience and expertise to these roles, having served as CFO for several public companies, including Getty Images, Primus Knowledge Solutions, and Fluke Corporation. She was also a board member for the NACD's PNW Chapter, a non-profit organization that promotes board excellence and leadership. Liz has a proven track record of delivering financial and operational results, driving growth and profitability, and executing strategic M&A transactions. She has also earned multiple honors and awards for her finance leadership, such as America's Best CFOs and Fellow of the NACD. She is passionate about supporting innovative and mission-driven companies that create value for their customers, shareholders, and society. She is committed to enhancing corporate governance, risk management, and ethical standards as a board member and committee chair. GENERAL INFO| TOP OF THE GAME: Official website: https://topofthegame-thepod.com/ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/topofthegame-thepod/feed.xml Hosting service show website: https://topofthegame-thepod.podbean.com/ Javier's LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/javiersaade  SUPPORT & CONNECT: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/96934564 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551086203755 Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOPOFGAMEpod Subscribe on Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/site/podcatcher/index/blog/vLKLE1SKjf6G Email us: info@topofthegame-thepod.com   THANK YOU FOR LISTENING – AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PLATFORMS  

Rob Gerberry, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Summa Health, speaks with Michael Peregrine, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery, about the proper role of health care organization boards in relationship to technology, including artificial intelligence. They discuss the National Association of Corporate Directors' (NACD's) 2024 Blue Ribbon Commission Report, the report's focus on governance oversight of technology, and how boards can implement the report's recommendations.To learn more about AHLA and the educational resources available to the health law community, visit americanhealthlaw.org.

    About Fabio Teixeira Fabio Teixeira is a seasoned executive leader and experienced and NACD certified Board member with a global perspective, known for his remarkable cross-cultural acumen and unwavering drive. With a distinguished career spanning over 30 years, he has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, honed through diverse industry experiences and a unique background that includes leadership positions in companies such as Chevron, Ensco, and Atlas Copco. As an entrepreneur, Mr. Teixeira owns and operates well-known brands such as Supercuts & Cost Cutters and he serves as a member of the Board of Directors at the March of Dimes and at Ensco Joint Venture. Throughout his career, Mr. Teixeira has held a series of high-impact executive leadership roles in the Oil & Gas and manufacturing industries and as an entrepreneur. His career has been marked by a track record of achieving substantial growth, fostering collaboration, developing workforce, and driving innovation. During his tenure in the energy industry, Mr. Teixeira previously managed a P&L of $750 million dollars and was the executive leader of two successfully M&A integrations not only completing them on time but exceeding financial synergies of US$ 250 MM which positioned the organization as one of the industry leaders. Mr. Teixeira served as a Board of Director for the Ensco joint venture in Angola for 4 years. In addition, his negotiation skills combined with cultural fluency and adaptability were instrumental in forging successful commercial agreements with partners, clients and governments, mainly in Africa and Asia. Currently, as an entrepreneur, Mr. Teixeira is the owner, President & CEO of Gavi Excellence and Viga Excellence, managing a team of 30 successfully franchised locations under Supercuts and Cost Cutters brands with more than 1.5 million of haircuts provided. He is also a Board member with the March of Dimes in the Greater Houston area which is the biggest market for one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the USA, raising more than $5 MM per year. Mr. Teixeira holds an MBA degree from Thunderbird, School of Global Management, with a focus on finance and strategy. In addition, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and a BA in Business Administration with specialization in International Management from Fundacao Getulio Vargas (FGV) in Brazil. Episode Notes 07:34 Lesson 1: Trust but Verify 12:57 Lesson 2: Never Give up 18:00 Lesson 3: Cash is King 21:40 Lesson 4: There is no Free Lunch 24:14 Lesson 5: Do not expect more from a person than what they can offer. 27:25    Affiliate Break 28:02 Lesson 6: Do not be afraid of having serious conversations 31:42 Lesson 7: Be proactive, take initiatives and make decisions. 35:28 Lesson 8: Learn to say no 38:44 Lesson 9: Positive mind set 41:23 Lesson 10: Have fun  

Episode Summary In this insightful episode of On Boards, hosts Joe Ayoub and Raza Shaikh welcome Pam Lenehan, a seasoned board member with over 22 years of experience on public company boards. Pam offers an in-depth look at the evolving responsibilities of boards and their members, including critical areas like cybersecurity, ESG, and CEO succession.   Drawing on her experience across seven public company boards, Pam discusses the increasing complexity of board roles, committee responsibilities, and the importance of a collaborative, learning-focused approach for today's directors. Key Topics Discussed: The Expanding Role of Boards in Risk Management Pam explains how boards are increasingly required to manage a broader spectrum of risks, from cybersecurity and AI to unexpected events like pandemics. She highlights the need for board committees (audit, compensation, technology) to coordinate their oversight on key issues and work with management to stay proactive.   Board Dynamics: Shifts in Meeting Structure and Time Commitments The increased reliance on digital platforms has, among other things, led to voluminous board materials, often reaching hundreds of pages. Pam shares how boards are restructuring their meetings to prioritize discussion over presentation, with a growing emphasis on pre-meeting preparation.   Pam notes how the frequency of both board and committee meetings has increased, with some public company boards now often holding eight or more meetings annually.   Maintaining Collegiality Amid Virtual and Shorter In-Person Meetings As more meetings shift online or the agenda is so packed it leaves little time for social interaction, the value of planned social opportunities, even brief breaks, to foster trust and rapport among board members. Pam's insights on “planned socialization” underscore its role in facilitating effective communication and decision-making. Evolving Expertise on Boards: Moving Beyond Generalists With a growing need for specialized knowledge in finance, industry, and technology, boards are increasingly composed of directors with specific expertise. Pam shares practical advice on balancing specialized skillsets and emphasizes that most board member should still possess a solid understanding of broader governance areas, even beyond their primary expertise.   The Role of the Board Chair and Lead Director Raza and Pam discuss the crucial role of the board chair in ensuring all voices are heard and the board remains aligned. With a diverse array of specialists now joining boards, the chair's leadership is increasingly important to synthesize perspectives and guide effective discussions.   The Influence of Shareholder Activism and Public Company Challenges Pam recounts her experiences with shareholder activists, noting how modern boards must be prepared to engage with sophisticated activist stakeholders. For directors, understanding activist perspectives and strategizing responses requires both diplomacy and transparency.   The Time Commitment of Board Service For anyone considering board service, Pam provides a candid look at the significant time and energy required. Acknowledging that board roles demand consistent weekend reading and adaptability for unscheduled meetings, she advises prospective directors to consider the full requirements of a board commitment before joining a board.   Continuous Learning and Networking for Directors Pam discusses the importance of ongoing education in governance, such as through the NACD, board excellence centers, and director forums. She advocates for cultivating networks with other directors to share experiences and insights, particularly on emerging or complex issues.   Supporting Diversity and Inclusion on Boards A proponent of diverse board representation, Pam shares her efforts to mentor women preparing for board roles. She encourages both current and aspiring board members to seek education and develop networks that enhance board diversity and effectiveness.

Howdy, y'all, and welcome to The Cyber Ranch Podcast!  Our guest today is Tim Brown.  If you don't' know who Tim Brown is, he is the CISO at SolarWinds, and as such, is one of us. Or maybe in a way, he is all of us, really.  Tim advises and has held various other roles in the past, including product roles, which our listeners know are well-respected skills down at the 'Ranch. The topic today is cyber regulation.  It can range from self-regulation to associations, principles, practices, lobbying – all the way up to full government regulation.  What works?  What's required? Topics covered: What is the case for regulation? What are the basics rules to provide us coverage and clarity? Not knowing the rules makes people nervous and afraid... Document your own processes, procedures, JDs, what you do, what you don't do. Make it clear! Rigorous banking industry regulations exist already.  How onerous are they?  How badly would they fit the rest of us? Perhaps a GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) equivalent is desired? Process/procedure vs. 'Thou shalt never have a vulnerability!' Heavy-handed governmental oversight - defining standard of care and turning that into something people can stand behind? Remember that Sarbanes and Oxley were people.  Real people. Is regulation required to create a more positive environment in the way SOX does? What does the public-private partnership need so that the rules created are good and realistic and improve cybersecurity for the world? REGULATION IS COMING!  THE CISO COMMUNITY MUST BE A PART OF THAT REGULATION! Have we had a cyber Enron, and do we need one?  That was the real catastrophe that launched SOX... Regarding GAAP, accounting is deterministic vs. dynamic - Can a cyber GAPP ever exist given how dynamic we are? The compliance world: principles based vs. rules based regulation - a more practical model. It may not move the bar enough, but it's a good starting point. Should a whole field of security auditors existing like accounting auditors do? We are youngsters in this craft still... Is the accounting world really the best metaphor?  Auditors, forensic accountants, etc.? Another model is the medical world - malpractice, specific rules and regulations on specific surgical practices? What about a national CISO board or association like the NACD or the American Psychological Association? What about boards like medical review boards that approve specialties? Lobbying How to fund this? Who should be doing the doing?  Inclusivity vs. sound gatekeeping. A barber has to be licensed to cut hair - should we get licensed? This conversation was around with software engineers long before it was with cyber folks.  We learned that self-policing did not really work... The challenge is one of not shackling the business, or at least not appearing to, and the subsequent pushback. The call to action is ultimately this: If you don't have a seat at the table, folks will do things to you rather than with you.  So get involved! Y'all be good now!

(0:00) Intro.(1:23) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel.(2:10) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episode with Peter (E83 from Jan 2023).(3:00) NACD Surveys on Board Practices and Oversight: Private Company Results and Public Company Results.(3:44) 1/ On Technology Oversight: "We are seeing boards go after technology, not necessarily expertise, but experience."(11:16) 2/ On CEO Succession Planning. "Succession is always a challenge at companies, especially with founder CEOs."(14:37) 3/ On Board Leadership Succession Planning. "Governance is more art than science, it depends on the board."(20:26) 4/ On Board Reporting. Reference to paper on Netflix Governance by Larcker and Tayan (2018). (23:43) NACD's BRC Report on Culture as the Foundation. *Reference to episode with Sonita Lontoh (June 2024).(25:23) NACD's BRC Report on Technology Oversight. *Reference to episode with Nora Denzel (Oct 2022).(32:12) On Cybersecurity concerns for boards and directors.(33:56) On AI concerns for boards and directors.(35:27) On trend of alternative corporate structures used by new AI companies including public benefit corporations.(41:41) On the upcoming NACD Directors Summit Oct 6-9, 2024, in Washington, DC. *My reference to keynoting the 25th IBGC Summit in Brazil.(46:35) On geopolitics and the increasing politicization of the boardroom.Peter Gleason has been the CEO of NACD since 2017. You can follow Evan on social media at:Twitter: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__You can join as a Patron of the Boardroom Governance Podcast at:Patreon: patreon.com/BoardroomGovernancePod__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

The Bureau of Land Management is making some land use rule updates and the National Association of Conservation Districts wants conservation districts to be considered when it comes to land restoration.

(0:00) Intro.(1:24) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel.(2:12) Start of interview.(4:04) Sonita's "origin story." (5:45) Her professional career, starting with a startup in the gaming industry.(8:15) Her guiding principles for her career at the intersection of innovation, sustainability and digital transformation.(9:30) Her roles at HP, Siemens and PG&E.(11:00) Her board "portfolio" life starting in 2022: SunRun and TrueBlue. Advisor to Sway Ventures.(14:02) About the NACD Blue Ribbon Commission on Board Culture (where she served as a Commissioner).(17:00) Surprises and takeaways from the report.(22:30) Recommendations for handling the increasing politicization in the boardroom. (26:42) On geopolitics in the boardroom. Supply-chain vs consumer market.(31:30) On the solar and battery industry geopolitical landscape. (38:23) How should directors think about AI in the boardroom. "Everyday AI" vs "Game-changing AI". Use cases: 1) Back-office capabilities, 2) core capabilities, 3) front office, 4) New products and services. AI code of conduct. Use of data. Cybersecurity.(43:51) On the impact of AI in the workplace. *reference to study by Erik Brynjolfsson(47:09) Books that have greatly influenced her life: The Five Levels of Leadership,  by John Maxwell (2011)Venture Mindset, by Ilya Strebulaev and Alex Dang (2024)Last Lecture Series at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (July 2023), by Graham Weaver.(48:06)  Her mentors. (49:22)  Quotes that she thinks of often or lives her life by.(50:44) An unusual habit or absurd thing that she loves.(51:30)  The living person she most admires. Sonita Lontoh is a public company board director, strategic advisor, and former Fortune 100 senior executive who focuses on digital innovation, artificial intelligence (AI), and sustainability — contributing positive impact to businesses, consumers, and society. You can follow Evan on social media at:Twitter: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__You can join as a Patron of the Boardroom Governance Podcast at:Patreon: patreon.com/BoardroomGovernancePod__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

NACD Northern California Chapter welcomed renowned innovation and corporate venture expert Ilya Strebulaev, professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) and founder and faculty director of the Stanford GSB Venture Capital Initiative, and Claudia Fan Munce, venture advisor and board director, to a virtual fireside chat with host and moderator Louis Lehot, partner at Foley & Lardner, to delve into the captivating world of venture capital and corporate innovation.The panelists explored the strategies of venture capitalists and uncovered the secrets behind the extraordinary success of companies like Amazon and Google, which owe much of their success to the keen insights and bold actions of venture capitalists and their unique ability to identify trends and nurture groundbreaking technologies to shape the future.Watch the video recording here. Discover more about Louis Lehot and explore additional professional insights on his website: https://louislehot.comExplore Related Content: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit louislehotattorney.substack.com

Ever wondered how top leaders master the delicate dance between empathy and accountability, seamlessly weaving them into their leadership fabric to inspire, guide, and drive results? Today, we embark on a journey of discovery with our distinguished guest, Chelsea Grayson. With a rich tapestry of experience helming iconic brands like American Apparel, True Religion Jeans, and Spark Networks, while serving on multiple private and public boards, Chelsea has honed her expertise to navigate the intricate balance between empathy and accountability. As we delve into her insights, we'll uncover how she cultivates trust, fosters engagement, and harnesses the transformative power of executive coaching to shape a culture of success. Join us as we unravel the secrets and strategies essential for becoming not just a leader but a respected leader in today's dynamic business landscape. About our Guest: Chelsea A. Grayson made history as the first female CEO of True Religion and chaired its Audit Committee. She also led American Apparel as CEO, a $650M apparel manufacturer with a 50-country footprint, overseeing significant operational improvements before its successful sale to Gildan Activewear Inc. Currently, Chelsea serves as interim CEO and board member of Spark Networks, and on the boards of Xponential Fitness, Morphe Cosmetics, and Goodness Growth Holdings. She is also an Executive in Residence at Wunderkind. With a background in law, Chelsea's expertise spans corporate governance and M&A. She holds Board Leadership and Corporate Governance Fellowships with the NACD and advises UCLA's Department of English. She is a recipient of the In-House Impact Award from The Recorder (The American Lawyer) and of the 40 Under 40 Recognition Award from the M&A Advisor. She was also named one of "L.A.'s Top 40 Dealmakers" in the Los Angeles Business Journal's "Who's Who in L.A. Law". About Your Host: Ken Schmitt is the CEO and founder of TurningPoint Executive Search. He is also the author of "The Practical Optimist: An Entrepreneur's Journey through Life's Turning Points". Ken was raised in an entrepreneurial family and brings a uniquely authentic voice to his podcast, blending life, family, and business together. Ken is a seasoned expert with almost three decades of experience in executive recruiting. In his podcast, he focuses on revealing the secrets of recruiting, retention, and real HR strategies. The podcast is not preachy, academic, or theoretical. It provides authentic perspectives on the challenges, triumphs, and quirks that make the hiring game both exhilarating and unpredictable. Twice a month, Ken offers tactical advice and industry insights to empower listeners to navigate the intricate world of executive recruiting confidently. "Hiring Matters" is your go-to resource for elevating your hiring game and equipping you with the tools to build, grow, and lead truly exceptional teams. Brace yourself for Ken's "Recruiter Rant" episodes, where he shares unfiltered insights and behind-the-scenes revelations about the industry's hidden secrets. Get ready to gain more than expected from this informative and engaging podcast. Follow Ken on LinkedIn Powered by TurningPoint Executive Search: Helping business hire right. Chapters: 03:05 Introduction to Chelsea Grayson and her Leadership Journey 08:33 Challenges of Traditional Approaches to Marketing 10:19 Defining Innovation in Different Industries 13:01 Transition from Board Member to CEO 18:41 Training Leaders to Manage Vulnerability and Accountability 22:00 Imparting Leadership Style and Approach to Others 23:25 The Value of Executive Coaching for Leaders 24:21 The Importance of Effective Communication in Leadership and Crisis Management 32:16 Understanding Perspectives: Making Decisions on Social Issues 47:02 Advice for Up-and-Coming CEOs: Running Larger P&Ls and Engaging with the Board 48:22 Being Proactive, Decisive, and a Good Listener: Valuable Leadership Traits 36:23 The Role of Social Media in Communication and Brand Management 39:13 Consistency with Company Values and Brand in Communication 41:05 Building a Diverse Board for Different Perspectives 44:11 Making Difficult Decisions and Taking a Stand 45:05 Continuous Learning and Staying Informed 48:51 Empowering Employees as Brand Ambassadors   Keywords: leadership, vulnerability, accountability, engagement, executive coaching, fresh perspectives, communication, leadership, crisis management, CEO, employees, board members, stakeholders, social issues

In this episode of The Ethics Experts, Giovanni welcomes Bob Chaput. Bob Chaput, NACD.DC, author of Stop the Cyber Bleeding: What Healthcare Executives and Board Members Must Know About Enterprise Cyber Risk Management (ECRM). He is also the Founder and Executive Chairman of Clearwater, a leading provider of cybersecurity, cyber risk management and compliance software, consulting, and managed services. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobchaput/ Personal Website: https://bobchaput.com/ Book link: https://bobchaput.com/#enterprise-cyber-risk-management-as-a-value-creator Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NYdafQ

On this episode of The Association Podcast, we welcome Ted Davis, Director of Digital Experience and Strategy at the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and an adjunct at NYU. Ted shares his journey from working in lifestyle magazines and beauty to embracing Digital Transformation in the association market. We discuss the strategic shift towards a digital-first organization at NACD, the value of education through Ted's lens of teaching digital marketing at NYU and adapting to associations' unique pacing and culture. We also explore the importance of empathy in marketing, the transition from a commercial to an association mindset, and how associations can benefit from corporate practices without losing their community focus. Mabel gets us into a deeper discussion on the future of marketing and keeping things simple within organizations.

(0:00) Intro.(1:10) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel.(1:58) Start of interview.(2:43) His role at EY and appointments at Harvard's Safra Center for Ethics (ELSCE), MIT and Boston University.(5:23) Defining AI. Reference to the 1956 Dartmouth AI conference.(8:29) GAI, AI market and valuations.(11:31) On AI Ethics for business and AI governance. Reference to Harvard's Danielle Allen.(15:10) On the concept of Multistakeholderism and AI Ethics. Hippocratic Oath for AI: "Do No Harm to the World."(19:10) Board Committee Structure for AI. "[Only] 67 of the  S&P500 companies have some sort of board technology committee." NACD report on board technology committees. "You may get a financial boost from doing that" "I think that'll be 50% greater a year from now."(22:39) On board oversight. A deep dive on evolution of Caremark duties.(31:09) On AI regulation. (34:41) Geopolitics between the U.S. and China on AI.(37:44) On OpenAI's board fiasco. Unusual structures such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Inflection AI and xAI.(44:02) Recommendations for directors using AI.(47:40) The intersection between Web3 and AI.(50:00) On his EY Podcast: Better Innovation.(51:15) Other thoughts for directors: university partnerships and risks of employee use of GAI.(54:22)  Books that have greatly influenced his life: Tennis related books.The Fish that Ate the Whale by Rich Cohen (2012)Disrupt Yourself by Whitney Johnson (2015) *(55:47) His mentors. At EY: Kate Barton (EY Global Co-Chair, Emeritus).(56:18) Quotes that he thinks of often or lives his life by: "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can do." (Arthur Ashe) and "No matter how far you travel in the wrong direction, you can always turn around." (Winston Churchill).(56:53) An unusual habit or absurd thing that he loves.(58:04) The living person he most admires: Billy Jean King.Jeff Saviano is the EY Emerging Technology Strategy & Governance Leader.   You can follow Evan on social media at:Twitter: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__You can join as a Patron of the Boardroom Governance Podcast at:Patreon: patreon.com/BoardroomGovernancePod__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

Foley & Lardner and NACD hosted a virtual event on ‘How to Navigate the Federal Trade Commission in 2024' recently. The speakers provided invaluable insights into key areas such as compliance, enforcement, and emerging trends within the FTC's jurisdiction. Topics discussed included:* Recent developments in FTC regulations and enforcement priorities* FTC investigations and enforcement actions* Compliance strategies to mitigate FTC-related risks* Best practices for engaging with the FTC during inquiries or investigations* The latest on merger guidelines and how to shepherd transactions through the antitrust authorities* Case studies and practical examples illustrating successful approaches to FTC compliance, including lessons learned from a 7½-year battle and historical win in 2023 in the federal court against the FTCParticipants gained a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory framework governing various industries and learned how to ensure compliance while staying competitive in the marketplace.Attendees participated in a Q&A with the panelists during this key opportunity to stay informed and prepared in today's complex regulatory environment.Check out the video of the virtual event here. Discover more about Louis Lehot and explore additional professional insights on his website https://louislehot.comExplore Related Content: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit louislehotattorney.substack.com

Have you read the NACD 2024 Governance Outlook report. As an internal auditor, you should. It's what Board Directors care about in 2024. How can reconcile their needs with our work? Listen to Friso van der Oord, Senior VP of Content at NACD, for his insights on the topic!

Pat Benoit, CISO at Brinks, returns to the 'Ranch to visit Allan and to chat about his newest achievement - Pat got a NACD Directorship Certification! Allan has often thought about doing this as well, so he got Pat on the mic to talk about his whole experience: Why did you do it? How hard was it? What was involved? What do you hope to get out of it? Did you farm around for alternatives? Is there more you plan to do? As topics for shows go, this one is short and sweet.  But Pat, as always, spins a very human tale that will keep you engaged. Y'all be good now!

Welcome to another episode of "Reimagining Cyber." In this session, Rob and Stan dive into the critical role of IT auditors, a perspective rarely explored on the show. Their guest, Veronica Rose, brings extensive experience in shaping risk-based information security audit programs. She emphasizes the evolving nature of the IT audit environment and urges IT auditors to prioritize upskilling as technology and controls advance.Veronica highlights the significance of professional communities, recommending affiliation with bodies like NACD and ISACA. Engaging in these communities not only provides access to valuable resources but also fosters global connections with like-minded professionals.The discussion shifts to well-being, a crucial aspect often overlooked in the demanding field of IT audit. Veronica stresses the importance of mental health, exercise, and unplugging to maintain a clear mindset.The conversation wraps up by addressing the career paths of IT auditors. Veronica encourages a mindset shift for those considering a transition, emphasizing the value of certifications and continuous upskilling.Tune in to gain insights into the evolving world of IT audit, professional development, and holistic well-being.Follow or subscribe to the show on your preferred podcast platform.Share the show with others in the cybersecurity world.Get in touch via reimaginingcyber@gmail.com

In this episode of the Retail & Hospitality ISAC podcast, host Luke Vander Linden is joined by John Scrimsher, chief information security officer (CISO) at Kontoor Brands, Inc., and Marcel Bucsescu, senior director of credentialing and strategic engagement at NACD, to expand upon the NACD Accelerate program. Then Ian Furr, security integration engineer at RH-ISAC, talks about his volunteer work with the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (ITDRC) and the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. Finally, Luke chats with Bidemi (Bid) Ologunde, intelligence analyst at Expedia Group, about his own podcast, The Bid Picture, background, and the trajectory of cybersecurity. Thank you to Fortinet for their sponsorship of the Retail & Hospitality ISAC podcast.

(0:00) Intro.(1:21) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel.(2:08) Start of interview.(2:49) Larry's "origin story." (4:49) About the Internet Security Alliance (ISA). Founded in 2000 by former Congressman Dave McCurdy, former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Larry joined as CEO from the beginning."The ISA view is that we need to look at not just how the attacks are occurring, we also need to look at why the attacks occur. Because unless we understand why the attacks occur, we're never going to be able to create a truly sustainable system.""Cyberattacks are cheap, easy to acquire, they're incredibly profitable, trillions of dollars a year in damage. The business plan is fabulous, same attacks all over the world constantly. It's hard for on the defense side, we're defending an incredibly porous perimeter. It's hard to show return on investment to things you've prevented, and there's no law enforcement. We prosecute maybe 1% of cybercrimes. So it's that imbalance in the economics of cybersecurity that ISA focuses on.""The reason that we have all these attacks is because it is such a profitable endeavor to do these attacks."(10:19) China's threat in cybersecurity.(12:07) About the NACD/ISA Director's Handbook on Cyber-Risk Oversight.(15:36) On the evolution of the Directors' Handbook since it's first version in 2014. International editions, and adding a 6th ESG principle ("the systemic resilience and and collaboration principle").(20:20) On the cost of cyber crimes: expected to cost the world ~$8 trillion dollars in 2023 (per the WEC)."The narrative is that the export controls and sanctions and de-risking coming out of Washington DC is simply pushing China to be more self-sufficient." "This has to be seen as a temporary measure, that gives us time to resolve the actual conflicts that exist."(24:40)  Principle 1: Cybersecurity from IT risk to a strategic, enterprise risk."We would argue that cybersecurity should be considered in the same sense by a board, that they would consider finance and legal. So the board does not make any decision, any important decision, without consulting with legal and finance. We would argue in the 21st century, there's not a single important decision the board makes, major decision, that does not have a cybersecurity component to it."(27:12)  Principle 2: Legal and Disclosure Obligations.(28:05)  Principle 3: Board Oversight Structure and Access to Expertise."[I]t is probably not necessary, it may not even be a good thing, to have a cyber experts, so to speak, on the board. We think that this is a full board responsibility."(29:43)  Principle 4: Enterprise Framework for Managing Cyber Risk.(31:03)  Principle 5: Cybersecurity Measurement and Reporting."[T]he core definition of what a cyber risk is, is how much money is this going to cost our firm over a certain period of time. That's a definition of risk. And you need to be able to figure out what this means to the business. [T]here is all sorts of spending, you know, in cybersecurity. We are now seeing exhaustion with that. We're seeing boards saying, hey, we're not going to increase your budget by 200% every year. Can't do it."(33:53)  On the SEC mandating cybersecurity experts in the boardroom.."ISA's number one legislative agenda is we need much more cybersecurity people. You know, one of the reasons that we can't have a cyber expert on every board is we don't have enough cyber experts for every board."(36:53) On SolarWinds' CISO enforcement action, and the case of Uber's CISO conviction.(41:40)  How should boards think about China risk ("digital silk road")"I think it was General Alexander who commented that the theft of intellectual property from cyber means is the largest single theft in world history."(45:36)  Regulating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and OpenAI's case."Dave McCurdy used to say that Congress does two things well, nothing and overreact. So we're in that do nothing space with AI now. We don't want to overreact."(49:28) Three other issues for boards to consider: 1) The cybersecurity personnel shortage (we currently have a shortage of about 750,000 cybersecurity jobs we can't fill); 2) We should create an economic cyber security model; and 3) Challenges to Government regulation of cybersecurity.(53:08) Books that have greatly influenced his life: Working by Stud Turkel (1974)(53:47) His mentor: his father.(54:49)  Quotes that he thinks of often or lives her life by: "This argument has the added benefit of being true" by Henry Kissinger. "The Godfather is never afraid to demonstrate his friendship first." from The Godfather book by Mario Puzo.(56:12) An unusual habit or absurd thing that he loves: "(Post COVID) I spend an hour a day just with my son, an hour a day just with my wife and an hour a day working out for my own health."(58:00) The living person he most admires: Barack Obama.(59:43) About his new TV show "Fixing Cybersecurity" (launching in January 2024).Larry Clinton is the President and CEO of the Internet Security Alliance.__This podcast is sponsored by the American College of Governance Counsel. You can follow Evan on social media at:Twitter: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__You can join as a Patron of the Boardroom Governance Podcast at:Patreon: patreon.com/BoardroomGovernancePod__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

In the second episode of our new AI-focused series, guest hosts Pauline James and David Creelman investigate some key ways that large HR vendors are utilizing new forms of AI.Joining David and Pauline this time are Mike Bollinger, Ben Zweig, and Jarik Conrad. Mike Bollinger is an accomplished executive with 20 years of industry experience. He has deep technology and HCM domain skills including strategic workforce planning, communications, change management, team building, business case development, and leadership. In his current role as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives with Cornerstone, Mike is responsible for internal research as well as strategy development around outcome-based goals. In 2020, Mike helped found, and currently manages, the Cornerstone People Research Lab (CPRL), whose mission is to generate data-driven discoveries about the world of work today and identify emerging trends that will give rise to new work models. Ben Zweig is a prominent figure at the intersection of Data Science and Human Resources. With a PhD in Economics specializing in Labor Economics and Economic Development from CUNY Graduate Center, he has a strong academic background. Ben's expertise extends to Natural Language Processing, Labor Economics, Human Resources, and Occupational Transformation. Notably, he spent several years as a Managing Data Scientist at IBM's Chief Analytics Office, where he utilized Natural Language Processing (NLP) to develop data-driven solutions for businesses. Currently, Ben serves as the CEO of Revlio Labs, an organization that supports the convergence of Data Science and HR. The company focuses on applying data-driven methodologies to enhance workforce management and adapt to the changing job market.Dr. Jarik Conrad, EdD, SPHR, SHRM-CSP, NACD.DC, is vice president of the Human Insights team at UKG, which consists of former HR practitioners, business leaders, and consultants who are distinguished experts in the HCM field and uniquely qualified to help leadership teams reach their organizational goals. With an acute pulse on industry trends, best practices, and technological innovations, Jarik and his team serve as liaisons, trusted advisors, and thought leaders who help to shape HR industry conversations and direction. Feature Your Brand on the HRchat PodcastThe HRchat show has had 100,000s of downloads and is frequently listed as one of the most popular global podcasts for HR pros, Talent execs and leaders. It is ranked in the top ten in the world based on traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness. The podcast is also ranked as the Best Canadian HR Podcast by FeedSpot and one of the top 10% most popular shows by Listen Score. Want to share the story of how your business is helping to shape the world of work? We offer sponsored episodes, audio adverts, email campaigns, and a host of other options. Check out packages here. Follow us on LinkedIn Subscribe to our newsletter Check out our in-person events

Episode SummaryIn this episode, Special Advisor for Cyber Risk at the NACD, Christopher Hetner, returns to the show to discuss the new SEC cybersecurity rules. Chris has over 25 years of experience in cybersecurity, helping protect industries, infrastructures, and economies, serving in roles including as SVP of Information Security at Citi, Senior Cybersecurity Advisor to the Chairman of the US SEC, Executive Member of IANS, the National Board Director of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Senior Advisor for the Chertoff Group, Senior Advisor to the CEO of Stuart Levine & Associates, and Co-Chair of Nasdaq Cybersecurity and Privacy.Today, Chris talks about the developments since January 2023, the timeframe requirements in practice, and normalizing cybersecurity incidents as business-as-usual. What is Inline XBRL? Learn how startups could prepare themselves for these changes, the scope of disclosure, and how risk management strategies might evolve to address Cloud-specific threats. Timestamp Segments·       [02:36] What has changed since January?·       [06:49] Why things changed.·       [08:51] Was it a good move?·       [12:27] Determining the materiality of cybersecurity incidents “without unreasonable delay.”·       [17:49] Is 4 days enough?·       [22:19] The scope of disclosure.·       [24:09] Normalizing cybersecurity incidents.·       [26:24] Moving toward real-time monitoring.·       [28:52] Is insurance becoming a forcing function?·       [32:18] Evolving risk management strategies.·       [36:05] Third-party disclosure requirements·       [39:51] How do startups prepare?·       [41:52] What is Inline XBRL?·       [42:54] Inline XBRL to 8-k.·       [43:30] How the tagging requirement impact the disclosure process. Notable Quotes·       “The magnitude of these events is the percentage of the event relative to revenue.”·       “We're going to see market forces drive these safety standards within our enterprises.” Relevant LinksLinkedIn:         Christopher Hetner Resources:https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2023-139.Secure applications from code to cloud. Prisma Cloud, the most complete cloud-native application protection platform (CNAPP).Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Ever since former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissioner Mary Jo White announced the Silicon Valley Initiative, we have seen the enforcement division moving into the private company sphere. Major compliance and governance failures, such as Theranos, FTX, and IRL, have put the spotlight on what is communicated internally and externally in employee, customer, and investor communications. In fiscal year 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) launched 760 total enforcement actions, including hundreds of stand-alone, follow-on, and individual actions running the gamut from failures of conduct to “first-of-their-kind” to cases charging trading securities law violations. Money ordered in SEC actions comprised over $6 billion, almost doubling the prior year's amount.What is the role of the compliance function in the pre-initial public offering company, and who owns it, how do you get started, and when do you start deploying resources? When the government or a plaintiff comes knocking on the door, what is the role of directors in managing the response? The panel explores what the role of the compliance function is and why directors should care.The NACD Private Company Compliance: Investigations, Regulations, and Litigation Webinar was sponsored by Foley and Partners Louis Lehot and Thomas Carlucci joined this discussion together with:* Claudia Fan Munce - Venture Advisor NEA, Board Member of Best Buy, Arteris.IP, BMO Financial Corp., Faculty at Stanford University Graduate School of Business* Scott Kupor - Managing Partner, Andreessen Horowitz; Lecturer, Stanford University Graduate School of Business; Board Director, Cedar, Headway, Pearl Health, Ultima Genomics, Foursquare, Labster, Journera, SnapLogic, MIO Partners, The Global Impact Investing Network, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Genesys Works* Jeff Thomas - Executive Vice President, Corporate Platforms, Nasdaq, Inc. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit louislehotattorney.substack.com

Howdy, y'all, and welcome to The Cyber Ranch Podcast!  We're joined today by Jacqueline (AKA “Jack”) Powell, CISO at Allianz Life and former Deputy CISO at Hanes.  She has also consulted, and has worked at Chevron, General Dynamics, and SACI.  Jack has an illustrious career!  Jack is here today talking with Allan about the new SEC regulations about cybersecurity.  For our listeners, the final version of the SEC ruling came out in late July, and publicly traded companies in America have 5 months to comply.  Mid-December is when the switch gets thrown… Topics covered in this show: The new ruling and tell me its highlights Disclosure Risk Management Board expertise What are the implications of the disclosure rules?  What are the challenges businesses face?  What tools can be leveraged? It seems that “materiality” is the key term upon which all of this pivots. That term has definition and precedence in financial circles, but how is a cybersecurity professional to interpret it? What are the implications of the Risk Management rule? If you work with a cybersecurity framework like NIST CSF, for example, you've already got at least the basics in place? And now we get to Board Expertise… CISOs are all anticipating getting board roles overnight, but it's not that easy. NACD in conjunction with CISA put some material together. How should CISOS prepare themselves to be ready for a possible board role?

“Once they identify the people in the networks that are aligned to their goals and interests, then it's about pouring the value, pouring the generosity, and you're not necessarily expecting anything in return…there's just this general human law of reciprocity where amazing thing happen.” “Those who achieve NetWORKing Excellence are deliberate about the events that they attend.” David Olivencia is an accomplished global technology executive and author with deep experience delivering measurable business results for leading organizations. Effectiveness has been demonstrated executing outcomes as a CEO, board member, thought leader, and energetic team coach. David is the CEO and Co-founder of Angeles Investors. Prior to Angeles Investors, David held various senior executive positions of increasing responsibility at Nippon Telegraph & Telephone (NTT), Ford Motor Company, Oracle, Verizon, Softtek and Accenture. David has leveraged his expertise in technology, business strategy, digital platforms and networking excellence as an early-stage/Angel investor in 70+ companies. This portfolio includes three unicorns and ten that have garnered more than $100m in valuation. David is a sought-after speaker for his perspectives on Exponential Technology Disruption, Early-stage Investing, Networking excellence, Artificial Intelligence and Leadership issues. He has presented in prominent forums including the U.S. Congress, National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), NASDAQ Opening Bell, Great Minds in STEM, BusinessWeek, and Comcast Newsmakers. David has been recognized as 40 under 40 by Crain's Detroit Business, Crain's Chicago Tech 50, and Hispanic Business Magazine's Most Influential Hispanics in America. From a board service perspective, David has served on many private, civic and non-profit boards throughout his career. He currently serves as a board member of Schurz Communications, Old Plank Trail Bank, N.A a Wintrust Bank (NASDAQ: WTFC), Window to the World Communications: WTTW Chicago, Angeles Investors, IrishAngels and the National Museum of Mexican Art. David earned his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (#1 Undergraduate Engineering Program by U.S. News and World Report) and received the school's 2014 Alumni Career Achievement Award. He earned his M.B.A. (graduating cum laude) from the University of Notre Dame, where he was recognized with the 2007 Distinguished MBA Alumni Award. In 2020, David received an Honorary Doctorate from Bentley University. Additionally, David has completed the Harvard Business School Corporate Governance program and has completed his Certificate of Director Education from the NACD. David is married with three children. He enjoys spending his free time running, fishing and with family. R.O.G. Takeaway Tips: Build your foundation. Who am I? Learn about yourself and your strengths. Establish a daily and weekly ritual.  Who are my key stakeholders? (100 people) What are the three things that they care most about?  What is your ritual to connect with your key stakeholders? Who can you connect with who?  Track progress and measure success. (How well are you doing relative to your hypothesis?)  Build the default: How can I give? How can I help? Resources: David Olivencia on LinkedIn (in/davidolivencia) David Olivencia on Facebook (@dolivencia) David Olivencia on Instagram (@prdaveo) David Olivencia on Twitter/X (@dolivencia) David Olivencia on YouTube (@DavidOlivencia1) NetWORKing Excellence: Building a Strong Value-Based Network in an Accelerating Digital World by David Olivencia Impactful Networking: “Meet the Author” LIVE - David Olivencia * Book Launch! How to Build a Values-Based Network in a Digital World | David R. Olivencia | S6 E8 Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones on Netflix Where to find R.O.G. Podcast: R.O.G on YouTube R.O.G on Apple Podcasts R.O.G on Spotify How diverse is your network?  N.D.I. Network Diversity Index What is your Generosity Style?  Generosity Quiz Credits: David Olivencia, Sheep Jam Productions, Host Shannon Cassidy, Bridge Between, Inc. Coming Next: Please join us next week, Episode 150, with Zenita Henderson.

This week, we meet a new leader for new times: Okorie Ramsey, the new chair of AICPA. He's a CPA, CGMA, and currently the VP of SOX at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Hospitals. Okorie plans to continue to build upon the platform of the most recent past chair of AICPA, Anoop Mehta, by helping others grow personally and professionally, driving DE&I initiatives and preserving trust in the profession. In addition, he plans to face our newest challenges, namely the rapid advancement of technology and our continuing challenge of filling our talent pipeline - making sure our profession remains viable. With these challenges in mind, Okorie has a 3-pronged agenda:Innovation to advance the professionInstilling integrity and trust into sustainabilitySupporting the next generation and giving them advanced opportunities to succeedI was fortunate enough to dive into these 3 priorities in depth with Okorie, discussing what the future holds for accounting & finance professionals. ResourcesOkorie Ramsey, CPA, CGMA, PMP, NACD.DC Linkedin ProfileAICPA-CIMA news article, "New AICPA Chair Looks to Foster Innovation and the Next Generation"

Software Supply Chain is emerging as one of the biggest issues that enterprises are facing these days. SolarWinds, Kaseya, 3CX, the examples are way too many. These attacks rapidly multiplied in 2022.In this presentation, we will discuss the trending of software supply chain issues, the federal mandates in the form of executive orders that are impacting this space, emerging best practices and what is the fundamental tech stack to manage these issues, and lastly, what does a good supply chain security program looks like.Dr. Singh will also briefly discuss his journey from being a student at Purdue (MS, Computer Science) to his current role as Chief Information Security Officer of Alkami Technology. About the speaker: Anand is a seasoned cybersecurity executive with over 25 years of experience managing technology, security, privacy, and risk teams in a variety of verticals. His career spans Financial Services, Retail, Healthcare, Manufacturing, eCommerce, Cloud, and SaaS companies. These include UnitedHealth Group, Target Corporation, Alkami Technology, Caliber Home Loans, and PTC.He is currently the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Alkami Technology. Alkami's solutions enable financial institutions to outsmart the competition by providing the nation's best Cloud, SaaS, and PI centric digital banking platform. Alkami's mission is to be the gold standard in digital banking. More than 400 FIs and 15 million end users use Alkami's solutions. Anand is also a seasoned Board director with tenures at DaVinci Academy, CISO XC, and Dallas CISO Summit. Anand holds NACD.DC, CISM, and CISSP certifications. He has a PhD in Computer Science from University of Minnesota, MS in Computer Science from Purdue University, and B.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology. Anand is a proud boilermaker and is deeply attached to Purdue's mission and its goals.

Smart Acids hosts Andy Erickson, Chris Ernst and special guest host Dwayne ‘the self-proclaimed Rock' Roark welcome CEO of the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD), Eric ‘the filibuster' Byer, to talk critical policy issues facing the chemical distribution industry and the role that NACD is playing.Special guest host intro, Dwayne ‘the self-proclaimed Rock' Roark (1:55)Welcome Eric ‘the fillibuster' Byer (3:25)Bonus round: Do you know your fictional CEOs? (5:03)Current political climate in Washington, D.C. (7:25)Railway Safety Act – the junction of union + pro-business NACD (8:55)Other current key industry trends (12:23)NACD updates and how to get involved (13:30)Environmental justice and Responsible Distribution (15:07)Smart Acids™ is the source for product insights and current market moves related to chemical and specialty ingredient distribution—breaking it all down one boron at a time. Join hosts Andy Erickson and Chris Ernst for straightforward and honest chat that speaks to the why behind pricing and supply, delivered in a smart, fun and entertaining way. Smart Acids is the winner of a B2 Silver Award, a top national recognition among leading global brands and marketers in B2B.About the hosts: Andy Erickson, director of product marketing, Essential Chemicals, and Chris Ernst, senior director of product marketing, Solvents, converse with guests from chemistry and specialty ingredient backgrounds who are keyed in to manufacturing and markets across industries.Univar Solutions (NYSE: UNVR) is a leading global specialty chemical and ingredient distributor representing a premier portfolio from the world's leading producers, and helping to keep communities healthy, fed, clean and safe. With the industry's largest private transportation fleet and technical sales force, unparalleled logistics know-how, deep market and regulatory knowledge, formulation and recipe development, and leading digital tools, we offer tailored solutions and value-added services to a wide range of markets, industries and applications.

Alissa Hsu Lynch serves on the board of Pulmonx (NASDAQ: LUNG) which a medical device company and she comes from a diverse career with leadership roles and Johnson & Johnson and Google Cloud. In this episode we discuss digital transformation in healthcare, board's role and advice for boards. Thanks for listening! We love our listeners! Drop us a line or give us guest suggestions here. Big Ideas/Thoughts/Quotes:   Effective onboarding at Pulmonx Board Pulmonx is a medical device company, small cap company, that offers a valve, so a medical device for severe emphysema, so for people who are suffering from lung, and it helps them to breathe more easily. It's a minimally invasive procedure. They have breakthrough FDA status and so it's really just wonderful to work with a company that is looking to improve and even save people's lives. RS: onboarding was intensive, both in terms of training you as a board member, but also learning about the company and meeting people there. AHL: I think a lot of boards in their onboarding process do the typical meet all the senior executives, the management team, get to know the business, and I certainly did that and that was super helpful to be able to speak with all the key leaders of the organization. But what they also did that I specially appreciated is they partnered with a consultant from NACD, the National Association of Corporate Directors, a very experienced board um, director and consultant who worked with myself and the other new director over a period of about six months to really go deep on all aspects of board governance. Every month we would meet for a couple of hours and just focus on one committee, so one meeting would just be on the nominating and governance committee and we would go over what is the roles and responsibilities? What are the risks, what are the questions you should ask? And also what I thought was really great is that she would pull up the nominating and governance charter from Pulmonx, and we would go through the company's charter and she would be able to provide perspective on, "Well, this charter is covering these aspects, but some other companies, maybe once you join a larger cap board, they may also have these other aspects." It was really helpful to be able to meet one-on-one with her and just be able to ask stupid questions as a new director and just get that confidence that, "Okay, I'm walking into this with a really great background on governance." Areas of Digital Transformation for Companies There are four areas that I've seen many organizations think about when they talk about digital transformation. The first where many healthcare organizations, in particular, are starting is around operational efficiency. Operational efficiency is a common one where many organizations start. The second one is around improving customer experience. The third is helping them accelerate innovation. The fourth is on consumer engagement. Advice for Boards on Digital Transformation Earlier I talked about this concept of crossing the digital divide and how difficult that is to go from your legacy business to a new technology-enabled business. Tangibly I wanted to provide three tips. One is help management identify where they should go, and I'll talk about that in a moment. Second is, help them think about how to get started, so going back to the problems to solve, and the third is, what is needed to build a sustainable business model, so where this should go, how to get started, and what's needed to build a sustainable business model on that next s-curve. 10X Thinking for Boards AHL: One of the things I learned at Google is around 10X thinking. This is the idea of really solving big problems by coming up with radical solutions, going for a 10 times improvement instead of just a 10% improvement. That type of thinking, that type of expansive thinking is something that the board should encourage their companies to do as you're working through your strategic planning process. The company may come back to you and say, "Hey, here's our 3-, 5-, 7-year strategic plan, and it gets us from here to there," and I think it's really important. On the board I'm on, we have done that and said, "Well, what if you thought bigger? What would need to be true for you to reach that attainable goal? We're not telling you that that's the plan and you have to sign up for that plan or that even that you're not going to communicate that to the street. But internally as a board, let's think big. Let's think 10X and agree that there are big opportunities out there that we could go out there to solve." JA: Great board question.

Chris Young, NACD Director of Government Affairs says maintaining investments in conservation programs is a top priority.

This episode explores the connection between empathy and stoicism and further, how it can help employees at work!Guest BioShermin Kruse is a global transactions expert, lawyer, speaker, professor, TEDx producer, writer, and idea curator. She currently teaches global transactions, tactical empathy, complex negotiation, and leadership at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. She is also a TED and TEDx talk producer (having produced more than 60 different TEDx talks and various TEDx music videos), a TEDx speaker, and a negotiation and leadership consultant specializing in weaponizing empathy and stoicism. She is an advisor to corporate directors through the NACD of Chicago, and the author of the textbook published by Northwestern University Library, “Global Transactions and Regulation: Political, Legal, and Cultural Frameworks” which examines current and relevant business, legal, regulatory, and ethical issues that arise when commercial transactions across national borders. Prior to her textbook, Ms. Kruse wrote the critically acclaimed, best-selling novel “Butterfly Stitching,” inspired by the true experiences of herself and the women in her family before and after the Iranian revolution. In addition to her teaching corporate and negotiations experience, Ms. Kruse was a partner at the law firm of Barack Ferrazzano where she represented international and Fortune 500 companies for 17 years. Her nearly two decade long legal practice provided her with in depth knowledge of corporate business management, high stakes negotiations, and complex cross-border transactions.Ms. Kruse is a frequent speaker on issues relating to tactical empathy, complex negotiation, stoicism, idea curation, change-agency, leadership, and professional development. She was recently named as the annual Woman Extraordinaire by the International Women Associates, featured by WomanScape Magazine for her global humanitarian work, and named one of the nation's top 100 “Women to Watch” by BizWomen Magazine, one of Chicago's most influential women by Chicago Business Journal, and one of Chicago's Women of Inspiration by Today's Chicago Magazine. Dedicated to her local and global community, Ms. Kruse is the founder of multiple national and global non-profits and NGOs.The Toxic Leadership PodcastInstagram: @ToxicLeadershipPodcastTwitter: @ToxicLeaderShow Dr. Kevin Sansberry II is a behavioral scientist and executive coach with expertise in toxic leadership, human capital strategy, and creating inclusive cultures of belonging to enhance organization performance. Over the years, Kevin has focused on providing research-informed solutions in various settings such as higher education, nonprofit, sales, and corporate environments. Follow KEVRA: The Culture Company on Linkedin to keep up with your favorite behavioral scientist, Dr. Sansberry. At KEVRA: The Culture Company, we partner to effectively evolve your organizational culture by focusing on competency development, best practices, and leading research to deliver systemic and innovative solutions for company success. Have a question for Dr. Sansberry? Visit askdrkev.com to send your leadership and organizational-related questions. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! https://thetoxicleadershippodcast.com/

0:00 -- Intro.1:31 -- Start of interview.1:57 -- Peter's "origin story". 2:40 -- His career prior to NACD, including at Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS).  Peter joined NACD in 2000.4:52 -- On the origin and mission of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). Founded in 1977 by John Nash. Today the organization has grown to 23,000+ members. 7:02 -- About the NACD Directorship Certification (created three years ago). About 2,800 candidates have registered, and about ~1,100 have graduated with the certification.10:38 -- On the evolution of corporate governance in the last 30 years from his vantage point. “Everything has changed [about boards] – it used to be more of an honorary position, we look it now as a profession with accountability and expectations.” The precedent of the ISS corporate governance quotient (CGQ).14:36 -- About NACD's Future of the American Board Report: A Framework for Governing into the Future. 20:07 -- On NACD's Summit 2022 and lessons from 2022 from a corporate governance perspective. The impact of the pandemic and getting back to in-person events.24:29 -- About NACD's 20 chapters throughout the US. Mostly in "NFL cities."27:53 -- On ESG and the anti-ESG trend and the politicization of corporation governance.30:30 -- On Institutional Investors passing-through voting power to beneficial owners, retail investors and the Universal Proxy Rule. A revolution in shareholder democracy?41:01 -- On the increasing influence of private markets and its corporate governance implications. "From NACD's 23,000 members, about 8,000 are directors of private companies." There is a lot of informationsharing between public and private company directors.43:49 -- On the challenges of founder-led private companies. The case of FTX.47:20 -- On dual-class share structures (supermajority voting structures). "The NACD doesn't have an official position." The example of Meta and Mark Zuckerberg. On the role of the board in non-profits. "I always recommend to go get a few independent directors for boards, because they will tell you what they are thinking (unvarnished opinions) but you have to listen to their independent advice."52:10 -- Focus on social issues (pressure on CEOs speaking out). The framework that CEOs and boards must use to communicate their positions.55:39 - The books that have greatly influenced his life: Good to Great, by Jim Collins (2001)To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (1960)The Industries of the Future, by Alec Ross (2016)57:17 - His mentors, and what he learned from them. His parents.Ken Daly, former CEO of NACD from 2007-2017.Ira Millstein59:32 -  Quotes he thinks of often or live his life by. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." (from his parents)"It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." Rocky Balboa."Man in the Arena" by Teddy Roosevelt (1910).1:00:59 - An unusual habit or an absurd thing that he loves: he watches TV to unwind (noise in the background).1:01:52 - The living person he most admires: his mother and his wife.Peter Gleason is the President and CEO of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).__ You can follow the NACD on social media at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/NACDLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-association-of-corporate-directors/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/NACDVideos1__ You can follow Evan on social media at:Twitter: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

Jennifer Buras advises clients, primarily senior executives, on career development, including in many instances their first board seat.  In this episode she discusses how to prepare your first board seat – and succeed. Thanks for listening! We love our listeners! Drop us a line or give us guest suggestions here. Quotes Preparing a client for a first Board Seat  "What is your personal brand? What is your board brand? How can you articulate that and infuse that in your board bio, your board resume, the way you present your value proposition. We conduct mock interviews. We coach our clients who are actively pursuing board seats and are in live interview situations. We'll record those interviews. A board interview is very different than a corporate interview, so we want to make sure that they're prepared for that sort of questioning. Board Bio By presenting a board bio you're demonstrating your board savvy. A board bio is intended to be a one-page narrative where the reader can quickly ascertain what is your board brand and what is your value proposition. What is it that's unique about you and your experience that's going to be accretive to the boardroom. The role of a board member People need to be reminded that it's not about “telling” in the boardroom, it's really about listening and being able to ask the right questions in order to further a conversation and get to a better decision. Networking I think it's important for prospective board members or those seeking board seats to start with their own network.  Who do you know within your network who is a board director? Who do you know who's an influencer; accountants, lawyers, venture capitalists and really catalog that list and tier them. You're trying to get into that second and third degree of separation from yourself in order to find opportunities. Big Ideas/Thoughts We had a client at Essex years ago, who came from a very large, well known money management firm in Boston and he was offended that nobody had asked him yet to join a board and nobody asked. When I asked: "Have you told anyone you want to join a board?” he said, “no.”  You have to let people, your network and beyond, to know you're interested.  Pretty basic, but sometimes overlooked. First For Profit Board Seat I joined that board as a result of my work on the North Shore Y Board. At that time I was the treasurer of the organization. I chaired the finance committee and the CEO of Beverly Bank, the predecessor bank, was an ad hoc member of that board so he was able to see me in action in a different context than he might have seen me had he just known me in my day job. Having worked with him, when a board seat opened up on his board, he asked me if I'd like to be considered When you sit on a not for profit board you have an opportunity for people to see you in action in a different way than they may see you in your day job, they see you in the boardroom, and also you're often with board influencers, people who are either on corporate boards themselves, CEOs, people in the community who are willing to advance and endorse you. Time Commitment as a board member The NACD published a survey in the last year or so which indicated that the average director spends 248 hours a year, which translates into five hours a week on their board role, and as you know it's not necessarily an evenly spread five hours a week. Boston Club The Boston Club is a woman's leadership organization based in Boston dedicated to advancing women not only in the boardroom, but into leadership roles.

Coco Brown wants to see the world evolve. And she's not willing to wait: She works tirelessly to propel women into well-deserved leadership roles and help them thrive there.  Coco is the Founder and CEO of Athena Alliance, a SaaS platform for women seeking to gain, expand and master leadership roles. Athena Alliance provides live and on-demand learning, networking, coaching, and access to career opportunities for the world's top women leaders. With Athena's support, thousands of women have advanced their executive careers and more than 300 women have landed board seats.  Prior to founding Athena Alliance, Coco served as COO, President and Board Director at Taos, where she led the company out of near-bankruptcy and ushered them towards their successful acquisition by IBM.  Coco is also a renowned Keynote Speaker and Writer. She has spoken at Microsoft's elite global CEO Summit and has been published in Fortune, Forbes, NACD, WSJ, and Bloomberg. She has also received a variety of leadership awards, from Business Woman of the Year in Silicon Valley and San Francisco to Silicon Valley's top 100 Women of Influence.  Keep the pulse on shifts in business and culture… When asked about the rise of women in executive roles, Coco Brown has plenty of valuable insight. Before she realized there was an issue, she was already at the top - and realized that there weren't a lot of other women at the top with her.  After doing some digging and examining cultural attitudes, she noticed powerful trends towards a more conscious model of commerce, a steady increase in consumer power and a collective desire to create a better world through better business. A lot of these shifts are being explored by women, nonbinary individuals and people of color who are rising into positions previously filled by men - or conceptualizing new executive positions that have never existed before. How will you create the future? By empowering women and historically-excluded individuals to ascend into leadership roles, Athena Alliance works to build a more diverse and prosperous world for all people. Their goal is to be a resource for leaders who want to grow in their positions and be the best in their respective industrues, and they have members hailing from industry giants including Microsoft, Bank of America, and Disney; as well as rising leaders like Databricks, Stripe and TalkDesk. During her research Coco Brown looked to the history of the stock market. She realized that men have had hundreds of years to become comfortable with investing, risk-taking, entrepreneurship and leadership, while women are just now learning some of these skills. Just like men did during the conception of the stock exchange, Coco recognized a need for information-sharing in order to give women the boost they need. Unlike a traditional MBA which can at times become irrelevant even by graduation day, Coco sought to construct a place for powerful and knowledgeable women can share information in order to success in business. Now, Athena Alliance has an on-demand learning platform to help executives flourish, develop and grow as leaders. In minutes, members of Athena Alliance can access half a dozen women sharing their own experiences and giving valuable professional advice.  Quotes “There's been a fundamental flipping of power from businesses to consumers. It almost doesn't matter how poor you are, you have a device in your hand and a voice. Companies are no longer able to tell people what a brand feels like, how you should feel and who you become when you have the brand…consumers tell brands that!” “Consumers were being mistreated by brands and are taking control. That fundamental shift is what has created the adoption of conscious capitalism in the United States.” “If the power is changing, and the powers that be are paying attention, then what is required at the top of leadership is a lot more integrated than it ever was before. It's a shift away from valuing risk-taking at all expense, competition and the fight to win….traits we consider very masculine. It's a shift towards bringing in vulnerability, cooperation, co-opetition, caring for society and for one another, and these are very feminine qualities.” “If you're going to be a senior leader, you have to have a dynamic way of keeping your finger on the pulse of wisdom. That is an increasingly difficult challenge.” “Don't just focus on the endgame. Focus on being a great leader throughout. We're all so busy - We need to get access to learning in a dynamic and instantaneous way.” “I'm compelled to try to help whenever I can. If I walk away from someone with their hand out on the street, I'm very aware of what my justification is. That is not a Mother Thesa virtue… I just get disappointed when I don't  see  other people helping. It's disappointing when we get so caught up in our own needs that we don't see the needs of others. That's central to my brand.” “I want to see the world evolve. I want to see leadership at the top of business represent the demographics of the society that it serves.” “I want the structure of business to fundamentally change. It was designed around the elites and the factory model. The way you progress and get access to opportunities are based around the elite.” Links mentioned in this episode: Visit the Athena Alliance Website: www.athenaalliance.com  Connect with Coco Brown on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cocobrown/  Follow The Athena Alliance on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/the-athena-alliance  Follow The Athena Alliance on Twitter: https://twitter.com/athenaalliance   

0:00 -- Intro.2:09 -- Start of interview.2:54 -- Susan's "origin story". 4:18 -- Stephen's "origin story". 6:24 -- The origin and mission of the KPMG Board Leadership Center. It started with the Audit Committee Institute in 1999.12:12 -- The progress on board diversity and onboarding insights for new directors. Example: Board Readiness Program from LCDA. "Two important elements for new directors to think about: 1) to deeply understand the role of the board and how that differs from management, and 2) to deeply understand what the company needs and what is the value that the director adds that no one else either on board or management is currently providing."14:07 -- The path to the board and director performance. In Fortune 500 companies and beyond.19:19 -- Board oversight on climate change. In this NACD's Governance Challenges report, Susan Angele offers areas for focus and questions to consider as boards enhance their governance to integrate climate change issues into risk, strategy, culture, values, and relationships with stakeholders.24:54 -- On whether "climate change" experts will be recruited for corporate boards.27:53 -- Lessons from the 2022 Proxy Season on ESG. To help boards understand and shape the total impact of the company's strategy and operations externally—on the environment, the company's consumers and employees, the communities in which it operates, and other stakeholders—and internally, on the company's performance, KPMG offers a five-part framework: 1) Level Setting, 2) Assessment, 3) Integration, 4) Stakeholder Communications, and 5) Board Oversight.31:48 -- On the "anti-ESG" trend. "You have to recognize the political play on this."36:15 -- How should CEOs and boards approach the "S" in ESG, particularly regarding employee and social matters. From Edelman data: "Employees really want to be engaged in these issues."42:38  -- On BlackRock (and other institutional investors) stating that a new era of “shareholder democracy” is coming with technology increasing voting power and expanding voting choice for investors (see BlackRock's Voting Choice). Thoughts on this trend: "this is an issue of concentration of power." The proposed Investor Democracy is Expected (Index) Act.48:27  -- Final thoughts and recommendations for current and aspiring directors: "The job of a director is tougher than it was 20 years ago, but what we know from evidence today is that it is still a pretty good and important job (people are not leaving it)."50:18 - What are the 1-3 books that have greatly influenced your life: Stephen:I Came As A Shadow, Autobiography of John Thompson with Jesse Washington (2020)The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, by Deesha Philyaw (2020)Susan:Unsafe at Any Speed, by Ralph Nader (1965)The Silent Spring, by Rachel Carlson (1962)The Nancy Drew Mystery Stories.53:44 - Who were your mentors, and what did you learn from them?Stephen: Mom & Dad.Susan: her corporate governance mentor, Ann Mulé (ex corporate secretary at Sonoco, now at the University of Delaware).54:50 - Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by? Stephen: "I always tell directors that one of the most powerful questions that you can ask is 'why' and 'how do you know'." [to practice cooperative skepticism]Susan: "The future is already here, it's just not evenly distributed" [William Gibson, The Economist 2003] "There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women" [Madeleine Albright]56:03 - An unusual habit or an absurd thing that they love: Stephen: College sports.Susan: British royalty.58:12 - The living person they most admire:Stephen: his wife.Susan: Volodymyr ZelenskySusan Angele and Stephen Brown are Senior Advisors of the KPMG Board Leadership Center.__ You can follow Evan on social media at:Twitter: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

Tracy D. Gee, the Chief People Officer of NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors), shared the story behind her title with us on November 9, 2022.NACD is the leading membership organization for corporate directors who want to expand their knowledge, grow their network, and maximize their potential.As Chief People Officer, Tracy is responsible for developing and executing all aspects of NACD's people strategies and human resources activities, including talent acquisition, talent management, diversity, equity and inclusion, organizational effectiveness, succession planning, and compensation and benefits. She joined NACD from Raytheon Company, where she was responsible for leading all human resources and global security operations for the company's Global Business Development function.In 2019, Savoy Magazine named Gee as one of the "Top 100 Most Influential Women in Corporate America." Over her 25+ year career, Gee has held human resources positions in a variety of industries: Aerospace and Defense, Investment Management, Insurance, and Commercial Banking. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College. She also has an advanced certificate in organization development and HR management from Columbia University.SUE SAYS"Growing up in the south with older parents whose message was to always treat others with dignity and respect, Tracy attributes her success to living that lesson boldly. While others may perceive kindness as a weakness, Tracy knew that her ability to always lead with kindness was actually a demonstration of confidence. Watch to learn why leaving a legacy for her family is so important to her."Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/women-to-watch-r/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Corporate directorship continues relentlessly to increase in complexity. The ability of directors to fully engage with the board agenda and to be effective partners in management are two of the most critical corporate governance issues in the current environment. These are issues that implicate a level of commitment by directors to be informed, attentive, and up to speed on their duties and on the issues of importance to the organization that they serve. This commitment is made even more critical this year by the many turns of events that are impacting the agenda in many boardrooms. To learn more about how directors at leading companies are handling this increase in role complexity board communication, Kimberly Simpson, the COO of NACD (the National Association of Corporate Directors) which serves both for-profit and nonprofit directors and boards, and offers the country's premier director certification program, joins Michael Peregrine for a conversation about the multifactorial challenges facing boards today, including: - The role of directors in understanding today's topsy turvy economic environment - Where private and public company directors place inflation within other boardroom priorities - ESG challenges and opportunities - The important role of board refreshment - Top trends from NACD's public and private company surveys - Updates on NACD Directorship Certification®

0:00 -- Intro.2:08 -- Start of interview.2:45 -- Alison's "origin story". 5:07 -- Her experience in management consulting with McKinsey & Co and Kearney.5:49 --  Her experience as CFO at Barclays Global Investors (now BlackRock) and with private equity as the managing director of Belvedere Capital, focused on investing in US banks and financial services firms. The challenges of banking post-financial crisis and Dodd-Frank (2010).9:26 --  Her pivot to fintech and blockchain investing. Since 2014 she's been investing in crypto. She co-founded Blockchain Coinvestors with her husband Mathew Le Merle.11:57 -- Her take on the future of blockchain "I think that it's completely inevitable that fully digital assets and fully digital payments are coming, it's just a matter of time [but timing is everything if you're an investor]." "There is no doubt in my mind that blockchain technology is a massively important component of the next generation of our global digital economy." "We will have fully digitally enabled payment and assets as part of our next generation web [some referred it as Web 3.0]."13:38 -- On her experience with public company board service. Her first board was in 1998 with Dispatch Management Services Company [Founded in 1994 by Linda Jenkinson and Greg Kidd. DMSC was a publicly traded company that handled point-to-point delivery services]. At the time she was CFO at BGI. Since then, she has served on 22 corporate boards, over half of them public companies, the others in private companies. "It's been fascinating and I really enjoy [this work] enormously."16:51 -- In 2011 she was invited to join the board of the Royal Bank of Scotland. That was her introduction to U.K. corporate governance. She was on the board for 9 years, because there are term limits in the U.K. [after 9 years, a director is no longer considered 'independent'].20:25 -- On dual-class share structures adopted in the UK (against the long standing "one share, one vote" principle).21:24-- On the role of the board in strategy and innovation. "When public companies lose a lot value, 80% of the time it's because of strategy missteps."25:51  -- How should boards deal with crisis management. "From the crisis that I've experienced as a director, ~40% of them have been due to exogenous factors, and ~60% have been due to self-inflicted wounds (such as bad culture, personality clashes, single person failure, etc)." In the latter case, a lot of them could have been spotted earlier by a really engaged board that was connected enough to the company to understand that these things were arising."28:21  -- On whether having more inside (executive) directors on boards impacts at all the governance of the company.29:54 -- On the idea of having employee representatives on corporate boards of directors. "We explored this seriously at RBS, but we decided instead that a sub-committee of the board spend time on 'employee listening sessions' and we created a workers' council to connect on these matters." "I think that U.S. boards could really benefit from more listening sessions with key stakeholders."32:47 -- On the evolution of sustainability and ESG. Her experience with Barclays Global Investors, and the vision of then CEO Patty Dunn, who questioned the idea of companies having great short term value but leaving a wake of damage that later society and/or tax payers had to pay. She posited having a more active role as stewards of long term capital for a more sustainable future. The case of RBS, going from darlings of Wall Street to almost the world's biggest bank failure. "That was a wake up call." "I am a big fan of ESG broadly defined." "I am really excited that [big institutional investors] have leaned in and are tipping this discussion."38:58 -- On the growing influence of large institutional investors in corporate governance: "The [beneficiaries of large index funds] do not want short-term high profit at long-term costs to the economy and people's lives." "I'm very supportive of large institutional investors focusing on broader societal issues and the health of capitalism." "Can capitalism retain the trust of the people that live in a capitalist system?" "I mean, you could democratize the whole thing and say everyone has a vote but your average person is not investing the time to get really educated on these issues."41:35 -- On the books that she's co-authored with her husband Matthew Le Merle: Build your Fortune in the Fifth Era,Corporate Innovation in the Fifth Era,Blockchain Competitive Advantage, andThe Intelligent Investor – Silicon Valley.44:55 -- No specific books "that have changed her life", but she's a big reader of The Economist.45:42 -- Who were your mentors, and what did you learn from them? Patty Dunn, ex CEO of BGI. "She touched my heart, as well my [mind]. She was a great leader and was very inspirational."Ross McEwan, ex CEO of RBS47:26 -- Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by? From Desiderata (1927): "With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy." 48:32 --  An unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love: "Making jam with my husband, we make a killer Lemoncello and apricot jam"!49:14 --  The person(s) she most admires: entrepreneurs from the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center (she's a board member of this organization).Alison Davis the Co-Founder and Chair of Blockchain Coinvestors & Fifth Era, a leading VC firm investing in blockchain and Web 3. She currently serves as an independent director at Silicon Valley Bank, Fiserv, Janus Henderson Investors, Collibra and Pacaso. She also serves as the Chair of the Advisory Board for Blockchain Capital LLC, advisor to Bitwise Asset Management and board member of the NACD Northern California Chapter.__ You can follow Evan on social media at:Twitter: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

0:00 -- Intro.1:38 -- Start of interview.2:06 -- Nora's "origin story". 4:33 -- How she got started on her board journey. 6:25 --  The distinctions between serving on advisory boards and private venture-backed company boards.11:27 --  On serving on non-profit company boards. Nora has served on the boards of NACD, YWCA of Silicon Valley and the Anita Borg Institute.13:50 -- On serving on private equity (PE) backed company boards. *Prof Ron Gilson's article on Boards 3.0.16:34 -- On serving on public company boards. The evolution of shareholder primacy vs stakeholder capitalism.18:05 -- Distinctions between serving on U.S. boards vs international boards. "The 'what' is very similar or the same, however the biggest distinction is the 'how'." "When I started on my first board in Europe 10 years ago there was a strong focus on 'double materiality' (a more stakeholder driven approach) which was not discussed on US boards." Nora currently serves on boards of Ericson and SUSE Linux. Thoughts on employees serving on boards.23:17 -- The new NACD report "The Future of the American Board" (released on Sept 27, 2022). Nora served as one of the Commissioners for this report. "This initiative was created to reassess and, where needed, redefine the effectiveness of the board in response to the seismic societal, economic, technology and climate changes affecting business. "NACD established a diverse, influential group of directors and notable governance practitioners drawn from the investor, regulatory and academic communities to issue guiding principles that will help boards achieve high performance in a much more turbulent future."26:21 -- Why all the principles flow from Principle #1: Corporate Purpose. "Shareholders are value based, not values based." "The noise is in the media."34:02  -- Thoughts on founder-control and dual-class share structures in tech companies. "It serves a purpose at a certain time, but once you meet a threshold is it really that important? It's not one-size-fits-all. Maybe it's milestone-based or time-based sunsets." *CII's "reasonable 7-year sunset provision" position.38:53  -- On the rise of ESG and more recent "anti-ESG" movement.  "The investors are doing what's right in the long term, and I think it will prevail in the long term." 41:51  -- On the growing influence of large institutional investors in corporate governance. "Communication [both during and outside the proxy season] is the key, these investors (and the companies) are rational."44:05 -- On the evolution of boardroom diversity. "Europe took the lead with quotas, and their representation of women on boards was surpassing the U.S." "This year about 500 board positions opened up and ~50% went to diverse (gender and minorities) candidates." "Boards are valuing heterogeneous composition."46:29 -- The books she recommends: Factfulness, by Hans Rosling, Anna Rosling Rönnlund and Ola Rosling (2018)Talent, Strategy, Risk, by Dennis C Carey, Bill McNabb and Ram Charan (2021)NACD's "The Future of the American Board" (2022)47:25 -- Who were your mentors, and what did you learn from them? Lynn M. Yates, her first mentor at IBM.48:19 -- Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by? "Everyone dies, but not everyone Lives" (you want to Live with a capital L)50:23 --  An unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love: "I'm extraordinarily talented at finding things that I'm not extraordinarily talented at." 52:55 --  The person(s) she most admires: after pandemic, the front line workers.Nora Denzel is a Silicon Valley technology executive who has served on eight public company boards and is currently an independent director of AMD, Ericsson, SUSE Linux and NortonLifeLock. She also serves on the board of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) in Washington, D.C.__ You can follow Evan on social media at:Twitter: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

0:00 -- Intro.1:30 -- Start of interview.2:27-- Claudia's "origin story". She was born in Taiwan and grew up in Brazil. She came to the US after college. She studied CS and later went to work for IBM, where she had a 30 year career including founding the firm's Venture Capital Group. Post IBM, she joined NEA as a venture advisor, and has served on several corporate boards.8:31 -- On the evolution of corporate venture capital (CVC) at IBM, and the industry generally. In 2012, she was the first CVC partner to join the board of the NVCA.11:54 -- How CVC investors fit in the boardroom of venture-backed companies ("usually via board observer seats").15:40 -- How should boards approach the current downturn.19:15  -- On Silicon Valley's "growth at all costs" mantra.  "It's a phenomena of too much money in the market."23:32  -- On supermajority voing stock and founder control. "VCs don't build companies, founders do." 29:25 -- The role of the board in strategy and innovation. "The strategy is owned by management, the board's role is to continuously help calibrate that strategy."33:22 -- The oversight duties of directors relating to cybersecurity. "We can't throw enough money at it."36:31 -- On the evolution of ESG. "It started with very positive tones where everyone was supporting it." "Good companies can do both: good financial results and good corporate social responsibility." ("this is not a new phenomenon").39:40 -- On stakeholder governance. "I don't know who influenced who" in connection with Hubert Joly, former Chair and CEO of BestBuy (where she serves as a board member.) [Check out this interview that I did with Hubert Joly for the Sciences Po American Foundation in 2021]. "Great companies like IBM have held up its cultural values consistently for a very long time."41:38 -- On the evolution of boardroom diversity. "The board's role is to ask questions to really challenge management to think outside of the box." "Diversity of gender, life experience, expertise or age [is critical for this purpose]." "The California boardroom diversity policies set up momentum that have helped improve people's ability to think outside of the box in terms of board composition. Hopefully this continues to happen without the need to have these laws in place."44:26 -- How directors should think about geopolitical risks in the current environment. "You have to have a very strong local team." "The risk is considerably higher."45:52 -- What are the 1-3 books that have greatly influenced your life: Crossing the Chasm, by Geoffrey Moore (1991) (and others by this author).47:07 -- Who were your mentors, and what did you learn from them? "People who care enough about me to give me very honest feedback." (difference between mentors and sponsors).48:20 -- Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by? "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you do, but people will never forget how you made them feel."49:46 --  An unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love: she loves cleaning.50:30 --  The living person she most admires: Hillary Clinton.Claudia Fan Munce is a venture advisor at NEA, and serves as a board member at Best Buy, CoreLogic, the Bank of the West/BNP Paribas, the Energy Impact Acquisition (SPAC) and the National Association of Corporate Directors/Northern California. She's also a Lecturer in Management at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.__ You can follow Evan on social media at:Twitter: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License 

Mind Set, Tool Set, and Skill Set position you to be impactful says my next guest Daphne E. Jones. She utilizes all three game-changing ideas to stand out and overcome the thought that you are not good enough to succeed in your chosen field. Jones empowers the underserved, undervalued, and overlooked by not listening to people who put limits and labels on you. She is a head, heart, and gut leader who asks “Do you know the business” “Are you strategic?” “How much do you care, and do you have empathy and compassion?” Challenging the status quo with emotional intelligence and intellectual curiosity by making the complex simple Jones values unique experiences and perspectives to help her community grow.  Speak in the language of the audience that you are influencing to create alignment then you Win!  says Daphne E Jones. Learn, Do, and Transform each position on your path to change your business or career outcome. Daphne E. Jones is a seasoned executive with extensive experience implementing digital technologies to drive market growth, seamless customer fulfillment & internal efficiencies within Fortune 50 corporations. She has over thirty years of experience in general management and executive-level roles at IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Hospira (now Pfizer), and General Electric. During her tenure at GE, she served as SVP for Future of Work, SVP & CIO. She co-led a global team that defined GE's digital DNA and ran IT for $13B GE Healthcare businesses pf Product Engineering, Imaging, Ultrasound, and Post Market Product Services. Before GE Healthcare, her early career days were spent at IBM and Johnson & Johnson as executive Director, and VP of IT followed by her role as SVP & CIO at Hospira, Inc, a $5B global pharma & infusion technology company. At Hospira, she led all aspects of Hospira's enterprise, infrastructure, cyber, digital & analytics technology. Her latter career days were spent innovating with predictive maintenance, design for additive & other advanced technologies to help the business differentiate and win in the market.  Daphne serves on the board of directors for AMN Healthcare, Inc., Barnes Group Inc, and Masonite International Corp and is on the audit, compensation & governance committees. Named by Savoy Magazine, as one of the most influential AA Directors in 2021, she is a member of NACD, Accenture Cybersecurity Council, the digital director's network (DDN), and the Executive Leadership Council (ELC). She is the CEO/Founder of the Board Curators – a company that prepares senior leaders for paid board service at www.theboardcurators.com and is launching her book in Fall 2022 from McGraw-Hill entitles “ Win When They Say You Won't” Her thought leadership & experience make her a sought-after speaker on digital, DEI board development, and personal transformation. Daphne earned her MBA and BS from Illinois State University. Let us Welcome Daphne E. Jones to the Follow the Brand Podcast where we are building a 5 STAR Brand that You Can follow! https://theboardcurators.com/

This week's Open Mic guest is Michael Crowder, president of the National Association of Conservation Districts. For more than 75 years, farmers and ranchers have partnered with NACD to employ soil conservation practices to preserve natural resources and improve the productivity of their land. Today, conservation is seen as a means to mitigate the impact of climate change and help farmers sustainably produce food, fiber and fuel for the nation. Crowder says NACD is pleased to see additional funds directed toward existing conservation programs that are currently underfunded. He says additional funds for technical assistance will help producers engage more land in conservation stewardship practices. NACD has developed 2023 farm bill principles that they will continue to refine as work increases toward approving a new farm bill next year.