You’re contacted about a board opportunity. What happens next?

Mary Beth Vitale, a director on multiple boards, and Chuck Gray, coleader of Egon Zehnder’s US CEO and Board Practice, join NACD’s Susan Paley to chat about what candidates can expect from the recruitment process, how to prepare for board interviews, and what role search firms play.

Host: Susan Paley

Guests: Mary Beth Vitale, board member at Government Employees Health Association (GEHA) and Luna Innovations, and an NACD faculty member; Chuck Gray, coleader of Egon Zehnder’s US CEO and Board Practice

NACD resources:

• How to Prepare and Interview for a Private Company Board Seat
• Director FAQ: Finding Your Next Board Seat

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

What defines success as a corporate board member? 

Linda Fayne Levinson, the 2022 NACD Directorship 100 B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, former chair of Hertz Global Holdings, former independent lead director of Jacobs and NCR Corp., and a former board member of Western Union Co. shares her story. Learn from Fayne Levinson’s career fighting for her seat at the table at a time when women were not usually in the boardroom, using her positions of power to elevate women and other underrepresented people, giving back to the companies she serves, and her thoughts on pandemic-era changes in the boardroom.

Host: Elena Loveland
Guest: Linda Fayne Levinson

Boards of private, nonprofit, and public companies of all sizes are grappling with the changing nature of business and the effect on governance.

How can boards become and remain resilient in the face of volatility and future uncertainty is the question Friso van der Oord, NACD senior vice president of content, discusses with two members of the NACD Blue Ribbon Commission that released the Future of the American Board: Luis A. Aguilar, NACD.DC, a board member at Donnelley Financial Solutions, Envestnet, and the NACD Atlanta Chapter and Jan Babiak, a board member of Bank of Montreal, the NACD Nashville advisory board, and Walgreens Boots Alliance, and a former board member of Euromoney Institutional Investor, Experian, and other companies.

Host: Friso van der Oord
Guests: Luis A. Aguilar and Jan Babiak

Discover the key questions and takeaways from this report that can help update and reinvigorate your own boardroom to be future-ready.

It’s all about self-discovery.

Lisa Shalett, cofounder of Extraordinary Women on Boards, joins Susan Paley, NACD vice president of the chapter network, to discuss how anyone can start on their path to board service through networking, continuous learning, and self-investigation.

Host: Susan Paley, NACD vice president of the chapter network

Guest: Lisa M. Shalett, cofounder of Extraordinary Women on Boards, a board member at MPower Partners and PennyMac Financial Services, and a former partner at Goldman Sachs

NACD resources:

• Demystifying the Path to Board Service
• Get Out the Map: The Journey to Your First Board Seat

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

Listen and learn before you speak or lead—that’s Oscar Munoz’s motto.

Oscar Munoz, former chair and CEO of United Airlines, joins Susan Paley, NACD vice president of the chapter network, to talk about his journey to the C-suite and the boardroom, as well as his early influences and the importance of empathy and authenticity.

Host: Susan Paley, NACD vice president of the chapter network

Guest: Oscar Munoz, former chair and CEO of United Airlines; board member at Archer Aviation, CBRE Group, Salesforce, and TelevisaUnivision; a trustee of The Brookings Institution, Fidelity’s Equity and High-Income Funds, and University of Southern California; and author of the best-selling book, Turnaround Time: Uniting an Airline and Its Employees in the Friendly Skies

NACD resources:

·      Culture as the Foundation: Building a High-Performance Board

·      Workforces: A “Wicked Problem” Where Boards Can Help

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information. 

Corporate boards are no longer simply a legal structure, but a body of humans in the spotlight.

Peter R. Gleason, NACD president and CEO, joins Friso van der Oord, NACD senior vice president of content, to discuss how governance has changed over Gleason’s time in the field and how it will change in the future.

Host: Friso van der Oord, NACD senior vice president of content
Guest: Peter R. Gleason, NACD president and CEO

NACD resources:

• The Future of the American Board: A Framework for Governing Into the Future
• It’s Time to Restore Balance in the Board-CEO Relationship

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

You’ve been invited to join a board. Now what?

Rose McKinney-James, a board member at ioneer, MGM Resorts International, Pacific Premier Bancorp, Toyota Financial Savings Bank, and the NACD Pacific Southwest Chapter, and cochair of the chapter’s Nevada Advisory Board, sheds light on how a director can prepare for their first day in the boardroom, what is expected of new directors, and the general ins and outs of onboarding, including both the board’s role and the individual’s role. Listen to McKinney-James discuss her personal experience with onboarding and how onboarding practices are changing to move “beyond the binder.”

Host: Susan Paley
Guest: Rose McKinney-James

Shareholders increasingly have a voice in how companies operate. How can boards better listen to and work with shareholders to improve corporate value?

This episode features a conversation with Nell Minow, vice chair of ValueEdge Advisors, prior president of Institutional Shareholder Services, and an attorney who has worked for the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of Management and Budget, and the US Department of Justice. A leading voice in corporate governance and a prolific author, Minow shares her insights on how understanding the shareholder’s perspective is critical in the boardroom as well as her thoughts on  the evolution of corporate governance, CEO compensation, and companies and boards that have recently made headlines.

Host: Susan Paley
Guest: Nell Minow

Many C-suite leaders think they have what it takes to join a board, while others don’t consider directorship as an option. Joanna Burkey, the former chief information security officer at HP and a board member at Beyond, formerly Overstock.com and Bed Bath and Beyond, and ReliabilityFirst Corp., clarifies the role of the board as she discusses finding her path to the boardroom and how her perspective as a C-suite leader changed along the way. Tune in to hear what Burkey wishes aspiring board members, current C-level executives, and the public in general knew about how boards work.

Host: Susan Paley
Guest: Joanna Burkey

Karina Litvack, the former founding chair of the Climate Governance Initiative, launched in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, and a director on the board of Terna, offers her perspective on the state of climate governance.

With the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s final climate disclosure rule expected this spring, it is an ideal time for boards to reconsider how they can provide the best ESG oversight with a focused lens on climate. Listen and determine what your board can do to improve the governance of climate-related risk and opportunity as well as enact change.

Host: Ghita Alderman
Guest: Karina Litvack

Do you ever wonder what other corporate leaders have done—and continue to do—to earn seats on private corporate boards?

Lynn Clarke, the 2021 NACD Directorship 100 Private Company Director of the Year and a board member of A. Duie Pyle, Basic American Foods, and The Vollrath Co., shares her journey. Hear from Clarke as she discusses the steps that she took to become a director of large private companies, her experiences on family company boards, CEO succession, corporate purpose, and much more.

Host: Elena Loveland
Guest: Lynn Clarke

Directors should focus on purpose, not partisanship, says Bruce Haynes.

Haynes, who works in crisis communications and reputation management, and board member Anne Alonzo chat with NACD advisor Susan Paley about strategies for boards to prevent controversial issues from escalating into crises and how they can facilitate effective conversations on difficult topics, especially in the context of the upcoming US election.

Host: Susan Paley, NACD advisor

Guests: Anne Alonzo, board member at PotlatchDeltic Corp. and Until Corp.; Bruce Haynes, senior vice president of corporate and external affairs at Charles River Laboratories

NACD Resources:

·      Election Insights

·      Boardroom Diplomacy: Mastering the Art of Difficult Conversations

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

Why should global governance trends matter to US boards? Board member Mary McDowell and Russell Reynolds’s Rich Fields join NACD’s Friso van der Oord to discuss the themes dominating boardrooms around the world and how US governance compares to governance in other countries, with a close look at the United Kingdom.

Host: Friso van der Oord, NACD senior vice president of content

Guests: Mary McDowell, nonexecutive director at Arrow Electronics and Autodesk and senior independent director at Informa; Rich Fields, head of the Russell Reynolds Board Effectiveness Practice and a member of the firm’s Board and CEO Advisory Partners 

NACD Resources:

• Global Risks Are Intensifying: Here Is What Boards Should Know
• Digital Transformation: How to Unlock Innovation and Growth With Emerging Technologies—A GNDI Quick Guide

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

There’s one major rule for executives to lay a strong foundation with the board: no surprises, says board and C-suite member Peggy Foran.

Foran and NACD advisor Susan Paley discuss the who, what, when, where, why, and how of executive engagement with the board, including what boards expect from executives, how executives can effectively prepare for board and committee meetings, and the key elements that foster a strong board-management relationship.

Host: Susan Paley, NACD advisor

Guests: Peggy Foran, chief governance officer, senior vice president, and corporate secretary of Prudential Financial and a board member at Orion Group Holdings

NACD Resources:

• How Boards and CEOs Can Establish a Strong Relationship
• 10 Steps to a Better Board Partnership

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

It’s one thing to be smart and curious. But to truly differentiate yourself as a leader requires processing time to look for patterns, lessons, and insights, says Adam Bryant.

In this episode, Bryant and Susan Paley discuss the difficulties of and the motivations behind modern leadership, including the importance of listening, the paradoxes of leadership, and how the best leadership wisdom is also life wisdom.

Host: Susan Paley, NACD advisor

Guest: Adam Bryant, senior managing director and partner with the ExCo Group, former Corner Office columnist for the New York Times, author of The Leap to Leader, and coauthor of The CEO Test

NACD Resources:

• Twenty-First–Century Board Oversight of Talent and Succession
• Summer Reading: The Evolving Nature of Leadership

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

Mentorship should be a two-way street, according to board member Barbara Adachi, NACD.DC.

Adachi, Lori N. Mackenzie, and Raquel Suarez discuss the role of mentorship in the boardroom, including what defines an effective mentor-mentee relationship, whether and how to formalize mentorship programs, and how mentees, mentors, and the board can benefit from the engagement.

Host: Raquel Suarez, NACD senior manager of diversity, equity, and inclusion

Guests: Barbara Adachi, board member at Atlas Technology Solutions, Old Republic International Corp., and VSP Vision; Lori Mackenzie, cofounder of the VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab at Stanford University and advisor to August Public

NACD Resources:

• Board Mentorship Program Guidelines Sample
• NACD Blue Ribbon Commission Report, Culture as the Foundation: Building a High-Performance Board

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a board member?

In this episode, Rob Galford and Susan Paley examine what a typical year looks like for public company directors. They discuss board calendars, agenda setting, best practices to avoid asymmetric information, and how to improve the experience of being a board member.

Host: Susan Paley, NACD advisor

Guest: Robert M. Galford, lead independent director, Forrester Research; managing partner, Center for Leading Organizations

NACD Resources:

• Modernizing the Boardroom: Rethinking Meetings for Real Impact (event)
• Director FAQ: Setting the Board Calendar and Meeting Agendas

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

Service is Bob McDonald’s—and a nonprofit board’s—way of life.

In this episode, McDonald and Mary Jacobson dive into McDonald’s journey from military to government to board service. They also discuss the nuances of nonprofit governance, how to approach finding nonprofit board roles, and what it takes to be an effective nonprofit director.

Host: Mary T. Jacobson, senior regional director of the NACD chapter network

Guest: Hon. Robert A. McDonald, chair, Elizabeth Dole Foundation, West Point Association of Graduates; board member, Every Cure; former secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs; former chair and CEO, Procter & Gamble Co.; US Army veteran

NACD Resources:

• Hon. Robert A. McDonald: Committed to Helping Others
• Do Nonprofits Need Board Governance? (recorded event)

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

Under the leadership of next-gen directors, the future boardroom will be more agile, tech-enabled, and engaged, predicts board member Caroline Tsay.

In this episode, Tsay and NACD advisor Susan Paley discuss the next generation of board members. They cover Tsay’s journey as both a next-gen and an experienced board member, how the current business and geopolitical environments influence director selection, and how board culture shifts when next-gen directors are in the room.

Host: Susan Paley, NACD advisor

Guest: Caroline Tsay, board member, The Coca-Cola Co., Morningstar; cofounder and former CEO, Compute Software

Related NACD Resources:

• Mentoring Needs a Collective Push
• Twenty-First–Century Board Oversight of Talent and Succession

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

When faced with disruption, companies may feel compelled to pause business plans. To the contrary, RSM tax partner Karen Galivan believes, they must continue to innovate.

In this episode, Galivan speaks with NACD advisor Susan Paley about how boards and companies are handling disruption amid geopolitical uncertainty, including tariff impacts. They define what a “disruptor” is and discuss the practices and structures that can be put in place to create resilience.

Host: Susan Paley, NACD advisor

Guest: Karen Galivan, tax partner, RSM US LLP; board member, RSM US, Junior Achievement of Chicago

RSM is a NACD sponsor, providing directors with critical and timely information, and perspectives. RSM is a financial supporter of the NACD.

Related NACD Resources:

• Navigating Changing US Policy: Key Board Implications (landing page)
• How to Tackle Organizational Blind Spots and Disruption

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

The transition from an executive to a board career, or a portfolio lifestyle, is more than it appears; the change can be seismic, in fact.

In this episode, board member Paul Williams and NACD advisor Susan Paley discuss how Williams transitioned away from his full-time career toward a portfolio lifestyle. They cover the value he finds in board service, his shift in mindset from outward achievement to inward fulfillment, and the day-to-day changes he’s experienced.

Host: Susan Paley, NACD advisor

Guest: Paul S. Williams, director, American Funds/Capital Group; trustee, Public Storage, George Jackson Academy

Related NACD Resources:

• Redesigning Your Life: The Transition to a Portfolio Lifestyle
• Demystifying the Path to Board Service

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

Am I as good as my board peers? Do they think I’m a fraud? If you’ve found yourself asking such questions, you may be experiencing impostor syndrome.

In this episode, board member and author Keith Dorsey and NACD advisor Susan Paley discuss impostor syndrome and self-doubt in the boardroom. They define what “impostor syndrome” is, how it manifests among directors, and how to tackle it individually and with peers.

Host: Susan Paley, NACD advisor

Guest: Keith Dorsey, NACD.DC®, senior advisor, United States, Boyden; board member, Continu, Pacific Crest Trail Association, Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School

Related NACD Resources:

• Redesigning Your Life: The Transition to a Portfolio Lifestyle
• Culture as the Foundation: Building a High-Performance Board

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

Boards don’t always need a well-known, “rock star” chair; sometimes, individuals who simply possess strong leadership qualities are more successful in the role. 

In this episode, board member Virginia Gambale and NACD advisor Susan Paley explore the role of independent chairs. They discuss the difference between board leaders and other board members, the relationships to prioritize in the role, and the qualities of effective chairs.

Host: Susan Paley, NACD advisor

Guest: Virginia Gambale, chair, Nutanix; board member, Consumer Edge, Evertec, Virtu Financial, and 10x Banking Technology; managing partner, Azimuth Partners

Related NACD Resources:

• Director Essentials: Board Leadership Structures
• Director Essentials: Succession Planning for Board and Committee Leaders

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

An executive coach is not typically an advisor, a problem solver, or a performance corrector. Rather, a coach is someone who helps with self-discovery, Dawn Zier says.

In this episode, Zier, an executive leadership coach and board member, and NACD advisor Susan Paley discuss the role of coaches in the governance ecosystem. They explore when and why a CEO or C-suite coach may be necessary or desired; why this is a positive thing for executive leadership, the board, and the company; and the board’s role in establishing and supporting the success of a CEO-coach relationship.

Host: Susan Paley, NACD advisor

Guest: Dawn Zier, executive leadership coach, The ExCo Group; chair, Hain Celestial Group; board member, Acorns and Prestige Consumer Healthcare; former CEO, Nutrisystem

Related NACD Resources:

• Making CEO Succession Plans Stick
• Survey Analysis: Board-CEO Relationship

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

It can feel impossible to distinguish between reality and hype when it comes to new technologies. But that’s exactly what strategic boards are doing, says Grant Thornton’s Adam Bowen.

In this episode, Bowen and NACD’s Dylan Sandlin discuss the board’s role in tying digital transformation to strategy, how technology executives can work with the board, and how directors can stay current on new technologies.

Host: Dylan Sandlin, program manager of digital and cybersecurity content at NACD

Guest: Adam Bowen, managing director in the Business Consulting practice at Grant Thornton Advisors LLC

Grant Thornton is a NACD sponsor, providing directors with critical and timely information, and perspectives. Grant Thornton is a financial supporter of the NACD.

Related NACD Resources:

• “A Guide to Energizing Technology Governance”
• The 2024 NACD Blue Ribbon Commission report: Technology Leadership in the Boardroom

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

For some directors, networking may feel like a chore. But it can be one of the most
valuable practices for deepening governance insights and staying current in the
boardroom.

In this episode, Katrinka McCallum, a director on the boards of ACI Worldwide and
Intrusion, and NACD advisor Susan Paley explore the value of board networks. They
also discuss practical strategies for making networking purposeful rather than
transactional, ways to balance time and resources, and how a network evolves over the
arc of a director’s board career.

Host: Susan Paley, NACD advisor

Guest: Katrinka McCallum, NACD.DC, director, ACI Worldwide and Intrusion

Related NACD Resources: 

•  “You Joined a Board. Now What?”
•  NACD Chapters

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

Building governance from the ground up at early-stage companies is Jack Lazar’s specialty—and his favorite kind of challenge.

In this episode, Lazar and NACD advisor Susan Paley explore Lazar’s extensive Silicon Valley career. They also discuss the nuances of private company board service, what it takes to work with visionary founders, and why effective governance always comes back to people and relationships.

Host: Susan Paley, NACD advisor 

Guest: Jack Lazar, 2025 NACD Directorship 100™ Private Company Director of the Year and a director at Astera Labs, Box, GlobalFoundries, Resideo Technologies, and Tonal Systems

Related NACD Resources:

• The Growth Catalyzer: Jack Lazar (link TK)
• Building a Board for Start-Up Success
• Documenting Governance (Boardroom Tool)

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

How do investors assess the quality of boards? To start, they look for well-defined and transparent director roles and responsibilities, says Aeisha Mastagni, a CalSTRS senior portfolio manager.

In this episode, Mastagni and NACD’s Marcel Bucsescu look at the investor’s perspective on board effectiveness. They explore the importance of clear disclosures, board quality red flags, and the ways in which Mastagni and other investors interact with and influence boards.

Host: Marcel Bucsescu, NACD vice president of strategic engagement

Guest: Aeisha Mastagni, senior portfolio manager in the Sustainable Investment and Stewardship Strategies unit, California State Teachers’ Retirement System; chair, Council of Institutional Investors; chair, Golden 1 Credit Union

Related NACD Resources:

• Building Long-Term Value: Insights from Leading Investors
• The Importance of Investor Relations to the Board

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

As high–net-worth individuals with access to sensitive company information, board members are
increasingly targeted by cyber-threat actors. Awareness of these threats—and personal
vigilance—are essential to stay protected.

In this episode, cybersecurity expert and board member Ron Green talks with NACD program
manager of digital and cybersecurity content Dylan Sandlin. Together, they discuss personal
cybersecurity for board members and the cyber risks they face. They also dive into how directors
can be targeted and best practices for personal digital hygiene.

Host: Dylan Sandlin, program manager of digital and cybersecurity content, NACD

Guest: Ron Green, NACD.DC ® , partner in the CISO/CSO advisory practice, 5OH Consulting; board
member, SailPoint, Santander Bank; former chair, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Cybersecurity Advisory Committee, US Secret Service Cyber Investigations Advisory Board

Related NACD Resources:   

•  Director’s Handbook on Cyber-Risk Oversight
•  “A Director’s Digital Life May Be a Liability”
•  Personal Cybersecurity Protection Guide for Corporate Directors

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

“Business is easy. Family business is hard,” says Charlie Bitzer, chair and CEO of ABARTA. The
relationships and dynamics within family-owned companies present distinct challenges for their
boards.

In this episode, Bitzer talks with NACD senior member engagement advisor Kait Armstrong about
the governance of family-owned businesses. They discuss the difficulties of generational transitions,
the importance of aligning culture between the board and the family, and how independent
directors can engage family leaders in tough conversations.

Host: Kait Armstrong, NACD senior member engagement advisor

Guest: Charlie Bitzer, chair and CEO of ABARTA 

Related NACD Resources:  

•  “Steering a Family Business Through Ownership Transitions”
•  “How Family Businesses Actually Make Governance Work”
•  Director Essentials: Family Business Boards and Family Dynamics

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

Culture is often described as the “operating system” of an organization. But what role
does culture play in the boardroom, and how does it shape the way boards make
decisions?

In this episode, Beth Albright, president and CEO of Saidia and a director on the board
of the NACD Philadelphia chapter, speaks with NACD advisor Susan Paley. Together,
they explore why board culture matters. They also discuss the board chair’s role in
managing dominant voices, how structured onboarding and “board buddies” help
reinforce cultural norms, and why even informal moments outside the boardroom can
strengthen governance.

Host: Susan Paley, NACD advisor 

Guest: Beth Albright, NACD.DC®, president and CEO, Saidia; director, NACD
Philadelphia Chapter

Related NACD Resources:  

• “Championing a Culture of Innovation”
• Report of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Culture as the Foundation: Building a High-Performance Board
• “Starting the Dialogue on Board Culture: A Discussion Guide”

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

For CEOs, a board’s support can make all the difference. But knowing what kind of
support to ask for isn’t always obvious.

In this episode, Wayne Peacock, vice chair of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and the
former CEO of USAA, and Dona Young, a director on the boards of USAA, NACD, and
Spahn & Rose, spoke with NACD director of governance content Mallory Bucher.
Peacock and Young are cochairs of the NACD 2025 Blue Ribbon Commission. Peacock
and Young are cochairs of the NACD 2025 Blue Ribbon Commission. Together, they
discuss how boards can work with CEOs to create the conditions where both parties
can thrive. They also explore the ways directors can provide guidance without
micromanaging and why transparency is central to a high-functioning board-CEO
relationship.

Host: Mallory Bucher, director of governance content, NACD

Guests: Dona Young, NACD.DC®, director, USAA, NACD, Spahn &; Rose; cochair,
NACD 2025 Blue Ribbon Commission

Wayne Peacock, vice chair, Elizabeth Dole Foundation; former CEO, USAA; cochair,
NACD 2025 Blue Ribbon Commission

Related NACD Resources:  

• Building a High-Trust Board-CEO Relationship
• “Beyond the Appointment: Communicate CEO Transitions for Long-Term
  Success”
• “The Evolution of the C-Suite and Its Impact on Board Dynamics”

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.

Boards have high expectations for CEOs, but what do directors truly want beyond the numbers and reports?

In this episode, Wayne Peacock, vice chair of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and the former CEO of USAA, and Dona Young, a director on the boards of USAA, NACD, and Spahn & Rose, spoke with NACD director of governance content Mallory Bucher. Peacock and Young are cochairs of the NACD 2025 Blue Ribbon Commission. Together, they unpack what directors expect from CEOs. They also discuss how to establish trust early and maintain it through disagreement and disruption, and why steady leadership and transparency matter most when the stakes are high.

Host: Mallory Bucher, director of governance content, NACD

Guests: Dona Young, NACD.DC®, director, USAA, NACD, Spahn & Rose; cochair, NACD 2025 Blue Ribbon Commission

Wayne Peacock, vice chair, Elizabeth Dole Foundation; former CEO, USAA; cochair, NACD 2025 Blue Ribbon Commission

Related NACD Resources:  

• Building a High-Trust Board-CEO Relationship
• “Making CEO Succession Plans Stick”
• “A Director’s Responsibility to the CEO”

Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.