As Americans look forward to the start of a new decade, it is an opportune time to reflect on the changes of the past 10 years. One of the most heartening developments is the increasing representation of women directors and other diverse directors on public company boards.
As a member of the board of directors for the national nonprofit campaign 2020 Women on Boards (2020WOB), I applaud our research noting that for the first time, as of June 2019, women now hold 20.4% of the seats at Russell 3000 companies. This milestone accomplishment is especially significant considering that women held only 16.0% of Russell 3000 board seats in 2017, and just 14.2% of Fortune 1000 companies in 2011, when 2020WOB began advocating for a benchmark of 20% women directors by the year 2020.