
Building The High Performing Private Company Board
Reserve your seat at the governance conference for directors, owners, and advisors of family-owned, closely-held and private-equity owned businesses of all sizes.
Session topics include:
|
Expert briefings on:
|
Review the full conference program here.
Download the conference brochure here.
Special Pre-Conference Session
Starting and Building the Private Company Board
What Attendees Say About The Private Company Governance Summit
“Excellent conference—the best! Quality and valuable content, excellent networking. Everyone was engaged and engaging.”
“Loved the focus on private versus public company issues. It is often hard to benchmark in this area—but here, you could talk directly with those similarly situated.
“The conference completely changed my view on how a board is conducted and run.”
“The quality of the attendees is extraordinary, and the tempo and content of the sessions allows time to think, engage and connect.”
“This conference may be the best thing I’ve done all year!”
“Top notch. Organized, great content, well managed.”
“A unique place to get a lot of good information and be exposed to new ideas. I left inspired and curious about bringing some ideas back to our board.”
“Outstanding value for time invested. Fantastic speakers, so well qualified. I’m so impressed that these experts are willing to share and give back, and pay it forward. This has been one of the best conferences I have ever attended. Contacts, networking and resources, all here in a day and a half. Wow!”
“This conference provides a wonderful buffet of ideas. Some fit, some don’t, but the ones that fit are gems.”
Featured Speakers

Admiral Bobby R. Inman, USN (Ret.)
Managing Director, Gefinor Ventures and Limestone Capital Advisors

Howard Brod Brownstein
President, Brownstein Corporation; Director, P&F Industries, PICO Holdings, Inc.

Daniel Korschun
Associate Professor of Marketing and fellow, Center for Corporate Governance, Drexel University

Mary E. Landry
Director of The United Services Automobile Association; Rear Admiral (Ret), United States Coast Guard

Steven R. Walker

Pascal Levensohn
Director, C. Mondavi & Family, Inc.; Chairman, ShotSpotter Inc., Mixed Dimensions 3D, Cure Network Dolby Acceleration Partners LLC

Wayne Yetter
Director, InfuSystem Holdings, Inc. (INFU), Special Diversified Opportunities Inc. (SDOI), and MTG Biotherapeutics, Inc.

Deborah Hicks Midanek
CEO & Chairman, Solon Group, Inc., Advisory Board Member, The Biltmore Company, Independent Director Representative, Richcourt Funds

The High Performing Private Company Board
Wednesday May 11, 2016
3-8 pm Registration Open
4-5:15 PM Preconference Session: Starting and Building the Private Company Board
Where do you start? A special session for owners/shareholders of privately-owned companies who are at the early stages of designing, launching or building a fiduciary or advisory board. The focus will be on best practices, the role of independent directors, and will feature case studies from companies that have recently launched their boards.
Speakers: Larry Siff, CEO, Neptune Advisors, Director, Kayem Foods Inc., Mason Companies Inc.; Steven R. Walker, General Counsel, Secretary, and Director of Board Advisory Services, National Association of Corporate Directors, Director, Objective Interface Systems, ContractRoom; Pascal Levensohn, Director, C. Mondavi & Family, Inc.; Chairman, ShotSpotter Inc., Mixed Dimensions 3D, Cure Network Dolby Acceleration Partners LLC
Moderator: Barbara Spector, Editor, Family Business Magazine
5:45-7:00 PM Opening Session: The Board’s Role in a Crisis
While publicly owned companies in crisis dominate the news cycle, privately owned companies also face crises—cyber attacks, product recalls, public relations disasters and more. This session will focus on the board and its role in crisis communications and actions for the privately held company—establishing a crisis plan, communicating with shareholders, employees, community and customers, and overseeing the company’s path to putting the crisis behind before permanent damage is done.
Speakers: Howard Brod Brownstein, President, Brownstein Corporation; Director, P&F Industries; Daniel Korschun, Associate Professor of Marketing and fellow, Center for Corporate Governance, Drexel University; Mary E. Landry, Director, The United Services Automobile Association, Rear Admiral (ret), United States Coast Guard; Challis Lowe, Director, Seaway Bank & Trust
Moderator: Davia Temin, President and CEO, Temin and Company
7:00-9:00 PM Networking Reception and Buffet Dinner
Thursday May 12, 2016
7:30-8:30 AM Breakfast
8:30-8:45 AM Conference Introduction
Deborah L. DeHaas, Vice Chairman, Chief Inclusion Officer, and National Managing Partner of the Center for Corporate Governance, Deloitte LLP
8:45-9:15 AM Keynote Address
Peter Mondavi, Jr., Co-Proprietor, Charles Krug Winery
9:15-9:30 AM Networking Break
9:30-10:45 AM Panel: Dealing with Conflicts of Interest on Private Company Boards
Private company boards have many opportunities to create conflicts of interest—family members on the board, favored attorneys or consultants, and more. This session will focus on how to create a clear distinction between a board member’s role on the board and other roles they may play within or for the company, and how private boards define and use truly independent directors.
Speakers: Grant Lundberg, CEO, Lundberg Family Farms; Jim McHugh, Director, Southworth International Group Inc. and Kennebec Technologies Inc.; Ernest M. (Bud) Miller, Jr., Director, A. Duda & Sons, DKH, Incorporated, D&K Insurance Agency, ECI, Inc.
Moderator: Stephanie Brun de Pontet, PhD, Senior Consultant, The Family Business Consulting Group
10:45-11:15 AM Networking Break
11:15-12:15 PM Panel: Preparing for the Board Meeting
How do you ensure that the board meeting provides maximum value to the private company’s ownership, management and board members? It’s all in the preparation. This session will look at the best practices of high performing private boards, from pre-meeting materials, the board meeting agenda and binder, and effective follow through after the board meeting. Attendees will be encouraged to submit their own board meeting materials for (anonymous) review by a panel of serving directors and board chairs.
Speakers: Anne Eiting Klamar, M.D., Chairperson, Midmark Corporation; Eileen C. McDonnell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Penn Mutual; Dennis Chookaszian, Retired Chairman and CEO, CNA Insurance Companies.
Moderator: Ray Judge, Regional Sales Director, Diligent
12:15-12:45 PM Networking Break
12:45-2:15 PM Lunch and Keynote Conversaton
Speakers: Julia H. Klein, Chairwoman and CEO, C.H. Briggs Co.; Jayne Millard, CEO, Turtle & Hughes, Inc., Kathryn Swintek, Director, Turtle & Hughes, Inc.
2:15-3:45 PM Expert Briefings
40 minutes sessions; repeats twice
- The IPO/M&A-ready Board: Bob Lamm, Independent Senior Advisor, Deloitte's Center for Corporate Governance
- Onboarding independent/non-family directors: Jim McHugh, Director, Southworth International Group Inc. and Kennebec Technologies Inc.
- Board strategy: Allan Grafman, CEO of All Media Ventures, Director, Blue Socks Media
- The board's role in corporate culture: Alyson Daichendt, Director, Deloitte Consulting LLP
- The dynamics of family members on the board: Deborah Hicks Midanek, CEO & Chairman, Solon Group, Inc., Advisory Board Member, The Biltmore Company, Independent Director Representative, Richcourt Funds
- Private board committees: Margaret Pederson, President, Amirexx, Director, Viad, Xamax Industries and TextureMedia
- Director and board evaluations: Wayne Yetter, Director, InfuSystem Holdings, Inc. (INFU), Special Diversified Opportunities Inc. (SDOI), and MTG Biotherapeutics, Inc. and Robert Rosone, Director, Deloitte LLP
- The board’s role in talent oversight and development: Lowell W. Robinson, Director, EVINE Live, Higher One, Support.com and The Smithsonian Libraries
3:45-4:00 PM Networking Break
4:00-4:30 PM Case Study: Cyber Security and the Private Board
In a world where hackers—either on their own, or sponsored by foreign governments—can bring a company to its knees, the private company board needs to be prepared to deal with cyber attacks, and cyber security breaches. This case study will focus on preparing a cyber plan, and on executing that plan in the event of a cyber attack.
Session leader: Simone Petrella, Chief Cybersecurity Officer, CyberVista
4:30-5:00 PM Recruiting Directors for the Private Board
Building an effective private company board can depend on the “fit” of prospective directors, in addition to their skillsets, talents and experiences. This session will focus on what to look for in recruiting directors, from the discovery process, to interviewing and securing commitment.
Speaker: Barbara Hackman Franklin, Director, Aetna Inc.; Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Moderator: Mark Rogers, CEO, Board Prospects
6-9 PM Group Dinner and Private Company Boards of the Year Award
National Press Club, Washington, D.C.
Friday May 13, 2016
8:00-9:00 AM Breakfast
9:00-9:45 AM Keynote Interview
Admiral Bobby R. Inman, USN (Ret.), Managing Director, Genfor Ventures and Limestone Capital Advisors
Interviewed by Dennis Cagan, Director, Acorn Technologies, HeartStories, Prista Corp, Pratter, Inc.
9:45-11:00 AM Panel Private Company Capitalization, Liquidity and Shareholder Return
One of the most pressing issues facing a private company is capitalization and liquidity, and the ability to fund both growth and shareholder dividends. How do you raise money without losing control? This session will focus on where and how the board can assist the company in generating alternative capitalization strategies, including ESOPs, and raise capital for growth, M&A and shareholder liquidity.
Speakers: Mary Tanner, Senior Managing Director, Evolution Life Science Partners; Ken Baker, CEO, New Age Industries; Gerry Czarnecki, Director, State Farm Insurance, MAM Software Group, Inc.
11:00 AM Conference Summary and Close

About Conference

Confirmed Speakers
Admiral Bobby R. Inman, USN (Ret.)
Managing Director, Gefinor Ventures and Limestone Capital Advisors
Anne Eiting Klamar, MD
Chairperson, Midmark Corporation
Grant Lundberg
CEO, Lundberg Family Farms
Peter Mondavi, Jr.
Co-Proprietor, Charles Krug Winery
Eileen McDonnell
Chairman and CEO, The Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company
Jim McHugh
Director, Southworth International Group Inc. and Kennebec Technologies Inc.
Barbara Hackman Franklin
Director, Aetna Inc.; Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Norman R. Augustine
Retired Chairman and CEO, Lockheed Martin Corp.
Howard Brod Brownstein
President, Brownstein Corporation; Director, P&F Industries, PICO Holdings, Inc.
Mary Tanner
Senior Managing Director, Evolution Life Science Partners
Ernest M. (Bud) Miller, Jr.
Director, A. Duda & Sons, DKH, Incorporated, D&K Insurance Agency, ECI, Inc.
Ken Baker
CEO, NewAge Industries
Daniel Korschun
Associate Professor of Marketing and fellow, Center for Corporate Governance, Drexel University
Mary E. Landry
Director of The United Services Automobile Association; Rear Admiral (Ret), United States Coast Guard
Challis Lowe
Director, Seaway Bank & Trust
Dennis Chookaszian
Retired Chairman and CEO, CNA Insurance Companies
Larry Siff
CEO, Neptune Advisors; Director, Kayem Foods Inc., Mason Companies Inc.
Steven R. Walker
General Counsel & Managing Director, Board Advisory Services, National Association of Corporate Directors; Director, Director, Objective Interface Systems, ContractRoom
Pascal Levensohn
Director, C. Mondavi & Family, Inc.; Chairman, ShotSpotter Inc., Mixed Dimensions 3D, Cure Network Dolby Acceleration Partners LLC
Jayne Millard
CEO, Turtle & Hughes, Inc.
Gerry Czarnecki
Director, MAM Software Group, Inc., Jack Cooper Enterprises
Kathryn Swintek
Director, Turtle & Hughes, Open Road Integrated Media, Mela Sciences
Dennis Cagan
Director, Acorn Technologies, HeartStories, Prista Corp, Pratter, Inc.
Stephanie Brun de Pontet, PhD
Senior Consultant, The Family Business Consulting Group
Jeffry Powell
Executive Vice President, Sales, Diligent Board Member Services Inc.
Mark Rogers
Founder and CEO, Board Prospects
Simone Petrella
Chief Cybersecurity Officer, CyberVista
Lowell W. Robinson
Director, EVINE Live, Higher One, Support.com and The Smithsonian Libraries
Wayne Yetter
Director, InfuSystem Holdings, Inc. (INFU), Special Diversified Opportunities Inc. (SDOI), and MTG Biotherapeutics, Inc.
Margaret Pederson
President, Amirexx, Director, Viad, Xamax Industries and TextureMedia
Allan Grafman
CEO of All Media Ventures; Director, Blue Socks Media
Deborah Hicks Midanek
CEO & Chairman, Solon Group, Inc., Advisory Board Member, The Biltmore Company, Independent Director Representative, Richcourt Funds
Robert Rosone
Director, Deloitte LLP
Daniel Korschun
Associate Professor of Marketing and fellow, Center for Corporate Governance, Drexel University
Deborah L. DeHaas
Vice Chairman, Chief Inclusion Officer, and National Managing Partner, Center for Corporate Governance, Deloitte LLP
Alyson Daichendt
Director, Deloitte Consulting LLP
Davia Temin
President and CEO, Temin and Company
Register Today!
