Directors to Watch 2024: Gender Diversity

The latest members of our esteemed Directors to Watch.

Directors & Boards has highlighted nearly 500 significant and diverse directors since our semi-annual feature, Directors to Watch, was launched in 2006. These professionals have contributed to and will continue to expand ongoing dialogue on board best practices and corporate governance excellence.

Directors to Watch is just one aspect of Directors & Boards' ongoing efforts to drive ethnic and gender diversity on public and private boards across corporate North America.


Erin Mulligan Helgren

Director, Skyline Champion Corporation, Ryman Hospitality Properties Inc.

Erin Mulligan Helgren has more than 30 years of P&L and leadership experience in public and private-equity-backed businesses and serves as a director for public companies Skyline Champion Corporation and Ryman Hospitality Properties Inc.

A three-time CMO and four-time CEO, Helgren's experience on the edge of emerging technologies, combined with her passion for purpose, brand and culture, enables her to bring a fresh and differentiated perspective to the boardroom. Read more >

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Valerie Mosley

Director, Envestnet, DraftKings, Eaton Vance Family of Funds

Valerie Mosley is a servant leader, whether as president of Duke University's student body, or partner, senior VP and portfolio manager of a trillion-dollar global asset management company.

She has managed billions of dollars, chaired Wellington Management Company LLP's industry strategy group, created its credit research product, served on the risk committee and sat on key investment strategy teams. Read more >


Marietta Colston-Davis

Director, Priority, SharpSpring, The Urban Alliance Foundation

Marietta Colston-Davis most recently served as IBM's VP and managing director, leading worldwide teams integrating cloud, analytics, edge computing and AI solutions for global brands.

Before IBM, she was the highest-ranking African American executive in the Americas as VP of Microsoft's U.S. Dynamics business. She previously held high impact positions at Lotus Development, Ameritech and Tata Consultancy Services Limited. Read more >


Katharine Knobil

Director, Pliant Therapeutics Inc., Marker Therapeutics Inc., Nimbus Therapeutics

Katharine Knobil, M.D., is a pulmonary and critical care physician with over 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical development as chief medical officer (CMO) for large pharma, biotech and medtech. 

At GSK, Knobil held the role of CMO, overseeing medical affairs, safety and medical governance. Most recently, she was the first CMO for Agilent Technologies Inc., integrating the patient perspective into strategy and decision-making for precision medicine. Read more >


Sue Harnett

Director, OFG Holding Company, Extra Space Storage Inc., Sphere3D

Sue Harnett serves as an independent director of three publicly traded companies: OFG Holding Company, Extra Space Storage Inc. and Sphere3D.

As a board member, she successfully completed four M&A transactions, most recently a $15 billion deal with Extra Space to create the largest storage company in the United States. She was selected to join the Extra Space board after the merger. Harnett has a passion for developing start-up companies and giving back. She is a limited partner in How Women Invest, a venture fund dedicated to women-led companies. Read more >


Julie Silcock

Director, Overseas Shipholding Group Inc.

Julie Silcock is a seasoned finance executive, an SEC-Qualified Financial Expert and board member with over 35 years of M&A and capital markets experience. She has served as a director on six private and public company boards spanning industry sectors, including finance/fintech, technology, transportation/logistics, environmental services and consumer/retail.

Silcock is currently a director of Overseas Shipholding Group Inc., where she is chair of the compensation committee; Joanna Czech, a private beauty products and services company; the North Texas Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD); and Goodwill Dallas, a nonprofit corporation. She is a former director of Q4 Inc., sold in February 2024; MoneyGram, sold in June 2023; GreenHunter Resources Inc., sold in 2016; and Mesa Airlines, where she served from 2001-2005. Read more >


Dianne Hurley

Director, American Healthcare REIT Inc., AG Mortgage Investment Trust Inc.

Dianne Hurley is an accomplished asset management C-suite executive with expertise in operations, finance, organizational strategy and human capital management. She serves on the board of American Healthcare REIT Inc., where she chairs the compensation committee and is a member of the audit committee.

Hurley also serves on the board of AG Mortgage Investment Trust, where she chairs the audit committee and is a member of the nominating & corporate governance committee. She was formerly an independent director of three additional public REITS. Read more >


Lori George

Director, Shake Shack, Pioneer Natural Resources Company

Lori George serves on the boards of Pioneer Natural Resources Company and Shake Shack. She is a member of three committees: nominating and corporate governance at Shake Shack, and compensation and leadership development and health, safety and environment at Pioneer.

Before retiring from The Coca-Cola Company after 20 years of service, she was the global chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. Her previous roles included several with increasing responsibility within public affairs and communications. She is known for creating and executing strategic initiatives that meet organizational goals, target audience needs and produce results. Read more >


Stayce Harris

Director, Boeing, BlackRock Fixed Income Funds

Retired Lieutenant General Stayce Harris serves as an independent director (and on the aerospace safety, audit and special programs committees) of Boeing, and on the compliance and performance oversight committees of BlackRock Fixed Income Funds.

After a nearly 38-year career, she retired in 2019 as the inspector general of the Air Force. Previously, she was the Air Force assistant vice chief of staff. Harris brings extensive aviation and aerospace safety experience, with over 10,000 flight hours piloting Boeing 747, 757, 767 and 777 aircraft for United Airlines before retiring in 2020. Read more >


Alice C. Brennan

Director, RENN Fund Inc., FRMO Corp., Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company II

Alice Brennan is a public company director with over 25 years of experience in successfully optimizing revenue at highly regulated companies.

Brennan is an independent director of public companies, RENN Fund Inc. and FRMO Corp., serving on their audit committees. She is an independent director of Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company II, serving on the audit committee and chairing the nominating and governance committee. Read more >


Nikki Lanier

Director, Premier Financial Corp.

Nikki Lanier is an experienced executive with over 25 years of achievement in the private and public sector.

Lanier is the founder of Harper Slade. She serves on the board of Premier Financial Corp. on the compensation and risk committees. Before founding Harper Slade, Lanier was senior VP with Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and a member of the bank's executive management committee. Prior to that position, she spent 18 years as a corporate HR executive and employment attorney. Read more >


Sandra Levy

Director, GFL Environmental Inc., SIR Royalty Income Fund, Slang Worldwide

Sandra Levy is a retired human resources C-suite executive with over 25 years of experience in human resources and legal roles. A lawyer by training, she brings proven management expertise from both national and global organizations, including Magna International Inc., First Capital REIT and RioCan. 

Levy has extensive corporate and volunteer board experience. She sits on three corporate boards: GFL Environmental Inc., SIR Royalty Income Fund and Slang Worldwide. Levy chairs the governance committees for SIR Royalty Income Fund and Slang Worldwide. She has also chaired and supported human resources and compensation committees and brings expertise in executive and board compensation, business and cultural transformation, and DEI. Read more >


Edwina Payne

Director, Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta

Edwina Payne is a global business leader with a history of success in life sciences, consumer goods and banking. With over three decades of experience, she has driven results and demonstrated exceptional leadership in technology strategy development, digital transformations, supply chain strategy, M&A and cybersecurity programs.

Her career spans roles as CIO in both consumer-packaged goods and medical device companies, including Kellogg's, Johnson & Johnson and Zimmer Biomet, as well as global roles based in the United States and Latin America. Read more >


Courtney Shea

Director, Assured Guaranty Ltd., Professional Diversity Network

Courtney Shea is a qualified financial expert. She serves on the board of Assured Guaranty Ltd., where she is a member of the audit, finance and risk committees. She also serves as audit chair for Professional Diversity Network.  

Prior to her retirement, Shea served as an investment banker and municipal advisor working with state and local governments on infrastructure projects in both the public and private sector, where, as a managing member, she has directly structured more than $10B of debt across dozens of transactions.  Read more >


Nina Vaca

Director, Comerica Incorporated, Cinemark Holdings Inc.

Nina Vaca is an award-winning entrepreneur, CEO, director and philanthropist on a mission to improve lives globally. With nearly 15 years of board experience, Vaca currently serves as a director of Comerica Incorporated and Cinemark Holdings Inc. She has advocated for and helped increase the board service of women and minorities nationally.

In 1996, Vaca founded Pinnacle Group, the largest Hispanic-owned global workforce solutions company in the country. Serving 20% of the Fortune 100, Pinnacle Group's global reach includes 25 countries. Read more >


Allison Grant Williams

Director, Select Sector SPDR Trust

Allison Grant Williams is an independent board member of the Select Sector SPDR Trust, the exchange traded fund (ETF) series of 11 S&P 500 sector index funds.

A financial services professional, Williams has held C-suite responsibilities, including finance, strategic planning, sales, product development and operations. More recently, she served as global COO of Northern Trust's asset servicing division and as CAO/CMO of the asset management division's then-start-up ETF business unit. Williams has successfully led business growth initiatives from strategy and policy development through implementation. Read more >


Kelly McNamara Corley

Director, Fidus Investment Corporation, Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Rush System for Health

Kelly McNamara Corley is a director and adviser to financial services and payments companies. She serves on the boards of Fidus Investment Corporation, a company that provides financing solutions to lower middle-market companies; Goldman Sachs Bank USA and the Rush System for Health, where she serves on the audit committee.

Corley is principal and founder of The Red Bee Group LLC, a women-owned consulting firm providing advice to organizations on governance and DEIB matters.  Read more >


Janet S. Wong

Director, Lucid Motors, Lumentum, Enviva

Janet Wong is an accomplished executive with a 30-plus year career of demonstrated business leadership. She serves on the boards of Lucid Motors, Lumentum and Enviva.

She worked as a senior partner with KPMG, providing her industry experience in consumer products, energy, financial services, manufacturing and technology with Fortune 500 companies. Wong is a recognized thought leader and speaker on issues including board governance, risk management, cybersecurity, AI, financial reporting and leadership development. Read more >


Erin Selleck

Director, LendingClub

Erin Selleck is an experienced public company director with extensive subject matter expertise in finance, enterprise risk management, audit and compliance. Throughout her 30-year career, both in her operating roles in global financial institutions and as a bank director, she has successfully helped banks navigate economic cycles, banking crises and regulatory change.

Selleck is a member of the board of LendingClub, where she serves on the audit and risk committees. She previously served on the board of Broadway Federal Bank, where she was chair of the audit committee and a member of the risk/compliance committee. Read more >


Samantha Kappagoda

Director, Credit Suisse Mutual Funds

Samantha Kappagoda is chief data scientist of Numerati Partners, independent director of Credit Suisse Mutual Funds, and a seasoned economist, entrepreneur and capital markets professional with global experience across artificial intelligence, data analytics, financial management and risk governance.

She has been strategic and pragmatic throughout her career, identifying emerging opportunities, mitigating unanticipated risks and navigating complex issues in highly regulated multidisciplinary settings. Kappagoda founded two analytics firms, established an industrial research lab at New York University, and oversaw analytics at the World Bank and global macro hedge fund Caxton, managing $15 billion of assets. Read more >


Michele Ashby

Director, Andean Precious Metals, Treasury Metals Inc., National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum

Michele Ashby, a distinguished independent director in the finance and mining sectors, leverages over three decades of global mining experience. She has served across eight corporate boards since 2005 with over 25 years of board experience collectively.

Ashby’s in-depth knowledge spans a broad spectrum of resources, including gold, silver, copper and lithium. She is recognized as one of the top 100 women in mining globally, and formed The Denver Gold Group Inc., an international trade association. Read more >

About the Author(s)

Scott Chase

Scott Chase manages the nomination and selection process for Directors to Watch.


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