The Directors to Watch: Racial & Ethnic Diversity Class of 2025 highlights 24 significant and diverse directors who have contributed to and will continue to expand ongoing dialogue on board best practices and corporate governance excellence.
Kimberly Ellison-Taylor
U.S. Bancorp, Marathon Petroleum, Mutual of Omaha
Kimberly Ellison-Taylor is a global technology and finance leader with over 30 years of career achievements. She is the CEO of KET Solutions LLC, a consulting firm focused on business growth, strategy and transformation.
Ellison-Taylor is a sought-after keynote speaker and has received many recognitions for her leadership, including Accounting Today's “Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting,” CPA Practice Advisor's “25 Most Powerful Women in Accounting” and Forbes' “2024 Top 200 CPAs in America.”
For almost 17 years, Ellison-Taylor served in global leadership roles for Oracle Corporation. She also has experience with KPMG, Motorola and NASA. Ellison-Taylor is an adjunct professor for Carnegie Mellon University teaching emerging technology and innovation. She has several credentials, including CPA, CITP, CGMA, CIA and CISA.
The internal audit function is invaluable to board directors. “By providing crucial insights into the company's risk management, internal controls and governance processes, the internal audit team offers objective evaluations that help directors fulfill their oversight responsibilities over risk, strategy, operations and regulatory requirements. The ‘three lines of defense' model complements internal audit, aligns with leading governance practices and enhances confidence in the company's governance framework, ensuring risks are effectively managed and reported. The first line, operational management, directly manages risks and implements controls. The second line, including risk management and compliance functions, monitors and supports these activities. The third line, internal audit, provides assurance on the effectiveness of the first two lines.”