Directors & Boards has highlighted over 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.
Shannon Nash
NETSCOUT, SoFi Bank, Lazy Dog Restaurants LLC, Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Shannon Nash is a seasoned global leader, financial expert, attorney and CPA. She serves as an independent director on the boards of NETSCOUT (member, audit committee), SoFi Bank (chair, risk and compensation committees), and Lazy Dog Restaurants LLC (chair, audit committee).
Nash brings CFO expertise from Wing, Reputation.com and Insidesource. She also gives her time to causes like Silicon Valley Community Foundation, a nonprofit managing over $13 billion in assets. Read more >
Anita Polite-Wilson
Rehrig Pacific Company
Dr. Anita Polite-Wilson is a diversity, inclusion and belonging thought leader, sustainable workforce and culture transformation strategist, workforce psychological safety and change management practitioner, international speaker, author of seven self-published leadership books and host of the Keeping It Real with Dr. Anita podcast, where she reframes diversity conversations from difficult to different.
By sharing her expertise in organizational development and effectiveness, she provides a complementary viewpoint to help shape a board's perspective through a people-focused lens by emphasizing the importance of psychological safety that promotes a culture of belonging to navigate culture, complexity and change effectively. Read more >
Sharmila Kassam
Griid Infrastructure LLC, Calamos Aksia Alternative Credit Fund, Greenbacker Renewable Energy Corporation
Sharmila Kassam is a financial executive with 30 years serving on the frontline for investors — leveraging her multidisciplinary background as an attorney, CPA and investor to champion innovative commercial solutions. Read more >
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.” Read more >
Gregory B. Morrison
Veritex Holdings, Rollins Inc., RB Global
Gregory B. Morrison is the former senior VP and corporate chief information officer for Cox Enterprises Inc., a role he held for 18 years until his retirement in January 2020. Prior to his role at Cox, Morrison served as chief operating officer of RealEstate.com and held various technology leadership roles, including chief information officer, at Prudential Financial Inc.
He is a director for the public companies Veritex Holdings, Rollins Inc. and RB Global, and private companies Amerisure and IEWC. Read more >
Leah Solivan
PetMeds
Leah Solivan is currently a general partner at Fuel Capital, where she invests in early-stage technology start-ups across a variety of sectors.
Solivan created one of the most widely recognized new consumer technology brands of the past decade, Taskrabbit. In 2017, she oversaw Taskrabbit's successful sale to IKEA, the multinational home decor corporation. Read more >
Gwen Bingham
Owens & Minor
Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Gwen Bingham is a seasoned global leader who served 38 years as a career logistician. Since 2020, she has been an independent director for Owens & Minor and has served as chair of its governance and nominating committee and on its executive committee.
She was named a CNN “Champion for Change” and is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades. She chairs the board of Blue Star Families, a nonprofit organization that advocates for service members and their families. Read more >
Gena Ashe
GXO Logistics Inc., Skyward Specialty Insurance
Gena Ashe is the chief legal officer of wireless spectrum provider Anterix and CEO of board governance advisory firm GLA Legal Advisory Group LLC. She has held senior legal positions with AT&T, IBM, Darden and Public Broadcasting Service.
Ashe is a director of GXO Logistics Inc. and Skyward Specialty Insurance., where she chairs the nom/gov committee. Ashe is also on the board and executive committee of The Executive Leadership Council. Read more >
Pablo Di Si
Lindsay Corporation, Copersucar, JHSF
As president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, Pablo Di Si leads the North American region with $40 billion in sales and 30,000 employees. Previous roles include president and CEO of Volkswagen Latin America and chair of Autos Drive America.
He serves as an independent member of the boards of Lindsay Corporation, Copersucar (one of the biggest global traders of biofuels) and JHSF (a Brazilian luxury real estate and hotels conglomerate listed in the Bovespa stock exchange). Read more >
Pamela Edwards
The AZEK Company Inc., Neiman Marcus
Pamela Edwards is an independent board director and seasoned former CFO with over three decades of strategic, finance and operational leadership experience revitalizing businesses and driving growth, most notably at Citi Trends Inc. as former CFO and at L Brands as CFO of Victoria's Secret and Express.
She has gained further strategic perspective serving on the boards of The AZEK Company and Neiman Marcus, where she chairs the audit committee, and as a former director on the board of Hibbett. Read more >
Rose Marie Glazer
Corebridge Financial Inc.
Rose Marie E. Glazer is an acclaimed C-suite executive with over 30 years of experience working with global Fortune 100 companies across a broad array of sectors, including financial services, energy, health care, technology and manufacturing. She leverages her diverse voice to help businesses navigate a range of complex areas, such as governance, crisis management, M&A, shareholder activism, ESG and executive compensation.
Glazer is the executive VP, general counsel, at American International Group Inc., where she oversees AIG's legal, compliance, regulatory and government affairs teams as well as the global security and sustainability offices. Read more >
Valerie Jarrett
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., Ralph Lauren, Sweetgreen, Ariel Investments LLC
Valerie Jarrett is CEO and director of The Obama Foundation. Jarrett serves on the boards of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (member of the audit, compensation and nom/gov committees), Ralph Lauren (chair of the nom/gov committee and member of the audit committee), Sweetgreen (chair of the nom/gov committee) and Ariel Investments LLC (chair of the nom/gov committee).
Jarrett was the senior advisor to President Obama from 2009-2017. She was CEO of The Habitat Company LLC and served as chair of the boards of the Chicago Stock Exchange, The University of Chicago Medical Center and Chicago Transit Authority. She was a director of Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Read more >
Deidra Merriwether
Weyerhaeuser Company
Deidra Merriwether is senior VP and CFO of W.W. Grainger Inc. Known for delivering consistent top-quartile performance, Merriwether is an accomplished leader with broad management, operations and financial experience.
She started her career as an engineer. After attaining her master's degree, she pivoted to build her business expertise at companies such as PwC and Sears Holdings Corporation. In 2013, she joined Grainger as VP, finance, and held impactful operations, sales and pricing positions before becoming CFO in 2021. Read more >
Kim Harris Jones
United Rentals Inc., TrueBlue, Caesars Entertainment
Kim Harris Jones is a finance professional with over 30 years of experience. She serves on the boards of United Rentals Inc., TrueBlue and Caesars Entertainment. At United Rentals, she chairs the audit committee and serves on the compensation committee. On the TrueBlue board, she chairs the audit committee and serves on the nom/gov and information & technology committees. She is on the audit and corporate and social responsibility committees of Caesars Entertainment.
She is the president and chairman of the board of the Harris-Jones Charitable Gift Foundation and previously served on the board of Fossil Group. Earlier in her career, she served as senior VP, corporate controller and FP&A lead for Mondelēz International, Kraft Foods and Chrysler. Read more >
Michelle RhodesBrown
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield of Maryland and Washington, D.C.
Michelle RhodesBrown is an independent director of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield of Maryland and Washington, D.C., serving on the finance and investment and mission oversight committees. Additionally, she serves on the investment and corporate governance and securities litigation committees of the Maryland State Retirement & Pension System.
Her board experience includes the Pension Oversight Commission of Howard County, Md., and the AEW Core Property LP advisory board. Read more >
Curtis Stephens
Carter Bankshares Inc.
Curtis Stephens is an independent director with Carter Bankshares Inc., serving on the enterprise risk management and credit risk committees.
An executive in the banking, transportation, real estate, and sports and entertainment industries, Stephens provides insight on risk governance and operational resilience matters, fostering the positive governance of risk-taking and its value with board committee work and the full board's focus on strategy, governance and value creation. Read more >
Daria Walls Torres
Columbia Financial Inc.
Daria Walls Torres is a tech-savvy strategist and experienced corporate director. As a member of the audit, nom/gov, risk and technology committees, Torres serves on the board of Columbia Bank and its publicly traded parent company, Columbia Financial Inc.
Walls Torres is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her firm, Walls Torres Group, with an esteemed track record of value creation spanning vast industry contexts and organizational profiles. Prior to her consulting career, Walls Torres was a Lockheed Martin TS/SCI-cleared systems engineer, which served as the entrée into her expertise in digital transformation, cybersecurity, supply chain logistics and compliance management. Read more >
Verdell Walker
Scholastic
Verdell Walker is a seasoned, consumer-oriented marketing and content professional. A master storyteller, she has a proven track record of developing and executing innovative strategies that achieve bottom-line growth and increase brand value.
Walker has held leadership roles at blue-chip brands like Spotify, Mattel and Sesame Workshop. She is regarded by her peers as a thought leader and someone who is highly effective in leading and working collaboratively with teams. Read more >
Jeff Sakaguchi
TrueBlue, Eccentex, ThinkIQ
Jeff Sakaguchi is an award-winning board leader, skilled executive and trusted business advisor. He is a recognized authority on business strategy, finance, innovation and disruptive technologies.
Sakaguchi is chairman of the board of TrueBlue, where he also serves on the governance, innovation & technology and audit committees. He also serves on the boards of Eccentex and ThinkIQ, both privately held software companies. Read more >
Carlos Quezada
Carriage Services
Carlos Quezada currently serves as CEO and vice chairman of Carriage Services. His transformative growth strategies have led to exceptional results across diverse industries. His strategic vision and financial acumen have propelled Carriage Services to record-breaking success.
Quezada, a visionary leader, fostered a customer-centric culture at Service Corporation International, resulting in double-digit revenue growth. As the founder and CEO of a hospitality company, he drove outstanding financial performance through innovation and service excellence. Read more >
Tamar Elkeles
The Glimpse Group, GP Strategies Corporation, G3 VRM
Tamar Elkeles, Ph.D., has over 30 years in the technology, human capital and ed tech sectors, including 25 years as chief learning and talent officer at Qualcomm Technologies Inc. She has extensive experience scaling companies, leading transformations and building high-performing leadership teams.
She has been the chief human resources officer for two rapidly growing technology start-ups and the chief talent executive for a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. Her governance roles include director of The Glimpse Group, GP Strategies Corporation, G3 VRM, Open Sesame and The Forbes School of Business and Technology at The University of Arizona. Read more >
Tamla Oates-Forney
Summit Materials
Tamla Oates-Forney is an innovative thought leader, women's advocate, wellness champion, philanthropist and investor. She serves as CEO of Linkage, an SHRM company. Linkage is a global leadership development firm committed to advancing women and accelerating inclusion in leaders and organizations.
Oates-Forney previously served as executive VP and chief human resources officer for USAA. Prior to that, she was senior VP and chief people officer at WM. She spent 20 years at General Electric, attaining the role of VP, human resources, for GE Energy Connections. Read more >
Alicia Enciso
Bacardi Limited, Kimberly-Clark Mexico
Alicia Enciso is an independent director at public and private companies with experience on nom/gov and compensation committees. She has a strong background as an accomplished president and global marketer with 30 years of experience mainly focused on fast-turning consumer goods and food/beverage multinational Fortune 100 companies. Enciso has a proven track record of successful leadership in large, complex multibillion-dollar businesses in North and Latin America.
Enciso has presided over some of the world's greatest brands. She brings to the board a diverse perspective regarding domestic and international markets, innovation, global and digital marketing, e-commerce and Hispanic consumers, as well as a demonstrated capability in strategic planning, M&A, DEI and cultural transformation. Read more >
Judy Lee
DBS Bank, Commercial Bank of Ceylon, Mapletree Logistics
Judy Lee is CEO of Dragonfly Capital, a leading expert in quantitative risk management, with over 35 years of experience as a banker, renewable energy C-suite executive and founder/partner of consulting firms.
Lee is an independent director of DBS Bank, Commercial Bank of Ceylon, Mapletree Logistics, JTC PLC and SMRT Corporation Ltd.; a member of the Monetary Authority of Singapore Corporate Governance Advisory Committee and the NYU Stern Executive Board; and former director of Temasek Life Sciences Accelerator, Solar Frontier and ATI. Read more >