Private Company Director’s Directors to Watch 2025 highlights 31 significant and diverse directors who have contributed to and will continue to expand ongoing dialogue on board best practices and corporate governance excellence.
Cody Teets
Franchise Succeed, Bridge Entrepreneurs Network Colorado
Cody Teets brings over 25 years of executive and board experience, including a distinguished career at McDonald’s Corporation. As VP of franchise relations, she collaborated with the U.S. C-suite to implement a three-year strategic plan for 1,800 franchisees. She also managed a multistate $2 billion P&L and received accolades for delivering strong returns in real estate development.
Teets’ governance expertise includes serving as board chair of Vivos Therapeutics, where she guided IPO governance and strategic planning, and as trustee of Regis University, where she acted as interim president and achieved significant enrollment growth. An advisory board member of Franchise Succeed, she is focused on scaling franchise operations.
Recently accepted into the NYSE Board Candidate Network, Teets is pursuing a Ph.D. in business at the University of Denver.
Succession planning is the cornerstone of board excellence: “Succession planning involves more than simply filling positions. It emphasizes the strategic development of a resilient, future-ready board. By cultivating a leadership pipeline that is diverse in terms of race, gender, industry expertise and generational perspective, boards prepare themselves for industry success. Proactive recruitment and onboarding efforts, led by the governance committee, encourage bold discussions that align board members with organizational goals. This process ensures that directors clearly understand the bylaws, decision-making frameworks and cultural dynamics. Effective succession planning is an ongoing, collaborative effort that poses the question, ‘Do candidates possess the vision, skills, and drive to achieve success?’”